This Moroccan-spiced carrot & radish salad is simple and comforting. Dressed in a ras el hanout vinaigrette, the peppery roasted radishes serve as the perfect contrast to the tender sweet carrots. It’s great year-round for a weeknight meal or side dish.
THIS RECIPE IS SPONSORED BY DANDY FRESH PRODUCE
Thanks to my partnership with Dandy Fresh Produce, I’ve been incorporating more radishes into my cooking lately. While I didn’t grow up eating them, I’ve come to appreciate how they add a natural spicy and sweet kick to my dishes.
One of my favorite ways to prepare them is by roasting, as in this recipe for Moroccan Carrot Salad. Roasting neutralizes their sharp and peppery taste, resulting in a tender texture similar to potatoes. This makes them an excellent low-carb substitute.
As a lover of Mediterranean flavors, I drew inspiration from Moroccan cuisine for this roasted carrot, radish, and chickpea salad. It’s a versatile dish that can serve as a main course or a side dish, perfect for those looking for lighter options. You can serve it warm or cold, and it’s suitable for both vegans and vegetarians. Additionally, this salad can be made up to four days in advance, making it a convenient choice for meal prep or party planning. Sounds too good to be true? Let’s dive into the recipe!
Moroccan-Spiced Carrot & Radish Salad Ingredients
- Carrots: roasting the carrots makes them sweet, tender, and perfect to pair with the Moroccan spices in this salad.
- Dandy Ready Radishes: here’s a store locator. When roasted, radishes are transformed into a subtly peppery, juicy bites of caramelized heaven.
- Chickpeas: roasted until crunchy, these chickpeas add the perfect bite and contrast to the other tender roasted vegetables.
- Ras-el-hanout: a beautifully fragrant, warm spice blend that’s most commonly associated with Moroccan cuisine.
- Pistachios: adds some added texture and sweetness to the salad.
- Cilantro & Mint – This lettuce-less salad is refreshed with cilantro and mint leaves.
- Yogurt Sauce: this simple yogurt sauce comes together in a flash and is the perfect creamy contrast to the Moroccan spices. Opt to remove the yogurt to make this salad vegan.
- Vinaigrette: we dress the cooked roasted vegetables in a flavor-packed ras-el-hanout vinaigrette. Adapt the vinaigrette by adding agave in place of honey to make it vegan.
Infusing the flavors of Morocco
If this is your first time seeing the seasoning ras-el-hanout, don’t be discouraged. It is a beautifully fragrant, warm spice blend that’s most commonly associated with Moroccan cuisine. It’s a mixture of seasonings you already love, like cardamom, clove, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika, mace, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric.
Common Recipe Questions
How to prepare roasted carrots, radishes & chickpeas?
Preparing the roasted vegetables couldn’t be easier. The vegs selected all cook at the same temperature for the same amount of time to achieve the best tenderness and crispness for this salad.
- Prep your vegetables by cutting them as the recipe instructed. I like to use Dandy Ready Radishes because most of the dirty radish prep work is done, and all I have to do is cut them in half.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, add carrots, olive oil, ras-el-hanout, salt, and pepper and toss until coated. You can either do all of the vegs together at once or toss each individually. To make sure all the vegetables are properly spaced out, divide carrots, radishes, and chickpeas among two rimmed baking sheets in an even layer.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until carrots and radishes are tender and chickpeas are crunchy.
How to make yogurt sauce?
If you’ve got a bowl and a whisk (like most homes do), this yogurt sauce comes together in a flash. All you have to do is put all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and give it a good whisk, and it’s ready to go.
If you want to make this salad vegan, just replace the plain Greek yogurt with a non-dairy vegan Greek yogurt.
How to prepare Moroccan-Spiced Vinaigrette?
I hate to beat a dead horse, but the vinaigrette is simple and easy too. Honestly, the yogurt and vinaigrette come together in minutes while the vegetables are roasting. You can blend all the vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or have everything emulsify even faster by adding it to the bender for a few seconds. If vegan, replace honey with agave, and you are set.
How to assemble the salad?
- Spread yogurt sauce on a large platter as the base.
- Toss roasted carrots, radishes, and chickpeas while warm in the Moroccan-spiced vinaigrette and pile over the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle chickpeas throughout.
- For the finishing touch, top the salad with mint and cilantro leaves and pistachio crumble.
If you have extra dressing drizzle it across the top - Serve Moroccan Carrot Salad with juice radishes, crunchy chickpeas, and yogurt sauce while warm or chilled.
Make in advance? Yup Sure Can!
Meal prepping or planning a shindig? This is your salad! The roasted carrots, radishes, and chickpeas can be roasted a few days ahead and hold up wonderfully once tossed in the vinaigrette.
My only tip is to wait to add the other accouterments until ready to serve. Whether you are eating it right away or saving it for later, this salad tastes great, both hot and cold.
If you make this easy Moroccan Carrot and Radish Salad recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @meikoandthedish so we can see what you’ve been cooking.
More Amazing Vegetable Recipes
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Blackberry Reduction
- Rodney Scott’s Grilled Vegetable Salad Recipe
- Vegan Candied Brussels Sprouts
- Garlic & Sea Salt Carrot Fries
Moroccan-Spiced Carrot & Radish Salad
Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- Bowl Set
- Measuring Tools
- Sheet Pan
- Whisk
- Platter
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
Carrot & Radish Salad
- 1 ½ lbs medium carrots, cleaned & halved lengthwise
- 10 oz Dandy Ready Radishes, cut in half
- 15½ oz no-salt-added chickpeas , drained & rinsed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon ras-el-hanout
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons roasted pistachios, finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed
- ¼ cup mint leaves, loosely packed
Moroccan-Spiced Vinaigrette
- 9 tablespoons olive oil , or other neutral oil
- 3 teaspoons ras-el-hanout
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed
- 1 ½ lemons, juiced & zested (3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon lemon zest)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, or plain vegan Greek non-dairy yogurt
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested (2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon lemon zest)
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Add carrots to a large bowl add 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of each, ras-el-hanout, salt, and pepper. Toss to ensure everything is coated. Repeat this step for the radishes and chickpeas. Divide carrots, radishes, and chickpeas among two rimmed baking sheets in an even layer. Arrange the radishes cut-side down.
To make roasted vegetables:
- Roast vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes or until carrots and radishes are tender and chickpeas are crunchy.
To make Moroccan-Spiced vinaigrette:
- Meanwhile, add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together.
To make yogurt sauce:
- In a bowl whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, tablespoons of olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Assemble:
- In a large bowl toss the roasted vegetables in the vinaigrette. Spread yogurt sauce across platter and arrange the carrot and radishes over the top. Evenly spoon over the chickpeas and sprinkle in cashews, parsley, and cilantro. Drizzle the top of the salad with remaining vinaigrette.
