Five Quick & Easy Carrot Salad Mayonnaise Recipes

A Sunday Lunch Tradition

Every South African kitchen probably has a carrot salad recipe tucked away in a flip file at the back of a drawer. Carrot salad with mayonnaise was every grandmother’s dependable, favourite stand-by salad and always made an appearance next to roasts for Sunday lunch.

The adage “carrots let you see in the dark” has been told to children from one generation to the next to convince them to eat their carrots, but when a dollop of creamy Hellmann’s Original Mayonnaise is added to your carrot salad, we sincerely doubt you’d need to do any convincing. A carrot and mayo salad prepared with good quality mayonnaise is so delicious it will be gobbled up before you can say “night vision”, but is there any truth in the adage? We investigated this a little further.

Are Carrots Good For Your Eyes?

Carrots are rich in beta carotene which is transformed into Vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A protects your eyes from sun damage, cataracts and other eye problems. It therefore seems like the tale we tell our children has some truth to it.

Carrots also form part of your 5-a-day fresh produce, and carrot salad with mayonnaise is the perfect dish to serve on meat-free Mondays. So, let’s get busy with five carrot salad with mayonnaise recipes to boost your vision and impress your grandmother this coming Sunday.

Five Carrot Salad With Mayonnaise Recipes

1. The Traditional Sweet Carrot Salad

Enter many local kitchens on a weekend morning and you will probably encounter a caring mom preparing this salad. Carrots are peeled and then grated. In some recipes a drizzle of mayonnaise is added for a creamy texture.

Other recipes suggest a can of chopped pineapples with the pineapple liquid adding a tropical juiciness to the carrot and mayo salad. Some farmhouse kitchens substitute the pineapple pieces with peeled and chopped citrus, like naartjies or oranges. Try this if you want your carrot salad to give your loved ones an immune-boosting shot of Vitamin C this winter.

2. Add “Ooh La La” With A Subtle French Carrot Salad

To add a little “ooh la la” to your carrot salad with mayonnaise try making it the French way. French carrot salad recipes incorporate ingredients such as spring onions, chives and fresh parsley. These healthy herbs are then graced by a generous drizzle of salad dressing or sauce.

For an easy French salad dressing with simple ingredients, mix Dijon mustard with Hellmann’s Original Mayonnaise, add a teaspoon of honey for sweetness, two tablespoons of olive oil, and half a teaspoon of ground cumin for a spicy finish. The subtle yet complex flavours of this salad are interesting enough to spark conversation.

3. A Nourishing Baby Carrot Superfood Salad

Using baby carrots instead of the traditional grated carrot makes this carrot salad recipe unique: Warm Baby Carrot and Buckwheat Salad with Avocado and Spinach.​

The cranberries and pumpkin seeds compliment the avo and add sweetness and crunch. Finished off with thyme for a floral flavour, this salad is so delightful it is perfect to serve on its own with freshly baked bread on the side. The baby spinach in the salad is known as a superfood because it packs a powerful nutritional punch and is said to improve skin, hair and bone health , making this salad both delicious and nourishing.

4. An Awesome Asian Carrot Salad

Exciting ingredients like pak choi, red cabbage, carrots and celery make this colourful salad a total feast for the eye. Try the recipe: Smokey Chicken Salad with Asian Slaw when you need a low-calorie dish or if you’re tired of serving the same boring salads month after month.

This salad is quick and easy to prepare because the smoked chicken is bought pre-cooked. The only meat prep you need to do is to shred it into bite size chunks. The Hellmann’s Original Mayonnaise added to this Asian delight combines all the flavours together, while the mint and cucumber add a layer of zingy freshness that makes this dish hard to forget.

5. Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad For The Winter Months

For our last carrot salad with mayonnaise recipe, roast your favourite vegetables in a hot oven. A combination of chopped beetroot, sweet potato, red onions, and carrots will be ideal. Drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle on a little chicken spice. Once roasted, allow your root veggies to cool.

Prepare a dressing using two tablespoons of Hellmann’s Original Mayonnaise with three tablespoons of plain yogurt. Pour this over the veggies and finish off your carrot salad by serving it with chopped, fresh parsley and coriander sprinkled on top.

We hope that these interesting recipes will bring carrot salad back onto your menu this winter season. Give your eyesight a boost and your tummy a treat with creamy carrot salad and mayonnaise dishes that the whole family will delight in.