Roasted Carrot Hummus with Spicy Harissa

This roast carrot recipe is perfectly sweet, spicy, garlicky, creamy, and delicious! Serve as an appetizer everyone will love, or keep in your fridge for healthy snacking at the ready. 

I would describe myself as a “reformed purist” when it comes to hummus. Growing up in Egypt, hummus always meant blending chickpeas with just a few simple flavor makers and ice cubes until the texture is creamy and silky smooth.

However, since moving to the U.S., I’ve come to discover there are a few ways you can play with my old-school traditional hummus while staying true to that Mediterranean flavor I know and love so dearly. This roasted carrot hummus is the perfect example! 

With spicy harissa, sweet roasted carrots, warming cumin, and tart sumac, I like to think of it as classic hummus but with a sassier personality. It is SUCH a crowd-pleaser too. Serve with pita bread for game day, the holidays, and beyond. Or, stash in your fridge with sliced veggies for healthy snacks on demand. 

Table of Contents

1. What is in Carrot Hummus?
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. How to Make Roasted Carrot Hummus 
4. Swaps and Substitutions
5. What to Serve with Carrot Hummus
6. More Hummus Recipes
7. Roasted Carrot Hummus Recipe

What is in Carrot Hummus?

This carrot hummus takes the traditional components of hummus–lemon, garlic, olive oil, tahini, and chickpeas–and turns up the flavor with sweet roasted carrots and a few of my favorite Mediterranean pantry essentials. You’ll need: 

• Chickpeas: I often go for a can of chickpeas for convenience (unless I’m making very traditional hummus). That said, if you’d like to go the extra mile you can cook raw chickpeas from scratch using my guide: How to Cook Chickpeas (3 Ways!).
• Carrots: I recommend standard orange carrots. You can always top with roasted rainbow carrots for a pretty garnish, but regular carrots tend to have a bolder flavor and will give you the best color combination with the harissa.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Any high-quality extra virgin variety you have will work, so long as you enjoy the flavor. I especially like the peppery note of our Spanish Hojiblanca with this recipe. 
• Kosher salt peps up the other flavors. 
• Tahini paste: A ground sesame paste that provides the creamy (but vegan) base for hummus.
  • READ MORE: What is Tahini?
  • TRY IT: Order my favorite organic tahini by Soom at our shop. 
• Garlic: Builds on the hummus’ sweet, savory, and peppery flavor. 
• Sumac: Made from the dried sumac berry, this vibrant Mediterranean spice adds a zing that’s similar to lemon zest but more tart and less bitter.
  • READ MORE: What Is Sumac? Uses and Recipes
  • TRY IT: Find dried sumac spice at our shop.  
• Cumin adds a warming, cozy depth. 
• Lemon juice adds a crucial brightness to balance the richness of the chickpeas and tahini. 
• Parsley: Adds a pop of color and fresh, peppery flavor.  
• Pistachios add richness, a pop of green color, and a nice crunch to complement the creaminess of the spicy hummus. 
• Harissa brings not only heat but loads of complex flavor to this carrot hummus. See “Ingredient Spotlight” below for more on this North African wonder paste! 

Ingredient Spotlight

Harissa is one of the Mediterranean condiments I’ve watched gain a ton of popularity over the last decade. I must say it is so well-deserved! This North African paste will last for months in your fridge, and all you need is a spoonful to give a simple recipe an immediate flavor-boost.

Citrusy, smoky, warming, and spicy, you can use harissa in so many ways. Spoon it over your meal just like hot sauce, add to meat marinades, or load everything from hummus to stews with big Mediterranean flavor. 

• MAKE YOUR OWN: Check out our Homemade Harissa Recipe. 
• TRY IT: I love this boldly spicy Tunisian harissa from Kartago to complement the sweetness of the carrots. For a milder option, try our Moroccan Harissa Paste from Villa Jerada. 

How to Make Roasted Carrot Hummus 

I like to roast the carrots until they’re deeply caramelized and perfectly sweet. Taking about 40 minutes, it’s the most time-consuming part of this easy roasted carrot recipe but it’s hands-off. The added depth of flavor is well worth the time! Here are the steps:

• Get ready. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425°F. Drain a 15-ounce can of chickpeas over a bowl to save both the chickpeas and their liquid. 
• Roast the carrots. Scrub, dry, and slice 4 medium carrots into large pieces. Place on a sheet pan and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and toss so the carrots are well coated. Roast in the heated oven until the carrots are fork-tender and charred in some parts (about 40 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside until cool enough to handle. 
• Make the hummus. To the bowl of a large food processor, add the roasted carrots, chickpeas (without the liquid), 1/3 cup tahini, 1 minced garlic clove garlic, 1 teaspoon sumac, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 to 2 teaspoons harissa paste, and the juice of one lemon. Season with a small pinch of kosher salt. 
• Get the consistency. Close with the lid and blend. While the processor is running, drizzle a little bit of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) from the top opening until the mixture is smooth and creamy. (If the mixture is dry or too thick, add a little of the reserved chickpea liquid to help blend the hummus to a smooth consistency. Be very conservative as you add more liquid). 
• Finish and serve. Adjust seasoning to your liking, adding more salt, pepper, harissa, and lemon to your liking. Transfer the roasted carrot hummus to a shallow bowl or plate and use the back of a spoon to spread it on the plate. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with chopped parsley and crushed pistachios. 

Swaps and Substitutions

Head over to our shop to stock up on most of the flavor-makers for this carrot hummus recipe. In the meantime, here are the easy substitutions:

• Sumac: Lemon zest.
• Pistachios: Walnuts or hazelnuts. For a nut-free option, you can skip this crunchy garnish or substitute with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, toasted pepitas, or Crispy Quinoa. 
• Cumin: Coriander.
• Parsley: Cilantro or dill.
• Lemon juice: Lime juice. 

What to Serve with Carrot Hummus

Though this spicy hummus has a big, bold flavor, it fits in with so many different recipes, from mezzes to sandwiches to bowls and beyond. Here are some ideas: 

• As an mezze: Serve with Pita Bread or Pita Chips and sliced vegetables and provide other snacky items like Turkish Lentil Balls, roasted grapes, and stuffed dates.
• Sandwiches: Make a high-protein vegan sandwich by substituting the whipped feta for carrot hummus in this Veggie Sandwich recipe. 
• As an appetizer: Swap out the garlicky yogurt on this Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Dukkah recipe.
• Make hummus bowls: Use as the base for my Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl, or even to start the day with these 15-Minute Mediterranean Breakfast Bowls.
• Make a hummus bar: The next time you have friends and family over serve a variety of spreads and dips. Include Beet Hummus, Pumpkin Hummus, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and Avocado Hummus. Or top traditional hummus with fresh vegetables for Farmer’s Market Hummus, add chopped tomatoes, onions, and seasoned ground beef for Layered Hummus, or spice things up with Shoshito Peppers and Shallots. Add platters of bread and bowls of vegetables for scooping. I love sliced peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes, and then for bread try pita, simit or taboon.

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