This Spicy Korean Carrot Salad recipe has some seriously exciting flavors! It’s an easy side dish to make with incredible flavors and textures–fresh, crunchy, sweet, sour, and spicy–all in one, but the sesame vinaigrette really steals the show.
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Spicy Korean Carrot Salad Video
Carrots are a workhorse ingredient (think Carrot Cake, Carrot Soup, and a core veggie in Mirepoix recipes), but are still often underestimated. Not in this Korean Carrot Salad, because here its crunch, sweetness, and versatility really shine!
Easy Korean Carrot Salad Recipe
My brother-in-law, Slavik, shared this Spicy Korean Carrot Salad with me at a family potluck, and it reminded me of the spicy Som Tam salad that I love from my favorite Thai restaurant. Everyone was raving about the exciting flavors–how can carrots taste THAT good?
It’s not just the carrots, though. It’s bell peppers, fresh cilantro, green onion, crunchy cashews, and the quick sesame vinaigrette that unites them all. There’s a lot going on here, but wow, does it work. Try it–I know you’ll agree!
Ingredients for Korean Carrot Salad
The flavors in Korean Carrot Salad may be bold, but the ingredients are simple.
- Carrots – wash, peel, and slice into matchsticks (see the video) or use store-bought pre-shredded carrots
- Bell Pepper – red, orange, or yellow (not green for the best appearance). Seed and cut into thin slices.
- Green onion – chop the whole onion, saving a little of the dark green for garnish.
- Cilantro – wash, dry, and chop the leaves finely – you can leave it out if you’re not a cilantro fan, or replace it with parsley
- Sesame dressing ingredients – white vinegar (or apple cider, in a pinch), sugar, soy sauce (low-sodium is best, or Tamari for Gluten-free diets), sesame oil, and crushed red peppers (add to taste)
- Cashews – optional garnish, toasted for extra flavor
Natasha’s Tip for Shredding Carrots
To easily shred the carrots, I like using this julienne slicer since it’s quick and uniform–but don’t forget the safety glove! You can also buy pre-shredded carrots, but make sure not to add more than the recipe calls for since they are a bit drier than freshly shredded carrots and might need more dressing.
How to Make Spicy Korean Carrot Salad
This Korean Carrot Salad comes together quickly with just 15 minutes of prep time, and then rests for 20 minutes.
- Toast the cashews – saute cashews in a dry skillet and then cool and chop
- Make the dressing – stir the dressing ingredients (vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes) together to dissolve the sugar.
- Assemble salad – Mix the remaining ingredients (veggies) in a medium bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables, cover, and sit for 20 minutes in the fridge, or up to 2 days before the carrots begin to get soft.
- Stir the salad and garnish with the cashews before serving.
Season to Taste!
Before serving the salad, taste and adjust the seasonings to be sure it’s just right. If it needs an extra punch, add more vinegar.
What to Serve with Korean Carrot Salad
This carrot salad side dish gives a big kick of flavor to any meal. Try it with some of our favorite entrees:
- Teriyaki Meatballs
- Honey Glazed Salmon
- Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
- Sticky Korean Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Spring Rolls
- Chicken Fried Rice
Add a delicious punch of flavor to your dinner menu with this easy Spicy Korean Carrot Salad. It makes a huge statement that no one will want to miss, using just a few pantry and produce staples. No one will underestimate the carrot again.
Korean Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 3 medium carrots, julienned or cut into matchsticks, or 6-8 oz pre-shredded*
- 2 Bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (combination of red, orange, or yellow but NOT green)
- 1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce, preferably low sodium, or Tamari for Gluten Free
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ to ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, depending on the desired hotness
- 1/3 cup cashews, toasted and coarsely chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Toast the cashews in a dry skillet, tossing frequently until golden and fragrant. Set them aside to cool, then coarsely chop them up.
- Make the Dressing – In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Stir to dissolve sugar and set aside for the flavors to meld.
- Assemble Salad – Add your carrots, bell peppers, green onion, and cilantro to a medium mixing bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to coat until it’s well combined. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Stir just before serving and adjust the seasoning. If it needs a little more punch, add more vinegar. Garnish with chopped cashews.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
The Asian flavors in this Korean Carrot Salad are such a treat, keeping the dinner rotation exciting. My family loves Asian recipes, and we have quite a collection of them! Once you try this salad, try these Asian inspired recipes next:
- Ground Beef Stir Fry
- Beef and Broccoli
- Mongolian Beef
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- California Rolls
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Egg Rolls
Would it be ok if I will add garlic to the salad? Thank you!
Hi Natalia! Sure, you can add some if you’d like. It could be overpowering so start with a small amount.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I love carrots any way. My question: you say not to leave out Cilantro. This item tastes like “soap” to me so I definitely do not like the taste. Is there something else I could or just leave it out. No kidding, it tastes like soap. Thank you.
Hi Linda! That’s a real thing. You can leave it out or replace it with parsley.
With Christmas coming up I’m trying to do some meal planning for light and easy meals so it doesn’t take up a lot of time in my day. Do you think this salad would work well with store-bought frozen meat pies? Also, I would use fresh carrots but I would likely shred them, would you suggest pressing out some of the water from the shredded carrots?
Hi Beth! I think that would work fine. You do not need to drain the freshly shredded carrots. If they are too dry, you may need more dressing. I hope you love it!
As usual, Natasha, another 5 star recipe, and this one couldn’t be easier! I took the totally lazy route and used the bagged shredded carrot, and the salad came together in no time at all. I used crushed roasted peanuts instead of cashews, because I had them on hand, and it worked well! For my taste, I’d add a bit more cilantro, vinegar and sesame oil, but the rest of my family thinks it’s great as it is. Another winner – fast, easy, nutritious!
Thank you so much, Jane! I’m happy to know you loved it!
Hi Natasha,
Love all your videos and recipes and have your beautiful cookbook. I made this recipe and is delicious and easy to make. I will be making this again with the help of investing and buying the julienned tool. Thanks again for all that you do and the wonderful recipe!
Karen🙂❤️
Thank you so much, Karen!
Natasha, I love everything you do! I used whole carrots and shredded them myself for this recipe, which made it very soggy and I think it lessened the flavor. I’d love to try it again with bagged/pre-shredded carrots!
Hi Kacie! Let us know how it turns out the next time.
Loved the Spicy Korean Carrot Salad! It is a great vegetable side dish but also a great healthy snack to have ready in the fridge. Loved it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Penny!
Made this for dinner as a side and it was delicious! I love carrots and don’t have very many recipes for them but this one is a keeper. I added chopped Serrano peppers instead of crushed peppers for spice ..otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing! Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Yum! Crunchy- sweet- salty- spicy- umami… quick & easy to make- I’ll have to double the recipe next time so there’s leftover
Hi Michelle, it sure does disappear fast! I’m
so glad you loved it.
Could dried cilantro be used? I have a container that I have dried from the summer and also questioning how much if substituted for fresh. Thank you.
Hi Sharon! The cilantro flavor really brightens the dish. You can use dried too, but it won’t provide the same effect and flavor. A general rule is to use 1 teaspoon dried cilantro for every 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, but you may have to experiment with how much to use here. Alternatively, you could also use fresh parsley.
What other vegetable would you recommend replacing the bell peppers in this recipe with please? red cabbage perhaps? unfortunately my stomach doesn’t tolerate/process well the thin film on any of the bell peppers. Thanks!
I think red cabbage is a great idea since it has a crunchy texture similar to sliced bell peppe.
It looks really good. I’m going to make it for my family very soon.
I hope that you all love it.
Can you replace distilled vinegar with regular vinegar?
Hi Shirley! Distilled vinegar is essentially the same as white vinegar. You can also use apple cider, in a pinch.
Just wondering if the dressing for this is still tasty without the pepper flakes or the cilantro as I can’t tolerate this herb.
Thank youl
Hi Carolyn! That would be fine. You can also replace the cilantro with parsley if you want a fresh herb for more flavor.