Looking for a delicious carrot salad with no mayonnaise? Then try Karottensalat (German Carrot Salad). Crunchy and refreshing, it’s excellent with grilled, roasted, or fried meat and fish — yum!
If you want to enjoy a completely light German meal, serve this easy German carrot salad with any of these traditional German soups:
Tart and sweet — are the primary flavors of this healthy salad (sometimes), also called German carrot apple salad.
Locally known as ‘karottensalat,’ the traditional trick is to use apples that are more tart than sweet.
Then the sweetness naturally comes from the grated or shredded carrots — and a bit of sugar if needed.
Feel free to adjust the balance of all the flavors in this traditional German carrot apple salad per your preference.
Just remember, each serving of karottensalat delivers freshness and lightness to any meal at any time of the year. Yum!
FOR MORE CLASSIC GERMAN RECIPES, CHECK OUT THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
- Carrots – make sure you’ve rinsed and peeled them before starting your preparation for German shredded carrot salad.
- Apples – green apples are excellent for karottensalat because of their tartness.
- Lemon – you would only be using lemon juice for this German carrot apple salad.
- Orange – same as the lemon, you would only be using the juice from the orange.
- Olive oil – as always, extra virgin olive oil is the best one to use for preparing karottensalat, and go for the mild (or fruity) ones as well.
- Sugar – you just need regular white sugar; in case you need to add some sweetness to your karottensalat.
- Salt and pepper – for seasoning.
Preparation
Start making your karottensalat by grating both carrots and apples coarsely.
Combine grated apples and carrots in a medium-sized bowl.
For your Germal carrot salad dressing, pour both orange and lemon juice.
Add olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
Mix your karottensalat, making sure everything is combined evenly.
Cover the bowl with plastic.
Place your karottensalat in the refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes to chill.
Transfer into plates and serve (with some almonds and parsley, if desired).
Helpful tips
- Make sure you grate both carrots and apples coarsely.
Grating them too fine is not advisable because it affects the crunch of the finished karottensalat.
- Do not add all the lemon and orange juice at once.
It’s easier to add and adjust your karottensalat dressing once you have tasted everything.
- If you think there’s too much liquid left, do not hesitate to drain some of them before serving.
Recipe variation
- Raisins. Some add raisins to provide that additional ‘burst’ of sweetness in karottensalat.
- Ginger. A small amount of minced ginger will amp up that freshness.
Plus, we already know ginger and carrots are a great combination. So if you love ginger, give it a try.
So easy, right? So give this karottensalat recipe a try one of these days and let me know!
OR GET MORE IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF SIDE DISHES FROM AROUND THE WORLD!
FOR MORE EASY INTERNATIONAL RECIPES, CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES BY COUNTRY!
📖 Recipe
German Carrot Salad Recipe (Karottensalat)
Ingredients
- 2 small green apples, peeled and cored
- 1/2 kg carrots, about 4 cups when grated, peeled
- 4 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pinch sugar
- salt and pepper, to season
- walnuts (for serving, optional)
- parsley (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- Grate both carrots and apples coarsely and combine them in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add German carrot salad dressing by pouring lemon and orange juice.
- Add olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Mix your karottensalat and ensure that everything is combined evenly.
- Cover the bowl with plastic and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Transfer your carrot apple salad into plates, leaving some liquid in the bowl (if there's too much).
- Serve your karottensalat with some almonds and parsley, if preferred.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: Make sure you grate both carrots and apples coarsely — too fine is not advisable because it affects the crunch of the chilled karottensalat.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Do not add all the lemon and orange juice for the German carrot salad dressing at once. It’s easier to add and adjust once you have tasted everything.
- Cook’s Tip #3: If you think there’s too much liquid left, do not hesitate to drain some of them before serving your karottensalat.
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