French Grated Carrot Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
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Prepare a French classic—carrotes râpées—the iconic carrot salad cherished in every corner of France, from bustling markets to cozy home kitchens.
I first discovered this grated carrot salad when I was 20 years old and living as a college student in France, and it’s been a staple in my kitchen ever since. I’m always puzzled why it’s not more popular in the States, but one bite of these parsley-specked carrots doused with lemon and olive oil and you’ll know why it’s standard fare in every French bistro, market, and home kitchen.
The salad is not only a cinch to make, but it also keeps well and is good for you. If you have time, let it sit for a few hours before serving—the flavors really come together that way. It’s perfect for picnics or as a light side with egg salad sandwiches, or grilled chicken.
Table of Contents
“I have looked for a similar recipe for over 25 years, since I first had the salad in France. It is as good as I remember!”
What You’ll Need to Make French Carrot Salad
- Carrots: The sweet, crunchy base of the salad.
- Dijon mustard: Adds a tangy flavor and helps emulsify the dressing.
- Lemon juice: Provides acidity and brightness to the dressing.
- Vegetable oil and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Form the base of the dressing. A combination is used for a balanced flavor, as as olive oil alone can be overpowering in the salad.
- Honey: Adds sweetness to balance the acidity of the lemon juice.
- Fresh parsley: Adds freshness and a vibrant green color to the salad.
- Scallions: Adds a mild onion flavor and a bit of crunch to the salad.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Shred the carrots in a food processor. Set aside.
In a salad bowl, combine the dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey, vegetable oil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Whisk to combine.
Add the carrots, fresh parsley and scallions.
Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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French Grated Carrot Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
Prepare a French classic—carrotes râpées—the iconic carrot salad cherished in every corner of France, from bustling markets to cozy home kitchens.
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, peeled
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 teaspoons honey, to taste
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 finely sliced scallions (or 1tablespoon finely chopped shallots)
Instructions
- Shred the carrots in a food processor. Set aside.
- In a salad bowl, combine the dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey, vegetable oil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the carrots, fresh parsley and scallions (or shallots) and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Notes: Depending on the sweetness of the carrots, you may want to add more or less honey. Also, if you make this salad ahead of time, be sure to check the seasoning again before serving as the flavors tend to mellow.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: about 3/4 cup
- Calories: 150
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 253 mg
- Cholesterol: 0
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Thanks for this recipe. It’s really what I grew up with in France (probably without the honey). One of the “crudités” along with similar vinaigrette salads of cucumber, celery (root), red beets.
A treat.
This was simple and delicious!
Only substitutes I made was lime juice instead of lemon and garlic chives from the garden instead of scallions. Just because that’s what I had.
Will definitely make this again!
I liked what someone said that this would be good with tacos. Next time I do fish tacos I might make this.
I like Charlotte’s idea of adding mint. I followed the recipe exactly, and found it bland and too salty. Had to add more carrots, lemon juice, Dijon, and honey to balance it out. Next time will try it with mint, and hold the salt to the end, so that I can get it to a level that’s more to my taste.
Sooo…delicious!🥰👌
Absolutely love this salad
You have to try this! Hubby & I love it and will be making regularly now. My carrots were sweet on their own, so I omitted the honey. It was a perfect crunchy & savory dish.
This salad is absolutely lovely and so much lighter and better than the heavy mayonnaise laden carrot and raisin salad of my youth. Unfortunately, I didn’t have parsley, but mint grew in my yard so I tossed that in instead.
I tried your recipe exactly and loved it.
I now make it my way: add a grated daikon radish with the carrots; use a grated sweet onion, like a Vidalia, instead of green onions.
This is a superb sort-of-like-cole slaw salad and condiment. I use it on tacos, sandwiches, and as a side. Thanks 😊 for the recipe.
So Delicious and easy! Thank you!
Made this today for lunch for my (French) family – they all loved it! Including picky kid eaters who don’t usually like having chopped parsley in their food. A keeper!