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These cumin roasted carrots are a stunning side dish! Roasted with cumin seed and olive oil, they’re perfectly tender. Serve over hummus if you’d like.

“These carrots will make you want to go vegetarian.” One of my dinner companions was explaining the roasted carrots on the menu at a restaurant here in Indianapolis. Everyone looked at her skeptically. But when the cumin roasted carrots came out, everyone exclaimed that they were indeed incredible. Tender and spiced with cumin seeds, the carrots were served over a slather of creamy hummus. I’m not sure anyone decided to go vegetarian that night, but they did agree that the roasted carrots were delightful. So, I set about to recreate those cumin roasted carrots at home.

How to make cumin roasted carrots

When I told Alex about those life-changing cumin roasted carrots, he was very skeptical. Carrots and hummus? Isn’t that kind of, basic? I set about to prove him wrong. After a few tests, I came up with this very simple cumin roasted carrots recipe. Here’s what you have to do:

Find a few bunches of slender carrots, peel them and slice them in half.
Mix them in a bowl with olive oil, cumin seed, garlic powder, and salt.
Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender.

This method highlights the sweetness of the roasted carrots, but doesn’t overshadow it with the flavors. When I made them, I whipped up a batch of our 5-ingredient classic hummus and, placing the carrots on top, set it in front of Alex. “This tastes WAY better than carrots and hummus,” he said. Victory!

Try to find rainbow carrots!

This cumin roasted carrots recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegan. The tender, sweet carrots are perfect against the savory bite of the cumin: and the creamy hummus serves as a dip that offsets the carrots fabulously. It’s perfect for entertaining as an easy side dish: with or without the hummus.

For especially brilliant colors, use rainbow carrots, which make it look even more stunning. Make sure to get the slender, thin carrots that are sold in bunches. You can find them in your grocery (we found them at our Whole Foods), or if they’re in season, at your local farmers market.

We hope these cumin roasted carrots make you a believer. Of course, we can’t promise they’ll make you want to go vegetarian! But they’re certainly one way to make simple roasted carrots taste extraordinary. (Got carrots left over? See our top carrot recipes.)

This cumin roasted carrots recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

Cumin Roasted Carrots

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Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 1x

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Description

These cumin roasted carrots are a stunning side dish! Roasted with cumin seed and olive oil, they’re perfectly tender. Serve over hummus if you’d like.

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound slender rainbow carrots with tops, about 2 bunches
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Classic Homemade Hummus
1 handful cilantro leaves, for the garnish

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Instructions

Preheat the oven oven to 425F. Chop off the tops of the carrots, leaving about an inch of the greens. Peel the carrots, then slice them in half to get them all to a relatively uniform thickness; keep only the thinnest of carrots whole. You may need to quarter larger carrots.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the carrots on the pan, then drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder, cumin seeds, and kosher salt. Mix with your hands until the carrots are evenly coated.
Bake the carrots 20 to 30 minutes or until tender, stirring once. (The bake time will depend on the thickness of the carrots; to assess doneness, prick one of the larger carrots with a fork.)
Make the 5-Ingredient Classic Homemade Hummus. (Note: I slightly undersalted my batch of hummus to compliment the carrots; feel free to taste and adjust flavors as necessary.) When the carrots are done, spread a serving platter with carrots. Place them on top, and sprinkle with torn cilantro leaves.

Category: Side Dish
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American