This bright-orange, savory Moroccan roasted carrot hummus combines the rich flavors of harissa spices with roasted carrots and garlic.
Make your own simple harissa with the directions in the recipe below, or use your favorite harissa seasoning for a delicious Mediterranean flavor to this dip.
Health benefits of garbanzos or chickpeas
Chickpeas are a regular part of our diet, from curries or a hummus dish. They are delicious, though mild enough to be the basis for many different types of hummus.
Beans are inexpensive and filling, and are important for vegan and vegetarian diets. They are high in fiber with good amounts of protein, though not high enough for them to be part of Paleo or Keto diets.
Vitamin K2, which is essential for absorption of Vitamin D and is often included in supplements with D, is extracted from chickpeas.
One of many hummus recipes
I bought a lot of dried chickpeas in April - I figured I'd want to make hummus about once a week during the stay-at-home period of the coronavirus outbreak. Though cases of the virus are relatively low in Honolulu, we are still in stay-at-home mode when possible.
With that many batches of hummus to enjoy, we decided that even though we love my standard spinach-artichoke hummus, there's no reason not to explore a bit further. I hope you'll try my beetroot hummus, too, which is not as different as this one from my standby. And I recommend you check out a purple sweet potato hummus recipe a fellow blogger has shared on her site Cooking with Nart - it looks so good!
Moroccan roasted-carrot hummus is so delicious with its Moroccan flavors we'll be making it again often. The flavors of the roasted carrots and garlic plus the harissa are pretty addictive. And I loved finding this simple harissa blend with ingredients I could find in my regular shopping spots. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.
We served this hummus with multi-grain chips and just a little cilantro. I often serve hummus with carrots, but that seemed a little redundant here.
Of course, hummus is always great with pita, a traditional accompaniment in Mediterranean cuisine, and I certainly recommend it if you include breads in your diet.
Steps in this recipe
There are three parts of making this recipe, the last two of which I usually do at the same time.
- Start with cooked chickpeas or garbanzos, either canned or homemade - here are directions for three ways to cook them.
- Coat the cut carrots and garlic cloves with olive oil and roast
- Prepare the quick harissa while the vegetables are roasting - see directions in the recipe
If you have a chance to make this recipe, please leave me a comment so that I know how it went.
Enjoy,
Beth
Other dip recipes on A Meal In Mind
Green Chile Black Bean Dip Vegan
Baba Ghanoush Dip and Salad Dressing
Tahini-Garlic Dressing: 7-Ingredients
Shop Moroccan Roasted-Carrot Hummus
I enjoy making my own seasoning blends because I can very the spices and save money. One pre-packaged brand I have enjoyed before is Frontier Co-Op, which sells an all-organic mixture. It's not currently available through Amazon, however, though I've included the link here for when it is.
I buy this Once Again tahini through Whole Foods, which if course means it's available through Amazon. It's a mild tahini - sometimes tahini can have a bitter aftertaste, especially the less expensive brands.
Chickpeas | Garbanzo Beans ...Shop on Amazon Frontier Co-op Organic Hari...Shop on AmazonCalifornia Olive Ranch Ever...Shop on Amazon Once Again Organic Sesame T...Shop on Amazon
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Moroccan Roasted Carrot Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 3-5 whole cloves of garlic peels left on
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 ½ cups 1 15-ounce can cooked chickpeas, cooking liquid (aquafaba) reserved
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more
- ¼ cup aquafaba the cooking liquid from the beans + more to thin if necessary
- 2 tablespoons marinade from marinated artichoke hearts see note, or 1 extra tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon or more of simple harissa
- Fresh cilantro minced, for garnish
Simple Harissa
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder such as ancho, see note
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds coarsely ground in a mortar
- ½ teaspoon pink sea salt or to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Hummus
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss the chopped carrots and whole garlic cloves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Scatter evenly on a baking sheet lined with a baking liner (silpat) or parchment and roast in the oven until the carrots are tender and lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
- While the carrots and garlic are cooling, stir together the simple harissa.
- Once the garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, squeeze them out of their peels.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine roasted carrots, roasted garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, ginger, aquafaba (or water) and the 1 tablespoon of the harissa mixture. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Process the hummus until smooth, scraping the sides down with a spatula if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding extra salt or harissa if desired. If the hummus is too thick, add a little more aquafaba or oil and process until it’s the consistency you like.
- Garnish with minced cilantro and serve with your favorite vegetables, chips and/or crackers.
- Store the hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Quick Harissa
- Use a garlic press or mince the garlic finely.
- In a small bowl, stir together the pressed garlic, the tomato paste and lemon juice.
- Add the chile powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, cumin and caraway. Gradually stir in the oil and season with salt.
Notes
- The key to the flavor of this quick harissa is the flavor of the chili powder. The fresher the better. I used medium-roast chili powder from my food co-op, which was aromatic without being too spicy.
- Although I didn’t add marinated artichoke hearts to this recipe, I did use some of the marinade. We usually have a jar open, one of the large ones we buy at Costco, and the marinade is a combination of vinegar, olive oil and herbs such as oregano and basil. The easiest substitute is extra lemon juice, but you could experiment with a mild vinegar such as white wine vinegar.
- The carrot-harissa hummus is based on this recipe
- The quick harissa is based on this recipe
Please pin for later!
Patrice
I'm a hummus fan but I've never tried this variation before. Love the idea of carrot hummus with all the spices and I'm a big fan of tahini.
Beth
Patrice, we really enjoy this hummus and my only regret right now is not having a potluck I can take it to so everyone can taste it!
LaRena Fry
How imaginative! I have never thought of using carrots before. YUM!
Beth
Hi LaRena, isn't the idea of carrots fun? And when roasted they are really perfect in flavor and texture.
Nart at Cooking with Nart
Aww, Beth! This looks so good and thank you so much for linking my recipe! You're the best!
Beth
Hey Nart! It is good, and it was just pure coincidence that I was editing the carrot hummus post when you published yours - too good an opportunity to pass up, I thought. Besides I just harvested a pretty good-sized purple sweet potato from my garden and now I can try your recipe for it!
Ai
Looks amazing! I love hummus but I've never tried it with roasted carrots. And I've yet to try harissa too! Looks like I'm missing out!
Beth
Ai, if you like hummus, it's worth trying out these flavors, whether you buy harissa or try making your own, as I did. All those good Mediterranean spices, yum.
Jacqueline Debono
I love hummus but have never made it with carrots. Love the spices in this recipe too. I first ate harissa in Tunisia and loved it! Need to make my own!
Beth
Jacqui, the carrot hummus is a fun adventure, and I'd love to be able to say that I had eaten harissa in Tunisia!!
Relle
Love hummus. This sounds great.
Beth
Me too!
Lathiya
The roasted carrot hummus sounds so flavorful. I loved the bright color from the carrot to the Hummus.
Beth
Lathi, this recipe is becoming one of our favorite snacks, and both color and the aroma are great.