Carrot Salad with Celery and Mangos

Served cold, this Carrot Salad with Celery and Mangos is a refreshing vegetable side dish is perfect for parties, potlucks and summer cookouts!

Crunchy celery, soft mango and firm carrots that have been lightly cooked combine to make a lightly sweet vegetable salad with a bit of tang.

Carrot and Celery Salad with A Twist

Carrots are boiled lightly boiled, yet left firm. We love that this makes the salad so easy to chew and enjoy!

We’ve been working to sneak more vegetables into our diet. Just like our Rotini Pasta Salad with Lettuce, Zucchini Bread, and Carrot Bread when veggies are incorporated with other ingredients, it’s easier to eat healthier.

Another benefit is a big batch of pickled vegetables can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a week and enjoyed over the course of several days!

My sister-in-law shared this recipe out of a community cookbook. This recipe has been around for several generations, so it’s a tried and true favorite. The first time we made it was for a combination 4th of July and birthday celebration. We brought this carrot salad and our Farmhouse Potato Salad and both were a big hit!

Another unique and delicious meal is this California Roll Salad!

Sweet Carrot Salad

A big part of the reason this salad is so sweet is the mango and sugar in the dressing. Since there is 3/4 cup of sugar in the dressing this is not a super healthy carrot salad.

The sugar can be decreased some, but cutting it out will certainly affect the flavor balance in the salad. The sugar, salt and vinegar provide balance in accent flavors to the healthy and fiber filled vegetables. If there is a desire to decrease sugar I would recommend adding more mango.

Anything that helps us eat more vegetables is a good recipe for us, so we’re okay with a little sugar being added to the dressing!

Easy Vinegar Recipe for Carrot Salad

I had no idea how much my mom loves pickled vegetables until making this Carrot Salad with Celery and Mangos.

This easy marinade recipe with vinegar can be used to make many different pickled vegetables and vegetable salads.

Simply mix together white vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, salt and celery salt to great any easy homemade dressing for carrot salad.

Using a wide dish as opposed to a tall dish is best. This allows most if not all of the vegetables can be submerged in marinade. The more sides of every piece of vegetable that have contact with the dressing the more flavor that will be infused in every bite!

How Long is Carrot Salad Good in the Refrigerator?

Carrot salad when stored in an air tight container and marinated in a vinegar based dressing may last for 5 – 7 days in the refrigerator as long as fresh, good quality vegetables were used to make the salad. We prefer to enjoy the salad in the first 3 – 4 days to maximize food quality and safety.

If veggies used were at the end of their shelf life the salad will not last as long.

This recipe is several decades old and the author noted that it will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, but I don’t think I’m that brave. Keeping food safety in mind I would try to eat the salad as quickly as possible, or make half of a batch so that it can be kept fresh.

Tips for Making Carrot Salad

• Peel whole carrots with a carrot peeler and place in boiling water for 10 – 12 minutes until they begin to become tender.
• Baby carrots can be used, but I find they can take a little longer to cut up in uniform pieces.
• Drain carrots in a strainer once they reach desired doneness and run under cold water to help stop cooking.
• Cut, chop, slice into bite-sized pieces that are a shape you enjoy.
• We prefer smaller pieces so that more flavors can mix in every bite.
• Onions can be sliced or diced. Onion lovers are more likely to enjoy a slice which will be more in every bite than finely chopped or diced pieces of onions that will blend in more with the other veggies
• Marinate veggies in a thin layer in a wide container as opposed to a tall container to allow maximum contact of vegetables to dressing. Marinate for at least 24 hours for the dressing to really soak in.
• More celery can be added for more crunch and more onion can be added for a more aromatic flavor if you like.
• Other veggies can be mixed in and pickled if desired.

How to Make Carrot & Celery Salad with Mango

1. Cook carrots to desired doneness. Drain and slice.
2. Cut remaining veggies and mango.
3. Mix up homemade vegetable dressing.
4. Marinate vegetables at least 24 hours before serving. Always store in the refrigerator.

Other Refreshing Summer Recipes:

• Simple Strawberry Popsicles
• Sauerkraut Salad
• Linguine Salad
• Brown Rice Salad with Spinach & Tomatoes
• Muffuletta Pasta Salad

Printable Carrot and Celery Salad with Mango Recipe

Shared in the Weekend Potluck!