Ready in just a few minutes, this Korean-style Carrot Salad is amazing! It's fresh, crunchy, and seriously addicting!

This Carrot Salad makes a perfect side dish to any meal, and it can also be used as a topping for sandwiches and wraps. Try it once and I can guarantee that it will become your go-to carrot salad recipe!
We make a very similar Carrot Salad in Ukraine and we call it “Korean Carrots.” I am not sure whether Koreans make carrots this way, but I have to tell you that it is one of the best ways to eat raw carrots! This salad is VERY popular in a lot of European countries, and there must be a reason why.
Why This Carrot Salad is Awesome
I absolutely love this salad because:
- It’s easy to make. You just need to julienne the carrots and add the spices.
- It's crunchy. Because the carrots are julienned, rather than grated, they retain a wonderful crunch.
- It pairs with everything. Because this salad is not too sweet like many other carrot salads, it pairs great with any savory dish. It also makes a great topping on sandwiches and burgers.
- It stores well. This salad will last up to 7 days in the refrigerator.
- It's very tasty. You have to try it to believe it, but I speak the truth here.
Main Ingredients
Carrots. I suggest using medium or large carrots, so it'll be easier to julienne them.
Garlic. It may seem like there is too much garlic in this recipe, but we'll pour hot oil over it, so this will make it less pungent.
Oil. I think grapeseed and avocado oil work best in this recipe because they have a very neutral taste, and these oils are healthy. However, you can use other oils, if preferred.
Vinegar. Regular or Apple Cider Vinegar can be used.
Coriander Powder. You can use cumin powder as a substitute or skip it altogether. I LOVE the special flavor coriander powder brings to this salad. You can buy it on Amazon.
Paprika. Regular sweet paprika is needed here.
Cayenne. Add a touch of cayenne for an extra spicy kick.
Salt and Sugar.
How to Make Carrot Salad
1. Wash and peel the carrots. Julienne them using a julienne peeler or a mandoline with a thin julienne attachment.
2. Place the carrots into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and salt. Massage the carrots gently, until they start to release their juice.
3. Add the vinegar, paprika, coriander powder, and cayenne. Mix these spices and make a small dip in the middle. Place the garlic in the dip.
4. Heat the oil until it’s very hot. Pour the oil over the garlic (it’ll sizzle for a few seconds). Give it another stir.
5. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to enjoy. This salad tastes even better the next day.
Best Way to Julienne Carrots
Because I make this salad very often, I had an opportunity to try out many methods for julienning carrots. I found that using a good-quality, stainless steel julienne peeler (it’s still under $10) is the easiest way. Mandolines work, too, but only when the carrots are large and thick. You can also julienne carrots with a knife, but it takes A LOT of time, and the texture comes out different. I don’t think it’s worth the effort.
How to Store this Salad
This carrot salad will stay in the fridge for up to 7 days! Just make sure you use an airtight container, so the carrots won't dry out.
More Tasty Recipes
If you’ve tried this recipe or any other recipe on Cooktoria, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you take some photos of it, share them with me on Pinterest. I check every single one!
Video Tutorial
Easy Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. carrots
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
- ½ tsp. coriander powder
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp. grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Wash and peel the carrots. Julienne them using a julienne peeler or a mandoline with a thin julienne attachment.
- Place the carrots into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and salt. Massage the carrots gently, until they start to release their juice.
- Add the vinegar, paprika, coriander powder, and cayenne. Mix these spices and make a small dip in the middle. Place the garlic in the dip.
- Heat the oil until it’s very hot. Pour the oil over the garlic (it’ll sizzle for a few seconds). Give it another stir.
- Heat the oil until it’s very hot. Pour the oil over the garlic (it’ll sizzle for a few seconds). Give it another stir.
Debbie says
So, I’m confused by the wording in the directions. It sounds like you put the vinegar and spices in a skillet then put garlic yam indentation then heat the skillet then add oil and stir it around a bit. ? Am I understanding this?
Also, the written directions don’t state this but I assume you take the hot spice /oil mixture and pour over the carrots?? Thanks DG
Tania Sheff says
Hi Debbie! If you scroll up a bit, you'll see my step-by-step photos, which will definitely help understand everything. I also have a video. It should play on the side, as you read the recipe. Here is a quick recap. 1- shred the carrots. 2- put them in the mixing bowl and all of the spices (without garlic) 3- as you mix the carrots with spices, make a small hole and put the garlic in that hole 4- heat up the oil, and pour it over the garlic (kind of cooking garlic right in the salad). 5 - stir again and enjoy. Please, review the photos above and give this salad a try. It's really good!
Chelsea says
Holy moly, this is addictive!! Great for garlic lovers. I could eat the whole bowl in one sitting I think. I must admit I did not add the coriander powder or cayenne because I don't have them, but I will be making this again for sure. Thank you for sharing!
Tania Sheff says
Thank you so much, Chelsea! I also find it addictive. 🙂
tammy says
can you add raisins to this salad for a more classic style
Tania Sheff says
Hi Tammy! Raisins will not make a good addition to this salad to my opinion.