Ooh, I was looking for a new tasty salad to pack for lunch, I think this would be wonderful alongside my sandwich :)

I put apples, raisins and walnuts in my carrots salad. Sadly I took it to a 4th. Of July picnic a few years ago and hardly anyone ate it. These people had never eaten carrot salad. And wasn't interested in tasting it. We always had it as part of our dinner growning up. So it surprised me that others haven't.
Donna A.

Is there a dressing besides mayonnaise that work well in this recipe?

I'm sure you could use low fat yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

My Mom made carrot salad basically the same way for her catering business. I think she used a ratio of 2 parts sour cream to 1 part mayo for a lighter dressing. Since customers didn't always like raisins (she stocked white), she would omit the raisins and apple and replace with a small can of crushed pineapple (drained) and a dash of shredded coconut or crushed walnuts. With the coconut, I saw her add an extract bottle cap or two of rum extract to the dressing. It was always good and the coconut brought out the nutty flavor of some carrots. Her variations were based upon other dishes that were served. We have no Trader Joe's nor CoOp/Organic outlets in my neck of the Redwoods. boo-hoo!

My version of carrot salad is a combination of grated carrot, freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh (not canned, never canned!!!) pineapple. James, might that be a good substitute for a mayonnaise dressed carrot salad?

Thank you for posting this recipe! I was looking for a recipe for this salad not too long ago but never found one I liked. I grew up on this stuff (just carrots and raisins), but I love the addition of apples...how perfect for some sweetness and 'fall' flavor.

Oooooh, thank you for posting this! My mother used to make this when I was little, and I had lost the recipe years ago!

This just like I use to get from the Farmer's Market in LA with the exception that they add celery to theirs. Now I can make it myself!

I just tried the recipe 2 days ago and it taste great.
Instead of using mayo, I used thousand island dressing. Moreover, I also added some honey tomato into the recipe too.

It very easy to make =)

Using the poppyseed dressing from Kraft is also a great substitute for the mayo. Unique flavor and compliments the fruit very well.

It was a hit at our Mother's Day picnic this last weekend. I used a "lite" mayonnaise to cut down on calories. Also made it the day before so the sweetness of the apple and raisins had more time to blend. My husband has always loved carrot salad from his boyhood days, which was much heavier use of mayo, plus extra sweetening added. He really enjoyed this "fresher" taste. I used organic carrots, which were sweet tasting by themselves. This will now become an updated family favorite. Thanks so much.

I make this all the time, but using a splash of orange juice in place of mayo. There should be enough OJ to mix well with the carrots. It's better for you and prevents the apples from turning brown. With orange juice in place of mayo this easily keeps for a long hike or road trip. I eat it as a mid-morning snack or as a side for dinner.

I ate it with nonfat yogurt (since I always try to avoid at any cost mayonnaise). It was sooooo good. I must admit that I was surprised by the taste as I didn't expect it to be so tasty. I will definitely try the recipe again. Thank you!

I've never this kind of carrot salad so I made it today. It's quite tasty! Thanks for another solid recipe!

Any suggestions on the kind of apple to use??? Which one goes best with the carrots.

Any apple you like to eat. I like Fuji apples myself. ~Elise