Moroccan-Spiced Carrot & Chickpea Salad
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Spice up your mealtime with this Moroccan-spiced carrot and chickpea salad—a satisfying, no-fuss dish that offers a deliciously unique twist on the classic carrot-raisin salad.
Packed with fragrant spices, vibrant colors, and a perfect mix of sweet and savory flavors, this Moroccan-spiced carrot and chickpea salad is a feast for the senses. It puts a unique spin on the classic carrot-raisin salad. And the best part? You don’t need any hard-to-find ingredients to make it. Everything that makes it special is probably already on hand in your kitchen.
Pair the salad with my grilled Moroccan chicken, grilled Moroccan meatballs, or perhaps with my butternut squash and sweet potato soup for a lighter meal. It’s also perfectly satisfying on its own—just right for a pack-and-go lunch or those quiet nights when you’re dining solo and don’t want to fuss with a whole meal.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Moroccan-Spiced Carrot & Chickpea Salad
The list of ingredients looks long but, as you can see, it’s mostly just a lot of spices. If you have a food processor, this is a good time to use it. If not, you can shred the carrots by hand or buy them already shredded and bagged from the supermarket.
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large bowl (large enough to mix the entire salad), combine all of the ingredients for the dressing.
Whisk to combine.
Next, toast the almonds. Simply place them on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up and bake for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Keep a close eye on them; they go from perfectly golden to burnt very quickly!
Next, add all of the salad ingredients to the bowl with the dressing.
Toss well, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, but preferably several hours. The salad tastes infinitely better cold, especially once the flavors have had a chance to marry.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then serve cold. Enjoy!
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Moroccan Carrot & Chickpea Salad
Spice up your mealtime with this Moroccan-spiced carrot and chickpea salad—a satisfying, no-fuss dish that offers a deliciously unique twist on the classic carrot-raisin salad.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 3 tablespoons lemon juice, from one large lemon
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, from one large orange
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Salad
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded
- ⅓ cup currants
- ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted (see note below)
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint or cilantro (or a combination), plus more for serving
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons finely minced shallots, from one large shallot
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
- In a large bowl (large enough to mix the entire salad), whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.
- To the dressing, add all of the ingredients for the salad and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (you might need more salt, lemon or honey, depending on the sweetness of the carrots). Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more fresh chopped herbs. Serve cold.
- Note: To toast the almonds, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the almonds on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up. Bake for about 5 minutes, until the almonds are golden.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 312
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Sugar: 19g
- Fiber: 9g
- Protein: 8g
- Sodium: 522mg
- Cholesterol: 0mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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My husband claims he doesn’t like chick peas but every time I make this he raves about it. The combination of sweet and tangy flavors plus various textures is so pleasing to the palate. It couldn’t be easier to make and it keeps really well too; in fact I like it better on day two. I’ve taken this to potlucks and always get requests for the recipe. This is a favorite go-to side dish in our house any time of year. Last night I served it alongside chicken prepared in the tagine; in summer it accompanies grilled lamb with Moroccan spices.
This was great! I did not have cumin so I added 3/4 t of curry powder as it has cumin in it, delish!
I love this salad! It’s perfect for a potluck (when we’re able to get back to doing those again) because it’s vegetarian-friendly can be served at room temp. When I’m pressed for time I buy bagged pre-shredded carrots, and I’ve substituted sunflower seeds in place of almonds to make it nut-free for allergy concerns.
Very yummy recipe highly recommend.
This is very tasty and now my favorite carrot salad by far. Thank you for sharing it.
Great recipe!!! made this quite a few times and been asked about the recipe.
It even gets better next few days.
It is also easier on the wallet.
I made this last night as part of a Moroccan themed dinner and it was delicious. Very popular with all the guests. The dressing is a great blend of flavours and I did add a little more lemon and honey
I have been buying Moroccan salad from a supermarket, and a few days ago I felt like eating some – but thinking about the plastic container in which it would be supplied I googled recipes instead, on the off-chance. Very luckily I found this one, for which I already had nearly all the ingredients. I made it immediately, substituting nutmeg for allspice and without the cayenne – luckily I had a tin of chickpeas and a jar of roasted almonds (which I chopped) in the cupboard. I was alarmed by the huge quantity resulting, but it was so delicious that that turned out to be no problem! I am about to soak chickpeas so as to make more tomorrow. It was a joy to make, and easy. Why didn’t I think of doing this before?! Thank you.
Fresh, tangy, spicy, juicy salad. It has a perfect balance! I should add that I did not add the sliced shallots and the beans I used were from a can of mixed beans. No matter. It was delicious all the same.
Thank you for sharing it.
Kristin
I have all the ingredients except for allspice. Would it be ok to omit or should I substitute with something?
Hi Melisa, You could add an additional 1/4 tsp of any of the other spices. Hope you enjoy!