This zingy, roasted carrot and spinach salad is full of fresh produce and topped with feta and roasted pumpkin seeds. It’s perfect as a light main or a summertime side dish. Packed with iron and loaded with vitamins, this lower-carb, high-flavor meal is the perfect clean eating side dish.

Roasted Carrot Spinach Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing in a large serving bowl. Roasted pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, and goji berries sprinkled on top

With the world getting crazier and crazier, I’ve been taking some time recently to return to home comforts. I’ve been enjoying cooking food that’s clean, easily digestible, and full of flavor. In short, dishes that feel authentically me.

Nutrient-dense whole food recipes have always been at the very heart of this site. And this roasted spinach carrot salad is no different! It’s straightforward, delicious, and packed with goodness and flavor that’ll make you feel amazing.

All we need to do to create this beautiful dish is roast some carrots and pumpkin seeds, whip up a tangy lemon and herb dressing, toss in some spinach, and sprinkle feta over the top.

It’s that simple!

This is a great, light meal to throw together when you just need something fresh and clean. It’s sweet, crunchy, tangy, and totally refreshing.

Tuck in for a light lunch, or make a big batch for a dinner party. Whatever you do, it’ll go down a treat!

large wooden bowl full of spinach salad with roasted carrots on top, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and feta cheese. Ready to serve.

Ingredients for Roasted Carrot Spinach Salad

Here’s everything you’ll need to make my delectable roasted carrot and spinach salad. It’s a short list, but every ingredient pulls its weight!

Carrots: The star of our salad. Roasted carrots develop a beautifully sweet, caramelized flavor that’s unbeatable in a salad. I’ve used whole young carrots here for presentation purposes, but you can cut larger ones into smaller pieces if you prefer.

Avocado Oil: We use avocado oil to both roast our carrots and form the base of our dressing. It’s high in vitamin E and healthy fatty acids. Plus, it adds a gentle nuttiness to this carrot salad.

Raw Pumpkin Seeds: One of my favorite superfoods! Pumpkin seeds are high in protein and healthy fats, plus they’re a great source of magnesium, zinc, and antioxidants. And they taste fantastic!

Fresh Baby Spinach: Guess what? It’s another superfood! Baby spinach is positively loaded with iron, providing all the energy and focus you need to tackle the day. It’s also great at holding onto our lemon herb dressing, and the bright green leaves look stunning next to the carrots.

Feta Cheese: Buy a tub of feta crumbles, or get a fresh block and crumble it yourself! This sharp, tangy cheese adds an extra zing that pairs beautifully with the lemon in the dressing.

Lemon Juice: Brings a hit of acidity that cuts through the sweetness of the roasted carrot and creates a more dynamic flavor. Lemon also provides a fresh and clean taste that elevates the whole salad.

Fresh Parsley: Herby, grassy parsley is the third pillar of this roasted carrot spinach salad, bridging the gap between the sweetness of the carrots and the acidity of the lemon. Cilantro, mint, or dill can do the same job if you’re out of parsley!

Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Just a little, to taste.

Recipe Customizations

If you’re a fan of dried fruit you can add dried cranberries, blueberries, or goji berries to this salad.
Toss in other fresh vegetables or fresh fruit, such as green onion, gala apple, tomatoes, avocado, roasted beets, or cabbage.
If you don’t eat dairy, simply omit the feta or use a dairy-free substitute!
Want to turn this salad into a full-blown entrée? Pair it with some chili lime chicken breasts or a piece of baked sockeye salmon!

large wooden serving bowl full of spinach and carrot salad. Salad tongs to the side and a bowl of feta cheese and a jar of dressing.

How to Make Roasted Carrot Spinach Salad

Begin by preheating your oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit.

Portion your carrots if not roasting them whole, then spread them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Use your hands to toss everything together until the carrots are fully covered in oil, then roast them in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. You’re looking for them to start to wrinkle and turn golden brown.

When there are about 5 minutes to go on the carrots, take your pumpkin seeds and spread them on a baking tray.

Place them in the oven for 3 minutes, or until they puff up. Remove the tray from the oven, and let the seeds cool.

While the carrots are roasting, we can make our dressing! Add the lemon juice, fresh parsley, sea salt, and remaining avocado oil to a blender or a small bowl, and blend until the mixture turns creamy.

Add your spinach and feta to a large bowl, toss in the dressing, then top with the fully roasted carrots and the pumpkin seeds!

Tips for the Perfect Roasted Carrot Spinach Salad

This recipe will leave you with more dressing than you need for the salad. Simply transfer the leftovers to a jar and store in the refrigerator for next time!
We’ll be putting the pumpkin seeds in to cook while the carrots are roasting. To keep the cooking time and temperature accurate, try to open the door for as short a time as possible when putting in your seeds.
A blender with a pulse setting is perfect for nailing this dressing. You want the oil and lemon juice to emulsify for that creamy texture. Continuous blending can cause the fresh parsley to foam, so be careful!

What Does It Taste Like?

This roasted carrot spinach salad is the perfect reminder that ultra-clean food doesn’t have to be tasteless.

The roasted carrots are gorgeously sweet, the dressing is beyond fresh, and those little crumbles of feta add an irresistible tang.

Add in some earthy, leafy tender baby spinach, and this simple salad becomes totally unstoppable.

large wooden serving bowl full of spinach and carrot salad.

Simple to throw together and packed with stunning produce, this hearty, wholesome salad is the ultimate good-mood meal. Let me know in the comments if you loved it!

Enjoyed my roasted carrot spinach salad? Here are five more sumptuous salads for you to try.

More Salad Recipes

If you’re a fan of spinach salads, this spinach carrot salad recipe is for you!