Courgette Salad with Peanut Dressing (Zucchini Salad)

This courgette and carrot salad is crunchy, fresh, and vibrant, with a deliciously simple peanut dressing that brings it all together as a summery vegan side dish.

Is this a healthy salad?

This salad is packed full of fresh courgette and carrot, meaning there's an array of healthy vitamins and other nutrients to be found. The peanut butter and roasted peanuts are also a great source of plant-based protein.

In one serving of this recipe you’ll find:

• Calories: 114 kcal
• Vitamin A: 4505 IU (90% of RDA)
• Vitamin C: 34 mg (41% of RDA)
• Protein: 5 g (10% of RDA)

Can you eat raw courgette?

Yes, you can eat courgette either raw or cooked. Use raw courgette in a fresh salad such as this one, slice it finely and top with a simple dressing, or turn it into spaghetti using a spiraliser.

How to make courgette salad with peanut dressing

In a jug or bowl, combine the peanut butter, tamari/soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, water, and most of the fresh chilli. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Next, cut the courgettes and carrots in half at the midpoint, then cut these halves lengthways into fine slices. Stack the slices and cut lengthways into fine matchsticks (also known as 'julienne').

In a large bowl, combine the julienned courgettes, julienned carrots, and sliced spring onions. Add the peanut dressing, most of the coriander, and most of the chopped peanuts. Mix well to combine all the ingredients, adjusting the seasoning if necessary.

Serve with the remaining coriander, chopped peanuts, and fresh chilli sprinkled over the top.

Serving suggestions

This fresh salad was created with summer weather and barbecues in mind, but you could use it with any meal at any time of year. Throw it on top of burgers, into wraps or pitta breads, or enjoy as a delicious light lunch or snack on its own.

Variations and tips

• Spiralise/grate: If you have a spiraliser, by all means use this instead of cutting the veg manually. You could also grate the veg by hand or with the grater attachment on a food processor.
• Other veg: Feel free to add any other veg you like to this salad – cabbage, cucumber, peppers, broccoli, onion, Brussels sprouts, mange tout, beetroot, radishes etc.
• Consistency: If the dressing seems too thick, stir in a little more water until you're happy with it.
• Lime juice: You can easily swap this out for another acidic ingredient such as lemon juice or rice wine vinegar.
• Coriander/cilantro: I’m personally a huge fan of coriander, so the 15 grams suggested in the recipe could quite easily become double that. If you don’t like coriander, simply leave it out.
• Heat: I like to include the chilli seeds, but you can remove these if you’re not a fan of the heat. You could also add more than one chilli if you want a bigger kick.

Hey you – let me know what you think

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it – or did anything differently – I'd love to hear from you down below in the comments 👇

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