Korean Carrot Salad made with raw shredded carrots, fresh garlic, coriander, and black pepper all tossed in a simple vinaigrette! This carrot salad recipe is mildly spicy, sweet, and tangy. It’s healthy and so easy to prepare! Learn how to make carrot salad the Ukrainian way!
Carrots can make their way into a sweet Carrot Cake Recipe, eaten as a nutritious snack, and enjoyed in creamy form like this Shredded Carrot Salad with mayonnaise. Raw carrot salad has way more nutritional value than boiled carrots and is such a delicious side dish!
What is Korean Carrot Salad?
Korean carrot salad is a fresh carrot salad made from julienned carrots, garlic, coriander, white vinegar, oil, and simple spices like salt and sugar. It’s very similar to the Russian carrot salad (Koryska Morkva) and is said to have originated from Korean immigrants who lived in the Soviet Union. It’s a carrot salad well-known in my Ukrainian culture and is one of the many salads served on Holidays or weddings.
A true Korean carrot salad can’t be made without coriander and all the pungent garlic. Popular variations in Europe can include dried currants (Turkish-style), and the Polish make the surówka carrot raisin salad with apples. You can even make this with beets and omit the carrots. Some folks will flavor the oil with onion and sweet bell peppers for more flavor but the key is to use all of the main ingredients in the recipe.
How To Julienne Carrots:
The best way to cut carrots for this salad is to use a Korean Carrot Grater. You’ll need slivers of carrots, which a box grater cannot perform for a crunchy texture. You could shred carrots with a box grater, only it’ll be softer to the bite. Authentic Korean carrot salad is made of long thick strands of shredded carrots. The grater I linked is the same old-fashioned one my mother-in-law and I own. There are other ways to cut carrots like using a Mandoline Slicer to shave the carrots into strands, it’s just a matter of how crunchy you prefer your carrot salad. Utilize your food processor for a grated carrot salad if you have to.
Ingredients for Korean carrot salad:
Carrot salad is made with simple ingredients and if you don’t have coriander in your pantry, you can totally pull this off without it, just add a little more vinegar, black pepper, and garlic to make it more flavorful. If too sour add a pinch of sugar. Here is everything you need to make this fresh salad!
- Carrots- use large tapered carrot roots for easy shredding. Small carrots can be hard to grate and can tend to get stuck in the grater. Peel and remove carrot tops before making. This is best with bright orange carrots.
- Vinegar- you will need 5% white distilled vinegar. If using anything with more acidity use a lesser amount in the recipe. Lemon juice can be used but it will have a citrus aftertaste.
- Garlic- is the key to this pungent carrot salad, either use 5 large cloves or 9 little cloves of garlic and use a garlic press to crush the cloves. This won’t be overly spicy.
- Spices- coriander, black pepper, salt, and sugar are all you need.
- Oil- use a mildly flavored oil like unscented Sunflower oil. I do not recommend Olive oil as it can leave an aftertaste that can be too overpowering. Remember this is a fresh salad eaten raw.
How to Make Carrot Salad:
This recipe for carrot salad is easy to prepare at home! Since this is a no-cook recipe, it is a good idea to heat the oil before tossing it into the julienned carrots, this will slightly wilt the crunchy carrot strands.
- Julienne carrots using a Korean carrot grater.
- Add the crushed garlic, vinegar, and spices.
- Heat the oil over high heat until hot. Carefully pour the oil over the carrots and mix everything well to coat.
- Keep refrigerated in all the natural juices. When ready to serve mix the salad well as the marinated carrot salad collects juices on the bottom.
How Long Does Carrot Salad Last in the Fridge?
To keep carrot salad fresh always keep it refrigerated before serving. Carrot salad can last for up to 2 weeks if not more, this makes it so easy for hosting as you can make it ahead of time on special occasions. The vinaigrette helps marinate and preserve the carrots, kind of like Kimchi. To store carrot salad, use a food container with an air-tight lid or cover the bowl tightly with plastic to keep any fridge odor out.
What To Serve with Carrot Salad:
Think of it as apple or cabbage slaw (coleslaw), carrot salad is a raw and super flavorful salad that can go with almost any main dish! If you are already familiar with Russian-style cuisine you will probably know that we eat raw carrot salad with many hot main course meals like these:
- Mashed Potatoes, boiled potatoes, or roasted potato wedges are all classic ways to enjoy this salad
- This carrot salad dressing is like a zesty vinaigrette, serve with a crusty loaf of Artisan bread or French Bread
- Creamy Chicken Casserole and Ukrainian Fries
- Creamy Baked Salmon or Cheesy Ranch Fish
- At Ukrainian weddings, you will probably see this salad along with this Cucumber Cabbage Salad.
- If you’re serving Christmas or Thanksgiving make this with another side like Broccoli Salad
Q&A
Are Carrots Good For You?
The raw carrot salad benefits are more than boiled carrots. Some of the benefits of carrots include rich vitamin K and B-carotene. For more on carrots and nutrition visit Wiki.
How Many Carrots in a Pound?
Depending on the size of the carrots, a pound of carrots can be roughly 4-5 slimmer carrots or 1-2 jumbo carrots. Generally, I’d use 8 or 9 medium-sized carrots for two pounds of carrots.
BEST Carrot Salad Tips:
- Peel carrot skins off, they are a root vegetable and can sometimes have fine root hair.
- Don’t discard the carrot juice from the salad, always toss it together again before serving to coat the carrots in the dressing again.
- Carrot salad is good for weeks in the fridge if stored properly.
- This makes the perfect make-ahead salad perfect for gatherings.
- Use an unflavored oil to bring out the best of the carrots and garlic flavor.
- This dressing can be used for raw cucumbers, beets, or parsnips. Carrot salad dressing is so easy to make!
- Garnish with fresh parsley for special events.
- For more crunch julienne the carrots on the thicker side.
More Carrot Recipes To Try:
- Zucchini Carrot Cake
- Carrot Salad Recipe with Green Peas
- Carrot Cake (Easy Blender Recipe)
- Creamy Mushroom Gravy with lots of shredded carrots
- Russian Meatball soup– with carrots
How To Make Korean Carrot Salad:
Korean Carrot Salad
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 saucepan or skillet (to heat the oil for the dressing)
- 1 Korean carrot grater or Mandoline (to shred the carrots)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs carrots (about 6 peeled and washed)
- 3 Tbsp white distilled vinegar (5% acidity)
- 9 cloves garlic (5 cloves if large)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Julienne carrots using a Korean carrot grater or Mandoline.- Add all the ingredients except for the sunflower oil. Set aside.
- Heat oil over high in a small saucepan until hot, carefully pour over carrots, and toss everything well.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
