Carrot and Courgette Sesame Salad

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This carrot salad recipe is a must dish for those summer evenings when we eat outside or entertain on weekend afternoons. One of the easiest recipes to prepare but stunning in appearance. This delicious salad goes brilliantly with other summer dishes like these Picnic Spicy Herby Potatoes or Stuffed Bacon and Worcestershire Sauce Sweet Potatoes. You could, of course, simply serve with steak or cold cuts of meat and Store Cupboard CousCous.

Jump to Recipe

If you are looking for more of a salty courgette side dish, you might like to try Balsamic Soy Sauce Grilled Courgettes instead. Both dishes are incredible quick and easy to prepare.

Where does this Carrot and Courgette Sesame Salad originate from?

I do seem to have a dim and distant memory of Nigella Lawson serving carrots and peanuts and thinking, what a cracking idea. Our recipe has long since developed to incorporate many variations and additions of ingredients. The beauty of this carrot salad is definitely how easily the ingredients can be sourced but equally how easy it is to replace the ingredients with substitutes.

Why you will love this salad recipe?

• No cooking needed but really livens up the raw vegetables.
• The combination of sesame and carrot make a refreshing change from traditional salads.
• Super quick to prepare – The total time needed to prepare and serve is literally only a few minutes.
• Only a few fresh produce ingredients which are readily available everywhere.
• This is one of my favourite vegan recipes to make.
• This is a really cost effective recipe – It can easily be doubled or even tripled to pad it out more and feed a large number of people. One of the reasons why this is one of many delicious recipes that appear at our family getogethers.

How to serve

In addition to the dishes mentioned above, consider trying this Carrot and Courgette Sesame Salad with:

• With Breaded Air Fried chicken breast as a main course.
• Homemade Pitta Breads for an alternative to boring sandwiches at lunch time – You will make your colleagues really envious.
• Healthier Oven Baked Vegetable Samosas as a crunchy side and a light meal if you are looking into healthy eating. You might also enjoy pairing this salad with a Cuban flank steak recipe, which complements the fresh and nutty flavors perfectly.
• You may also like to enjoy this great side dish with some of these Cheese and Pink Peppercorn Dinner Rolls.

Ingredients Needed

The exact amount of ingredients needed is listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Having said that, if you are a huge nut fan, then go ahead and add more according to your taste.

Carrot -This is the perfect recipe for those wonky carrots. Small carrots also work really well as you want to keep your thin julienne style carrot slices mouth sized for ease of eating. I peel my carrots but I do know some cooks that don’t bother, simply scrubbing the carrots before grating. 

Courgette – The fresher, the better. No need to peel the courgette – I don’t use the very middle of the courgette in this recipe as it is harder to slice into julienne slices.

Sesame Oil – Cheap supermarket own sesame oil is fine for this recipe.

Nuts – Salted peanuts or Salted Cashews are best – Again, supermarket own brands are fine.

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Equipment Needed

If you have a food processor, this recipe can be finished in less than 5 minutes (It actually takes longer washing the food processor afterwards than it does making the whole recipe). No matter, if not though – I’m often too lazy to get the blades out of the cupboard for recipes that are as simple as this one.

I also use our Oxo Vegetable Julienne Peeler which is so quick, especially for recipes that use such few ingredients – Really easy to clean too.

Obviously, you can just use a box grater or a knife to chop into really thin slices – the thinner the better for this recipe.

Other than that, a large bowl, stirring spoon and serving tongs and you are good to go!

Instructions for making this Carrot and Courgette Sesame Salad

This really could not be simpler – no complicated step by step instructions for one of these easy recipes – Just add all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together well. You don’t even need to mix the dressing ingredients together separately beforehand. You want the sesame oil and white wine vinegar to coat the carrot slaw and nuts evenly.

As I mention later on, this is a great simple salad side dish full of fresh vegetables, that is best eaten straightaway. It will quickly become one of your favorite salads.

Variations

• If you are looking to reduce your salt intake, you can replace the salted peanuts/cashews by using unsalted nuts. I’ll be honest, though, you are taking away some of the joy of the dish by taking away the key ingredient. Perhaps just reduce how many nuts you add.
• If you are looking for a sweet alternative, a shredded red bell pepper gives a lovely sweet addition and adds a wonderful pop of colour.
• A sprinkling of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds or even red pepper flakes also add interest to this dish and matches the sesame oil fabulously.
• If you want to avoid adding oil to this dish, a squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice gives zing and makes the dish so fresh.
• Apple Cider Vinegar also makes a great alternative to the white wine vinegar.
• Next time I make this, I will also be trying out adding sweet corn kernels which will add a lovely sweet element to this cashew or peanut salad.

How to store this Carrot and Courgette Sesame Salad

A Tupperware airtight container with a lid is the best way to store this in the fridge. There is seldom very much left but when we have kept leftovers in the fridge overnight, we have been pleasantly surprised. The flavours develop nicely and due to there not being too much liquid, the vegetables remain fresh and crunchy.

You can keep a serving aside in a small bowl, before adding the salted nuts and serve as a healthy breakfast the next day.

Can this Carrot and Courgette Salad be frozen?

You can, but the beauty of this dish is how fresh it tastes. It would not be nearly as crispy and crunchy on defrosting so I really advise eating on the same day or the day after.

If you do want to freeze, then bag the salad up tightly and use within 6 months. Some experts do suggest shaking the bag after 30 minutes of freezing to avoid clumping together.

Other Carrot Dishes you may enjoy

Vegan Parsnip and Carrot Soup

Vegan Carrot Cake

Reduced Sugar Carrot Cake Cookies

As usual, if you do try making this fantastic recipe, please let me know in the comments – I’d also love to know what you served it with.