Carrot Raisin Salad

A classically Southern side you might remember from grandma’s kitchen or the Chick-fil-A menu, creamy, crunchy carrot raisin salad is the perfect make-ahead dish for potlucks, cookouts, and spring or summer holidays. It’s made with just a handful of ingredients and absolutely no cooking needed.

🧺 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• This carrot raisin salad comes together in just minutes! The food processor makes super-fast work of shredding the carrots and after that it’s just a matter of stirring everything together.
• Some people might call carrot raisin salad old-fashioned, and others might think it just sounds downright gross. Personally, I love it. It’s light and filling and creamy and crunchy, the raisins are plump, and the “dressing” is just the right amount of sweet.
• Facing a potluck or a summer cookout? This salad is so easy to keep in the fridge and dish out for a last-minute side. Make it early in the day or the night before your get-together and sleep well knowing you’ve got at least one thing checked off your list.
• Carrot raisin salad only needs 6 ingredients, but it makes enough to serve up to 20 people, depending on your portion sizes. Easy, tasty, and budget-friendly? Say no more.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• While carrot raisin salad is a great make-ahead option, I don’t recommend making it more than 24 hours before you plan to serve it. As it sits, the moisture from the carrots can make the dish watery or make the creamy “dressing” separate.
• You can buy (and use) pre-shredded carrots if you want, but there’s a big difference in texture between those and freshly shredded carrots. Since we’re using the food processor rather than a box grater, the little bit of extra time it takes to shred them yourself is absolutely worth it.

🥗 Other Salad Recipes You’ll Love

• Tarragon Chicken Salad with Almonds
• Deviled Egg Salad
• Marry Me Chicken Salad
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemon and Parmesan
• Potato Salad with Raisins
• BBQ Chicken Salad
• Cherry Tomato Salad
• Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad
• Mexican Chicken Salad (Ensalada de Pollo)
• White Bean Salad
• Simple Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Herb Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
• Chicken Salad with Grapes

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

5 from 3 votes

Carrot Raisin Salad

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 0 minutes minutes

Chill 1 hour hour

Total 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Great for Easter, 4th of July, or any spring or summer potluck, chilled carrot raisin salad is as simple as it is delicious.

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20 servings

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Equipment

• vegetable scrub brush or paper towels, or dish towel
• Food processor fitted with shredding disc
• large mixing bowl with lid
• Large wooden spoon

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 large carrots approximately 2-2 ½ ounces each
• ▢ 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in 100% juice drained
• ▢ 1 cup raisins
• ▢ 10 tablespoons mayonnaise ½ cup + 2 tablespoons
• ▢ 1 pinch salt more or less to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons white sugar plus more to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons whole milk plus more as desired

Instructions

• Rinse 8 large carrots under running water, scrubbing carrots with brush or towel to remove all surface dirt. Place rinsed carrots in food processor. Work in batches as needed depending on size of carrots and size of food processor.
• Once carrots have been rinsed, secure lid on food processor. Pulse carrots as needed until completely shredded, then transfer shredded carrots to large mixing bowl. Repeat with any remaining carrots as needed until all carrots have been shredded.
• Add all shredded carrots to large mixing bowl, then add 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in 100% juice (drained), 1 cup raisins, 10 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 pinch salt, 2 tablespoons white sugar, and 2 tablespoons whole milk.
• Stir ingredients together gently until fully incorporated, adding up to 1 additional tablespoon whole milk as needed if mixture is too thick. Taste mixture and stir in additional sugar if desired.
• When satisfied with flavor and consistency of salad, cover bowl with lid and place bowl in refrigerator. Chill salad at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Stir salad again immediately before serving and serve chilled.

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• Make it Dairy Free: Use unsweetened coconut milk instead of whole milk.
• Make it Vegan: Use unsweetened coconut milk and vegan mayonnaise. Be sure your sugar is 100% vegan, as some are filtered with bone char.
• Make it Added-Sugar Free: Use Swerve sweetener instead of white sugar.
• Make-Ahead: I don’t recommend making this salad more than 24 hours in advance. The moisture from the carrots can make the creamy dressing separate and make the dish watery.
• Leftovers: Refrigerate leftover carrot raisin salad in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately ¼ cup)Calories: 93calProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 69mgPotassium: 154mgTotal Carbs: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gNet Carbs: 10gVitamin A: 4743IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.3mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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