Today’s recipe is a Radish Salad with Carrots and easy maple ginger vinaigrette. If you have been looking for a new recipe to try with radishes, this salad is your answer. It only takes about 15 minutes to make and is a nice break from green salad.

overhead of white bowl with radish salad

I originally shared this recipe on March 3rd, 2015. I have updated the images and text to share it again with you today.

It may look fancy, but this Radish and Carrot Salad is a piece of cake if you happen to have a mandoline. Or you can always shred the carrots with the grater attachment on your food processor if you prefer. 

It can be made ahead and doesn’t wilt so it is a great slaw to serve for a potluck or picnic. And it only takes about 15 minutes to make so it can be paired with a variety of dinners any night of the week. Plus it is paleo-friendly, vegan and gluten-free.

Serve it with black cod or Baked Salmon in Foil with brown rice or sesame noodles.

Ingredient Notes For This Recipe

A close up of food on a table, with radish and Carrot

Radishes

Today I used Watermelon Radishes for this salad. These are large (small tennis ball size) radishes that are white-green on the outside and bright fuschia pink on the inside! They are slightly less spicy than regular red radishes commonly found in the grocery store.

If you can’t find watermelon radishes today keep in mind that any variety of radish would work. Even daikon radish would be great.

The only note is that I find that cutting small radishes with the mandolin to be tedious. So for red common radishes, either opt for the food processor to shred the radishes or cut them into rounds.

Carrots

To cut the spicy radishes I used another favorite root vegetable: carrots! Their mellow sweetness pairs really well with the taste of the radish and their textures blend together when they are julienne cut or shredded.

Notes About Dressing Ingredients

  • For the dressing you will need unseasoned rice vinegar. (This is the kind without added sodium and sugar.)
  • To season it and give it umami flavor use either wheat-free tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos (to keep this recipe legume free.)
  • To sweeten it a little bit, two teaspoons of maple syrup are added in as well. Look for dark maple syrup if possible to give it the strongest maple flavor.
  • Ginger root gives this a fun peppy kick and pairs well with the sweetness of the carrots and maple. If you have a rasp-style or microplane grater, that’s what we recommend because the ginger will be more finely cut and blend into the dressing better.
  • You’ll also need garlic powder or granulated garlic, olive oil and salt.

Steps To Make This Radish Salad

cut the radish and carrot, then whisk the dressing together

Step 1: Cut Radishes and Carrots

Of course you can always cut the carrots and radish into matchstick by hand with a chef’s knife.

But we suggest to quickly cut the radishes into matchsticks using a mandoline. (Here is our affiliate link to buy one on Amazon.)

If you do not have one you can also use a box grater. For smaller radishes you can cut them by hand into slices or use the grater attachment on your food processor and grate them.

Step 2: Whisk the Dressing

Combine the vinegar, maple syrup, tamari (or coconut aminos), ginger, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in oil.

add the veggies and toss to coat

Step 3: Add the Veggies

Add the matchstick cut carrots and radishes along with the freshly chopped parsley to the bowl.

Step 4: Toss

Toss the salad together until the veggies are coated in the dressing.

Serving Suggestions

This salad would be a nice veggie side to go with these sesame noodles.

The maple and ginger in this dressing pairs well with pork. Try our Roasted Pork Loin recipe!

You can go wrong with chicken! This Chicken Thigh recipe would be a good one to pair with it.

This pan fried fish recipe is also a good light dinner to serve this with.

FAQs for This Radish Slaw Recipe

Can this be made ahead?

Unlike salads with lettuce, this slaw doesn’t wilt so it is a great make-ahead salad. Leftover will keep for one to two days in the refrigerator. Stir well and serve with a slotted spoon.

Do you need to peel watermelon radishes?

You do not need to peel them before cutting them.

Can this be made with regular red radishes?

Yes you can use common red radishes, but we recommend cutting them into matchsticks by hand, slicing them or grating them with a food processor. Cutting them with a mandoline is too tricky and ends up causing waste. You can also use daikon radishes which are easy to cut with a mandoline.

Can this be made sugar free?

The maple in this dressing balances the other flavors, so we don’t think that skipping it in this recipe is best. Instead opt for another dressing all together like this Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing!

radish slaw from the side

More recipes to try

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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carrot and radish slaw in a white bowl from overhead

Radish Salad


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 9 reviews

Description

A paleo friendly and gluten-free shredded salad with watermelon radishes, carrots and maple ginger vinaigrette. It is a refreshing break from green salad for the early spring.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 cups julienne cut or shredded carrots (about 5 large)
  • 1 cup julienne cut watermelon radishes, or any variety radish including Daikon
  • 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
  • 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, preferably dark
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root, preferably grated with a rasp-style grater
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, cut into tiny ribbons or chiffonade

Instructions

  1. Cut the carrots and radishes into matchstick or julienne. (See notes.)
  2. Whisk vinegar, maple syrup, tamari (or coconut aminos), ginger, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in oil.
  3. Add carrots, radish and parsley.
  4. Toss to coat. Serve immediately or chill.

Notes

Cutting the Radishes and Carrots:

Watermelon radish and daikon radish can be easily cut into matchstick (or julienne) size pieces with a mandoline.

Hand Cutting: If you do not have a mandoline, you can cut them by hand by cutting the radish into thin slabs.  Stack a few up and then cut across the slabs into matchsticks.

Grate or Slice: Alternatively you can use a box grater or a food processor fitted with the grater attachment. For regular common red or pink radishes you can slice them or grate them with the food processor.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: No cook
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 72
  • Sugar: 6 g
  • Sodium: 277 mg
  • Fat: 3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 8 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 2 g

Photography provided by Erin Walker.