Carrot Cranberry Salad

This colorful carrot cranberry salad is crunchy, sweet, and super-easy. It comes together in minutes.

You can proudly serve this salad at your holiday table. Even though it’s simple, it’s tasty, attractive, and appetizing. I came up with this recipe when I decided to attend a pot-luck luncheon at the last minute, and I didn’t have time to go to the store. What I had on hand was a bag of matchstick carrots and cranberries. With the addition of walnuts and honey poppyseed dressing, this salad was born.

If you’re heading off to a casual get-together, this is your go-to dish. Make it at home or stop at the store along the way to pick up these items. You can make this salad in minutes once you’ve arrived at your destination.

Ingredients

You’ll need a bag of matchstick carrots from the grocery store’s produce section, dried cranberries, walnuts, and poppyseed dressing. I used the low-sugar dried cranberries, but regular ones work too.

If you don’t have any poppyseed dressing, other sweet dressings go well with this carrot cranberry salad. Two options that come to mind are Briana’s honey ginger dressing or a raspberry vinaigrette.

Did you know that walnuts provide several health benefits? I always knew they were good for you, but when I read this article, I learned more about why eating walnuts is such a good thing.

Making Carrot Cranberry Salad

Toasting the walnuts takes about five minutes, but everything else is simply tossed into a bowl and mixed up. I like the crunch of the matchstick carrots in this salad, but you can make it with grated carrots instead. If you don’t have any of my honey poppyseed dressing made up, this is a good time to try it.

This carrot cranberry salad is a nice addition to any meal, but with cranberries, it’s a perfect side dish for the holidays. Check out five easy holiday side dishes for other holiday meal ideas.

Carrot Cranberry Salad

This colorful carrot cranberry salad is crunchy, sweet, and super-easy. It comes together in minutes. Proudly serve this salad at your holiday table.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot cranberry salad, holiday side dish

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

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• 2 cups matchstick carrots
• ½ cup walnuts toasted
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 2 Tbsp poppyseed dressing

Instructions

• Put the walnuts on a small cookie sheet and toast for 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
• Let the walnuts cool. (This just takes a couple of minutes)
• Add the carrots, cranberries, and walnuts to a mixing bowl.
• Stir in the poppyseed dressing.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Notes

Toasting the walnuts is optional. It gives the walnuts a nice crunchy texture, but you can omit this step in the interest of time.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.7g | Protein: 2.9g | Fat: 12.7g | Cholesterol: 1.2mg | Sodium: 122.4mg | Sugar: 19.9g