Spiced Roasted Carrot Dip
This super smooth and luscious spiced carrot dip is sweet and smoky in one delicious mouthful. Roasting the carrots brings out their natural sweetness, which pairs perfectly with Middle Eastern spices. Enjoy with your favourite cracker for the best snack!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the dip -
- 1 lb carrots (500g)
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 5 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup drained butter beans from a tin or jar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¾ cup aquafaba the liquid you drained from your butter beans
- 3 ice cubes or 3 tablespoons of ice water
To garnish (optional) -
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon dukkah
- 1 scallion (spring onion) chopped into thin strips lengthways and popped in a glass of water (this will make the strips curl up)
Instructions
- Roast the carrots.Heat your oven to 400℉ (200°C fan). Peel and chop your carrots into roughly even chunks. Add them to a large mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.Give everything a really good mix to coat the carrots. Lay out on a lined oven tray, in one layer. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until easily pierced with a fork and tender.
- Make the dip.Add the ¾ cup of aquafaba, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, 3 garlic cloves, the roasted carrots, 1 cup of butter beans, 1 teaspoon of salt and the 3 ice cubes into the bowl of your blender or food processor. Blitz on high until super smooth and creamy. If you’re not using ice cubes, drizzle in the ice water while the motor is running. If you want a super smooth result, the blitzing is going to take a while - give it 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides when needed to make sure it’s all blending evenly. If you find it’s getting stuck (this can happen depending on the power of your blender/food processor) add in a little more olive oil and aquafaba if you have some left (1 tablespoon at a time).
- Garnish and serve. Once the dip is looking super smooth and creamy, it's ready to serve. Transfer to a plate with a lip, or a bowl, and smooth out the top. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil and pomegranate molasses, then scatter over the dukkah and curly scallions. Enjoy with your favorite crackers, crudités or fresh bread.
PRO TIP: Add the liquid ingredients to your blender first - this will help the dip blend more easily.
Notes
The dip lasts really well - it will keep for 1 week in the fridge in a covered container. It's a great one to make ahead for parties or for using up throughout the week with meals.
If you find the dip is a little thick after blending, just add in a little more aquafaba, water or olive oil and blitz until you get the consistency you like. Start with 1 tablespoon and see how you go.
Enjoy with your favourite crisps or cracker - I love the dip with homemade baked pita chips or sourdough crackers. It's also a wonderful holiday starter served with a big pile of crudités or fresh bread. Try it with my easy no knead focaccia or soft garlic flatbreads.
This dip is also a great way to use up any leftover roasted carrots!
Nutrition
Serving: 150g