Carrot Slaw is a sweet and tangy, vitamin packed side that's great for cookouts, holiday meals, and sandwiches. Featuring fresh carrots, cucumber, and green onions in a homemade Dijon vinaigrette, this unique and delicious, crowd-pleasing salad is guaranteed to elevate your next meal.
This savory carrot slaw is packed with flavor and nutrition, and offers a fresh change of pace from traditional coleslaw.
Whether you choose to shred or julienne the carrots, or buy a prepackaged bag (which saves a ton of time and energy), the end result will be the same: a delicious, versatile side salad that pairs well with all your grilled and roasted protein favs. It also makes a mean and tangy sandwich topper (we love it on top of Mississippi Chicken sliders).
Instead of relying on mayonnaise and white vinegar, this carrot cucumber slaw uses a tasty combination of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard to create a peppy, saucy vinaigrette.
Did you happen to notice all the green in there? That's coming from julienned English cucumbers and diced green onions. These two tasty additions provide an added crunch, pop of color, and extra flavor.
This economical, easy slaw always gets raves, and will fit right into your next holiday meal plan, along with Roasted Baby Carrots with Honey and Cheddar Parmesan Mac and Cheese.
Jump to:
🥘Ingredients
- carrots- if you're prepping these yourself (which does provide better flavor), buy long carrots for the most authentic carrot taste; if choosing prepackaged "matchsticks", choose a brand that appears moist and vibrant (organic carrots are your best bet)
- hothouse (English) cucumber- this variety is the best because of its low water content, edible skin and seeds
- green onions/scallions- provide a subtle onion flavor and additional color
- olive oil, red wine vinegar, & Dijon mustard- for a tangy and creamy dressing; I use Grey Poupon for its bold flavor profile
- Aleppo pepper & sea salt- additional flavorings for the dressing; if you can't find Aleppo pepper (which is crushed red chilis), use crushed red pepper flakes instead
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Add shredded carrots, julienned cucumber, and diced scallions to a large bowl; gently toss.
- Step 2: Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together.
- Step 3: Add the vinaigrette to the large bowl; gently stir to combine.
- Step 4: Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour to allow the flavors to meld before serving.
Hint: To cut down on moisture, place freshly shredded or julienned carrots on a few sheets of paper towels for 15-20 minutes, then blot with a new dry sheet before adding them to the bowl. Salting isn't necessary.
📖Variations
- Spicy - double the amount of Aleppo pepper; you can also add a dash of hot sauce
- Fruity - add 1 cup white raisins or dried cranberries; optional to also add 1 large, peeled, julienned green apple
- Sweet- omit the Aleppo pepper; use honey mustard instead of Dijon
See Zucchini Slaw and Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw for more slaw varieties!
🍽Equipment
- vegetable peeler
- box grater, julienne peeler, or food processor (see Top tip below)
- cutting board & knife
- measuring cups & measuring spoons
- large mixing bowl
- sturdy mixing spoon
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
🍶Storage
Store Carrot Slaw in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days (the longer it sits, the soggier it gets).
This recipe isn't suitable for freezing.
💭Top tip
Since carrots are the main ingredient (and we use a lot), grating them can be laborious. Alternatives to standard box graters are julienne peelers and food processors.
Using a julienne peeler still takes time, but it isn't as grinding on your arm. It also makes the carrots look pretty.
Many food processors can also handle this task nicely if they have a shredding disk. This method (other than buying matchstick carrots, which aren't as flavorful), is by far the easiest solution.
🗨️FAQ
The primary difference is that carrot slaw contains no cabbage. In this recipe, the dressing also isn't mayonnaise or white vinegar based, as you'll find in most traditional coleslaw recipes. We also don't use any sugar, since carrots are naturally sweet.
Yes. Peel them before you shred to remove the outer layer, which is often dry, dull in color, and not as sweet.
Many sources will tell you there is no difference, and that the terms are interchangeable. However, slaw (salad) is the parent category to coleslaw (cabbage salad). In other words, coleslaw is a form of slaw. Slaw itself can contain almost any shredded veggie, like in this Carrot Slaw recipe.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Carrot Slaw:
📋Recipe with step-by-step instructions
Carrot Cucumber Slaw with Dijon Vinaigrette
Equipment
- vegetable peeler
- box grater, julienne peeler, or food processor (see Top tip in above post for choosing the best option)
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- large mixing bowl
- sturdy mixing spoon
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 & ½ lbs carrots, shredded or julienned wash and peel before cutting
- ½ lb English (hothouse) cucumber, julienned this is typically half of a very long one
- ⅓ cup green onions/scallions sliced thin
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes may substitute crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Shred or julienne carrots; rest on paper towels while you complete the next step (some moisture will be absorbed this way).
- Julienne cucumber; thinly slice green onions.
- Add carrots, cucumber, and green onion to large mixing bowl; gently toss.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, pepper, and salt.
- Pour dressing into large bowl; gently mix to incorporate.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Comments
No Comments