This Moroccan lentil carrot salad with mint, raisins, nuts, and warmly spiced dressing is the perfect side salad or light lunch paired with pita and hummus.
Twenty-twenty is the first year that we have ever had a community supported agriculture (CSA) subscription. In previous years, we have loved going to the farmer’s market every weekend to select what we wanted based on what we were planning on cooking in the coming days. However, with the uncertainty surrounding covid and whether or not there would be farmer’s markets at all during the summer, we decided early on in the pandemic to sign up for a CSA with a small organic farm in Quebec, just across the river from Ottawa.
CSAs are a great way to support local farmers by giving them some much-needed cash flow early on in the season, before they have started to sell their crops at the market. Another benefit for the consumer is that they often introduce you to different vegetables, and force you to be creative with what the farm puts into your share each week. We ended up with a lot of zucchini and carrots this year–much more than we ever would have bought–so it’s been a fun challenge to come up with new and different ways to use these veggies. There are only so many times you can roast zucchini or munch on raw carrots and hummus before it’s time to shake things up, after all!
This Moroccan lentil carrot salad is one way to put an abundance of carrots to good use. Shredded carrots are combined with lentils, red onion, celery, mint, raisins, and walnuts or sunflower seeds. Then, everything is tossed in a dressing spiced with turmeric, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and cumin. All in all, this salad makes a satisfying lunch with a side of pita and hummus. It would also be a great side salad to serve at dinner next to, say, baked or pan-fried tofu or tempeh, scrambled eggs, or even fancy avocado toast!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- FOR THE SALAD: Cooked lentils, grated carrots, red onion, celery, fresh mint, raisins or currants, and walnuts or sunflower seeds.
- FOR THE DRESSING: Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, turmeric, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and garlic.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine the cooked lentils, grated carrots, red onion, celery, mint, raisins, and nuts or seeds in a large bowl.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and whisk or secure the lid and shake to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Serve! Salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.
MORE SATISFYING SALAD RECIPES
- Detoxifying Kale Caesar Salad
- Fennel, Grape, and Avocado Green Power Salad
- Southwestern Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing + Polenta Croutons
I hope you’re having a great week so far, and that you enjoy this Moroccan lentil carrot salad! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you post a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen!
Enjoy!!
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Moroccan Lentil Carrot Salad (Vegan)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Moroccan lentil carrot salad with mint, raisins, nuts, and warmly spiced dressing is the perfect side salad or light lunch paired with pita and hummus.
Ingredients
SALAD
- 3 cups cooked French green lentils (from 1 cup dry lentils)*
- 4 cups peeled and grated carrots (from 8 medium carrots, OR use 2 cups grated carrots and 2 cups shredded kale)**
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- ½ a medium red onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped***
- ½ cup raisins or currants
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds****
- ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced (optional, but highly recommended for a salty punch)
DRESSING
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chili flakes (optional)
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
- Combine the cooked lentils, shredded carrots, red onion, celery, mint, raisins, and nuts or seeds in a large bowl.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and whisk or secure the lid and shake to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. I usually
- Serve! I love serving pita and hummus on the side. Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. The flavour of the salad tends to mellow quite a bit the longer the dressing is on it, so I always add a bit more lemon juice right before enjoying the leftovers to enliven the flavours again.
Notes
*To cook lentils, rinse lentils through a fine mesh sieve and drain. Place in a pot and add a few inches of water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, until lentils are tender but not falling apart, about 25 minutes. If you can’t find French green lentils, brown lentils or regular green lentils will work, but they fall apart more easily.
**If you have a food processor, the grater attachment makes short work of grating carrots.
***If you don’t like mint, use parsley, cilantro, or basil instead.
****Freshly toasted nuts and seeds are tastiest and healthiest. To toast walnuts or sunflower seeds, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place nuts or seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Keywords: Moroccan lentil carrot salad
Jeremy
Great lentil recipe. So healthy and tasty.
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you!
Courtney Saint John
Been loving this salad for awhile! One of my go to recipes for work from home lunches. Thank you!
★★★★★
Allison
Oh that’s amazing! I love this salad for lunch, too.
Trixee
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it makes a very filling lunch… It also helps me use up mint from my garden. Love the flavors!
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Trixee, I am delighted to hear how much you enjoy this salad! Thanks for your lovely comment. 🙂
Jane
The photos of this salad clearly show that it also has kale in in but it is not listed in the ingredients.
★★★★
Allison
Hi Jane! There is a note at the bottom of my recipe card about this. 🙂 “I sometimes use 2 cups of chopped kale and 2 cups of grated carrots (which is what I did when I photographed this salad). Either way is delicious!”
Hope this helps and enjoy!
Suzanne
This looks so good! What a great lunch meal prep for the week!
Allison
Thank you! It really is!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Allison
Thank you! It keeps for about five days in the fridge!
Alisha
Can I substitute red lentils?
Allison
Hi Alisha, unfortunately, red lentils will not work in this recipe because they break down too much during cooking. Green, black, brown, and French lentils will work great, though! I hope you enjoy this salad and let me know if you have any more questions! 🙂
Alisha
Thank you for your quick reply! I’ll try it this week!
Allison
No problem! Enjoy! 🙂
Valencia
I tried it! It came out so great. It’s really tasty and great for the Daniel Fast…I just replaced the maple syrup with raw honey . Will try post the pic I took 💖
Allison
Hi Valencia! I’m so glad that you loved this salad! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment. It means a lot to me! Have a lovely day!
Kaitlyn
Can I use avocado oil instead of olive oil for the dressing?
Allison
Hi Kaitlyn, yes, avocado oil should work well! I hope you enjoy this salad!
Heather B
This has such great flavors and texture. Perfect light but filling dinner on a warm day.
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Heather, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this salad. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review! It means a lot. Happy Sunday!
Cary
I changed to WFPB 7 months ago. I was so ready for an exciting, flavorful salad like this today!! I’m amazed at how my tastes have changed and how good fresh food tastes to me now! I changed a couple things, but it was basically your recipe: I omitted the oil, I used 1 Tb date sugar instead of maple syrup, used 1 huge carrot, 1 celery, and a nice hunk of red cabbage shredded, I only had craisins and green olives which worked fine, but would rather use your suggested raisins and kalamata. I sprinkled green onions on top because I LOVE onions! I served it over warmed rice. So good!!! Thank you so much!!
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Cary! I’m thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed this salad! Your substitutions sound delicious, too. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating! 🙂
Mark
Fantastic salad!
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Mark, thank you so much. I really appreciate it!
Gabby
Hi 🙂 do you recommend putting the dressing in as needed if you’re using this as a meal prep lunch?
Allison
Hi Gabby, yes, I would recommend doing that to keep the flavours fresh! Or you can add all of the dressing at once and add a spritz of lemon juice to single servings as needed- totally up to you. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Brenda
I thought this was delicious. An interesting mix of flavors. I did add kale which I massaged before adding. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★
Allison
Hi Brenda! Thank you so much for making this salad and taking the time to comment. I’m glad that you enjoyed it! 😊
Rowie
Would green olives taste ok instead of the kalamata?
Allison
Hi Rowie, yes, green olives would be delicious!
Jenn
Fabulous!!
★★★★★
Angie
Such an amazing combination of flavours. This is new favourite salad.
★★★★★
Oscar
OMG this is a great salad!
★★★★★
Colleen
This is a wonderful salad. It is even better the next day.
I had mixed feelings about the dressing. I thought it could use more. The dressing was very light. Upside of that was the leftovers didn’t not suffer when kept in fridge overnight.
I also expected the spice flavors to be more potent. They simply blended in. One barely noticed them. However the mint shone through when salad leftovers were stored over night.
My husband and I enjoyed this salad for 2 dinners. It was very satisfying and enjoyable. I would make it again and make a touch more dressing with a bit more spices.
Thank you for such a lovely recipe.
★★★★
Allison
Hi Colleen,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it. Your changes for the next time you make it sound wonderful! Have a great weekend,
Allison 🙂
Ana
Hi looking to make this, wondering if it’s possible to get some nutritional information ie calories/fiber, etc breakdown. Thanks!
Allison
Hi Ana, I’ve added the nutritional information! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Michelle Crewe
This is quite possibly the best salad I’ve ever had – but, note to the author: you don’t have kale listed in your recipe, and the picture very clearly shows kale. Maybe add that in? It was in my salad and was unreal 🙂
Allison
Hi Michelle,
That’s wonderful to hear! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this salad so much. 🧡 The kale option is listed in the notes section on the recipe card, but that is a good point- I will add it in to the main recipe as well to ensure that everyone sees it! 🙂 Thanks again for your review, and have a great weekend!
Nicole
Wow—this salad is amazing!!! One of my favorites of all time. I am sensitive to lemons and celery so I used lime and kale instead. I accidentally left out the raisins but it was still delish. Toasted walnuts really added a nice touch. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Nicole, that’s great to hear! Thanks so much for making it and taking the time to leave a review.