Cool, tangy, and perfectly balanced, my old-fashioned Carrot Salad is one you’ll make all summer long! This deli-style salad is great alongside anything from the grill and couldn’t be easier to make!

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A classic deli side

My recipe for carrot salad is inspired by the salads I’ve made working in various delis on Long Island. With most German and Jewish deli salads, the trick is to strike the right balance between sweet (sugar) and sour (vinegar), in addition to letting the salad sit in the fridge overnight so the flavors can blend together. This is true for my coleslaw, macaroni salad, cucumber salad, this carrot salad, and many more of my deli recipes!

For sweetness, I use sugar, though many deli carrot salads will include raisins, and some will also include mayo. Do what you like best and what works best for you!

I love to serve this salad with grilled chicken thighs or grilled pork chops, but it’s also a great topping for burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. And since it’s more of a German-style carrot salad, it would be excellent with rouladen or sauerbraten!

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

Ingredients shown: vinegar, water, carrots, salt, pepper, olive oil, sugar, green onions, and onion.

Carrots. The carrots are the star of the show here and make up the majority of the carrot salad. If you plan to grate the carrots by hand with a box grater, I suggest looking for the largest carrots you can find (don’t use small ones like I did!) to make the job easier. If using a food processor, the size doesn’t matter much. I recommend the same for my carrot cake.
Sugar. As mentioned above, deli salads are all about the vinegar and sweet mixture. I’m using sugar here. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar as needed to suit your needs, or you add raisins and/or apples for sweetness.
Vinegar. I’m using distilled white vinegar as it’s the vinegar used for most deli salads and I find it works best.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

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How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

Shred the carrots using the large holes of a box grater, or a food processor, then place the carrots into a baking dish.

Recipe collage showing grating the carrots with a box grater and making the vinegar sauce.

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat with the onion and neutral oil (I use avocado oil), along with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft, then add the sugar, vinegar, water, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the brine is hot.
Pour the brine over the carrots, making sure to mix well so that the carrots are evenly coated.

Recipe collage two showing pouring the brine over the grated carrots and covering plastic wrap.

Cover the carrot salad tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours, but preferably overnight, mixing at the halfway point. Garnish with chives or parsley and serve.

Recipe tips

The KEY to the authentic deli flavor is to let the carrot salad sit overnight in the refrigerator. This helps the flavors meld together, and the results will be that much better!
Feel free to mix in mayo for a creamy carrot salad and/or add some raisins and chopped walnuts for texture.

More salads you’ll love

If this carrot salad is right up your alley, give these other recipes a try!

If you’ve enjoyed this Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad recipe, give it a 5-star rating.

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