Honey Roasted Carrots with Dukkah & Herbed Coconut Sauce
These honey roasted carrots with dukkah have a delicious, light and refreshing summertime vibe to them, thanks to the creamy herbed coconut sauce. A yummy vegetarian meal made vegan with a few tweaks, it’s easy to make and utterly satisfying. And you can have it on the table in less than 45 minutes!
This dish can be enjoyed as a delicious meal on its own, or with dishes like my vegan Tomato Salad Duo Over Roasted Garlic Cannellini Bean Puree or this Schmaltzy Spatchcock Roast Chicken .
Club Tropicana
The deliciously creamy herbed coconut sauce was inspired by Aji Verde, a Peruvian Green Sauce that’s a staple with just about any Peruvian meal. Aji Verde is made with jalapeno peppers, cilantro or coriander leaves, garlic, green onion, lime juice peppers, parmesan cheese, Amarillo chilli paste and huacatay paste.
My herbed coconut sauce was inspired by the flavours present in aji verde but is significantly different with the addition of ingredients like mayonnaise, coconut and mint.
It has a deliciously exotic, tropical vibe to it and combined with the honey roasted dukkah carrots, well – it has to be experienced to be believed!
The Lowdown on Dukkah
Dukkah comes from the Arabian word – to pound. It’s an Egyptian condiment that’s popular in the Middle East, North Africa and increasingly throughout the world.
Dukkah is typically made of warming spices, toasted nuts and seeds like coriander, cumin, fennel combined with toasted almonds, sesame seeds and peppercorns. The exact ingredients do tend to vary, depending on region and include different nuts like hazelnuts or pistachios.
Dukkah is a popular dip for flatbreads, with a little olive oil, but also makes a gorgeous crust for meat and fish.
In this recipe, it offers a gorgeous earthy nuttiness that complements the sweetness of the honey roasted carrots perfectly.
24-Carrot Gold
Well, when it comes to health benefits, they’re certainly up there. Carrots are a good source of antioxidants, which can help protect the body against damage from free radicals.
They’re also a good source of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is important for vision, immunity, and skin health. Cue joke about bunnies never wearing glasses. Or rather, don’t.
Carrots are a good source of vitamins A, K, (which are fat soluble, so including some health fats like olive oil is a great idea) and B6, as well as fiber and potassium. Carrots have a sweet, earthy flavour, are native to the present day regions of Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan and were domesticated around the 10th century BCE.
They’re naturally yellow or purple in colour, with the orange varieties emerging from The Netherlands in the 17th century.
Keen on Quinoa
My recipe for Honey Roasted Carrots calls for crispy quinoa as a finishing touch. It doesn’t require much more time or effort to make and really adds a gorgeous nutty crunch to the carrots.
And, if you’re vegan, you know that quinoa is a complete protein – in that it contains all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce on their own.
Quinoa is a pseudo-grain which has been cultivated for more than 7,000 years by the Inca. It’s native to the mountainous Andes region in South America – and has more recently been hailed as a super food.
It’s a good source of fiber, folate, iron, magnesium and zinc.
Here are just some of the health benefits offered by quinoa:
- Reduces the risk of heart disease – it’s a good source of fiber, which can help to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Controls blood sugar levels – as it’s a good source of magnesium.
- Boosts the immune system – due to zinc present.
- Improves digestion – as it contains a decent amount of dietary fibre.
Ready?
Let’s get to it.
Rate My Honey Roasted Carrots with Dukkah & Herbed Coconut Sauce
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes, the dish itself is naturally gluten-free, please just check the labels carefully for any store-bought products to ensure they don’t contain gluten. Enjoy!
Can I make this vegan?
You can make it vegan by substituting the honey with maple syrup and using a vegan mayonnaise equivalent.
Honey Roasted Carrots with Dukkah & Herbed Coconut Sauce
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 as a main, 4 as a side
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These honey roasted carrots with dukkah have a delicious, light and refreshing summertime vibe to them, thanks to the creamy herbed coconut sauce. A yummy vegetarian meal made vegan with a few tweaks, it’s easy to make, and utterly satisfying. And you can have it on the table in less than 45 minutes!
Ingredients
For the sticky honeyed carrots
- 700g carrots
- 3 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp /20g dukkah OR roasted and salted chopped nuts
- 1 lime
For the herbed coconut sauce
- 1/4 cup / 50g mayonnaise of choice
- 1 cup / 15g lightly packed fresh coriander, larger stems removed
- 1/3 cup / 5g fresh mint picked from stems
- 2 medium jalapeño peppers, seeds and membranes removed but reserved, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup / 30g desiccated coconut
- Juice of 1 lime
For the crispy quinoa
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
OR
- 1/2 cup cooked precooked quinoa or grain mix
Picked fresh Dill for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Start by scrubbing and peeling the carrots. Halve any of the larger carrots down the middle until all the carrots are of an even size, so they’ll finish cooking at the same time. Drizzle the carrots with oil and season, then cover and roast.
Air fryer: 180C 35 minutes
Oven: 200C 35 minutes - Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions, then drain, and tip into a roasting tray. Spread the quinoa into an even layer and stir through a small drizzle of oil and season well. Pop the tray into the oven or air fryer with the carrots and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally. About 10-15 minutes.Pro Tip: If you’re using an air fryer, consider buying a stacking rack that allows you to layer food in your air fryer basket, allowing you to cook more at the same time.
- While the quinoa and carrots cook, make the sauce. Add all the ingredients into a blender or baby food processor – I love my Kenwood Stick Blender .
- Blend the ingredients together adding 15-45ml of water as you go, until the sauce has broken down and all the ingredients are finely chopped. No matter how much you blend, the sauce will always retain a pleasing texture, but be sure you don’t end up with a large chunk of garlic! Taste the sauce and season well.
- Remove the quinoa once it’s nice and crispy. Check the carrots. You should be able to pierce them easily with a knife. Drizzle the carrots in honey, turn the oven or air fryer to grill, and place the carrots back in to cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and sticky. Remove the carrots from the oven or air fryer and scatter over the dukkah, and squeeze over the lime juice. Toss the carrots to coat them in the spices and lime juice.
- Time to plate up! Spoon the herbed coconut sauce onto a plate. Top with the sticky carrots, pan sauce, and a generous spoon of crispy quinoa. Squeeze over some extra lime juice if you like, and garnish with fresh dill.
This can be served immediately, contrasting the cool sauce against the hot carrots.
Enjoy!
Notes
Full Disclosure: I earn a small commission if you buy any of the products listed in my Amazon shop. But don’t worry – it won’t cost you anything extra. These are products I know and have used myself, and you’ll find them in my kitchen or studio.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roast
2 Responses
Thank you for sharing your amazing culinary artistry with us! This recipe is not just beautiful, but the sauce is so yummy, I’ve made it three times in two weeks and everyone has loved it! My husband said he could eat it everyday – which says a lot! The first time I stayed relatively true to the recipe, but changed it up the next day by adding sautéed spinach, steamed broccoli, chopped scallions, and cherry tomatoes. The next incarnation was grilled veggies: portobellos, red bell pepper, yellow squash, carrots, eggplant, and red onion. Last night was similar, but added grilled chicken. And a friend just suggested serving the sauce with Crudités for a BBQ gathering next week. It seems this sauce could just about compliment anything!
So glad you enjoyed it!