Carrot Noodle Salad (25g Protein & Only £1.20 a Portion!)
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This carrot noodle salad is the newest addition to 5 lunches for £6 series, with a whole kilo of quick-pickled carrot ribbons, sticky hot honey chicken mince and soy-dressed rice noodles. Just like my sesame chicken pea salad, there’s no lettuce in sight, so it stays fresh and crunchy in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s ready in 20 minutes, makes 5 lunches and works out at just £1.20 a portion.
Recipe Summary: Carrot Noodle Salad
- ✅ Recipe Name: Carrot Noodle Salad
- 🕦 Ready in: 20
- 🤝 Serves: 5
- 🍴 Calories: 365 kcal
- 🧑🍳 Main ingredients: Carrots, Chicken mince, Rice noodles, Fresh mint, Hot honey
- ✨ Summary: This carrot noodle salad pairs quick-pickled carrot ribbons with sticky hot honey chicken mince. 25g protein, £1.20 a portion and ready in 20 minutes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- The carrots get better every day: Most noodle salads are tired by Wednesday, but these carrot ribbons quick-pickle in the vinegar and taste even better as the week goes on. It’s the same no-leaves trick that keeps my green goddess chicken salad going all week.
- 25g protein for £1.20: Lean chicken mince does the heavy lifting (thank you Tesco for keeping the pack £2.50), so every tub gives you 25g protein and 6g fibre for 365 calories.
- Twenty minutes, one pan: The noodles cook in the pan that we fry the mince in, so only one pan to wash up!
- Budget friendly: Carrots are one of the cheapest veg you can buy, and a whole kilo bulks this out into 5 generous lunches.
Table of Contents
Ingredients For Carrot noodle salad
This carrot noodle salad only needs a handful of fresh ingredients, plus a few cupboard staples for the dressing:
- Carrots: A full kilo, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. They soak up the rice vinegar and turn tangy and pickled, which is what makes this carrot ribbon salad so moreish.
- Chicken mince: I use 5% fat chicken mince for a lean protein boost. It goes lovely and sticky in the soy and hot honey glaze.
- Rice noodles: I use itsu rice noodles, which only need a few minutes in boiling water. Rinsing them under cold water keeps them silky rather than clumpy.
- Fresh mint: Don’t skip it. A big handful of mint keeps every tub tasting fresh and bright, even on day four.
- Hot honey: Adds a gentle kick of heat to the chicken. Regular honey works perfectly if you’d prefer it sweeter and milder.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
- Swap to pork mince: For a budget swap, pork mince works just as well as chicken mince and soaks up the sticky glaze beautifully.
- Make it veggie: Leave out the mince and top each tub with some crispy soy tofu instead for a plant-based version that still keeps the protein up.
- Go satay: Whisk a spoonful of peanut butter into the noodle dressing for a richer, nutty twist, a bit like my peanut sauce noodles.
- Keep it mild: Use regular honey rather than hot honey if you’re making this for kids or anyone who isn’t a fan of spice.
How to make Carrot noodle salad
Step 1: Pour the rice vinegar over the carrot ribbons and toss with the sugar and salt.
Step 2: Add the soy sauce, garlic granules and hot honey to the browning chicken mince.
Step 3: Tip the sticky, cooked chicken mince into a bowl.
Step 4: In the same pan, add boiling water and the rice noodles to cook for a couple of minutes.
Step 5: Toss the drained noodles and rinsed noodles with sesame oil, soy, rice vinegar and chopped mint.
Step 6: Divide everything between 5 containers and store in the fridge.
Tips for the best result
- Run the rice noodles under cold water straight after draining. It stops them cooking and washes off the starch so they don’t clump together in the tubs.
- Give the pickled carrots a quick drain before adding them to the containers so the extra vinegar doesn’t pool in the bottom and make the noodles soggy.
- Don’t rush the final few minutes. Letting the soy and honey reduce right down gives you those golden, caramelised bits that make the chicken so good.
Serving Suggestions
This carrot noodle salad is a complete lunch on its own, but it’s easy to turn into a bit of a feast. I love it with a side of my Din Tai Fung cucumber for extra crunch, and a halved Korean marinated egg on top makes it even more filling. On colder days, a mug of my gyoza soup alongside it makes the whiole thing feel a bit more warming.
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Refrigerator: store in airtight containers for up to 4 days. The pickled carrots will soften slightly by day three or four, but the flavour only gets better.
Freezer: I wouldn’t freeze this one. The carrots and cucumber turn watery once defrosted, and the rice noodles go mushy.
Reheat: no need. It’s designed to be eaten cold, but take it out of the fridge 10 minutes before eating so the sesame oil loosens up and the noodles relax.
Carrot noodle salad FAQs
Absolutely, it’s made for it. It keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge and the pickled carrots get better as the week goes on. If you want another lunch to rotate with it, my salsa verde chopped salad lasts just as well.
It’s a cold noodle salad, so you can eat it straight from the fridge. If you love this style of lunch, my cold noodle salad with chicken is another one to try.
Peel the carrots, then keep running a vegetable peeler down the length of each one to make long ribbons. Press harder for thicker ribbons, which stay crunchier for longer.
Yes, each portion has 25g protein for 365 calories, mostly from the lean chicken mince.
Rice noodles are usually gluten-free, but soy sauce typically contains wheat. Swap it for tamari and double check the noodle packet to be safe.
Definitely. Pork mince works just as well as chicken mince and is a great budget swap.
Explore More Salad Recipes
If you tried this Carrot Noodle Salad, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Carrot Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 1 kg carrots peeled and ribboned
- 500 g chicken mince (5% fat)
- 180 g itsu rice noodles
- 30 g fresh mint leaves picked
- 1 cucumber sliced on a bias
Cupboard Essentials
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tbsp hot honey or honey
Method
- Method
- Add the carrot ribbons to a bowl with 2 tbsp of the rice vinegar, the sugar and salt. Toss together and set aside to quick-pickle.
- Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken mince and fry for 5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, the garlic granules and the hot honey, then cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes until the mince is cooked through and sticky.
- Set aside, then in the same pan, add boiling water and the rice noodles to cook for a couple of minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, the remaining 1 tbsp rice vinegar and a few chopped mint leaves.
- Divide the noodles, chicken mince, cucumber, drained pickled carrots and remaining fresh mint between 5 containers. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
• Drain the carrots before packing: Give the pickled carrots a quick drain before adding them to the containers so the extra vinegar doesn’t pool in the bottom and make the noodles soggy.
Nutrition
