Radish Salad With Carrots
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.
I originally shared this recipe on March 3rd, 2015. I have updated the images and text to share it again with you today.
Table of contents
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
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
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.
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
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.
You do not need to peel them before cutting them.
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.
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!
More recipes to try
- Have you ever tried cooked radishes? This Roasted Radish recipe is excellent as is this cooked radish with miso butter recipe.
- Hot and Sweet Slaw with Jerk Spiced Salmon This combo is a real flavor explosion!
- Lemony Carrot Salad with Mustard Seeds and Feta if you are looking for more carrot salads, this is a great one!
- Asian Coleslaw made with carrots, radishes and cabbage is so pretty and another great make-ahead option.
- Moroccan Carrots in the summer is a favorite, and these Hot moroccan carrots with harissa are so good! Speaking of harissa, these grilled carrots are topped with lemon and harissa!
- Chopped Winter Salad is a great salad with radishes as is this Spring Salad with creamy yogurt herb dressing.
- We love chicken lettuce wraps and cups, and this one features radishes, snap peas and sesame chicken. Also check out this Asian Sesame Dressing too!
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! 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
Radish Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
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
- 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
- Cut the carrots and radishes into matchstick or julienne. (See notes.)
- Whisk vinegar, maple syrup, tamari (or coconut aminos), ginger, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in oil.
- Add carrots, radish and parsley.
- 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.
This is such a refreshing salad. So perfect with grilled meats!
I am happy to hear it Jean!
Love everything about this salad! Looks so colorful and delicious!
Thanks so much Lindsay!
I can’t wait to make this!! Looks out of this world delicious!!
What a refreshing salad at a time of year where it can be tough to get great produce. I have never had watermelon radish before so in my effort to try new things, this is the recipe!
This is my favorite new salad! I spiralized the carrots and my small radishes, which to me breaks up the intensity of the radish flavor. I also spiralized in a cucumber because i needed to use it up. The dressing is divine made with the coconut amimos! Its not even autumn yet and I loved it as a nice summer salad. Great recipe!
I’m loving the idea of adding in sprialized cuckes! Yummers! I have to get out into my garden this weekend to plant some cool weather crops- radishes included!
This salad is seriously stunning! I love how light and fresh it looks and the lighting and colors in your photos are simply gorgeous! This needs to be my lunch today. 🙂
Thank you so much. I appreciate it Sarah.
I am in love with how colourful, vibrant, and simple this salad is! Watermelon radishes are so deceiving on the outside, but once you cut in you’re met with this beautiful hue. Pinned and can’t wait to make this!
Thanks so much Genevieve!
So pretty and I love the watermelon radishes too! I discovered them last year & created a Panzanella Salad with them, plus I found out, after 14 years of marriage, that my hubby is a big fan of radishes 🙂 Can’t wait to make this!
I love the idea of including them in panzanella. What an unusual idea and so unexpected for panzanella!
Such a pretty salad! I love watermelon radishes and daikon, especially in slaw-like salads. Did you use the mandoline to julienne the veggies?
Thank you Jessica. I did use my mandoline to cut the vegetables. That made it so much easier.
What mandoline do you use? I would love to use mine to julienne, but it doesn’t have the blade for that!
I agree with you that watermelon radishes look unimpressive on the outside but gorgeous and vibrant on the inside. Love this simple salad. I bet it would be great in tacos too!
I love the idea of piling this into tacos! That has to happen!
I love a good carrot salad. The ginger and radish in this are perfect.
Thank you Julia. I love shredded slaws like this too. Have a great day.
I love raw salads like this, especially with SASHIMI! 🙂
OMG, good call Gigi. I love sashimi. You just totally reminded me of the Benihana salad dressing. I have to make that!!
my dad used to eat so many radishes when i was little and for some reason i’ve never gotten on board with them. need to change that!!
I love them and can eat them straight, but I get that not everyone agrees. This is a good gateway recipe. The maple syrup and ginger really helps.
This sounds really good, and it’s so pretty! The only thing left from our own garden is beets. We’ve boiled and roasted them, but I’m eyeing that Layered Slaw of yours above! It would be a welcome change. We have a new CSA in our home town and we’re seriously considering it. We’ve always had a garden but it takes so much time and effort. Luckily (or not), there’s still plenty of snow on the ground and time to decide!
Last summer, we just had our little pathetic garden and I shopped at the farmers’ market every week. It is too much to have both, imo. The CSA ends up being stressful. Can you do a winter CSA where you are? I get the Pete’s Greens one and really love it. Its delivered right to the village. I just boiled a ton of beets this past week and dressed them with Meyer lemon dressing. Delish!
Thanks for the lovely idea with radish. A salad like this is very satisfying and I am sure lots of people are already enjoying it.
I’m definitely at a loss when I get radishes from my farm share. This is a great lead! Can’t wait to try it.
I think it is always fun to try something new with them!