This French apple carrot salad recipe is healthy and fresh. This easy and raw recipe makes a great cold side dish or starter. It uses shredded carrots and apples.
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Carrot salad is a real classic here in France. So much that you can find premade packed French carrot salads next to sandwiches in the packed lunch area at any grocery store.
French carrot salad is often on the menu of packed lunches at work along with sandwiches. It's also often a starter for dinner at home.
⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
- Classic French recipe.
- Easy and quick to make.
- Raw starter.
- This French apple and carrot salad recipe happens to be paleo, whole30, vegan and AIP compliant.
📖 Ingredient notes
- Carrots. Make sure to use firm and fresh carrots.
- Apples. Try to use sweet apples like for example Fuji or Royal Gala or any other sweet kind.
- Olive oil. Make sure to use extra virgin olive oil.
For the quantities and complete list of ingredients for this French apple carrot salad recipe, please see the recipe card below.
💭 Substitutions and variations
- Apple substitution. Traditional French carrot salad is made only with carrots (no apples). So feel free to replace the apples with more carrots in this recipe if you want to stay true to the traditional version.
- Variation. If you feel like it, do not hesitate to add fresh chopped chives or parsley to your French apple carrot salad.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Begin by preparing the dressing by mixing together the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Peel and shred the carrots and place them in a serving bowl.
- Peel and shred the apples and add them to the bowl.
- Then immediately pour the dressing over the shredded carrots and apples. Stir until the mixture is evenly coated in dressing. And voilà!
👩🏻🍳Top tips
- To adjust servings, you can either use the tool on the recipe card or just respect the ratio of ⅓ apple, ⅔ carrots.
- The texture in this recipe depends on how you grate the carrots and apples. Good news: there's no particular rule for that. It's just a matter of personal preferences. Some French people prefer to grate the carrots on the large holes of the box grater whereas others prefer to use the small ones. Though, try not to choose extra small holes otherwise the apples will end up in purée instead of grated.
- Begin by shredding the carrots first. Why? Because shredded apples oxidize (turn brown) very quickly. To prevent that, once you have grated the apples, immediately pour the lemon juice dressing over them.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
You can run the carrots through your food processor using the shredding attachment. Or you can use an electric shredder. Or you can shred your carrots on your box grater.
🍲 Other recipes you might like
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a 5 star rating on the recipe card and leave a nice review below! Tag @gohealthywithbea on Instagram and hashtag #gohealthywithbea! Also, let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
📋 Recipe / Recette
French apple carrot salad
Equipment
- 1 shredder
Ingredients
- 200 grams (2 cups) carrots
- 100 grams (1 cup) apples (use sweet apples like Fuji or Royal Gala)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed (do not hesitate to adjust the quantity to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the dressing by mixing together the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Peel and shred the carrots and place them in a serving bowl.
- Peel and shred the apples and add them to the bowl.
- Then immediately pour the dressing over the shredded carrots and apples. Stir until the mixture is evenly coated in dressing. And voilà! Bon appétit!
Taylor
Love this! Definitely going to try.
gohealthywithbea
Thank you!! Let me know if you do.