I finally figured out a way to turn my favorite summer side dish into a winter side dish! These Hot Moroccan Carrots are a new favorite side dish recipe for us. They are served hot, straight out of the skillet, and the carrots are flavored with olive oil, lemon, cumin and garlic with a spicy kick from harissa. You are going to love them!

Harissa Carrots in a serving bowl

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Why We Love This Recipe For Hot Moroccan Carrots

In the summertime, I make Moroccan Carrots all the time. I’ve been known to stand at the fridge and eat them right out of the bowl. I’ve shared my classic version here and it is an all-time favorite. But I’ve never thought of making them when it’s cold outside until I came up with the idea for these Hot Moroccan Carrots.

Recipe Highlights

  • These harissa carrots come together in less than 30 minutes!
  • You can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge for the week.
  • It’s a side dish that pairs well with lots of different main courses. Serve alongside chicken, beef, or even shrimp

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Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Spicy Moroccan Carrots in a serving bowl and on a plate
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • Carrots: I used unpeeled carrots for this recipe, although you can peel them if desired. Try to buy organic for the best flavor.
  • Spices: Ground cumin, ground coriander, dry harissa (see ingredient note) and ground turmeric
  • Lemon Juice
  • Curly Parsley: You could also use flat Italian parsley as well.
  • Kosher Salt
  • Garlic: Freshly chopped garlic cloves is best for this recipe, however, you could use pre-chopped or garlic paste if you’re in a pinch. Try to avoid using garlic powder in this instance.
Spicy Moroccan Carrots in a saute pan

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make These Spicy Moroccan Carrots

Step 1: Cook carrots

What I decided to do was to slowly saute the carrots in oil in a skillet for about 12 to 15 minutes. I wanted them to soften gradually, and not become mushy. I also wanted a bit of caramelization on a few pieces to bring out the natural sweetness. And if I’m going to be totally honest, that just seemed like the coziest way to make them.

Step 2: Cook garlic

Since this is a hot recipe and the carrots were already in the skillet, I opted to cook the garlic instead of making a raw garlic paste. To do that I just cleared a bit of pan, and let the oil pool into the cleared spot. Then I sautéed the chopped garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then I stirred it into the carrots. Tricky huh?

Step 3: Season carrots

I waited until the very end to add the spices so that they bloom in the hot oil but don’t burn. I added harissa to the spices too because I love the heat and it makes such a bold pop of flavor with the cumin and garlic. I cooked the spices until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then I finished the harissa carrots off with lemon juice and parsley. The results are so good. And the left-overs are great heated up for lunch.

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a close up of Hot Moroccan Carrots in a spoon

FAQs and Expert Tips

Storing instructions:

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.

Make-ahead:

These make a wonderful left-over side dish for lunch! Make them a day in advance (or 2) and store them in the fridge until ready to reheat. You could also eat them cod if desired!

How to reheat:

Reheat the carrots in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave until just heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir halfway through.

Variations to try:

I’ve made these harissa carrots with rainbow carrots as well and the dish came out so beautiful. You could also experiment by adding other seasonings such as freshly grated ginger and chopped cilantro.

If you like sweetness, you could also try adding in a drizzle of maple syrup!

What is harissa spice?

Dry harissa is a blend of hot peppers, paprika, and other herbs and other spices such as caraway, mint and cumin. I used Teeny Tiny Spice Co Organic harissa. But Frontier also makes it. You can also substitute harissa paste or cayenne to taste.

Additional Recipes to Try

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Hot Moroccan Carrots | Side Dish | Vegan | Gluten Free | Dairy Free | Winter | Healthy Seasonal Recipes | Katie Webster

Hot Moroccan Carrots

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

These hot Moroccan carrots are similar to my classic healthy Moroccan Carrots, in that they are bright and acidic and flavored with garlic, cumin and parsley.
These Hot Moroccan carrots however are served, you guessed it, hot! Plus they have an added spicy kick from harissa.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch slices (about 6 cups)
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon dry harissa* see ingredient note
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ cup chopped curly parsley

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and salt, and cook stirring occasionally until the carrots are crisp-tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
  2. Push carrots to one side of the skillet, leaving an open area of the skillet. Tilt skillet until oil pools in open area of the skillet. Add garlic to the oil and allow garlic to sizzle in the oil until fragrant and starting to brown in spots, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir into the carrots.
  3. Sprinkle cumin, coriander, harissa and turmeric over the carrots, and stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice and cook, stirring constantly until the lemon is mostly evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in parsley. Serve hot or warm.

Notes

Cooking Note: Dry harissa is a blend of hot peppers, paprika, and other herbs and other spices such as caraway, mint and cumin. I used Teeny Tiny Spice Co Organic harissa. But Frontier also makes it. You can also substitute harissa paste or cayenne to taste.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 17 minutes
  • Category: Side dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2/3 cup
  • Calories: 83
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Sodium: 407 mg
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 8 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 1 g

Keywords: Moroccan carrots,carrots with harissa,spicy carrots

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Hot moroccan carrots in a metal bowl overhead
Moroccan Carrots photo collage with text overlay