Roasted Carrot Salad
This Roasted Carrot Salad is perfect for spring. It feels light and refreshing, and it is so sneakily simple to make.
A Note from Teri on Roasted Carrot Salad
This roasted carrot salad (which was first shared on Substack) is the most delicious spring dish. I first made a version years ago after seeing it in Bon Appétit magazine, and like all my favorite recipes, it’s evolved. It feels special but is secretly so simple. This is the kind of food that awakens your senses. It’s so refreshing!
On Tuesdays, Melissa does my lymphatic drainage, so I brought this dish to her, because that’s what I do. The following Tuesday, she told me how much she loved the balance of this dish: the sweetness of the carrots, the tang from the vinaigrette, the creaminess of the labneh. That’s the kind of thing that warms my soul.
The vegetables are roasted until tender and caramelized, then spooned over a generous dollop of labneh. If you’ve never had labneh, it’s like a thick, creamy yogurt with a gentle tang. Labneh is a condiment with Middle Eastern origins and is rich but still light. It pairs beautifully with the warm vegetables. We experimented with goat cheese and burrata, and while both are lovely, the labneh made the other ingredients sing.
Ingredients and Variations
- Small carrots – slice your carrots into three inch pieces for the perfect size. If you have larger carrots, slice them lengthwise as well
- Red onions – roasted red onions add a ton of flavor and a bit of sweetness to the salad
- Fennel bulb – fennel feels like the perfect spring ingredient to add to this salad
- Olive oil – use olive oil to toss your vegetables in for roasting
- Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper – season your vegetables with salt and pepper to bring out their natural flavor and sweetness
- Raw sunflower seeds – the sunflower seeds help to create the sunflower vinaigrette
- Coriander seeds – crushed coriander adds a ton of flavor to your vinaigrette
- Aleppo pepper – if you don’t have Aleppo pepper, you can use a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Pinch or two of sugar – a touch of sugar balances out your dressing
- Sumac – sumac is a must in the kitchen for me. It adds an incredible depth of flavor every time you use it
- Sherry vinegar – you can also opt for red wine vinegar
- Fresh lemon juice – brighten up your vinaigrette with a bit of lemon juice
- Labneh – if you don’t have labneh, you can opt for Greek yogurt or hummus
- Mint leaves – the mint is the perfect final touch to your roasted carrot salad
You can make the vegetables in the oven in the morning, whip up your vinaigrette, and just let it sit out while everyone gathers, because it’s served at room temperature. This dish is meant to be shared, passed around, and enjoyed in a leisurely way.
If you’re looking for a main course to serve alongside this dish, my grapefruit roast chicken or sesame marinated roast chicken would be perfect.
How to Make Roasted Carrot Salad
Step One: Roast Vegetables
Preheat oven to 425°F. On two separate rimmed baking sheets, place carrots on one and the onions and fennel on the other. Drizzle the pan of vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 20–25 minutes for carrots, depending on how thick they are, and 35–45 minutes for onions and fennel. Pay attention and check on the oven as some might be done faster than the others.
While the veggies are roasting, cook sunflower seeds, coriander seeds, and remaining oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until the oil is gently bubbling around seeds and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes (be careful not to burn the seeds). Let cool. Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, Aleppo pepper, and sumac, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.
Step Two: Assemble the Dish
Combine roasted carrots, fennel, and onions onto the same baking sheet, drizzle the vinaigrette over everything, and toss to coat well. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.
Just before serving, spread labneh (or yogurt or hummus) out on the bottom of a platter. It doesn’t have to be even. Re-toss vegetables to pull up any dressing that may have settled at the bottom baking sheet then transfer the veggies to the platter on top of the labneh.
Scatter mint over everything and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make roasted carrot salad ahead. Prepare everything except the mint up to 3 hours ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
425F is an ideal temperature for roasting vegetables. It gets them perfectly browned and slightly crispy for the best results.
The sunflower seed vinaigrette with a sprinkle of sumac ties everything together in the most effortless way. It is made on the stove, but it’s not hard to make. You’ll love it. Do it in advance and spoon it over just before serving.
Try These Other Vegetable Recipes
If you make your own Roasted Carrot Salad, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!
Roasted Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots small, about 2 bunches, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 red onions large, cut through root ends into 8 wedges each
- 1 fennel bulb cut into ½-inch wedges
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds very chopped or crushed with the flat side of your knife
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1-2 Pinches sugar
- 2 teaspoons Sumac
- 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 8 ounces labneh or Greek yogurt or hummus
- 2 tablespoons mint leaves torn
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. On two separate rimmed baking sheets, place carrots on one and the onions and fennel on the other. (Make sure to give them plenty of room, which is key to roasted veggies with nicely browned edges.) Drizzle the pan of vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 20–25 minutes for carrots, depending on how thick they are (pull the smaller ones out when they are soft to avoid overcooking), and 35–45 minutes for onions and fennel. Pay attention and check on the oven as some might be done faster than the others.
- While the veggies are roasting, cook sunflower seeds, coriander seeds, and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until the oil is gently bubbling around seeds and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes (be careful not to burn the seeds). Let cool.
- Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, Aleppo pepper, and sumac, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine roasted carrots, fennel, and onions onto the same baking sheet, drizzle the vinaigrette over everything, and toss to coat well. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.
- Just before serving, spread labneh (or yogurt or hummus) out on the bottom of a platter. It doesn’t have to be even. Re-toss vegetables to pull up any dressing that may have settled at the bottom baking sheet then transfer the veggies to the platter on top of the labneh.
- Scatter mint over everything and serve.
