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.
Whether you do the chopping manually or with a spiraliser, this is a great way to cram a load of vegetables into a meal. You can also make the salad and dressing components in advance, freeing up valuable time for whatever else you need to prepare.
Looking for more summer salad recipes? Check out this vegan rainbow slaw and Mediterranean couscous salad.
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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.
Recipe FAQ
To make this salad ahead of time, prepare the veg and dressing elements separately then mix them together just before serving.
You can store this salad in a sealed container in the fridge for several days. The veg will quickly soften and lose its crunch, so it’s best to consume sooner rather than later. You may also notice some water pooling at the bottom of the container, so just give it a mix again before serving.
If you have some of this salad sitting around in the fridge, add it to a stir-fry towards the end of cooking. The flavours of the peanut dressing will be right at home in that sort of dish.
Provided you use tamari or a GF soy sauce in the peanut dressing, this courgette and carrot salad is 100% gluten-free.
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.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Rainbow Slaw with Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Veg
- Grilled Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
- King Oyster Mushroom Steaks
- Grilled Carrots with Lemon & Thyme
- Vietnamese-Style Rice Paper Rolls
- Crispy Baked Falafel
- 5-Minute Peanut Noodles
You can also check out my full list of vegan BBQ recipes.
Courgette Salad with Peanut Dressing (Zucchini Salad)
Ingredients
- 2 courgettes (zucchini), julienned (see notes)
- 2 carrots, julienned
- 2-3 spring onions, finely sliced
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped (approx. 15 g – optional)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
- Rainbow Slaw with Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Veg
- Easy Vegan Couscous Salad
- Grilled Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
- King Oyster Mushroom Steaks
- Vietnamese-Style Rice Paper Rolls
- Crispy Baked Falafel
- 5-Minute Peanut Noodles
Nutrition
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Great side salad. Very tasty and looks great x
Glad you enjoyed, thanks for the review!