Some days I want the pink-orange crunch of beet and carrot without turning dinner into a three-ingredient viral project. Apple is lovely. It is also sweetness I do not always want next to dal and roti. Last week I grated two carrots and one beet into a bowl, skipped the apple on purpose, and the salad tasted more like home: earthy, bright, and ready for an Indian table.
Carrot beet salad is that bowl. Grated carrot and beet, lemon-cumin dressing, toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro. No onion. No garlic. No apple. You still get the color and the snap. You just keep the roots doing the whole job.
If you want a Jain-friendly root salad that is not the viral ABC version, make this with me.
Carrot Beet vs ABC Salad
ABC salad is apple, beet, and carrot in roughly equal parts. It searches well, photographs pink, and leans sweet. This carrot beet salad drops the A on purpose. Carrot brings familiar crunch and a little natural sugar. Beet brings earth and that deep magenta stain. Together they taste like a koshimbir cousin more than a celebrity lunch bowl.
I keep both in this salads week because they answer different cravings. Reach for ABC when you want fruit snap and the three-letter name people already know. Reach for this when you want root vegetables only, a warmer cumin finish, and something that sits happily next to dal without competing with dessert.
Kitchen test note: the first fully raw beet bowl I made felt tough for my kid. Now I often steam the beet 5 to 8 minutes until a knife slips in with a little resistance, cool it, then grate. The shreds stay bright pink but chew softer. Raw beet works if you grate fine and dress generously. If you steam, blot well before dressing or the bowl turns watery.
Beet and carrot show up in Indian kitchens as gajar and chukandar in raitas, poriyals, and grated salads. This version stays no-cook on the carrot side and optional-steam on the beet, with lemon cumin dressing doing the bright work instead of onion or garlic.
Why You’ll Love This Carrot Beet Salad
- Two roots, clear job: carrot + beet only, not a second ABC salad
- About 15 to 20 minutes: grate, dress, seed finish (plus optional short beet steam)
- No onion, no garlic: Jain-friendly for Paryushan and mixed tables
- Color and crunch: magenta-orange shreds with toasted pepitas
- Flexible: vegan as written; yogurt drizzle or walnuts if you want
- Perfect for: thali sides, lunchbox crunch, and pairing with millet salad when you want grain plus roots
Ingredients and Notes
Carrot: 3 medium carrots, about 2 cups grated. Peel if the skin tastes bitter. Coarse grate keeps the salad snappy. Too fine and it turns soft once dressed.
Beet: 1 large or 2 small beets, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups grated. Scrub well. Peel if the skin is tough. Red beets give the classic pink toss. Golden beets stain less and taste a bit milder. Wear gloves if pink hands bother you. Raw for maximum crunch, or steam 5 to 8 minutes, cool, then grate for a softer bite.
Pumpkin seeds: 3 tablespoons raw pepitas, lightly toasted until they start to pop. Sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts are fine swaps.
Herbs: A small handful of cilantro, torn. Mint works for a cooler finish.
Dressing: 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon cumin dressing, or whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil, 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera), a pinch of salt, black pepper, and optional light chaat masala. Taste before you pour. You want bright and cumin-forward. Skip garlic and ginger. Check chaat masala labels; some blends hide onion or garlic powder.
Optional finish: 2 tablespoons plain yogurt thinned with lemon for a creamy drizzle, or a few crumbled paneer cubes if dairy fits your plate.
How to Make Carrot Beet Salad
Serves 2 as a light plate | 4 as a side | Time: about 15 to 20 minutes
Step 1: Prep the beet
Decide raw or steamed. For steamed, place scrubbed whole beets in a steamer basket over simmering water and cook 5 to 8 minutes until just tender at the center. Cool under cold water, peel if needed, and blot dry. For raw, peel and proceed.
Step 2: Grate the roots
Grate the carrots and beet on the coarse side of a box grater into a wide bowl. Aim for roughly equal volumes so neither root disappears. If the steamed beet is still damp, blot the shreds with a clean towel before dressing.
Step 3: Toast the seeds
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pepitas 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until they smell nutty and a few pop. Tip onto a plate to cool.
Step 4: Dress and toss
Pour most of the lemon-cumin dressing over the grated roots. Toss with clean hands or two forks until every shred looks glossy and pink-orange. Fold in most of the cilantro and most of the seeds. Taste. Add salt, pepper, or another squeeze of lemon if the beet tastes flat.
Step 5: Finish and serve
Scatter the remaining seeds and cilantro on top. Add yogurt drizzle if using. Serve cool or cool room temperature. I like it next to dal-roti, beside rainbow slaw when dinner wants two crunchy Jain sides, or earlier the same day before ABC salad if you are stacking root bowls for guests.
Carrot Beet Salad
Equipment
- Box grater
- Dry skillet
- Steamer basket optional, if steaming the beet
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 medium carrots about 2 cups grated
- 1 large beet or 2 small, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups grated; raw or lightly steamed
- 3 tablespoons raw pepitas pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 1/4 cup cilantro torn; mint optional swap
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt optional, thinned with lemon for drizzle
For the dressing
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon cumin dressing or whisk lemon juice, oil, and cumin below
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice if making dressing from scratch
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil; if making dressing from scratch
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder bhuna jeera; if making dressing from scratch
- salt pinch, to taste
- black pepper to taste
- chaat masala optional light dusting; check label for onion or garlic
Instructions
Prep the beet
- Decide raw or steamed. For steamed, place scrubbed whole beets in a steamer basket over simmering water and cook 5 to 8 minutes until just tender at the center.
- Cool under cold water, peel if needed, and blot dry. For raw, peel and proceed.
Grate the roots
- Grate the carrots and beet on the coarse side of a box grater into a wide bowl. Aim for roughly equal volumes.
- If the steamed beet is still damp, blot the shreds with a clean towel before dressing.
Toast the seeds
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pepitas 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until they smell nutty and a few pop. Tip onto a plate to cool.
Dress and toss
- Pour most of the lemon-cumin dressing over the grated roots. Toss with clean hands or two forks until every shred looks glossy and pink-orange.
- Fold in most of the cilantro and most of the seeds. Taste and add salt, pepper, or lemon if needed.
Finish and serve
- Scatter the remaining seeds and cilantro on top. Add yogurt drizzle if using.
- Serve cool or cool room temperature.
Notes
Carrot Beet Salad Variations
- Yogurt drizzle: Thin plain yogurt with lemon and a pinch of salt; drizzle over the dressed salad instead of mixing in.
- Golden beet: Swap red for golden to keep cutting boards cleaner and the flavor a little milder.
- Walnut crunch: Chopped toasted walnuts instead of or with pepitas.
- Chaat lean: Extra roasted cumin and a light chaat masala dusting (check the label).
- Chickpea boost: A handful of rinsed cooked chickpeas for a more filling lunch plate.
- ABC sister: Same lemon-cumin mood with grated apple added once you want the three-letter viral bowl later the same day. For the full apple version, see our Easy ABC Salad once it is live.
Carrot Beet Salad FAQs
Q1. Can I make carrot beet salad without onion or garlic?
Yes. This recipe is written that way. Lemon, roasted cumin, black pepper, and toasted seeds replace the raw allium bite many beet salads use. Skip hing here so the salad stays bright instead of tadka-heavy.
Q2. Should beets be raw or cooked for this salad?
Both work. Raw beet is crunchier and stains more. A short 5 to 8 minute steam softens the chew and is easier for kids. Blot well if you steam so dressing does not slide into a pink puddle.
Q3. How do I stop beet from staining everything?
Wear gloves, grate on a board you do not mind tinting, and rinse tools soon after. Golden beets help. The pink toss in the bowl is normal. That is part of why people love beet salads.
Q4. How is this different from ABC salad?
ABC salad adds grated apple for sweetness and snap and leans into the viral three-letter name. This carrot beet salad is carrot and beet only, with a warmer cumin finish. Same roots week, different job.
Q5. Can I make this ahead?
Grate the carrot, prep the beet, toast the seeds, and whisk the dressing up to a few hours ahead. Keep cold and separate. Toss with herbs and seeds when you eat. Fully dressed leftovers soften and release juice, especially with steamed beet.
Q6. Is this salad Jain-friendly?
Yes, as written: no onion, no garlic, no hing. Check store-bought spice blends and bottled dressings if you use them.
Q7. How do I store leftovers?
Airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Drain any pooled liquid, refresh with lemon, and add a pinch of fresh seeds if you have them. Texture is best the day you dress it.
Closing
This carrot beet salad is how I get beet on the table without defaulting to apple sweetness: grated roots, cumin-bright dressing, toasted seeds, and a clear no-onion-no-garlic line. On salads week it sits next to rainbow slaw for crunch, millet salad when you want grain, and ABC salad later the same day when someone asks for the viral three-letter bowl.
If you make it, tell me: do you keep the beet raw, or do you give it that short steam? Drop a comment below.
Made this? Share a photo and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
