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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Thank you! I have been looking for this recipe since I had dinner at mon ami gabi in 2010. I used shallots as mentioned in parentheses.( I also added a couple shakes of champagne vinegar since the server mentioned it is an ingredient. Don’t add it if you don’t want the vinegar taste).
What a surprisingly delicious salad, I’ve made it about ten times as it has become a firm favourite! It tastes different each time but always delicious, I think I’m becoming less rigid about the proportions. Thank you I look forward to trying out your other recipes, thank u so much!
I’ve had 2 chemo treatments in the last few weeks. NOTHING tasted good to me. I kept trying different things, hoping to find something that I could just – yum. This salad was it. SO delicious – and I love that it keeps for a few days (so important when you are cooking for one). I used only olive oil, and 2 TBS of that, as well as adding some lemon zest. It was just – amazing. Ty, ty, ty for posting this… I will make it again and again.
Hi Michelle, I am sorry you are going through chemo I pray for peace,healing and strength for you. I have a friend starting chemo in a couple of weeks I keep telling her how important eating nutritious is no matter how bad it taste don’t grab for junk you wont enjoy it anyway and it will do nothing good for your body so make it healthy. If you are on Pinterest check out Sandra Follin that’s me I have a Cooking Healthy Board and a Recipes Tried and True (worth making again and again) maybe there is something you would like.
Wishing you all the Best.
Thank you for your review.
Sandy
Tried, unsuccessfully, to find you on Pininterest. Can you post the link or URL. Thanks,
Ellie O
This is hands down my favorite recipe. A big bowl of this salad with fresh crusty bread…amazing. Also I tend to add more lemon juice.
Really enjoyed this salad last night… too often I find carrot salads a little overly sweet, and this had just the right amount of zing thanks to the lemon and dijon. I’ll admit I didn’t measure the dressing ingredients (we tend to prefer “unbalanced” dressings with a higher vinegar/citrus to oil ratio), and just adjusted to taste, but what a wonderful way to add a little punch to the carrot. And as I just purchased a mega bag of organic carrots at the request of the 3 year old, great way to make a decent dent in the bag. 🙂 This will grace our table again, for sure.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It was delicious, I loved the dressing. I have made it before but never with honey and parsley. It’s so easy and tasty! Thanks!
Just tried this recipe and it was an absolute hit with my family . It tasted simply amazing ,Thanks for sharing it with us !!!
Came across this recipe when I was looking for a way to use up a bag of shredded carrots and I really enjoyed it – it was light, crunchy and refreshing. I added the zest of half a lemon for some additional flavor. It was even better after letting the flavors marinade for a day. Thanks!
I make this often and everyone loves this but being a garlic lover we do add at least a small glove or two squeezed and some finely chopped scallions on top.
This is a beautiful and healthy salad. I will also add golden raisins if I have them on hand for the texture.
Thanks for the recipe!
I served this at a recent dinner party. So simple to make, but surprisingly good!