Raw Beet and Carrot Salad with Lemon and Walnuts

Other Xerophagy Published January 28, 2026

Raw beets are sweeter than you expect, and they pair remarkably well with the earthiness of carrot and the bitterness of walnut. This salad is the kind of food that people think they will not enjoy until they try it — the natural sugars in the root vegetables, the acid of the lemon, and the crunch of the walnuts create a combination that is genuinely pleasant. It is also one of the more nutrient-dense xerophagy meals available, packed with folate, iron, and vitamin A.

This is a winter and early spring xerophagy salad — beets and carrots store well and are available year-round.

FASTING LEVEL: Xerophagy (the strictest level — no cooked food, no oil, no wine)
SERVINGS: 2
TIME: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 2 medium raw beets, peeled and grated (use a box grater or food processor)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
- Fresh parsley or dill, chopped (optional)

METHOD

1. Peel the beets and carrots. Grate them using the large holes of a box grater. A food processor with a grating disc makes this much faster.

2. Combine the grated beets and carrots in a bowl. Everything will turn pink from the beet juice — this is expected and unavoidable.

3. Add the lemon juice and salt. Toss well. The lemon juice both seasons the salad and keeps the beets from turning everything a uniform dark red.

4. Scatter the chopped walnuts over the top. Drizzle with honey if using.

5. Let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes before eating — the salt draws moisture from the vegetables and creates a light dressing.

NOTES

- Wear gloves when handling raw beets, or accept that your hands will be stained pink for a day. This is the price of the dish.
- Raw beets are significantly harder to grate than cooked ones. A sharp box grater or food processor is strongly recommended.
- Some traditions add a grated raw apple to this salad — it adds sweetness and lightens the texture. Recommended.
- Suitable for xerophagy days throughout the year, but especially appropriate during Great Lent and the Nativity Fast when root vegetables are the primary fresh produce available in northern climates.