This authentic German apple carrot salad is a simple and delicious side dish that is slightly sweet, tangy, and super refreshing! It goes really well with a variety of main dishes or can be used to make a tasty and nutritious salad for lunch.
German apple carrot salad used to be one of my favorite side dishes as a child (and I still love it today!). It just has the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness with ingredients that are super refreshing and nutritious.
The great thing is that it is super simple to make with only a few ingredients. Yes, you’ll need to put in some manual labor when grating the carrots. But the final result is totally worth it!
Another plus is that you can keep a batch of this carrot salad in your refrigerator and enjoy it throughout the week. It stays super delicious and is perfect if you need a side of vegetables for your meals.
Ingredients
To make German apple carrot salad, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Carrots: You can use regular carrots for making this apple carrot salad. There really is not much you need to pay attention to.
- Apple: Be sure to use your favorite apples when you make this carrot salad!
- Honey: Honey is great for adding some extra sweetness to the salad. You can use any other sweetener as a replacement.
- Vegetable oil: You’ll also need a neutral type of oil. I like to use sunflower oil but most other vegetable oils work too!
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice adds a little bit of acidity to this salad.
How to make German apple carrot salad
Making this German apple carrot salad is super easy! Just follow these steps:
- Prepare the ingredients: First, peel and grate the carrots and apple. For the carrots, you can use the fine or coarse side of your grater. For the apple, use the coarse side. Next, juice the lemon.
- Combine: Add all ingredients to a bowl and toss until everything is combined.
- Store and serve: Let the carrot salad sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or serve it immediately. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
Here are a few quick tips that you can check out before making this recipe.
- You can decide the shape and thickness of the carrot pieces. Some people like to grate them finely (like I do), others prefer to grate them coarsely. You can also julienne them, use your food processor, or cut them into matchsticks with a knife. It’s really a matter of personal preference, so just do what you like most. The German apple carrot salad that I know is always grated finely, so that’s what I picked.
- Don’t let the grated apple sit for too long. They brown very quickly, so don’t wait for too long until you combine everything. If you don’t care about the aesthetics of your salad, then don’t worry about it.
- Let the apple carrot salad sit for 20 minutes in your refrigerator. It gives the salad some time to soak up the flavor which makes it taste so much better!
Variations
There are some common ways to switch up this salad’s flavor if you want. Here are the ingredients that you can add.
- Walnuts: Chopped walnuts are great for adding some texture and healthy fats! I love to add them to many of my salads.
- Parsley: Parsley is a delicious herb that tastes great in this salad. So feel free to add some.
- Orange juice: Another common addition is some orange juice. Just add it to the salad before tossing everything.
- Cayenne pepper: If you like a little bit of spice, add some cayenne pepper. You only need a very small amount for some extra kick.
How to serve German apple carrot salad
If you’re wondering how you can serve this German apple, then here are some ideas for you.
- Side salad: I love to enjoy this apple carrot salad with some lettuce as a side salad for almost any dish. If you want to make a German meal, you could serve this salad with German potato salad and delicious Frikadellen.
- Lunch salad: This salad tastes great when you combine it with multiple other salads to make a delicious lunch salad platter or bowl. Other salads that you can use and store in the refrigerator for days are Turkish bulgur salad, cig kofte (not really a salad, but pairs well with salads), German potato salad, Mediterranean chickpea salad, and Italian-style pasta salad.
- Wraps: You could also use this carrot salad to add some sweetness to your wraps! I love to make curry chicken salad or curried chickpea salad and use it to make wraps along with this carrot salad and some leafy greens as filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, you don’t necessarily have to use honey as a sweetener! Just use a vegan sweetener of your choice as a replacement.
Yes, it is!
You can store this salad in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. It’s actually great for meal prep as it tastes just as delicious after a few days in your refrigerator.
More simple and tasty German recipes
If you’re interested in trying more German recipes, you might want to check out the following posts. The recipes are super easy to make and taste great!
- German Potato Soup
- White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
- Frikadellen
- German Potato Salad
- Chicken Fricassee
German Apple Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots peeled and finely or coarsely grated
- 1 apple (peeled) and coarsely grated
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt
Instructions
- Peel and grate the carrots into fine or coarse pieces. Peel (optional) and grate the apple into coarse pieces. Alternative: If you want to save time and skip the arm workout, you can use a food processor. I just prefer grating everything manually.
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Then toss until everything is combined.
- Let the apple carrot salad sit in your refrigerator for 20 minutes or serve it immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use the fine or coarse side of your grater for the carrots. Other options are using a food processor or a knife to chop the carrots. It's really a matter of your own preferences, so just cut the carrots in a way you like. I grated them finely.
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