Asian Carrot Ribbon Salad With Peanut Dressing
Sasha Goreshtein is a Montreal-based home cook who calls hosting her love language and cooking her therapy. She grew up watching her mom cook, and now, as a mom herself, she's finding that spark again through experimenting with new flavors and gathering people around her table.
- Side
Three large carrots shaved into ribbons, no cook time, and 75 calories a serving.
Eat your retinol. This Asian carrot salad is a vibrant way to fill up on beta-carotene-rich carrots, and a vegetable peeler does most of the work. Three large carrots get shaved into long ribbons, (which catch dressing far better than coins or sticks do) then tossed with sliced red onion and a handful of cilantro. The dressing is powdered peanut butter loosened with water and sharpened with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and grated garlic, which is how the whole thing lands at 75 calories a serving while still tasting like peanut sauce. It requires no cook time and is ready in minutes, which makes it an easy one to set down beside a crowded holiday table.
Why This Works
Carrots are where most of the nutrition here lives. They are one of the densest everyday sources of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A, and three large ones spread across four servings also carry the fiber that makes a raw vegetable side filling rather than decorative. Shaving them into ribbons changes how the dish eats: more surface area means the dressing coats every piece instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. The dressing itself is the other half of the math. Powdered peanut butter has most of the oil pressed out of it, so a tablespoon brings peanut flavor and a little plant protein for a fraction of the fat in regular peanut butter, and the sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce carry the rest of the seasoning. Nothing is cooked, so the carrots keep their crunch and their vitamin C.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories | 75 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 3g |
| Carbs | 12g |
| Fat | 2g |
Ingredients
For the Salad:
| Carrots | 3 large |
|---|---|
| Red onion | 1 small |
| Fresh cilantro | 1 bunch |
| Toasted sesame seeds | 1 tsp |
For the Dressing:
| Powdered peanut butter (PB2) | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|
| Water | 1 tbsp |
| Sesame oil | 1 tsp |
| Low-sodium soy sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Rice vinegar | 1 tbsp |
| Garlic | 1 clove |
Step-by-Step Instructions
1 Shave the carrots
Use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots into long ribbons.
2 Prep the rest
Slice the red onion and chop the cilantro.
3 Start the dressing
Whisk the powdered peanut butter with the water, adjusting for your desired consistency.
4 Season it
Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and grated garlic into the peanut butter mixture.
5 Whisk
Whisk the sauce together until perfectly combined.
6 Dress and toss
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until the sauce is evenly distributed.
7 Finish and serve
Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the salad and serve.
Notes & Tips
- How do you make carrot ribbons? Lay a peeled carrot flat on a board, hold it at the thick end, and drag a standard vegetable peeler down its length. Keep going as you rotate it. The last stubby piece is awkward to peel, so grate it or save it for something else.
- Can you make carrot salad ahead of time? Yes, in pieces. Prepare the dressing up to three days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container, and prepare the carrots in advance and refrigerate them for later use. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to two days.
- What is powdered peanut butter? Roasted peanuts pressed to remove most of the oil, then ground to a powder. It rehydrates with water into something close to thinned peanut butter, with the peanut flavor intact and most of the fat gone, which is what keeps this dressing light.
- Is raw carrot good for you? Raw carrots keep their vitamin C and their crunch. Cooked carrots actually free up more beta-carotene for absorption, so there is an argument for either, and the sesame oil here helps regardless, since beta-carotene is fat-soluble.
- Swap in tamari. Low-sodium tamari works in place of the soy sauce, and it also makes the dish gluten-free.
- Brighten or heat it. Add some lime or chili flakes for extra brightness or heat.
About the Contributor
Sasha Goreshtein is a recipe developer and food content creator sharing simple, wholesome recipes built around everyday ingredients. Find more at @hostwithsasha on Instagram.
Sasha Goreshtein is a Montreal-based home cook who calls hosting her love language and cooking her therapy. She grew up watching her mom cook, and now, as a mom herself, she's finding that spark again through experimenting with new flavors and gathering people around her table.
