Classic Carrot and Apple Salad – Easy & Affordable (No Lettuce)
Have you tried a classic carrot and apple salad? It tastes light and refreshing with a simple oil and lemon juice vinaigrette and the sweetness of the apples, carrots and dried cranberries.
Also Read: A Round-Up of Winter Salads (No Lettuce), How to Eat Well With Rising Prices, Why Seasonal Food is Best
Easy to Get, Affordable Ingredients
It’s easy to find the ingredients for this simple yet delicious salad all year long – but make it in the fall and you’ll have the freshest apples, carrots and parsley from as close to home as possible. Maybe you’ll even get to use some of your own garden produce!
This gorgeous salad is actually a classic French recipe that has been around since forever! The ingredients are simple and straight forward – something everyone can afford.
Perfect Side Dish for Traditional Dinners
Call it a salad without lettuce or call it a cold vegetable side dish, either way it’s a great addition to everyday meals or to fancy feasts like Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner. Here’s why you want to make this dish next time you’re hosting dinner:
- can be prepped in advance and stored in the fridge for 4-5 days
- uses affordable ingredients most people enjoy
- is vegan, dairy free and gluten free
- serves as a cold vegetable side dish, so there’s one less dish to try to keep hot
- adds great colour to any meal
No Lettuce Salads
Salads do not always need to include lettuce! You can get plenty of variety with just a combination of veggies, grains, herbs and fruit. In fact, some of these salads are the most flavourful and filling because they’re loaded with ingredients that are much more dense than lettuce.
And if you’re into saving money – buying lettuce in winter can get expensive!
Recipe for Carrot and Apple Salad
Carrot and Apple Salad
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp sugar
- salt & pepper to taste
Salad
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups grated carrots ~4 carrots
- 1 cup grated apple ~1 large
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Dressing
- Prepare dressing first so it’s ready to pour over the apple and carrot mix as soon as the apple has been grated.
- Prepare dressing by combining lemon juice, canola oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously to mix well.
Salad
- Wash and chop parsley.
- Wash and grate carrots and then apple leaving skin on.
- Combine carrots, apple, parsley and dressing.
- Toss in dried cranberries.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
- Toss, taste and adjust seasoning prior to serving.
- Store in refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
More No Lettuce Salads to Try
Broccoli and Edamame Salad with Soy Ginger Dressing
Apple and Beet Salad
Southwestern Quinoa & Bean Salad
Getty Stewart is an engaging speaker and writer providing tasty recipes, time-saving tips, and helpful kitchen ideas to make home cooking easy and enjoyable. She is a Professional Home Economist, author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, mom and veggie gardener.
The canola oil gives the salad a very unpleasant after taste; if I ever make this again I’ll definitely us olive oil. Otherwise it’s fine, I added some very thinly sliced green onions and a bit more lemon juice at the end. If you’ve never made this kind of slaw before, don’t worry that the dressing seems to disappear into the salad. The carrots and apples will secrete a lot of moisture so by the time you’re ready to serve there will be plenty of dressing. I didn’t bother shaking the dressing up in a jar – a whisk works just fine.
Thanks for your comment. Interesting, I use canola oil because it has such a neutral flavor – it shouldn’t leave an after taste at all. Thanks for your tips on the dressing.