Caramelized Roasted Heirloom Carrots with Chickpea Cream
Sweet and tender roasted heirloom carrots finished with a refined sugar-free caramelized glaze and served over a lemon chickpea cream. Finished with almonds, fresh thyme, and watercress, this colourful plant-based dish works beautifully as a complete vegan dinner.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 grams Heirloom Carrots
- 1 ½ tbsp Olive Oil
- To Taste Sea Salt
- To Taste Black Pepper
For the Refined Sugar-Free Glaze
- 1 tbsp Rice Syrup
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch Sea Salt
For the Lemon Chickpea Cream
- 200 grams chickpeas Canned or Cooked
- 20 grams Olive Oil
- 25 ml lemon juice
- ½ clove Garlic
- To Taste Sea Salt
- As needed Cold Water or 2 ice cubes
- To Taste Cumin
- To Taste Black Pepper
- 30 grams Unsweetened plant-based yogurt
To Serve - Optional
- 30 grams Whole raw almonds Chopped
- Few leaves Fresh Thyme
- Few leaves Watercress
- To Taste Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F, or 190°C / 375°F fan.Wash the heirloom carrots thoroughly and remove any dry or damaged parts. There is no need to peel them if the skin is clean and in good condition.Cut large carrots in half or into quarters lengthwise, depending on their thickness. Smaller carrots can be left whole.
- Place the carrots on a baking tray and season them with the extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
- Arrange the carrots in a single layer, leaving a little space between them. Place the cut sides directly against the baking tray whenever possible.Roast for 15–20 minutes, until they are beginning to soften but are not yet completely cooked.
- While the carrots are roasting, add the chickpeas, soy yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, black pepper, and 25 ml cold water to a blender.Blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides when necessary.
- Add the remaining cold water gradually until the chickpea cream becomes silky, soft, and easy to spread. It should be slightly looser than traditional hummus while remaining thick enough to hold the carrots.Taste and adjust the lemon juice, salt, or black pepper if needed.
- In a small bowl, combine the rice syrup, olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.Remove the carrots from the oven and lightly brush or toss them with the glaze. Avoid leaving large pools of syrup on the baking tray.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C / 350°F and return the carrots to the oven for approximately 5 minutes.
- Spread the lemon chickpea cream generously over the base of a serving plate.Arrange the warm caramelized heirloom carrots on top.Finish with the roughly chopped almonds, fresh lemon zest, thyme, watercress, black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.Serve while the carrots are still warm.
Try to keep the pieces relatively similar in size so that they cook evenly.
Video
Notes
Heirloom Carrots
Large carrots should be halved or quartered lengthwise so that they cook evenly. Small heirloom carrots can be roasted whole. You can also make this recipe with regular orange carrots or a mixture of rainbow carrots.Make Ahead
The lemon chickpea cream can be prepared one day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For the best texture, roast and glaze the carrots shortly before serving. Assemble the dish only at the end.Storage
Store the carrots and chickpea cream separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat the carrots briefly in the oven. The chickpea cream can be served cold or brought closer to room temperature before assembling the plate.Original Content Note
All recipes published on INUMAMI are original and developed from my personal cooking experience. The recipe, written content, styling, and photographs featured in this post were created by me. No AI is used to create recipes. All food photographs are original, owned by INUMAMI.Nutrition Note
Any nutritional information provided is an estimate and may vary depending on the exact ingredients, brands, quantities of olive oil, and optional toppings used.Nutrition
Serving: 250grCalories: 405kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 10gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gSodium: 37mgPotassium: 309mgFiber: 8gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 28IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 3mg