This mediterranean carrot salad is filled with chickpeas, royal raisins, feta, parsley and tossed with a creamy yogurt tahini dressing. Makes a great side salad for any cookout this summer!

I bought my spiralizer last August (I hate that it actually took me that long to do it – so many missed spiralizing opportunities!) and somehow, even though it’s been almost a year, I never spiralized a carrot until this mediterranean carrot salad recipe.

Now that it’s been done, I think zucchini and I are taking a short break (even though it’s almost prime time for zucchini pasta with avocado cream sauce and Chinese chicken zoodles) because I might just be obsessed with carrot noodles.

*This yogurt tahini mediterranean carrot salad recipe is sponsored by Nuts.com, a 2017 partner of Running to the Kitchen using their autumn royal raisins. All content and opinions are my own.
This mediterranean carrot salad is filled with chickpeas, royal raisins, feta, parsley and tossed with a creamy yogurt tahini dressing. Makes a great side salad for any cookout this summer!

I’ve made carrot salad before and one of my favorite parts of that recipe were the sweet bites of dried cherries.

Dinner salads growing up always had nuts and dried fruit in them in our house so I think it stems back to that for me.

I feel like raisins are a polarizing fruit for most.

People seem to be very opinionated on their place in baked goods and while some (me) have fond memories of those little red snack boxes, others seem to be disgusted at the thought.

I’m a raisin lover though and when thinking about how to incorporate these autumn royal raisins from Nuts.com, a mediterranean flavor packed salad seemed perfect.

Creamy yogurt tahini is tossed in this mediterranean carrot salad for the perfect flavor packed dressing.
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Royal raisins are a plump, juicy and deliciously sweet addition to this mediterranean carrot salad.

These are no snack box raisin though.

They’re about 3-4 times the size (and the largest variety of raisin out there!), seriously plump (they almost remind me of a prune) and have an almost caramel-like taste to them.

Getting one on your fork while eating this carrot salad feels like a special treat because you just know it’s going to be a good bite.

This creamy Mediterranean carrot salad is the perfect side dish to any grilled summer dinner.

Equally as delicious as the royal raisins is the creamy yogurt tahini dressing.

I love tahini but I have a bone to pick about any and every brand I’ve ever bought because without fail, it ALWAYS separates and I’m left with upwards of an inch of oil at the top and the hard sesame paste at the bottom.

Unlike nut butters, it’s impossible to stir and it always seriously pisses me off when I go to try and use it.

Fortuitously, I read this post on how to make perfect hummus recently and she whipped the tahini first in a food processor.

Light. Bulb.

Try this mediterranean carrot salad with chickpeas, raisins and feta as a side dish to your summer dinner!

That little trick completely eradicated my annoyance at the separated tahini and resulted in the most luscious and creamy tahini yogurt dressing for this salad.

With a touch of lime juice and honey, it’s really the most perfect mediterranean-like accompaniment to this carrot salad.

Maybe that canister of tahini that usually sits in the back of my pantry will get a little more attention now thanks to that genius idea.

Don’t have tahini on hand? White miso paste can also be used as a swap. Check out this article about substitutes for miso paste for more information.

This carrot salad is packed with raisins, chickpeas, feta and parsley. Tossed with a creamy yogurt tahini dressing it's got tons of delicious Mediterranean flavors in it.

With a hearty carrot noodle base and chickpeas bulking it up, this is really more than just a vegetable side dish.

It’s a salad that can double as both side and salad for any summer cookout.

It literally goes well with almost anything off the grill (similar to my Thai Kohlrabi Noodle Salad) and I’d venture to say, just a tad bit healthier (and more flavorful!) than any pasta or potato salad out there.

Love this Mediterranean carrot salad? Try these other salads:

Roasted Winter Root Vegetable Salad with Toasted Pecans, Blue Cheese and Cranberries 
Lemony Shaved Asparagus Tomato Salad
Tart Cherry Glazed Ahi Tuna Kabobs over Spiralized Winter Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato, Squash and Chickpea Fall Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

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Yogurt Tahini Mediterranean Carrot Salad

Servings: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
This mediterranean carrot salad is filled with chickpeas, royal raisins, feta, parsley and tossed with a creamy yogurt tahini dressing. Makes a great side salad for any cookout this summer!
This mediterranean carrot salad is filled with chickpeas, royal raisins, feta, parsley and tossed with a creamy yogurt tahini dressing.

Ingredients 

For the dressing

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons water + more as needed to thin out
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, about 1/2 a lime
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey

For the salad

  • 2 large carrots
  • 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup royal raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • black sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions 

For the dressing:

  • Place tahini and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor. Process until whipped and smooth.
  • Add the yogurt, lime juice and honey and process again until smooth.
  • Add additional water (1-2 more tablespoons) as necessary for desired consistency. *I used about 1 tablespoon.

For the salad:

  • Using a spiralizer or a julienne peeler to make noodles from the carrots and trim into manageable size for eating.
  • Place the carrot noodles in a large bowl.
  • Add the chickpeas, raisins, parsley and feta.
  • Add the dressing and toss until well combined.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with black sesame seeds.
  • Serve immediately or keep chilled until serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 377kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 16gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 663mgFiber: 11gSugar: 21g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salads
Cuisine: Mediterranean
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Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.

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9 Comments

  1. Love carrot salad so definitely putting this version on the list.
    I do like raisins in a salad like this but used to not be much of a fan in baking. They can be dry and taste bitter so, I wanted to share my game changing tip. Cover the raisins with orange juice and the zest from the orange and heat for a minute or two either in a microwave or on the stove top. Put aside to cool while you prep the rest of whatever you’re making. The raisins will be plump, juicy and 3xtra tasty.
    Also, try storing your tahini upside down, works with peanut butter too. Just make sure the lid is on well.

  2. I just love this salad. It’s sheer perfection. Your tip for using the food processor is brilliant.

  3. Love the entire ingredient list Gina. And that dressing. So nice and healthy for summer!