I have been gushing in the margins about David Lebovitz’s carrot salad (pardon! salade de carottes râpées) since I made it for the first time four years ago. It’s exquisite in its simplicity, just lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of sugar, some salt, pepper, and rough-chopped parsley, all applied in that old-fashioned taste-as-you-go method that basically guarantees it will be perfectly seasoned when you’re done. (You do this with everything you cook, right? Yeah, I forget too.) And this week, as the carrots are towered high at markets, was the week I finally wanted to give it its due. But then I started thinking about that carrot soup we talked about in the early days of 2013, which we finished with a lemony-tahini swirl and topped with cumin and sea salt roasted chickpeas and how fantastically filling it was, a real meal in a bowl, and decided we needed a fresh spring-summer spin on it.
I have zero regrets. While no carrot salad could or should replace the perfection of the French classic, this is equally deserving of a place in the annals, right alongside this harissa, feta and mint stunner a lovely person sent me four years ago. Zinging with lemon, nutty with tahini, flecked with parsley, topped with almost smoky roasted chickpeas and then some chopped salted pistachios, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bowl of grated carrots with so much complexity, so much to consider.
Along with you and your best summer cheer, of course, I think it would be welcome at any cook-out, maybe with some lamb skewers or even just with grilled pita wedges. On a weeknight, you could pile it atop some leafy greens for a more meal-like salad or serve it with the sesame-spiced turkey meatballs from my cookbook (which Orangette did a lovely lamb riff on recently). Or, for a lunch salad at work, keep the chickpeas separate and sprinkle them on as croutons before you eat it. It’s not a contest or anything, but obviously, your lunch bowl will be the prettiest.
Carrots, previously: avocado salad with carrot-ginger dressing, carrot cake pancakes, carrot cake with maple-cream cheese frosting, carrot salad with harissa, feta and mint, carrot soup with miso and sesame, carrot soup with tahini and crisped chickpeas and pickled carrot sticks, roasted carrot and avocado salad
One year ago: Bowties with Sugar Snaps, Lemon and Ricotta
Two years ago: Strawberries and Cream Biscuits
Three years ago: Fudge Popsicles
Four years ago: Rustic Rhubarb Tarts and Scrambled Egg Toast
Five years ago: Raspberry Buttermilk Cake and Slaw Tartare
Six years ago: 30 Ways To Be a Good Guest and Haricot Vert with Shallots
Seven years ago: Coconut Pinkcherry Yogurt
Carrot Salad with Tahini, Crisped Chickpeas and Salted Pistachios
Chickpeas
1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-ounce can, drained and patted dry on paper towels
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salad
1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
Dressing
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and red pepper flakes to taste
Roast chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss chickpeas with one tablespoon olive oil, salt and cumin until they’re all coated. Spread them on a baking sheet or pan and roast them in the oven until they’re browned and crisp. This can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size and firmness of your chickpeas. Toss them occasionally to make sure they’re toasting evenly. Set aside until needed.
Make dressing: Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding more water if needed to thin the dressing slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning; don’t worry if it tastes a little sharp on the lemon, it will marry perfectly with the sweet grated carrots.
Assemble salad: Place grated carrots in large bowl and toss with parsley. Mix in 2/3 of the dressing, adding more if desired. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with a large handful of chickpeas (you’ll have extra and if you’re like us, won’t regret it) and pistachios and dig in.
Do ahead: Salad keeps well in the fridge for two days, however, I’d add the chickpeas and pistachios right before serving, so they don’t get soft.
looks amazing!
Wow that looks delicious! I love tahini and chickpeas together, I’ll have to try this ASAP. :)
The dressing reminds me of the one from the warm butternut squash salad with chickpeas. I say this only because I’ve bookmarked it for just the dressing at this point. (And I need more tahini as I write this.)
Did Jacob just about plotz at Sesame Place? We were so good about keeping Lilli away from screens for the first year, but by the time she hit 14 months, she was walking over to our computer at five in the morning, signaling for us to show her Sesame Street Youtube clips. Thankfully, she adores Cookie Monster and not Elmo. I feel like we dodged a bullet on that one.
Molly — Jacob never watched Sesame Street the program, however, he absorbed it from everything else and was Elmo-obsessed like every other kid from about 14 months to 2 or so years, and then promptly forgot about him. Thus, he didn’t freak out that much about the characters at Sesame Place (well, he recognized them, but didn’t run to them) but the rides are so wonderful for kids 2 to 7 (or even up to 10, I bet, it doesn’t matter if they’re no longer Sesame-obsessed) that he had a great time.
I was already planning on making those lamb meatballs this evening, and as soon as I saw this salad I decided I’ll have to make it too. Can I say “Great minds think alike?”
Looks delicious – love the colour and flavour combination, in particular the roasted chickpeas – simple, fresh, healthy and delicious – my kind of salad! :D
I’m adding this to our list of things to try. I used to do a carrot and gorgonzola salad that was to die for. Need to try to recreate that one.
I tried your lazy pizza dough last weekend (http://girlnamedallyn.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/pizza-101/) and can I just say thank you?! It was explained so well and the recipe was so clear. I think I’ll try it again next week too with some different toppings!
Man, I have some lamb chops in the fridge and all the rest of the ingredients for this. DINNER FIGURED OUT!
Looks delicious! How many does this recipe serve?
Servings — I’d say four if eating with other things, two if you want a massive bowl for a stand-alone meal.
Thanks always for the lovely recipes, Deb! Can’t wait to make this! My absolute favorite carrot salad has always been Dave Lebovitz’s you mention + golden raisins + slivered almonds.
Mmmm, I’ve made your carrot soup before (with the chick peas and tahini), and it was amaaaaaazing. Now I need to give this a try.
This sounds wonderful. I was just asking myself the other evening, why I don’t prepare carrots more often. I really like them and include them in almost all vegetable combinations but rarely make them the star. A shame.
This looks incredible and I want to make it right now – however, no tahini in my house due to a severe sesame allergy – what else do you think I could use? Miso? I’ve got that. No dairy either – another allergy. My brain’s not coming up with anything that is creamy enough. What if I just pureed some garbanzos? Hmmm…
Sunflower butter or almond butter maybe? But pureed chickpeas should work too 😃
looks delicious! I have all the ingredients in my kitchen so i’ll likely be trying this tonight :)
This looks delish! Question: the only nuts I can eat are peanuts and pinenuts. Do you think I could sub one of those for the pistachios or would you just omit the nuts entirely? Thanks in advance!
If you can’t eat nuts — I think toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts (if you’re okay with them) would be great here.
If you can’t eat tahini — As another commenter mentioned, almond butter might be nice here. For more of a Japanese flavor profile, you might use this miso dressing. (Though it has sesame oil in it, which might defeat the purpose.)
Two additions I didn’t mention — Some thin-sliced red onions (you can mellow them with a little lemon juice) or some chopped green olives (they were in my original plan but decided it was busy enough without them). Sliced scallions might be nice too.
Looks Amazing! I love your blog!
May I just say that the timing on this is absolutely perfect. After a long stretch of eating really badly, I’m finally emerging from under my rock to reclaim nutrition and colorful, fresh dishes– this is definitely lunch next week (and it WILL be the prettiest)!
And might I add, the Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Lemon were nothing short of divine. *sigh*
Yum! Perfect for summer! Can’t wait to try it out.
xoxo
Taylor
After a weekend of existing off my two favorite food groups, alcohol and cheese, this is exactly what I need to get back on track. I love carrots…now I just have to go find some pretty ones. Because I envision this even lovelier as a tri-color salad. And if I’m not eating bacon, I need to be eating extra pretty food.
Kath- I’d try almond butter if the allergy is limited to sesame products.
Hey Smitten Kitchen, I just added your blog to my RSS feeder and I have NO REGRETS. Zero. Nada. Not a one. That salad looks delicious and I am stopping by the grocery tonight for pistachios so I can make it. Thank you so much.
oh i just adore roasted chickpeas. i love how you combined them with pistachios. what do you think of some garam masala in there too?
http://semiweeklyeats.blogspot.com/2014/05/atticus-outfit-5.html
Hahah I’m so relieved you said you forget to taste as you go, too. Whenever I watch cooking shows I’m always like “What idiots for not tasting” if the judges tell them it’s under seasoned. And then I promptly forget.
This salad looks delicious!
Um…this looks AMAZING!!! I love that it has all the same elements as the carrot soup but makes for such a different dish – and best of all, you’ve posted it just in time for me to make it for my guests tomorrow evening :-)
LOVE David Lebovitz and this looks incredible – also had to chime in because your Carrot Soup + Tahini recipe is an eternal favorite in our house. we’ve made it probably ten times since you posted, and can’t wait to make this, too. YOU’RE GOOD WITH A CARROT, SMITTEN.
Well, I looooooove that carrot soup and didn’t make it nearly enough this winter, so looks like I have a new thing to eat! mmmm! Would I be crazy to add some scallions? (The truth is I’m crazy about scallions.)
Must try this!. I’m not a fan of chick peas but anything roasted and crispy is a winner in my book. Looks and sounds delish!
I make a very similar salad all of the time – it’s such a perfect student supper – but I’ve never thought to put tahini in it! Such a wonderful idea – I’ll certainly be making the alteration next time.
This sounds amazing. I have a roasted carrot recipe on my blog that sounds very similar (carrots, parsley in harissa-tahini dressing) that’s amazing. I can’t wait to make it in this raw form with crispy chickpeas.
Carrot salad is one of my favourites – it’s so light and summery, and adds a real punch of colour to the table. I often mix in some sliced green apple and a few raisins then dress it with a little lemon juice and olive oil. But I love how you’ve tossed in some chickpeas here – makes more of a meal of it.
I don’t usually like making salad–too much chopping and washing and spinning, so fussy. THIS, though, is a salad I can get behind.
I’m pretty sure it was you who got me into crispy/roasted chickpeas, and now I’m certainly addicted. How come I’ve never made a carrot salad before? This looks beautiful and delicious. Love finding recipes that I don’t want/have to change one bit :)
This looks amazing. Love the chick peas on top !
Summer version of your carrot soup with tahini and chickpeas.As always I love your recipe and idea. I will say though I am very much looking forward to learning a spanking new recipe from that creatively brilliant mind of yours. Perhaps something with sugar snap peas? :)
Sarah — Thank you. There’s a Sugar Snap Slaw with cabbage (Napa works well), radishes, scallions, toasted sesame seeds and a ginger tahini-miso dressing in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook that you might like. I love sugar snaps, too.
Oh gawd yes. My husband lost his mind over the carrot soup last year. And this recipe will satisfy my preggo-cravings for raw fruits and veggies. Thanks!!
that looks SO delicious!!
love it!
I’m not sure my blog reflects how much I love and eat carrots. I love them, but I often avoid using them grated. There’s no good reason beyond the fact that I don’t like the act of grating them per se. Any tips to make it… I don’t know, more enjoyable (or at least faster)?
To grate carrots — If you have a food processor, the grating blade on mine decimated 1 pound of carrots in less than 5 seconds. I suppose you could buy already grated carrots too; I know at TJs they always look pretty thick, in a nice way for salads.
Trystate — Definitely think cilantro would work here if you like it.
This looks incredible! I love chickpeas and I love salads. I will plan make this over the weekend because I actually have all of the ingredients!! Lovely.. thank you so much for sharing.
Don’t ya think the parsley should be replaced, or at the least paired with, some fresh chopped cilantro? Just THE THING for this middle eastern taste profile.
I’d probably be the only one to eat it, cause I like interesting dishes like this…lol But I have a problem getting the chickpeas roasted right. I can never get them quite crisp enough. Am I not doing enough oil or not baking them long enough? I wish I knew…I don’t want to burn them…lol
I’ve made the Carrot Salad, and I’m cooking my Chick Peas as I post this. Because of your excellent recommendation, I always peel my Chick Peas when making Hummus, now I’m wondering if I should peel for this lovely Carrot Salad? We’re harvesting carrots from our garden, so I’m looking forward to making the Carrot Soup soon.
Jacque — You can, but in this case, I think the loose-ish skin provides extra crackle when roasted until crispy (especially if dried a bit first) so it’s a good thing to have.
Gaynell — I find that chickpeas you soak and cook yourself crisp up better in the oven, usually because they’re less mushy to begin with. If buying canned, look for one that has nice-looking intact chickpeas inside (I swear by Goya brand for this, no this isn’t a sponsorship) and really leave them on paper towels or a kitchen towel for a while before roasting them (say 30 minutes, if you have it).
Such an amazing summer salad Deb!
These flavors! Everything good in life. Pin pin pin!
This is why I love your blog! You can make amazing stuff out of great ingredients like Parisian butter, you know, etc., yeah, but making amazing stuff out of so-called “everyday” ingredients like carrots is the real challenge, and you seem to nail it a lot! :)
p.s. Are you watching the Finals of the National Spelling Bee tonight? I’ll be on the stage, though not a competitor anymore…
I am soooooo into this salad! And I love the look of David’s salad too…yum!
Hmmmm..Sesame Place, then Sesame spiced turkey meatballs in the same paragraph, will sesame “cookies” (as in big blue googly- eyed guy) be next? They are delicious when they come from an Italian bakery…why not a newer ( fresher) Smitten version? Oh, the tangents you lead us to..that’s why we love this blog!
Looks so good! I just made carrot chickpea fritters last night and was gushing about the combo. Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My two little boys, my husband and myself are huuuuge fans of your carrot soup so I can’t wait to try this “summer version”.
You have no idea how perfect this is! The whole drive home I was thinking that I have all the ingredients for the carrot soup, but it’s so sunny and I wish there was a salad version…. And NO WAY, that’s what I come home to read! Thank you! I’m off to go dry/roast some chickpeas :)
I love everything about this salad.
This was crazy delicious. I could have eaten nothing but this for dinner. Great summer salad. I used Goya canned chick peas and they took a bit longer to crisp. It seemed like I could have left them in the oven forever. I’ll try to dry them for longer (at least 30 mins) before roasting next time.
Wow, I make both your carrot soup with chickpeas and David’s salade on a regular basis, but never thought to put the two together! Clearly this is why you do this for a living and I’m just an adoring reader. Making this tomorrow!
A carrot salad with chickpeas? YES PLEASE!!!!!!!! These look incredibly delicious and perfect when stuck in a dinner rut! <3
Made this tonight. Was expecting lots of flavor. Not impressed at all. Threw the leftovers away. Don’t bother.
With all that bitterness, maybe you were after something sweeter ;)
I have all the ingredients for this on hand, including too many carrots! Yay for this recipe, for it shall be my dinner, verily.
I love roasted chickpeas!! I always have them on their own as snack but combining them in a salad. Brilliant idea.
This looks so great – my kind of salad. Looking forward to making it for lunch tomorrow.
I love carrot and chickpea salads there’s something about the super crunchiness of the grated carrots combined with the chickpeas that is irresistible.
This looks amazing! I love chickpeas and carrots together!
I really hate salad… or so I thought. When people post salad recipes like this, I have to change my mind. I love this “non” traditional salad!
I love chickpeas! This sounds great. Light and tasty.
I made the salad yesterday It was great thanks Deb
Tahini is the raw sesame paste used to make Tahina, the dressing described here. Subtle difference, but a common misconception in Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine.
Perfect timing – I’ve got chickpeas cooking RIGHT NOW! thank you!
That French one you speak of…Totally! I started making it from the Bonne Femme Cookbook but it’s basically the same as you describe. Incredibly simple yet complex in flavor. Now I’ll have to try this version since I love the ingredients so much.
Might I suggest tossing the carrots first with 2 – 3 tlb. of orange juice. Then adding the dressing.
My Israeli mother-in-law introduced me to the combo. It really brings out the carrots.
I’m currently on a chickpea kick, so this is right up my alley! YUM!
Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great weekend xx
Great salad!! Made it for dinner tonight, it serves two persons :) so good!! Thanks for the recipe, it’s definetly on my list for summer!
I made this tonight and it was great. Unfortunately my plan to use up some chickpeas from the fridge went wrong – they were gone bad. I thought they had been in the fridge a few days but later worked out it was more like 11 – oops. But I
Had a can of white Italian cannellini beans in the cupboard and gave them the same treatment and it worked well ! There is clearly a whole world of crispy legumes to be tested !
Made for a wonderful meal tonight! Thanks for the recipe :)
How could you resist topping this with some avocado??
Looks like I’m adding another 2 Smitten recipes to my menu this week in addition to the bran muffins that I drooled over the other day. Thanks for suggesting the turkey meatballs from the book – they’ll be a great addition to this make-ahead salad for my busy upcoming week.
Just made this. My tastebuds are forever in your debt.
This salad is delicious, I’ve been eating it for 2 days! You’re right, Deb, soaking and cooking Chick Peas is the ticket for getting them crunchy when they are roasted. I left the skins on, as you suggested, and they were perfect. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Just made this last night and it was SOOOO GOOOOOOD! I only had canned chickpeas, but drying them on the towel was a good tip. They leftovers chickpeas did get soft again, but heating them in a saute pan to recrisp did the trick for putting on my second round of carrot salad. I used cilantro and basil instead of parsley – mainly bc I just don’t like parsley :-) The cilantro and basil gave it a good flavor. I also didn’t have pistachios – I can imagine that puts them over the top! Thanks for the great recipe.
I just made this and WOW! Thank you x 100. Now I need to go eat some more.
Beautiful recipe, Deb! I am always coming back to your blog for recipes. Have you considered having an app of your own? Would make it so much easier to browse. :-)
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Our lemon verbena is growing like crazy. I tried a little bit of verbena leaves in this salad and it was perfect. Different from the parsley version but definitely worth a try.
I love that carrot soup, Deb!!! And of course making it in a salad is a natural conclusion. I’ve been doing this already. But since I am Paleo (or Primal (I eat dairy)) I don’t eat the chickpeas. Believe me, I do not miss them. The 1st time I was making that carrot soup, I thought that you make first the tahini drizzle and then the chickpeas, so I thought, ok I can easily omit the chickpeas. It was only afterwards that I saw that you had mixed the chickpeas with the tahini & then topped them over the soup. I did not even notice! All I wanted was that tahini dressing in the soup! LOL So since I discovered that tahini drizzle (thank you!) it’s gone on pretty much everything!!! It has replaced hummus for me! :)
I was so excited to see a vegan recipe touted by you, Deb. I hungrily scanned the recipe and saw lots of my favorite ingredients. Eager, I prepared it for a small dinner party.
I didn’t change a thing. I’m sorry to report that the flavors were off. Maybe because the other dinner items weren’t Middle Eastern in nature? The tangy sauce seemed bitter. Scratching my head but that won’t deter me from using your other fabulous recipes.
This was such an amazing mix of flavors and *so easy* to prepare. I mean, seriously easy, and with ingredients I had on hand. Now, I had extra carrots on hand because I don’t normally enjoy them unless they are disguised under a thick layer of hummus. You’ve done what my parents would have once thought impossible: turned me into a lover of carrots. Thank you!
Oh wow! Thank you so much for sharing. I love chickpeas and tahini together and the carrots seem like a wonderful addition. I have a bunch of carrots in the fridge just waiting for this. And what a light summery food. Amazing.
Goodness who would think a carrot salad would elicit so much fervor. Hooray that carrots got a little respect in the last couple of days. What a wonderful variation of carrot salad. Totally different from anything I have in my book of tricks. Excellent.
Yum – made this last night and it was the perfect complement to burgers on the grill. I served on top of some baby bibb lettuce, since I had it. I also subbed a pinch or two of Aleppo Pepper instead of red pepper flakes, and found that I could go light on the salt in the dressing because the pistachios were already salted, as were the Chickpeas that I roasted. Definitely suggest tasting/seasoning as you go with this one to get the right balance of flavors. Delicious.
Vegan, high protein, and delicious! I used Trader Joe’s canned chickpeas (not organic) and dried them on a paper towel for about 20 minutes beforehand. They crisped up in the toaster oven after about 25 minutes. Also, since I had TJ’s tahini sauce on hand which was about to expire, which includes some garlic and lemon juice already, I just mixed it up with olive oil and water and it was perfect. This will be a repeat offender in our kitchen.
Just made this and it’s very tasty. I, too, had problems getting the chickpeas crispy despite thorough pre-drying (took them out of the oven after nearly half an hour but, in retrospect, should have just kept them in for as long as it took).
Still delicious. I calculated the calories, and it’s about 200 calories per serving at 6 servings; about 315 calories per serving at 4 servings (the latter portion size filled me up as dinner).
Sounds lovely. I think I’ll try it with a mix of carrot and beetroot – have another recipe which uses them together with pomegranatemolasses in the dressing and it is a favourite.
I just made this for lunch. I only did 2 Tbsp of tahini and didn’t have any pistachios or parsley. It was still great. I grated the carrots in my food processor and it was one of the fastest lunches. Thanks again for sharing.
Hi, I made this and it is my new favorite salad…..this makes me very happy because I feel sick of salads lately :) Thanks.
This was so good! Didn’t have pistachios, but did have pine nuts so I roasted some and used them instead. Everyone (8 to table aged 11 – 61) loved it and took home the recipe. Can’t get better than that! Thanks for a great salad.
Just made this and think its really yummy and simple to put together. Only thing.. the olive oil smoked at 425˚ for me, so I will use an oil for high heat next time. Thanks for all the wonderful creations!
This is an amazing salad! And for once I actually had nearly everything for a recipe in the pantry (except parsley), so it made for a quick trip to the store. I put it over greens, which was a nice contrast because the greens are bitter and the salad is a bit sweet. I also replaced the pistachio with pecan (I hate pistachios, sorry) and I think that worked well because of the sweetness of the nut. (My mom makes a carrot salad with pecans, raisins, and pineapple.)
I definitely would dry the chickpeas longer next time, but I re-toasted them with the pecans in the oven, and that worked well to freshen and warm them up.
Thinking of the other carrot salad with harissa, I paired this with Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh from Veganomicon, which was a good pairing, I think, though more contrastive than some might like.
this salad is so good i’m embarrassed for it! it is so freaking good. I am amazed, in awe, and thankful!
cannot get enough!
Wonderful such a beautiful project. Thank you for sharing!
This salad is incredible! Like Alexis I used cashews rather than pistachios and baked the chickpeas for almost 30 minutes, until they were slightly brown and crispy.
I made this on Sunday! It is delicious!
This is a really nice salad! It was too hot to turn on the oven, so I just added plain chickpeas and it still had plenty of flavor. Also left out the oil. Love it!
I just made this and it tastes amazing! I added chicken for some protein, which made it even more delicious but it would be great with quinoa as a vegetarian option.
This salad was just amazing. I doubled it and wouldn’t change a thing. It will forever be in my recipe archives now! Thank you for this masterpiece :)
Just made this with my 3.5 year old. We both loved it and had fun making it. We served it with grilled pork and it made a wonderful early summer dinner. I plan on putting those delicious garbanzos in everything I make from here on out!
This colorful salad looks phenomenal. I had some extra chick peas left over and now I know just what I’m going to do with them. Can’t wait to try it.
Okay, so I’ve been planning to make this salad since you posted it. Bought nice looking carrots, decided to cook dried beans in the pressure cooker(and they were beautiful) and didn’t realize I was out of cumin until I was tossing them with oil. Used ground coriander and garam masala and it was great! Thanks Deb!
My husband, just now: “This salad is f*****g delicious.” And he doesn’t curse. He’s right.
Does anyone know how many dried chickpeas would make 1 3/4 cups when cooked? Thank you!
Katie — I’d say roughly one-third. I am kicking myself because I always mean to check this, but roughly, 1 pound of dried chickpeas = 2 cups. This time, I soaked them for a whole day (because I ran out of time that day to cook them) and they’d almost TRIPLED in size (they were in an 8-cup bowl and almost filled it); I suspect once they were cooked, they were easily 8 to 9 cups. Hope that helps.
Made this with your Turkey Meatballs from the cookbook and can definitely say AWESOME combo. Thanks for the delicious dinner last night, Deb!
Hi Deb, this may sound like a dumb question but what did you use to grate your carrots? I made this last night and it turned out well but my carrot shreds weren’t all neat and pretty like yours which is too bad because I used multi colored carrots. Just wondering if you have a grater you recommend or maybe you used a food processor shredding disc. Thanks! Very nice summery recipe.
Sunny — I use the grating blade of my food processor, which does indeed create coarse gratings (I’m sure that’s word). I mentioned in an earlier comment that I totally understand if someone doesn’t feel like hand-grating and buys preshredded carrots from Trader Joe’s or the like (which I’ve used, and are also on the coarse side).
This is SO GOOD. I’ve made it 3 times since Sunday: Made it for a BBQ last weekend, then made a batch for my lunch for the week. Also made a batch for my husband to take to his office for his lunch. Stopping by the store tomorrow to buy more carrots… I love recipes that are simple and veggie forward and colorful. THANK YOU for a great recipe, it will be a summer staple for our family.
We ate this with your meatballs (made with lamb a la Orangette) last night, and because the link to the Fudge Popsicles from two years ago caught my eye, I thought, “what the heck?” and made a batch of those, too! Thanks!
I used cilantro because I didn’t have parsley (I suspect this changes the nature of the flavor quite a bit) and toasted the garbanzos under the broiler because it was too hot to turn the oven on full-blast, and this was freaking DELICIOUS. Supermarket chicken on the side… and it was totally relegated the side. : ) Extraordinary!
Dressing is quite lemony… I like it but some may want to add it gradually? I have some roomies who have a hard time with tart. And does anybody have tips for keeping tahini from separating?!
I wanted to make this as soon as I read the recipe… and didn’t wait long. The salad was a hit our dinner party tonight as an accompaniment to grilled steak and a medley of grilled veggies. The flavors were earthy, yet bright. I doubled the amount of chickpeas and salad ingredients to serve 8, and made 1 1/2 times the dressing. The leftovers are already packed up for tomorrow’s lunch at the beach. Yum. Thanks, Deb!
Thank you, thank you! Completely simple but utterly delicious! Wanted an easy and light yet filling dinner and this was perfect, even for my veggie-skeptical husband. Going into the regular summer repertoire!!
If you’re taking this on a picnic and therefore not eating it right after it’s made, I’d add the suggested water to the dressing or the dressing may get lumpy. At least that’s what happened with we made it yesterday. Or take the dressing in a separate container and add it right before you eat it.
You may have been asked this question already, but what type of grater did you use for grating the carrots in this recipe? My standard cheese grater always turns carrots to mush.
Katie — I used the grating blade of my FP, which does indeed yield more coarse strands than hand-grating. You might find pregrated carrots (I know Trader Joe’s sells them) easier to use here.
OMG, I made this recipe earlier today and just had some for lunch . . . I could have eaten the whole bowlful! I’ve moved this recipe to my “favorite recipe” file!
We made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. We got good results just hand grating the carrots with a box grater. Definitely putting this one in the rotation!
This looks positively fantastic and a match for our day! I’m going to try this tonight. I wanted to come by, too, because I’ve just referred to you and your cookbook on my blog. I’m enjoying your cookbook so much and have just made rhubarb muffins based on your Plum Poppy Seed Muffins from the cookbook. I’ve linked back to you here but, wasn’t certain what you’d prefer – home blog or an Amazon link? If you feel that you’d like me to chance the link as a reference or have anything to add, I am only happy to do so. wishes for a beautiful summer and kudos for such a beautiful cookbook! This was my first recipe that I’ve tried (or been inspired by) but I’ve read it many, many, times! You have such a beautiful writing voice and give so many fantastic details! Thank you.
This was so good!!!! I made it following the recipe just as it is for lunch. In the evening I added some shredded zucchini left over from a chocolate zucchini bread, it was great. The next day I added some cooked chicken breast and more dressing, because we are 40 degrees C and I just wanted to eat something fresh. It was still great! Again thanks for such wonderful, healthy, easy, great recipes.
Made the recipe as is and won a friendly “Iron Chef” competition while on vacation with friends (the ingredient was carrots). Thanks for always having solid recipes that I can depend on.
I got a copy of My Paris Kitchen for my birthday last week, but haven’t cracked it open yet. I’m so excited! I made this tonight and it was the perfect refreshing vegetable dish I had been looking for that wasn’t roasted, steamed, or a boring green salad. Thanks for the inspiration!
I loved this salad but wish I had read the comments about using dry chickpeas beforehand! I used canned and they never really crisped up. Loved the flavors and will definitely make again soon. Could not imagine not using the food processor for grating carrots! Thanks for your great and fun site Deb!
Love it! Excellent choice!
How far in advance could I make the dressing? Wondering if I could make the salad part and the dressing part the night before, cover individually, and put in the fridge and then the chickpeas/pistachios the next day and combine before I serve. Very excited to try this!
Eleonore — I think that would be just fine, and the best way to keep the different textures intact.
This was so delicious! I’m definitely converted to a fan of carrot salads. I love that it has some of the same flavors as hummus, but you get the wonderful texture of crispy chickpeas. I couldn’t find parsley at the farmer’s market, but I just used a bit of the carrot tops and it worked nicely.
Thank you for this recipe! I made it as a main course and it was delicious. I ended up using cashew nuts because thats what I had in the house and it worked for me. Definitely going to be making this salad again (and again).
I just made this with a mix of purple and standard carrots. I also added the red onion and olives as you suggested previously. It was the main meal and a great hit! Thank you!
LOVE this salad. It keeps really well, too!
I like it with a splash of orange blossom water in the dressing. A little sprinkle of sumac is nice too.
We LOVE this salad, it’s so delicious, I’ve been making it once in week in the past month, I’m addicted!!!
Thank you, Deb — this salad is SO good. My family keeps asking for it. It’s our new favorite. The balance is just perfect (though I don’t measure anything — just make loads of all of it to taste, and then spend the next few days throwing salads together!) Well done, lady!
Some chopped mint makes a lovely addition, as well. Yummy!
This isn’t the sort of recipe I’d normally try but I had lots of carrots and half a jar of tahini so decided to give it a go – after all, when has SK ever let me down? I added an apple (it looked lonely) and some feta cheese and really enjoyed the result. The dressing is delicious, can’t wait to try the butternut and chickpea salad.
This is so excellent! I used TJ’s organic rainbow carrots, twice the garlic, and added about 1/2 C chopped cashews plus some additional herbs (dill and Greek basil). This is a company dish! Well worth the time, Have made this twice in the last month and LOVE your recipes in general. Thanks!
Made this smitten recipe tonight and rated it as YUM! Used .5lb kohlrabi b/c I didn’t have enough rainbow carrots. Great recipe as is. I’ll add cilantro and sumac next time for kicks.
I made this salad twice in 24 hours!! As a shortcut, I used “The Good Bean” roasted chickpeas, which I bought at Costco.
Definitely Deb’s version would be better, but using pre-roasted chickpeas made this a quick and easy meal!
This was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe =)
I just made this and it was AMAZING. I had made crisped chickpeas last week to go with carrot soup and had some left over, so I re-crisped them in the oven and a little more cumin. I used cashews instead of the pistachios, because I had them. I did use pistachio oil in the dressing in place of olive oil to add a little of the flavor. So delicious! And ready in just a few minutes. Great recipe for Lent. Thanks for the recipe!
I would definitely recommend making extra of the dressing–I wanted to eat it with a spoon. It was like Annie’s “Goddess” dressing.
How many servings is this?
Two as a generous meal, maybe 4 to 6 as a side.
This has turned into my go-to dinner party favorite. I even make the crispy chick peas alone as a snack because that’s what happens to most of them if I don’t get them on to the salad in time. The dressing itself is also great on falafel or green salads. Fresh, fast and scrumptious. Perfect for my summer gathering tonight.
Hello;
Thank you for information. I am writing this review from Turkey. Tahini in a food product is very famous in Turkey, our country produces the best tahini “Metin Halva” company.
Perfect salad to take to a backyard party given by vegetarians! Of course, I didn’t have either parsley or pistachios, but I did have cilantro and pecans. Oh, boy, what a delicious complement to the carrots and dressing! I used about 2 Tbl of cilantro instead of 1/4 cup because it’s got a more aggressive flavor, but with the sweetness of rainbow carrots and pecans it could not have been more delightful.
Carrots are much underrated; this salad looks wonderful, and with the crunchy chickpeas – even better. I’ve got a packed of roasted chickpeas so this’ll be tomorrow’s dinner.
A sprinkle of sumac might go well.
I made this carrot salad last weekend and we all LOVED it! I love tahini so I was sure that I was going to enjoy this recipe. I omitted the olives and used scallions instead of regular onions, but except that I followed exactly the recipe. The roasted chickpeas were also delicious — so much so that I made a little extra to enjoy as a snack over the weekend! Thanks Deb!
This is the best recipe ever. It’s my go-to for a quick dinner. I wish it lasted me more than two meals!
This looks delicious. And oddly enough, I just happened to make some crispy chickpeas last night and then I saw this recipe this morning. Perfect timing!
Quick question though. Am going to a potluck tomorrow that will have about 20 people attending and would like to make this. I’ve got absolutely no feel for how much food to bring if everyone else is also bringing something. In your opinion, would doubling this recipe be enough? Tripling? And I’m quite OK with bringing the leftovers home for nibbling. ;-) Thank you!
Janna — I have no idea how much to make for potlucks either because one never knows how much food there will be, but it probably can’t hurt to double it.
Made this for dins tonight with roasted new potatoes and chicken thighs roasted I honey mustard. This salad will be our summer salad of 2016. The only enhancement might be chopped avocado sprinkled on top…
I am joining the throngs in sining the praises of this salad. I just made and ate it with my guy to rave reviews. B/c I didn’t have a few things on hand, I substituted cilantro for parsley (highly recommend it!) and cashews for pistachios (expensive!). I’m sure that I will make this often. It’d be great to take to parties and more. Thanks!
This salad is delicious! I’ve now made it for the second time and it’s incredibly tasty, and so healthy! I’ve substituted parsley for cilantro (i’m allergic), and i’ve also made it w/o pistachios because I didn’t have any at hand, still yummy. Thank you for this recipe!
Just finished making this and it is insanely delicious! Super easy too!
I just made it, so yummy! The salt amount was too much. Maybe the Goya brand is extra salty already and yes, yes I should have tasted as I went but didn’t. All was not lost though, I just didn’t add any more salt to the dressing and it all mixed up perfectly. Also, in the final moments I realized I didn’t have pistachios and had to sub peanuts. It was still really good and plan to make it again with the right nut, pistachios are soon good I guess that’s why I’m out.
My question was What can I sub for pistachios? Running out seems to run in this family!
Sooo delicious! I substituted natural almond butter for the tahini and raw pumpkin seeds for the pistachios, based on what I had on hand. :-)
I made this and ate it and thought it was good. Not great, but good. I packed the leftovers for lunch the next day and Wow! it was amazing the next day. So this should sit a little for the flavors to develop. Of course without the chickpeas and pistachios. Put them on when you eat it.
How many does this serve as a main dish? Thanks!
Aaand, found my answer in the comments. Please disregard. :)
This was delicious! I added a touch of honey to the dressing for sweetness which complemented the carrots well. Will definitely make again. :)
I’ve made this for potlucks with great success. Yum!!
So good! I’d add this to the “quick” tag. Using a food processor, I was done prepping the rest of the salad in the time the chickpeas took to cook in the oven.
I didn’t have the parsley or pistachios, and didn’t miss them, though I think cilantro would be great too.
This reminds me of a faster, summer version of this https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/ which has been a favorite for years.
We made this fantastic salad yesterday with a couple of modifications. We added a 1 T. honey and lemon zest to the dressing, and about 1/2 t. cinnamon and 1/2 c golden raisins to the carrot parsley mix. HOME-FREAKING-RUN. So fun and pretty to make and eat, and super budget-friendly. Tastes even better the next day (keeping the chickpeas separate as you suggested). Thanks, Deb!!
This recipe (and many of your other recipes) is in our regular rotation. I serve it with your Merguez Lamb Patties and it is a 5 out of 5 every time. It’s a quick weeknight meal that never disappoints. I love that it can be made in any season and with easily available ingredients. I’m usually a “tinkerer” with recipes but I’ve learned that your recipes NEVER need tinkering, they are perfect as written.
I have made this 4 or 5 times now and I absolutely love it. It’s been my go to for lunch this summer. I make a batch and eat it for lunch several days a week. I’ve tried it with both cilantro and parsley and both are good. I didn’t have great luck with the roasted chickpeas. Mine are never crispy enough, so I just buy some in a packet and throw them on top.
Ok. Have had this recipe bookmarked for a while, finally got around to making it this evening. Sounds delicious.
Carrots shredded, parsley chopped, chickpeas roasting in oven.
I go to mix the dressing in my basic (thick-walled) glass Pyrex measuring cup. Squeeze 2 lemons, add tahini, stir, add olive oil… turn towards my sink to grab a fork and the whole thing EXPLODES with a really loud noise, sending hundreds of bits of glass and tahini goop everywhere, including into my bowl of carrots and the parsley. SO… seems we will be having roasted chickpeas tonight, alone. Alas. What kind of bizarre alchemy was that? I am at 7800 ft and we blame the altitude for everything, but I am not so sure on this…
You’re not alone — our salad bowl recently EXPLODED during dinner! An internet search revealed that glass can explode like this if there are internal imperfections in the structure. It’s rare and can happen without abrupt changes in temperature or obvious cracks or chips in the glass. Nothing to do with altitude either (we are at 100 ft); just a bizarre freak occurrence – a bit shocking & scary!
Made this after I saw the recipe in the Sunday Parade magazine 1 week ago. My daughters love your blog so I thought I’d give it a try. I can’t say that I liked it and my husband had the same response. Don’t know if I did something wrong.
This used to be one of my very favorite salads, then I just forgot about it for some reason. I just saw it in your book and went to make the dressing and carrots (no chickpeas or pistachios in the house), except I realized about 10 minutes in that I was using miso instead of tahini! Went with it… used ginger instead of garlic… delicious! A bonus favorite. Thanks!
I made this tonight (although I actually made it from the book), it was delicious. Definitely one to add to the rotation. Like other commentators I used cilantro instead of parsley due to taste preferences and it worked very well.
I can’t believe it took me this long to finally make this. (I think I just kinda forgot about carrots for about 4 years there.) I used toasted almonds and walnuts and cilantro because it was what was on hand, but this is utterly fantastic. Warm crispy chickpeas on a cool creamy salad. It may be mid-Jan but this is perfect.
I am working on making one thing out of your new cookbook once a week. I made this salad last night to accompany a Moroccan spiced pork loin (7 Mins, go insta pot!) and my kids ate it (the salad). My 5 and 7 year old ATE IT ALL. Amazing! I did not have parsley or pistachios so I used cilantro and cashews. It worked out so well! I gave a mini speech about how they love traveling, but that means being open to new flavors and textures and they took me seriously and ate it all. Thank you, from Sitka Alaska. Looking forward to my next recipe.
For her Easter Monday brunch, my sister asked if I could bring a salad, adding that she didn‘t really mind what kind of a salad I brought, but if I felt like making that salad with the sesame dressing she would be ever so pleased. She meant your sugar snap salad with miso dressing from the first book, of course, which has become a firm favourite with everyone I have made it for so far.
But I really wanted to try something new and started browsing your second book, which is where I found this carrot salad. So I decided to make both salads, one for me, one for her. I think I‘m on to another winner here, although I will have to tweak the spices a little and would have preferred a runnier dressing but didn‘t want to add too much water. But the combination of carrots, chickpeas and tahini, which I already knew from your soup, is great, and I love pistachios. And since my raw-carrot-allergic husband left me last year I am now free to make carrot salads at last without having to work out an alternative (something good had to come out of that…)
How many will this salad feed?
What a great salad! Added to my list of dinners that please both a vegetarian and an herbivore. I added some thinly sliced red onion, after an ice bath. I used to dislike raw carrots but this recipe is changing my mind. Thanks!
After I started making it, I realized that we didn’t have any canned chickpeas in the house (unheard of here!). I did, however, have those crunchy chickpea snacks. Ta da! Solution AND a shortcut. It was delicious. Fantastic recipe.
The hardest thing about this recipe is trying not to eat all the chickpeas before assembling the salad.
I use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of the carrots instead of shredding them and the result is good to look at as well as eat.
I’ve flagged this for the next time I host book club. It looks and sounds delicious. How many will the recipe serve as an entrée? How many as a side?
For me it’s two hearty entree portions with a little leftover, probably serves 5-6 as a side dish. Do be sure to shred the carrots yourself, the purchased shreds at the grocery store are too thick and the dressing doesn’t stick to them quite right
I have made this SO MANY times over the past few years! It might be the best work lunch ever since i can prep it sunday night and it’s still amazing on wednesday when i have the last portion. I do keep the chickpeas seperate and not refridgerated. I’ve used sunflower seeds if I don’t have pistachios but it’s much better with the pistachios!
This salad is utterly delicious! Rich flavors, a variety of textures, and a delightful dressing. I did put about double the parsley, and I used every drop of the dressing. Brava, Deb!
Deb,
Happy Hanukkah to all of you. Thank you for giving me such pleasure all year with your
Website.
You know how some flavors just go together? People have eaten them in this combination for, you know, centuries? This beautiful umami vegan salad is the perfect thing for a Christmas tea party on a winter afternoon in the rockies–blue blue skies, sunshine, about 20 degrees outside–thanks so much Deb! Yep, it is a bit tart with the lemon, but the tahini (made from scratch–hooray) mellows it out and the sweetness of the carrots and grassy parsley are a perfect top note. The crispy chickpeas and pistachio nuts are the perfect garnish. I added almost all of the dressing–similar to my fave storebought Annie’s Goddess dressing but a bit earthier.
I just made this. I like it and I will probably make it again. However the dressing was way too acidic for me even after it was tossed with the carrots. Next time I’ll play around with making it a little sweeter or creamier (more tahini, maybe with agave and balsamic instead of red pepper flakes) and perhaps adding in another base vegetable or grain to balance the carrots.
You could shortcut this by buying roasted channa (chickpeas) at an Indian grocery (should you have one nearby).
This is one of my go-to recipes when I want something quick and light. I always keep the dressing the same (it’s so good and works perfectly with the carrots) but add garam masala and paprika to the chickpeas for a little extra flavor. Have also used toasted pumpkin seeds if I don’t have pistachios on hand. Both work great. Love this site and your cookbooks!
Made this (more or less) with crazy rainbow carrots from the garden hacked into bite size chunks and roasted with the chickpeas as i dont like the texture of raw carrots subbed pumpkin seeds for pistachios. Delicious and healthy! Will definitely do again
This was a very good salad that kept well over a few days, with the chickpeas and pistachios kept in a glass jar. The chickpeas stayed quite crispy. I did not love it as much as the harissa feta and mint carrot salad (which is one of my favourites recipes from this site) but it made a nice and filling lunch! I agree with the commenter who said the salad was better after resting for a while. A word of warning though: the smell of garlic will be quite strong, so be prepared if you eat it in your office…you might want to open the window for a bit : )
Wonderful! Made this as healthy lunch as we are now working from home like so many and didn’t want to start eating bags of Oreo’s for lunch. This was very good and very filling. A new favorite.
This was delicious, made it today. I added some purple Lotus ramen for something warm
Delicious salad! I added two bunches of green onions, doubled the garlic and the parsley, and omitted the pistachios. Used about 3 lemons in total to balance the flavor of the tahini. Even without roasting the chickpeas, the salad was great.
This was a big hit with my vegetarian teen! We added some dino kale which was a great addition. We will make this nutritious and super tasty dish again and again.
I’m one of those thousands of lurkers who never comments. But after five years of faithful following and daily visits to the site – I just had to say thank you after making this salad. Just like every other recipe I have made with your guidance – it’s perfection. My family and I thank you!!
Had an overflow of carrots and didn’t know what to do with them. I found this recipe and as always, you didn’t disappoint. Even my veggie-picky-eater-daughter had some and loved it. I had all the ingredients at home and other than the grating, this came together in no time.
Big difference if you shred in food processor.
I made this tonight. I like the sweet carrot and nutty tahini combo a lot. Agree about the lemon: it’s not too much. A good dinner if you have a case of the crunchies.
This has become a go-to recipe for me that I have made so many times I can make it by heart. A few weeks ago here in Oregon, we had a terrible ice storm. We were without power for two weeks and had to do everything off of a few extension cords plugged into our generator (which we were fortunate enough to have!). On one of our first days without power when the roads were still impassable, I realized I had everything I needed to make this salad. I sautéed the chickpeas in a rice cooker, and because who wants to eat cold food during an ice storm, I briefly warmed the carrots in the rice cooker after the chickpeas were done. We ate it out of paper cups (no water to do dishes). It was delicious and nourishing during a hard time when all we were eating was top ramen and energy bars. Thanks, Deb, for an apocalypse-proof recipe!
I make your carrot salad with tahini and crisp chick peas all the time. We like it so much. I am trying your carrots with harissa and feta next.
Thanks for so many tasty dishes.
I have made this several times and it never disappoints. It’s pretty and full of good for you ingredients that I always have on hand so no reason to not make it often – which I will continue to do!
I had no idea I could enjoy grated carrots so much! I made it as a way to use up a bunch of carrots I was otherwise unlikely to eat and was amazed at how tasty it was. Thanks!
Deb – this sounds delicious. What’s your favorite brand of tahini? Thanks!
Hi Deb, of course I made this before I read the directions to the end. So I didn’t realize that you don’t throw all ingredients in together. How do you store the chickpeas if making this for one person?
I’d usually keep them separate, in hopes that they’ll keep more crisp.
Thank you! Store at room temp or in fridge?
This was absolutely delicious. Vibrant and fresh flavors. I used cilantro instead of parsley, and did add a sprinkle of dried chipotle powder which lent a nice smoky taste.