Spiced Moroccan Carrot Salad

Cooked carrots, warm and bright.

This spiced Moroccan carrot salad recipe is an essential, healthful vegetable side dish, with the perfect flavor combo — savory cooked carrots tossed with spices, fresh herbs, honey, and citrus.

Meet This Spiced Moroccan Carrot Salad

Cooked carrots do not always get the attention they deserve.

Carrots tend to do two things: 1) act as an ingredient in a bigger dish like soups or stews, or 2) get relegated to bland, austere crudité platters.

But this simple carrot salad recipe lets this beautiful vegetable shine. Ripe carrots get cooked just until tender, then tossed with a simple dressing of citrus, olive oil, honey, cumin, ginger, and fresh herbs.

The result is a carrot side dish that easily takes center stage. Learn more.

Moroccan Carrot Salad: Recipe Steps

This is a one-pot, one-bowl carrot salad recipe that comes together easily. Fresh herbs, cumin powder, and the complementary flavors of sweet, salt, and acid make this carrot dish taste oh so satisfying.

Here’s what to do:

1. First, cook your cut carrots in well-salted boiling water just until al dente. They should be softened, but still firm. Drain.
2. While the carrots cook, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, ginger, cumin, honey, salt, and pepper.
3. Toss the carrots in the lime and olive oil dressing.
4. Add the fresh herbs, and taste for seasoning.
5. Let the salad rest for about 10 to 15 minutes, tossing every once in a while to make sure all of the dressing is absorbed. Serve.

Can I Substitute the Cilantro? The Honey?

Herbs like fresh mint, parsley, and cilantro make this Moroccan carrot salad recipe sing. Not to mention that the color of orange and green together really pops.

But the herbs are interchangeable here. My favorites for this are mint and cilantro, but any combination of mint, cilantro, and parsley will work. You could even use chives. (I know there are plenty of people who hate cilantro. No problem.)

If you don’t like honey, try agave or brown sugar.

And if you want to make this a little richer, swap the olive oil for melted butter. Butter never hurt anything. Just keep the salad very warm so the butter does not start to congeal.

This fresh, earthy carrot salad recipe takes carrots from side dish to center stage.

Love this cooked Moroccan carrot salad recipe? You’ll also like:

• Roasted Carrots With Citrus and Avocado
• Ayurvedic Chickpea Kitchari
• No Mayo Red Cabbage Carrot Slaw
• Braised Lemon Chicken With Olives and Dates

Spiced Moroccan Carrot Salad

Warm, cooked carrots tossed in a simple Moroccan-inspired dressing of lime, spices, and fresh herbs makes tasty vegetable side dish perfect for any occasion. Feeding a crowd? This recipe easily doubles or triples.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Resting Time15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: African, Middle Eastern, Moroccan

Keywords:: carrot salad recipe, easy, fresh herbs, healthy, Moroccan carrot salad, side dish, vegetarian

Servings: 3 to 4 people as a side dish

Print Email

Ingredients 

1x2x

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2"-thick diagonals, or any cut of preference
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from 1/2 lime)
• 3/4 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ground ginger, or 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 generous tablespoons total of chopped mint, parsley, and cilantro, chopped fine. Use any combination you like; I prefer cilantro and mint.
• Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Instructions

• Cook the carrot slices in well-salted boiling water, just until al dente, about 3 to 5 minutes. The carrots should be softened but still firm. Drain well.
• While the carrots are cooking, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, lime juice, cumin powder, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 12 turns of fresh black pepper.
• Add the drained carrots to the honey lime dressing. Add the fresh herbs, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning.
• Let the carrots marinate in the dressing for about 10 to 15 minutes, tossing occasionally so that all the liquid evenly coats and absorbs into the carrots. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, maybe with a little more fresh herbs as a garnish.