Moroccan Carrot Salad is full of flavor with roasted carrots, chickpeas, garlicky couscous, and a citrus dressing in every bite.
author’s note
The Salad That Finally Got Me Out of My Lunch Rut!
Lately I’ve been in a real rut with lunches. I’ll find one thing I like and then eat it every day until I’m totally sick of it. Snickerdoodles or Chocolate Muffins sound way more exciting, but I know I need something that actually fuels me through the afternoon. That’s when meal prepping comes to the rescue.
The trick is finding meals that still taste amazing by day four, don’t take forever to throw together, and feel a little different from my usual salads or wraps. That’s exactly why I created this Moroccan Carrot Salad. It’s flavorful, colorful, and makes me look forward to opening up my lunch containers each day. Even if you’re not into meal prep, it’s hearty enough to stand as a main dish dinner or a fresh side for gatherings.
How To Make Moroccan Carrot Salad:
- Mix the spices: Combine cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, garlic powder, and salt.
- Roast carrots & chickpeas: Toss each with olive oil and part of the spice mix, roast.
- Cook couscous: Follow package directions, then stir in remaining spices.
- Shake the dressing: Orange and lemon juice, oil, and a pinch of spice mix in a jar.
- Assemble: Layer couscous, veggies, chickpeas, toppings, and drizzle with dressing.
Quick Tip
Be sure to use pearled couscous here. Moroccan couscous cooks too fast and won’t give the same texture.
Once you make this salad, you can serve it right away or meal prep it.
How To Meal Prep This Salad:
- Divide into four meal prep containers.
- Store dressing, almonds, and currants separately in small cups or bags.
- Add herbs fresh each day for best flavor.
- Keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge (without dressing).
Storage
This Moroccan carrot salad stays fresh for up to 4 days when stored in airtight containers with dressing on the side. Add toppings right before serving to keep them crunchy.
More Couscous Inspired Recipes:
Moroccan Carrot Salad
Equipment
- 2 Large sheet pan (15" x 21")
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1-1/3 pounds carrots 4 to 6 large carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- 1/4 cup olive oil divided
- 2 (4.7-ounce) packages Pearled Couscous Mix I use one made by Near East, roasted garlic and olive oil flavored
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large lemon
- 1 large orange
- 1-1/2 tablespoon honey
- Honey roasted almonds
- Dried currants
- Fresh herbs as desired; I like fresh parsley and mint
- A few handfuls fresh arugula optional
Instructions
Veggies, Chickpeas, and Couscous
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Position oven racks to the middle two positions. Toss together the seasonings: chili powder, cumin, ground turmeric, garam masala, salt, ground cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- On a large sheet pan, spread out (in an even layer, avoid overlapping) the drained, rinsed, and completely dried chickpeas. Add 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix. Toss to coat.
- Peel carrots and slice into 1/2-inch rounds (cut large rounds in half to form moons). On another large tray, spread out (in an even layer to avoid overlapping) the cut carrots. Add 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix. Toss to coat.
- Place carrots on the higher oven rack and chickpeas on the rack directly below. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove both trays, stir/flip chickpeas and carrots, and return to the oven for another 12–18 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender and chickpeas roasted. Remove and set aside.
- While veggies are roasting, prepare couscous according to package directions.
Dressing
- Zest and juice lemon and orange to get 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/4 cup orange juice. Add these in a mason jar with the olive oil, honey, and 1 tablespoon seasoning mix. Add any leftover seasoning mix to the cooked couscous. Seal the jar and shake dressing to combine. Taste and add additional salt if needed.
- To serve: Add couscous to a large bowl. Top with roasted carrots and chickpeas. Toss with dressing (see note 1), almonds, and currants. Add fresh herbs and/or arugula to desired preference and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Variations
- Creamy Twist: Add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top the Moroccan carrot salad.
- Greens Upgrade: Toss with arugula, spinach, or kale.
- Nutty Boost: Use honey-roasted almonds or pistachios.
- Spice Kick: Add harissa or chili flakes to the dressing.
Just made this tonight and oh my, it is gloriously good! Everyone loved it and this will definitely be a repat recipe, thank you. The kick from the seasoning with the sweet citrus dressing is perfection.
Yay! Love hearing that, so happy it was a hit 🙂
Loved this meal!! Definitely add avocado 🙂
Had everything on hand except the currants and almonds – so I used raisins and chopped cashews. I recommend adding a few raisins to the cous cous as it cooks – they get rehydrated and delicious! I also used plain bulk cous cous + 1 tbsp of the spice mix since I find those packets wayyy too salty. 1.5 cups dry was enough for 4 meals.
Considering making this for my meat and potatoes in-laws to show them that veggie meals can be flavorful and filling
Ahh I’m so happy you enjoyed this! Those subs sound awesome! I hope you in-laws enjoy! 🙂
I’m eating this right now. Wow. I didn’t even do any of the add-ins…just the basic carrot, chickpea, and cous cous mixture over some greens with the dressing and it’s so good. It’s hard not eating half the sheet pans’ worth in one sitting. Thank you!
Yay! SO happy to hear this is was a hit 🙂 Thanks for the comment Mandi! 🙂
Hi Chelsea i love your blog so much! This recipe in my email today is perfect i have some cauliflower in my frig i would like to try in place of carrots what would the cook time be for the cauliflower? Thanks
Thank you so much Tina! 🙂 Oh that is perfect! When I made these with cauliflower, I actually cooked it the same time as the carrots — about 25-30 minutes (relatively small cut florets). Hope you love this salad!