Shredded carrot salad with raisins, crunchy pecans, and sweet pineapple chunks is the perfect addition to your summer menu. The delicious crunch of the carrots combined with the sweet pineapple and tartness of the lemon, gives you a carrot salad recipe that is reminiscent of what grandma used to make.
Carrot Salad with Pineapple
When spring starts to peak its head around winter’s corner, my mind zooms to all the summer picnics and backyard BBQs I’ve yet to enjoy. Whether for a light summery barbecue or a picnic with friends, Carrot Raisin Salad is my go-to choice for a healthy carrot side dish recipe all summer long.
Better still, the kids love grated carrot raisin salad because of the sweetness, and I appreciate knowing there is a decent option we can all agree upon as a perfect pot luck-friendly side dish recipe. Before you get started, you will need to gather a few things other than just carrots.
Full measurements and a printable recipe card are at the bottom of the post to make it easy to shop and create!
- matchstick shredded carrots (buying these shredded will help with prep time)
- pineapple chunks, drained
- raisins
- pecans
- mayonnaise
- lemon juice
- sugar
- salt
RELATED RECIPES: Parmesan Roasted Carrots, Honey Glazed Carrots, Cinnamon Carrots, Oven Roasted Sliced Carrots
How to Shred Carrots for Carrot & Raisin Salad
Looking to keep the kids busy? Have them shred the carrots instead of buying already done.
Per pound, its also a ton cheaper to buy carrots and shreds, so here are the steps if you wanna get seriously old-fashioned in the kitchen.
- To begin, peel your carrots and cut the top off.
- I also like to cut a small part off the bottom (pointed) end, so I have something flat to start against the grater.
- If your carrot is really long or really thin, cut it in half crosswise, so you have a stiffer piece to work with.
- The key to protecting your hands is to first, start slowly until you get the carrot into a groove on the grater and second, go slowly as you get to the end.
Carrot Salad Ingredient Variations & Substitutions
This raisin salad recipe is all about the sweet, but sometimes people love a recipe but not *all* the ingredients.
You can get creative if you want, I always suggest that in the kitchen, and here are a few ways to make this recipe your own.
- Don’t love pecans in this side dish? Try walnut pieces or thinly sliced almonds
- Substitution for sweet pineapple would be drained mandarin oranges or small bits of crunchy green or red apples (peeled)
- Instead of regular raisins, try golden raisins
Shredded Carrots & Raisin Salad
How to make this Carrot Salad Recipe- You can scroll down to easily get a printable version of this salad to follow along in your kitchen.
Mix matchstick carrots, drained pineapple, raisins, and pecan pieces together in a bowl and mix well.
Sprinkle with sugar and salt and mix the salad all together until covered.
Add mayonnaise and lemon juice into a bowl and mix well to make dressing.
Now dump onto your carrot salad and mix well until all carrots are completely covered.
For best flavor, refrigerate carrots salad for 1-2 hours before serving.
Perfect Summer Salad Recipes
Of course, a side dish never comes alone, so you will want some great summer salads to serve next to your sweet carrot salad.
Or you can visit all other salad recipes here and find one that compliments your meal.
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Carrot Salad with Raisins
Ingredients
- 1 package 10 oz, matchstick carrots
- 1 can 20 oz, pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup pecans
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix matchstick grated carrots, drained sweet pineapple chunks, raisins and pecan pieces together in a bowl and mix well.
- Sprinkle carrot salad with sugar and salt and mix well so all carrots are coated.
- Add mayonnaise and lemon juice to a bowl and mix well.
- Now add mayo mixture to carrot salad and make sure all salad is covered.
- Refrigerate salad for a min of 1 hour before serving for best results and stir prior to serving to mix up any settled moisture.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.
Comments & Reviews
Karen Eidson says
I absolutely love carrot salad! I was so sad when Chick Fil-A took it off their menu.
When I buy fresh pineapple, I look for the heaviness but also I smell it to see if it smells sweet and pineapple-y. If it doesn’t smell sweet, it is not ready to eat. My husband loves it in cottage cheese for a snack.
Sarah Hluchy says
I had a recipe that was just the shredded carrots, canned pineapple chunks, pecans, and maybe raisins. The lemon juice and salt is a good idea. Mayonnaise, I can’t stand. But the version I had was really good, especially with the pecans added.
Trisha says
My brother is one of those people that hate Mayo too so I get it! Your recipe sounds great too.
Donna says
I toasted the pecans first and my pineapple was PERFECTLY ripe to make this side uniquely tasty!!!
Trisha says
What a great idea!
Barb says
How many Fresh carrots (or cups of) equates to 10oz?
Trisha says
Hi barb! This is hard to say depending on your carrot pieces sizes, but typically its around 4 oz to a cup of carrots. I have a kitchen scale so I just weigh things but next time I make this I can go through and measure.