Take my word for it: You need to make this salad. How about tonight? And then again for friends this weekend?
This crazy-looking showstopper features carrots at their best. Caramelized roasted carrots combined with super thin rounds of raw carrots offer an intriguing, irresistible contrast of tender and crisp.
Topped with perfectly ripe avocado, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of my sunshine salad dressing, you end up with a salad that is so much greater than the sum of its parts.
This salad was inspired by the carrot and avocado salad at Corvino, one of my favorite restaurants in Kansas City. If you have also had the good fortune to enjoy that salad, you are probably obsessed with it like me.
Corvino’s salad features pine nuts, black lime, various mints, and two different sauces. The end result is totally epic, and I order it every time I’m there.
Their salad’s only downside is that it’s not easy to recreate at home. So, I came up with this salad. It’s not the same salad! It’s easy to make at home, though, and I am equally obsessed with it.
Salad Notes & Tips
Perfectly ripe avocado is key. Choose avocados that yield slightly to a gentle squeeze, but don’t have any mushy parts. If your avocados aren’t ripe enough yet, you can speed their ripening by storing them in a paper bag with a banana or apple for 1 to 3 days. If your avocados are just right but you aren’t making the salad the day you buy them, store them in the refrigerator to slow their ripening.
Soak the raw carrot rounds in ice water. This step makes the raw carrots delightfully crisp and cold. Don’t skip this!
Any fresh, leafy herbs will do. Cilantro is the least expensive, but dill, basil and mint are awesome, too. For extra-fresh flavor, use at least two different kinds.
Make the salad dressing in advance. This salad calls for my sunshine salad dressing, which is a yogurt-based honey-mustard dressing. You’ll have plenty of dressing left over for green salads. It’s so good! In fact, you could also roast the carrots in advance, if you’ll be making this salad in a hurry later on.
Please let me know how you like this salad in the comments! I hope to see this beauty on Instagram (please tag it #cookieandkate so I don’t miss it). I’m also eager to hear or see what you serve this salad with.
Love this salad? I think you’ll also enjoy my sunshine quinoa slaw, which features the same dressing and lots of fresh ingredients. Don’t miss this farmers’ market bowl, featuring roasted carrots and herbed yogurt sauce. Or my carrot-ginger salad dressing and colorful chopped salad that goes with it.
Roasted & Raw Carrot Salad with Avocado
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 side salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: American
This herbed carrot salad recipe is truly epic! Fresh herbs, ripe avocado, and honey-mustard dressing make this showstopper complete. Recipe yields 4 generous side salads or 6 small side salads.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots, divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- 1 large or 2 small ripe avocado
- 4 tablespoons sunshine salad dressing
- ⅓ cup chopped green onion
- ⅓ cup torn fresh leafy herbs (basil, mint, dill and/or cilantro)
- ¾ teaspoon flaky sea salt or ½ teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (omit if sensitive to spice)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- To prepare the carrots: First, peel all the carrots. Then, reserve 3 large carrots and set them aside. Slice the remaining carrots on the diagonal into pieces about ½″ thick and 1 ½″ long. On the baking sheet, toss the carrot pieces with enough olive oil to lightly coat them. Arrange them in a single layer and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing halfway, until the carrots are tender and turning deeply golden on the edges.
- Meanwhile, slice the remaining 3 carrots into very thin rounds (about as thin as you possibly can; you should have about 1+ cup sliced). Place the carrot rounds in a bowl, and fill the rest of the bowl with cold water and a handful of ice cubes (this will make the carrots nice and crisp). Set the bowl aside.
- When the carrots are done roasting, arrange them across a large platter. Drain the carrot rounds well, and sprinkle them all over the roasted carrots.
- Halve the avocado(s) and remove the pit(s). Thinly slice half of the avocado and carefully scoop out the pieces with a large spoon. Arrange the slices in sections over the salad. Dice the rest of the avocado, scoop out the pieces and arrange them all over the salad.
- Drizzle the salad dressing lightly all over the salad by the tablespoon, then sprinkle the green onion and leafy herbs on top. Finish by sprinkle the salt, red pepper flakes (if using) and a few twists of black pepper on top. Serve promptly, as the avocado will brown over time.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Corvino’s Supper Club in Kansas City.
Make it dairy free/vegan: See the recipe notes on the sunshine salad dressing (except for the yogurt in the dressing, this salad is dairy free/vegan).
Storage notes: This salad is best consumed promptly, but you can toss the leftovers well (so the avocado is coated in dressing) and store it in the refrigerator for a day or two in a freezer bag with the air squeezed out.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Antri C.
I am a vegetarian so youe blog for me is like a little treasure:) P.S. I just pinned it !
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Antri! I appreciate it. :)
Meredith Youngson | Earth & Oven
I have suchh an appreciation for roasted carrots. They totally deserve the love you gave them in this fresh and tasty looking salad!
Nina
Greetings from the UK. Recipe looks fabulous! Thank you. It is now on my ‘to make’ list for next week….. haha
I recently purchased your fabulous cookbook via which I love! Have you got any plans for a Book 2 ?.
Kate
Thank you so much for buying my book, Nina! I hope you enjoy the salad. No plans for book 2 yet—I’m still recovering from book 1! :)
Jacquelyn
This is the MOST delicious salad ever! I had all the ingredients and was so excited I had to make it immediately after receiving your latest recipe in my inbox! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the combination of roasted and raw carrots. The Sunshine dressing is to DIE for– I will be making that regularly to put on all kinds of things! Really enjoyed. My honey totally loved it too! We ate the entire batch between the 2 of us! I thought there would be leftovers to bring to work tomorrow, but nope! Thanks again for an amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Jacquelyn, thank you!! I’m so glad you loved the salad. It’s one of my very favorites and I’m happy that you gave it a shot!
Abby @ Heart of a Baker
I always forget about carrots when they are in my fridge (I’m not sure why!), but this is the perfect way to use them up! I’m all over this for a friend weekend I’m having this month!
Gaby Dalkin
I NEED to try this!!
June
Hi Kate shall make this salad on Sunday for my visitors with my coconut chicken curry sounds great thanks. Best regards June
Janet
I made this for dinner tonight and loved it! The little bit of crunch of the raw carrots is perfect with the roasted carrots, as is the sunshine dressing. Thanks.
★★★★★
Kate
Janet, thank you for your feedback! I’m so glad you loved this salad. It’s my favorite!
Delight Tabrsh
This roasted and raw carrot salad with available and herbs was absolutely delicious.y husband remarked, “This should be served in a really high classed restaurant.”. Hahaha. Ya think?! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Definitely recommend simple and easy to prepare. Delight/CA
★★★★
Kate
Hi Delight! Your comment made me smile. Thank you for your feedback. I’m so glad you both loved the salad!
Dana
I made this salad to accompany your sweat potato and black bean enchiladas. Delicious! Thank you for making each meal devine.
Dana
Kate
Sounds like a delicious meal! Thank you for your kind words, Dana!
Emily
I bet this would be great with some citrus slices, like grapefruit or blood orange, on top too!
Kate
Oooh, good idea!
Dawn
This salad is delicious, I loved it. It is also very filling. I will be making it again I may use a little less carrots next time. The dressing surely makes the salad. I used basil, it was perfect addition.
Thank you much!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Dawn! I’m so glad you enjoyed the carrot salad.
Sandra Lea
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious, I can’t believe how much I ate. I would never have thought to pair carrots and avocado together but it works.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your comment, Sandra! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed this salad.
tami george
I brought this salad to a pot luck gathering and everyone loved it! I thought the dressing was outstanding and plan to use it a number of salad combinations.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Tami! I’m glad to hear this salad was a hit. That dressing goes with just about everything!
Roberta
I made the salad and my family loved the taste. We thought we would enjoy it next time over a bed of crisp romaine. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Romaine would be great! Thank you so much, Roberta.
Tafrica
Phenomenal! Clean, healthy, light and packed with some of my favorite flavors! Thank you Kate! I can honestly say that my family and I have loved every recipe we have tried! Your recipes make eating well delicious and easy!
Kate
Tafrica, you’re making me blush over here. Thank you! :)
Kara
I’ve been making recipes from your blog (and your cookbook) for almost three years now, and this instantly made it into the top ten favorites. I would never think to make a salad with carrots two ways, and that plus everything else made this salad amazing. We paired it with a scoop of spicy peanut butter pasta on the side. I might make it again tomorrow, and I can’t wait to make this for my next potluck!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your sweet comment and review, Kara! I’m so happy you enjoyed the salad.
Mj
This recipe is sublime. DELICIOUS l! I knew I would love it fro reading the recipe, but even better than my high expectations.
Kate
It’s unique, but amazing! I agree. :) Thanks for giving it a try, Mj! If you would like to leave a star review since you liked it so much, I would appreciate it.
MJ
I loved the combination of raw and roasted carrots. I used basil and cilantro because I had them on hand. Think I will try parsley and mint next time. Adding the creamy avacado and the oh so delicious Sunshine Dressing just made this delicious!!
★★★★★
Joee
This recipe was so amazing! Even my husband, who doesn’t even like carrots very much, cleaned his plate and commented that although he wasn’t excited to see “carrot salad” on the menu for dinner, it surprised him and was very good. I loved it! That dressing was so good! Will be making again.
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that! Thanks for your review.
Bonnie
Thank you for this- so yummy! I served it over couscous + roasted sweet potatoes for dinner.
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds like a great combination, Bonnie! Love the creativity.
Pamela Shea
Every Saturday my husband likes to have “steak night”. I made sauteed mushrooms, baked sweet potatoes and this salad to go with it.
This salad stole the show! Even my husband was in love with it and finished it off. The salad dressing is fabulous too and our new favorite! Thanks, Kate!
PS I halved the recipe for the two of us.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! That’s great. Stole the show, I love that. I appreciate the review, Pamela!
Pamela Shea
Me again, I meant to ask… I noticed there were toasted pine nuts in the original recipe. Any reason you didn’t include some sprinkled on top of your version?
Pamela
Kate
Well, hello again. I really like the simplicity and mix of flavors without. Hope this helps!
Marilyn Bergeron
Hi salad looks really yummy. I am on a high fat low carb diet and try not to eat food with sugar as I M a diabetic and carrots are in the high sugar content but will try the salad it looks so good
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for the review, Marilyn!
Tamra
This is one of the best salads ever! My entire extended family gobbled it up and would have eaten more had we had enough. And my husband made a large portion!
All of your recipes are amazing, but this is at the top for sure!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! That’s great. It’s so good and I’m glad your family gobbled it up. I appreciate the review, Tamra.
Nathalie
We really liked this creative salad, with basil and mint, and only 3 of the 4 tablespoons of dressing. We ate it with your green goddess hummus (tarragon + basil), for the proteins! Thanks, Katy!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you! I appreciate the review, Nathalie.
John Orellana
Superb recipes, thank you! I’ve really been enjoying your site, which has inspired more vegetarian styled dishes in my home.
-John
Kate
You’re welcome, John.
Rachel
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this salad. I don’t adore but willingly tolerate roasted carrots, but other C&K salads are in regular rotation at Chez Rachel so I had to give this one a try. It was so much more (in a good way) than what I thought it would be. Love the sunshine dressing, plus I served it with dill and pepitas for some extra crunch and over broccoli slaw for extra greens. In sum a nice change from my usual salad routine.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Rachel! I’m glad you really liked the dressing, though.
Sammy
I’ve made a bunch of recipes from your blog and this one is probably my favorite! Love the dressing
★★★★★
Kate
Well, thank you! I appreciate the review, Sammy.
Kathrin
I’ve made this at leasts 5 times already… such a genius salad and sooo simple to make. I adore the dressing and keep a small mason jar of it in my fridge at all times now. You could sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on the salad or add in some feta, but, to be honest, its absolutely perfect as written :)
★★★★★
Kate
5 times?! That’s great, Kathrin! Thanks so much for your comment and review. A great dressing to have on hand for sure!
Kathy Hagerty
This salad was amazing! So good. I substitute Forager organic coconut cashewgurt for Greek yogurt and left out honey.
Kate
Thank you, Kathy for sharing your variation!
Angie
I am making this for a work potluck because I liked it so much the first time I made it and wanted to bring something unique, delicious, and easy to serve (I didn’t want to deal with heating anything up). I use rainbow carrots (found at Whole Foods) to give the dish some additional really beautiful colors – I’m sure it will be a hit for the potluck, thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Angie!
Pattie
I made this salad for the first time last night and it was wonderful and more importantly it really impressed my guy! I used micro arugula and cilantro for the spices. It had great flavor and color. Thanks for another hit!
★★★★★
Kate
Love that! Thanks for sharing and letting me know what you thought, Pattie!
Miriam Shaviv
Could you have this as a light main course? What would you serve it with? Thanks!
Kate
I would serve this with a hearty main dish with grains or even my baked frittata recipe would be great with it!
Miriam
Could you have this as a light main course? What would you serve it with? Thanks!
Julie
Happy New Years! I originally made this salad only because it looked healthy and I thought would make a light start to the new year. I didn’t expect to love it so much. The dressing is truly drinkable. Add the sweet roasted carrots, mixed with the crunch of the raw carrots, and then the cream of the avocado, it all comes together to make a winning recipe!! Thanks for another regular to my rotation – and another fantastic dressing (I love the liquid gold dressing in your book too).
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for the review, Julie. The dressing is so delicious!
Julie Hewett
I love your new cookbook so much, I am sending a copy to my sister. She’s Vegan and Gluten free and I love that she can easily swap ingredients as you’ve suggested at the bottom of each recipe. This is gold bc she doesn’t have a lot of choices for tasty food being so diet restricted. I love each picture too so I am inspired to make each one. Thank you Kate. You are a blessing!
Sarah
I am new to WFPB and have to say that your recipes are making it a smooth transition. I have made at least 12 recipes so far and every single one has been delicious. Some I have even made twice. This recipe looks like no exception! I am not a huge fan of mustard, however. Does this dressing have a strong mustard flavor? Or do the herbs mellow it out? Thank you!
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Sarah! It’s a primary ingredient in the dressing, but I do’t believe overpowering. The flavors do work together very nicely.
Andrea
Made this last night, fully expecting to eat some as a side dish and have the leftovers for lunch this week, but my non-vegetable eating boyfriend loved it so much it’s completely gone!!! Sooo addictively good!
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! Thanks for sharing, Andrea.
Jennifer
What would you recommend in place of avocado in the herbed carrot salad ?
Kate
The carrot and avocado combination really make this salad. I would suggest a creamy cheese to get the same creamy effect?
Megan
Oh this salad is delicious!! Only downside was that I had to share it with the family ;)
I also added some chargrilled corn to it and will definitely do that next time as well, mmmm
★★★★★
Jean
This recipe sounds delicious. Is this salad served slight warm, because of the recently roasted carrots? Or should the roasted carrots be left to cool?
Judy F
Absolutely delicious! It was so nice to have such bright, bold flavors in the middle of winter.
★★★★★
Samantha
I’m new to your blog and have made several recipes so far and all of them are 5 stars delicious! This carrot salad was no exception. I never would have thought to mix roasted and raw carrots together on my own. Thank you for new and unique vegetarian meal ideas!
★★★★★
Asako
Omg. This salad was delcious! Such an interesting take… Double carrot!
★★★★★
Hester
I LOVED this salad. I’ve made it twice and I can’t stop eating it until it’s all gone. The sunshine dressing is great as well with other food. Thanks so much! My daughter complains I make her eat “rabbit food” but even she eats it :)
I can’t wait until I can serve this to my friends.
★★★★★
Lina
This salad was unbelievable! The roasted carrots, plus the crisp carrots and creamy avocado, along with the fresh herbs and dressing – It was out of this world. We are obsessed! Trying to figure out how I can put the dressing on everything I eat from now until it runs out.
★★★★★
Rainey Graeven
I didn’t buy enough carrots (1.25 lbs), so I’m thinking of using sweet potato and butternut squash to make up the different. Any reason the dressing and avocado wouldn’t go well with those veggies?
Kate
That could work well! Or, you could just have less carrots and change your ratio of raw & roasted. Let me know if you try sweet potato!
Paige
ugh omg this salad and the dressing are seriously so delish. i could easily eat it for every meal. so refreshing and filling! thanks for such a fab recipe!!
★★★★★
Anushka
Another great salad! Kate you are the salad queen! Can’t believe I found a way to feed my husband vegetables and herbs. You deserve an award. Thank you so much for all the wonderful combinations. Made four so far I love them! I look forward to trying many more.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! That’s great to hear. I’m glad you both enjoyed this one.
Heather
So tasty! Accidentally ordered 5# of carrots online and was surfing what to do with the extra! Made this to complement my boyfriend’s Mexican mom’s belated Christmas gathering. Used cilantro only and it was oh-so-good. Go easy on the honey—you can always add more. Grateful for a new, unusual go-to salad that everyone raved about. Thanks, Kate! I’m originally from KC but have only dined at Corvino once. Will order the carrot salad next time for sure!
★★★★★
Kristin
Made this for dinner tonight, and my husband and I loved it! The dressing is delicious! I loved the roasted and raw carrots together. I’m really surprised at how much I enjoyed this! Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Kristin!