Amish Copper Pennies! We can’t get enough of this healthy twist on a classic carrot salad recipe – YUM!

Wholesome and flavorful, this delicious old-fashioned Amish Copper Pennies recipe is a delightful play on sweet and tangy and perfect for a make-ahead recipe. Carrots, onions and green bell peppers bath in a tangy sweet glaze that is sure to have your dinner guests looking for more. This unique salad is fantastic for holidays, family dinners, and potlucks alike.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

When we posted our Oil Free Maple Glazed Carrots, we had a reader (Jane) request a Copper Pennies recipe.  That got Mom and I digging through our vast array of old cookbooks and searching the interwebs to see what was out there.

This version is an oil-free, Whole Food Plant Based nod to an old Amish Copper Pennies recipe.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: These copper pennies (carrots) salad is delightfully flavored with tangy vinegar and sweetness. It is a cold salad which includes tender-crisp carrots, raw green bell peppers and onions that swim in a sweet and tangy glaze.  It’s debatable if this dish has Southern origins (lots of internet references) or Amish origins (old Amish cookbooks).  The traditional recipe (Copper Pennies) appears to be standardized and just about everyone has nearly the exact same recipe which consists of a lot of oil, vinegar, sugar, dried mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a can of condensed tomato soup.  The traditional dish is on the sweet side, most all the Copper Pennies recipes found on the internet use 2 lbs. of carrots with one full cup of sugar, ½ cup oil, and ½ cup vinegar so you can see that this dish is on the sweeter side.
• Overnight: This recipe is great to make the day before as the flavors intensify and tastes even better the next day.
• Vinegar: We used red wine vinegar, but you could easily substitute using apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar.
• Sweetness: The sweetness of the glaze (sauce) is a personal preference and very easily controlled.  We have family members who wanted this dish tangier, while others preferred it on the sweeter side.  The traditional flavor palate is sweet, traditionally one cup of sugar, so it is safe to say that it is meant to be sweet.  However, feel free to start with less maple syrup and add more as you go (if you wish).
• Cashew Butter: The cashew butter is optional; however, that small amount of cashew butter is meant to trick the brain into thinking that the dish is richer than it actually is.  You can leave it out if you wish or substitute with another seed or nut butter with the understanding that the flavor will be slightly influenced by the nut or seed butter selected.
• Cooked Carrots, Raw Green Bell Peppers, Raw Onions: This is a salad-type dish.  The carrots are cooked, but the bell peppers and onions are raw in this salad.  When you pour the hot glaze over the ingredients, the bell peppers and onion are just very slightly cooked but are pretty much still raw.
• Tenderness of the Carrots: The tenderness of the carrots is really a personal preference as well.  Most family members enjoyed the carrots tender (not mushy). While others enjoyed the carrots tender crisp.  Watch them closely as to not overcook them as you will end up with a mushy, unpleasant salad.
• Make-Ahead Dish: This is a great make-ahead dish that travels well.  We suggest not serving straight from the refrigerator.  Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 to 8 minutes to allow the flavors to wake up.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 10 to 14 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.

This dish cannot be frozen.

Pantry Products:

• Cashew Butter: We used Artisana Organic Raw Vegan Cashew Butter.  Feel free to use your favorite raw cashew butter in this recipe.  Read the label, make sure the only ingredient is raw cashews.  Do not use a salted or sweetened cashew butter.
• Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Products:

• Medium-sized stock pot

If you try this flavorful salad, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Amish Copper Pennies

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 25 Minutes
• Cook Time: 10-13 Minutes
• Total Time: 35 Minutes (+Refrigeration Time)
• Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
• Category: Salad, Side
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Amish Inspired
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Wholesome and flavorful, this delicious old-fashioned Amish Copper Pennies recipe is a delightful play on sweet and tangy and perfect for a make-ahead recipe.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 lbs. carrots, peeled, cut into penny rounds
• 1 cup diced green bell peppers
• 1 cup diced red onions (+/-)

Sauce Ingredients:

• ¾ cup red wine vinegar *
• ½ cup pure maple syrup (+/-) *
• 1 teaspoon dried ground mustard powder
• ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari *
• 1 teaspoon cashew butter (optional) *
• ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)

Cornstarch Slurry:

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
• 1 Tablespoon water

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Instructions

1. Place the peeled carrots into a medium-sized stockpot, cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and gently boil for 10 to 13 minutes or until just tender crisp or tender based upon personal preference.
2. In the meantime, place all the Sauce Ingredients into a small-sized stockpot, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Make the Cornstarch Slurry by placing the cornstarch and water into a small bowl, whisk until completed dissolved, set aside.
4. After the carrots are tender, drain off the water and place the cooked carrots in a bowl with the diced green bell peppers and red onions.
5. After the sauce has simmered for 5 minutes, increase the heat, and add the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir for several minutes, after the sauce has thickened continue to cook for several minutes in order to cook out the cornstarch flavor.
6. Pour the hot sauce over the cooked carrots, raw bell peppers and onions. Gently stir to combine. Allow the veggies to marinate until no longer hot. Then store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
7. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator, and allow to sit at room temperature for 5 to 8 minutes for the flavors to wake up, then serve.  Serve at room temperature or cold.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings:  4 to 6

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