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Bright, tangy and full of flavour, you’ll love this spicy carrot slaw recipe for a simple side dish or light meal.

Overhead view of a carrot slaw with green onions, almonds, serrano peppers and parsley in a ceramic serving bowl. There's a large fork resting beside the bowl.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

With apricots, almonds and fresh herbs, this spicy carrot slaw is loaded with flavour, delightfully crunchy and has just a hint of sweetness.

It’s also super easy to personalize. You can strip it down to just the carrots and scallions to make a simple carrot salad or switch up the other ingredients as needed.

Enjoy this healthy salad for a light lunch or dinner, bring it along to a picnic or BBQ, or serve it as a side to burgers, grilling or even a holiday meal.

Recipe Highlights

  • Lots of options for customizing.
  • Quick and easy to make.
  • Vegan, gluten-free and can be nut-free.
  • Stores well for up to 3 days.
  • Great for parties, potlucks and picnics.

Ingredient Notes

All the ingredients gathered in bowls for making a spicy carrot slaw recipe with mustard, almonds, lemon, green onion and apricot. Each ingredient is labelled with text describing the ingredient.

For the Carrot Slaw

  • Carrot: Use fresh, crisp carrots. For an eye-catching effect, try a variety of coloured carrots!
  • Green Onion: You’ll need 4 green onions (scallions) but you can use a bit more or less if you like.
  • Parsley: The recipe calls for fresh parsley but cilantro or a combination of other fresh herbs like mint and chives would work as well.
  • Apricots: Use dried apricots or substitute raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or chopped dates.
  • Almonds: Use sliced/slivered almonds or substitute pecans or walnuts. For a nut-free recipe, these can be omitted or substituted with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
  • Peppers: Use 2 serrano peppers or substitute jalapeno peppers. Note that serrano peppers are hotter than jalapenos so you may want to use jalapeno or omit the hot peppers altogether if you’re sensitive to spice.

Carrot Slaw Dressing

  • Olive Oil: Use any variety of olive oil you enjoy. Avocado oil would also work.
  • Lemon: Fresh lemons are best. One lemon should be enough to make 2 tablespoons of juice. You can substitute apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
  • Mayo: You’ll need just a little plant-based mayo for the dressing. You can substitute tahini or any thick plain yogurt.
  • Sweetener: Use agave nectar, honey or maple syrup. You can also substitute granulated sugar like brown sugar or cane sugar.
  • Mustard: Use any wholegrain mustard or you can use dijon mustard.
  • Za’atar: Za’atar is a blend of savory dried herbs like oregano, sumac, cumin, coriander, thyme, and marjoram, along with sesame seeds. The exact combination of herbs may vary from brand to brand. If you can’t find za’atar in-store, use 1/4 tsp each thyme, oregano, cumin and coriander. If you have sumac, you can add a little pinch of that as well.

Instructions

Start by grating the carrot and chopping up the parsley, almonds, apricot and serrano peppers. Add everything to a mixing bowl or serving bowl.

Next, make the dressing by whisking together the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar until fully combined and emulsified.

Hand using a spoon in a small bowl of lemon vinaigrette. There is a bowl of grated carrot behind the bowl of dressing.

Give the dressing another quick stir then pour it over the salad and mix it all up! Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Pouring a lemon vinaigrette from a small glass container over a grated carrot, green onion, almond and parsley in a ceramic salad bowl.

You can serve your slaw right away or let it chill for 15-30 minutes to allow the flavours to really mix together.

Overhead close up shot of a spicy carrot slaw with green onions, almonds, serrano peppers and parsley in a bowl. A pair of tongs rests in the bowl and there's a slice of lemon beside it.

Variations & Additions

  • Carrot Apple Slaw: Add up to 1 cup of grated or diced apple.
  • Carrot Beet Slaw: Add up to 1 cup of peeled and grated raw beet or use half beet and half carrot.
  • Creamy Carrot Slaw: Use this creamy dressing instead of the oil-based dressing.
  • French Carrot Salad: Omit the mayo, apricots, almonds and peppers. Use dijon mustard for the mustard.
  • Cabbage Slaw: Swap the grated carrot for shredded green or purple cabbage or use half carrot and half cabbage.
A large fork being used in a serving bowl of carrot slaw with green onion, almonds, serrano peppers and parsley.

Notes & Tips

  • To save time, use bagged pre-shredded carrots or even packaged coleslaw mix.
  • Let the salad sit for 15-30 minutes before serving to allow the flavour to mix and the carrots to soak up the dressing.

Serving Suggestions

  • Enjoy as a light meal or side salad to go along with any main or protein.
  • Use in tacos, burritos and other Mexican-inspired dishes.
  • Use as a burger or hot dog topping.
Tongs scooping spicy carrot slaw with serrano peppers, green onion and parsley from a serving bowl.

Storing Instructions

  • Store carrot slaw in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • If you’re making it in advance, consider storing the salad and dressing separately until 30 minutes before serving time, then mix and chill until you’re ready to serve.
  • This recipe is not suitable for freezing.

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A bowl of carrot slaw with green onions, almonds, serrano peppers and parsley in a ceramic serving bowl. There's a large fork resting beside the bowl.

Spicy Carrot Slaw

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  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This spicy Morrocan-inspired carrot slaw is sure to be a hit at your next party or family meal. It’s a perfect side for burgers, BBQ or even holiday meals!

Ingredients

For the Carrot Slaw

  • 6 large carrots, peeled and grated using a box grater (approx. 6 cups lightly packed)
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup parsley, finely minced 
  • ¼ cup diced dried apricots
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • 2 serrano peppers, seeds removed and thinly sliced

For the Dressing

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (60 mL)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (30 mL)
  • 1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise (15 g)
  • 1 teaspoon light agave nectar or maple syrup (5 mL)
  • 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard (5 g)
  • 1 teaspoon Za’atar seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix Slaw Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the carrots, green onion, parsley, apricots, almonds, and serranos. Toss to combine. 
  2. Mix Dressing: In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, agave, mustard, za’atar, and salt. 
  3. Combine: Pour the dressing over the carrot slaw and toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serve: Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Notes

Almonds can be omitted or substituted with walnuts or pecans. Apricots can be substituted with raisins, cranberries or dates.

If you’re sensitive to spice, omit or reduce the serrano pepper or substitute them with 1 jalapeno. They can also be substituted with 1/2 tsp red chili flakes or cayenne pepper.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6th of salad
  • Calories: 163
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 284 mg
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Carbohydrates: 11 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 2 g

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