Carrot Pineapple Coconut Salad

This salad is what happens when carrot stragglers in the fridge meet a half-empty can of pineapple sitting sadly abandoned in my fridge door. I introduced them to the rarely used coconut hiding in my pantry and some Greek yogurt, then couldn’t decide if this is a side dish or a dessert. It’s definitely something sweet, crunchy and a little bit tropical, with an easy ginger-lime yogurt dressing. I’m going to take it to the next cookout and, hopefully, it will outshine the green Jello salad and the nanner puddin’. But if not, more for me.

Simple, whole food recipes are just one part of what I do here at Finding My Fierce. If you’re a woman over 40 and want to learn about sustainable waist loss, renewed energy, restored self-confidence, understanding perimenopause and reducing overwhelm, I’m your people. start here

Ingredients

(see printable recipe card below)

SERVES 6 | Start to finish: 15 minutes

• 1 cup (245 g) full-fat plain Greek yogurt (2% or higher), no added sugar

• 1 tbsp (42 g) honey, or 3-4 drops liquid monkfruit

• 2 tbsp (30 ml) lime juice

• 2 tsp (4 g) fresh ginger, grated

• 5 cups (680 g / 1½ lbs) carrots, peeled and shredded or chopped

• ½ can (283 g / 10 oz) crushed pineapple, unsweetened, drained well

• 1 cup (93 g) unsweetened coconut flakes

• 1 cup (90 g) sliced almonds

• 2 tsp (4 g) lime zest

How To Make This

1. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, lime juice, and ginger. Stir until smooth.

2. Add the carrots, pineapple, coconut flakes, almonds, and lime zest. Mix until everything is evenly coated.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight. The carrots soften slightly and the flavors settle into each other in a way that doesn't happen if you eat it straight away.

Chef’s Tip

Drain the pineapple well — really well, as in press it against the side of the strainer. Excess liquid makes the dressing watery and dilutes the ginger and lime, which are the whole point. Thirty extra seconds of draining saves the whole salad.

Fresh ginger makes a difference here. The jarred stuff works in a pinch but it's flatter. If you keep a knob of ginger in the freezer, it grates easier and lasts indefinitely. Worth knowing.

Storage

Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It softens further as it sits. It’s still good, just less crunchy. If you want to preserve some texture, keep the almonds separate and stir them in right before serving each time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Can I use pre-shredded carrots from the bag?

  Yes. It cuts your prep down to almost nothing and works fine in this recipe. The texture will be slightly finer than hand-chopped but nobody will complain.

• Can I make this dairy-free?

  Swap the Greek yogurt for a thick coconut yogurt and it stays in the same flavor neighborhood while going fully dairy-free. Avoid thin yogurt — it'll make the dressing runny.

• My salad is watery after sitting overnight. What went wrong?

  Almost certainly the pineapple is being naughty. Canned pineapple releases more liquid as it sits. Drain it more aggressively next time, and if it's already happened, drain the excess liquid from the bowl before serving and give it a fresh stir.

• Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned?

  Yes, chopped into small pieces. Fresh pineapple is slightly less sweet and releases less liquid, so the texture will be a bit firmer. Both versions work.

Before You Go

This recipe came out of the same place where I write the rest of this blog: in a vintage RV parked in the woods next to a river, where I write about rebel wellness, fierce confidence, simple living and hormone friendly meals for women over 40 in perimenopause and menopause. If you’e interested in learning more about these topics, read my story or start here .

If this made meal time a little easier, leave a comment below or a review on the recipe card. Tell me what you swapped or what you added.

Melissa

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Carrot Pineapple Coconut Salad

Servings: 6

Author: Melissa

This tropical salad is basically sunshine on a plate—think crunchy carrots, juicy pineapple, and unsweetened coconut that’s like a beach day for your taste buds.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons honey (I use Manuka)
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
• 5 cups chopped carrots (about 1.5 lbs), peeled and ends removed
• 1 can (20 oz) unsweetened, crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• ½ cup chopped almonds
• 2 teaspoons lime zest

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
2. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Nutrition Info

Calories

306

Fat (grams)

16 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

9 g

Carbs (grams)

38 g

Fiber (grams)

8 g

Sugar (grams)

27 g

Protein (grams)

8 g

Sodium (milligrams)

92 mg

Vitamin D

0 µg

Vitamin E

4 mg

Vitamin B12

0 µg

Vitamin K

15 µg

Vitamin C

17 mg

Zinc

1 mg

Calcium

124 mg

Vitamin A

17871 IU

Magnesium

76 mg

Potassium

683 mg

Nutrition info provided as a courtesy and basic guideline.  The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. View Nutrition Disclosure

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https://findingmyfierce.com/blog/carrot-pineapple-coconut-salad

©findingmyfierce

carrots, pineapple, coconut, almonds, salad, Greek yogurt, side dish, no cook

Side Dishes

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