This healthy roasted carrot dip is inspired by Ummak Huriyya, a Tunisian carrot salad combining carrots, onion, garlic, and a selection of spices and aromatics for a flavorful dip/spread. Plus, this carrot “pâté” is gluten-free, dairy-free, and 100% vegan!

If there’s anything that being on Crazy Delicious taught me, it’s that carrots, while humble, are packed with potential! So alongside creamy butternut carrot soup, glazed carrots, and carrot leaf pesto, now it’s time to whip this ingredient up into a moreish roasted carrot dip.

This healthy carrot dip is smoky, savory, and slightly sweet. It combines roasted, lightly caramelized carrots, with onion, garlic, ginger, and a blend of spice. It might even compete with some of my household faves like creamy hummus and smoky baba ganoush. Plus, unlike most roasted carrot dips, this version is chickpea and tahini-free (let’s save the hummus ingredients for hummus!).

This is inspired by a Tunisian mashed carrot salad (ummak huriyya), which combines most of the same ingredients plus the addition of harissa into a chunky carrot appetizer. 

Best of all, all you need is 10 simple ingredients (plus salt & pepper), most of which are probably already in your kitchen. The resulting carrot “pâté” is perfect for sharing as a carrot appetizer during the Holidays, a dipping snack with cucumber and crackers, or a spread to up your sandwich/toast game!

The Ingredients

• Carrots: one of the best things about this recipe is that it will work even with carrots starting to go a little limp. It’s a great way to bring life back to those carrots!
• Olive oil: use high-quality olive oil for the best results. 
• Aromatics: I used a simple combination of onion, garlic, and ginger.
• Lemon: to help add freshness and “zing” to the carrot dip. 
• Spices: I use cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. 
• Parsley: fresh parsley, please. Alternatively, you could try it with other fresh herbs like cilantro. 

Optional add-ins and variations

• Nuts: adding nuts to this healthy carrot dip will make a more decadent spread and add heart-healthy fats. I recommend walnuts, almonds, or pistachios – lightly toasted, first. 
• Harissa: for even more inspiration from the Tunisian carrot salad, you can add a little harissa paste to the dip to add smoke and heat. Otherwise, for spice, you could add in a pinch of red pepper flakes. 
• Simple carrot dip: for a super simple dip that lets the carrot “shine”, you can choose to omit or reduce the cumin, garlic, and/or ginger (which are robust flavors). 
• Other spices: carrots pair well with all sorts of spices, including allspice, sumac, turmeric, etc. For a little spice, you could even add in a pinch of cayenne. 
• Other vegetables: a little bit of roasted sweet potato or butternut squash would pair wonderfully with the flavors in this carrot dip. Roasted beets may also work, but I haven’t tried.
• Sweetness: I find the natural sweetness of the roasted carrots more than enough in this mashed carrot salad. However, feel free to add a drizzle of maple or honey for more.

How to Make Healthy Roasted Carrot Dip

Step 1: Roast the ingredients

Start by peeling the carrots – if you have a “no peel” variety, you can skip this.

Then spread the carrots, cinnamon, and onion and garlic (peel still on) across a parchment-lined baking tray. Brush the carrots with a bit of oil, and then roast in the oven at 400ºF/200ºC for about 15 minutes, or until the carrots are beginning to become tender. 

For a super smooth carrot dip, I recommend reducing the heat to 350ºF/175ºC and roasting until the carrots are tender to the middle; this can take up to an hour. To reduce the baking time, chop the carrots into smaller 2-inch pieces, first, and then 30 minutes is usually enough.

Step 2: Blend the carrot dip

First, remove the skin from the roasted onion and garlic. 

Then blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender until it reaches your desired consistency. You could even do this by-hand with a fork/potato masher, especially if you want it to be slightly chunkier.

Give the mashed carrot salad/dip a taste and adjust any ingredients to personal preference; lemon juice, spices, salt & pepper, etc. Tastes amazing.

How to Store Roasted Carrot Dip

Fridge: store the roasted carrot dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. 

Freeze: though I haven’t tried freezing this healthy carrot dip before, I have previously frozen carrot puree with excellent results. For that reason, I recommend adding the dip in portions to an ice-cube tray, freezing until solid, then transferring to a reusable airtight freeze back for up to two months. 

Allow the dip to thaw in the refrigerator. Then give it a whisk to bring it back to a creamy consistency.

What to Serve With Roasted Carrot Dip/Spread?

• As a dip: serve with crudites, crackers (regular or seeded), breadsticks, toasted pita, simit, etc. 
• As a spread: spread over sandwiches, wraps, quesadilla-style wraps, bagels, etc. 
• As a pate: you serve it alongside roasted cauliflower steaks, add as a base to breakfast eggs, etc.

You can also serve this healthy carrot dip as part of a party/mezze platter alongside other dips, including spicy roasted eggplant dip (baigan choka), beet hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, and any of the dips mentioned below!

Recipe Notes & Variations

• Add water if necessary: if you find the carrot dip a little too thick, then you can add in a bit of water to thin it to your desired consistency. Just note that this will reduce the shelf life and should be consumed within 1-2 days.
• Experiment with flavors: once you have the base dip down, check out my list of optional add-ins and variations to get a little creative!

More Simple Dip Recipes

• Eggplant red pepper dip (ajvar)
• Harissa Sauce (Harissa Paste)
• Split pea hummus
• Herby labneh with roasted tomatoes
• Roasted garlic white bean dip
• Roasted red pepper walnut dip (muhammara)
• Spinach yogurt dip (borani)
• Whipped Ricotta (+ Other Whipped Cheese)
• Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)

If you try this roasted carrot dip recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!