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This Moroccan carrot salad recipe is about to turn you into "the carrot salad person" (but not like in a lame, embarrassing way) at every family gathering, permanently enlisted to bring "those amazing carrots" before anyone's even decided on a date. Made in just 15 minutes with 8 ingredients, consider yourself warned—nothing stays just a quick side dish when it tastes this good and comes together this effortlessly.
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After testing this recipe approximately 500 million times (okay, maybe just 15), I've cracked the code on getting the supreme balance of warm spices, lemon, and just enough heat.
This salatat jazar is the tender, actually-cooked brother of Korean carrot salad, and it's perfect as a mezze alongside Moroccan food bangers like loubia, Moroccan lentils, and harira.
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🥰Why you’ll adore this carrot salad recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all my vegan Middle Eastern recipes, this Moroccan carrot salad has no animal stuff in sight, just veggies and spices doing their thing. And it’s one of the gluten-free vegan recipes that will not make you look like a dork at all…
🔥 Perfect Texture: The quick-steam followed by ice bath technique ensures perfectly tender carrots, but still gloriously colorful and full of life.
⏱️ Quick & Easy: With just 15 minutes of active preparation time, this impressive dish delivers maximum flavor even if you are super-absurdly lazy in the kitchen.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I share, I didn’t just test this on my own; I sent it to a crew of hundreds of recipe testers all around the world who replicated it successfully.
🤘Learn to make killer vegan Middle Eastern food
This guide to my most popular plant-based Middle Eastern recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🥕Moroccan carrot salad ingredients
Carrots
Go for firm, fresh, thinner carrots (like those you'd use for harissa carrots), not the jumbo juicing kind that lack flavor. While rainbow carrots are a great addition for adding a pop of color, traditional orange carrots are spot-on for capturing that authentic Moroccan cooking. Rainbow carrots also work great in my carrot pickle or roasted carrots and Brussels sprouts.
Ground Cumin
A staple in North African cooking, cumin brings earthy warmth and a hint of citrus. The best way to go is lightly toasting wild mountain cumin and grinding it fresh—it really takes the flavor to the next level. But don’t worry, regular ground cumin works just fine if that’s what you've got.
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Sumac
This deep red Middle Eastern spice has a tart, almost lemony flavor that brightens the entire salad. If sumac is unavailable, you can substitute with extra lemon zest, or amchur (Indian dried mango powder).
Got leftovers? Try using it in my ezme (or cranberry ezme) for a punch of flavor, or sprinkle it on lahana sarma (Turkish cabbage rolls).
Harissa
This North African chili paste adds heat with notes of garlic, spices, and roasted peppers. The spice level varies by brand, so adjust according to your heat preference.
If you want to make your own, I’ve got a killer harissa sauce recipe that’s perfect for this dish, and if you have some leftover, go ahead and use it up in some harissa chickpeas or harissa cauliflower.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Moroccan Carrot and Orange Salad
Add the segments of 2 oranges (or blood oranges) with white pith removed, along with 2 tablespoons of orange juice, to the dressing. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and freshly grated orange rind, and serve over mutabal or vegan labneh.
Preserved Lemon and Olive Carrot Salad
Add 4 teaspoons of finely chopped preserved lemon rind and ¼ cup roughly chopped pitted Kalamata olives to the finished salad. This is great as an additional filling to serve with vegan shawarma or vegan kofta.
📖 How to make Moroccan carrots
You’re about to crush this veggie salad like a gosh darn pony (uh, one that can cook, OK?) with these step-by-step photos and tips. Or, if you hate photos with all of your heart, just scroll down for the printable recipe card.
Step One
Steam Aoki:
Place a steamer basket in a large pot and add water just below the basket. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then add the sliced carrots. Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes, or until the carrots are fork-tender but not mushy and falling apart.
Step Two
Freeze Louise:
Transfer the steamed carrots to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Step Three
Strainer Things:
After 60 seconds, drain the carrots in a colander and discard any ice. Let them drip dry for a few minutes.
Step Four
The Spice Expands Conciousness:
In a large bowl, whisk together cumin, coriander, sumac, lemon juice, harissa, brown sugar, olive oil, and salt.
Step Five
Dress to Impress:
Add the cooled carrots to the bowl and mix gently to coat them evenly with the dressing.
Step Six
No Garnish, No Glory:
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and parsley (if using). Serve at room temperature or chilled.
💡Serving Ideas
This Moroccan carrot salad’s got that one-two-punchy, citrusy, harissa-kissed vibe that begs for some non-wimpy backup. Drizzle it with tarator sauce, or step up its heat with some shatta or zhoug sauce.
You can also stack it up over smoky baba ganoush or harissa hummus to scoop up with kuboos (whole wheat Arabic pita bread).
Serve with a side of Turkish lentil soup or kisir? Heck yesssss.
👉Top tips
- Have The Right Size Carrots: Slice your carrots to a consistent thickness (about ¼-inch) to ensure even cooking and the perfect texture throughout the salad. The hardest partis just getting the carrots prepped properly!
- Don't Skip the Ice Bath: it's crucial for stopping the cooking process and preserving the bright color that makes this salad special.
- Serve at Room Temperature: Serve this salad at room temperature rather than cold from the refrigerator – the flavors are much more pronounced when not chilled.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Use a sharp chef's knife and take your time, or use the slicing disk on a food processor for quick, consistent results. The best chef knows that consistent cuts lead to even cooking.
The spice level is mild to moderate and depends largely on your harissa. For a wayyy milder version, start with 1 tablespoon and adjust to taste. Adding curry powder or sweet paprika can create great flavor profiles with less heat.
🧊 Refrigeration: Transfer the salad to a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavors will actually improve after a day!
Oh, my dear honey, NO. If you freeze this salad, the carrot community might just refuse to grow next season in protest. Seriously. Freezing transforms these beautiful, crisp little beauties into a sad mess that will make a grown man cry. Don’t you dare subject these carrots to such an abomination.
✌️You'll love these vegan Middle Eastern recipes too:
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Moroccan Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Carrots peeled, and sliced thinly
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons harissa
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Cilantro leaves
- Parsley leaves
Instructions
- Place a steamer basket in a large pot and add water just below the basket. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then add the sliced carrots. Cover and steam for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the carrots are fork tender but not so cooked that they are totally mushy.
- Transfer the steamed carrots to bowl of ice water to shock them.
- After sitting in the ice water for 60 seconds, drain the carrots in a colander and discard any ice. Let the carrots drip dry for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cumin, coriander, sumac, lemon juice, harissa, brown sugar, olive oil, and salt.
- Add the cooled carrots and mix gently to coat evenly with the dressing.
- Transfer to an attractive serving bowl. Garnish with a light drizzle of olive oil, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro leaves, and parsley leaves, if using. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
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Dipti says
Love the lemon addition!
jayasree natarajan says
I made this tonight and it was SOOOOOOOO good!. So incredibly simple to put together and an absolute delight to our tastebuds. Pretty much uses ingredients you will have at home except maybe for harissa. It is so worth it. Give it a try!