Za’atar Maple Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas

Quick and easy Za’atar Maple Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas, perfect for when you’re short on time and ingredients. Serve with fluffy rice and an herby yogurt sauce for a complete meal in 30 minutes.

Close up of a large bowl of rice, roasted chickpeas and chickpeas and a side of herby yogurt.

I’ve had a lot of traveling this past week. As a result, I haven’t done much shopping and the ingredients in this recipe were literally the only things I had to work with at home. Some how, even with the simplicity, this meal rocked my world.

This shouldn’t be a surprise for me because simple throw together meals like this Herby Avocado White Bean Salad are my general go to meal. So now, this recipe is also added to the list.

Why You’ll Love These Za’atar Maple Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas

  • Simple to put together. No crazy additional steps needed for this recipe. We’re just roasting carrots and chickpeas in the oven and serving with some rice and a yogurt sauce you can whisk together in a small bowl.
  • Minimal ingredients. This whole dish with the sauce requires just 10 ingredients plus salt and oil. How we combine and cook those ingredients brings out all the flavor.
  • Affordable. Putting the focus on chickpeas and carrots helps to make this dish incredibly affordable.
Bowl of chickpeas, two large carrots, salt and za'atar placed on a light blue cutting board.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas to make this faster. Feel free to cook fresh chickpeas yourself. You can also swap out the chickpeas for a different bean like white beans or butter beans.
  • Carrots: I used thick chunky carrots for this. They were about 1 inch thick. If your carrots are thinner, just watch to make sure they don’t burn. They may need less time in the oven.
  • Za’atar: This is a Middle Eastern spice blend made with dried sumac and toasted sesame seeds. Due to its popularity, the blend is now widely available, even in local grocery stores within the spice aisle. Brands like McCormick carry this blend, and you can even find it at your local Walmart.
  • Maple Syrup: This is added to the end. You can adjust how much or little you wish to use. This can also work with other liquid sweeteners like agave syrup.
  • Lemon: This helps add some more freshness, so do use a fresh lemon as you do need the zest.
  • Yogurt: I have my go to plant-based yogurts. Usually the ones I go for are Forager Project’s Plain Unsweetened Cashew Yogurt or Silk’s Unsweetened Soy Yogurt. If I have the option between the two, I like to use the soy yogurt for some added protein.
  • Miso Paste: I used white miso, but yellow miso also works. This will add some umami flavor. If you don’t have it, you can also use a tablespoon of nutritional yeast and add additional salt as needed to taste.
  • Garlic: You just need one clove, preferably small as garlic can be very powerful in flavor. If you want a milder garlic flavor, opt for 1/2 tsp dry garlic powder instead.
  • Cilantro: It’s my favorite herb, but if you are not a fan of cilantro, try using parsley or dill.

How to Make Za’atar Maple Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas

Preheat oven to 425F and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Add your carrots to a mixing bowl and top with 1 tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoons of za’atar and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to coat then spread out into a single layer on one tray, making sure the carrots are placed cut side down.

Place your rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry to remove excess moisture. Discard any chickpea skins that fall off (no need to do all) then place the chickpeas in the same bowl and coat with the remaining oil, za’atar, garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat, then place the chickpeas on the other tray spreading them out into a single layer.

Place the carrots on the top rack and chickpeas on the bottom rack in the oven. Roast both trays for 30 minutes, while giving the chickpeas a toss half way through.

Meanwhile, prepare the herby sauce. To a small bowl add the herbs, grated garlic, zest and juice of half a lemon, the miso paste and a pinch of salt. Lightly mash the miso into the mixture until combined then fold in the yogurt and stir until fully incorporated. Adjust salt to taste then set aside.

Add the roasted chickpeas and carrots back to the original bowl used in the beginning then top with the remaining zest and lemon juice along with the maple syrup and toss to evenly coat.

Spread a dollop of the herby yogurt on your plate then top with the rice and the carrot chickpea mixture and serve.

Large bowl of herby yogurt topped with roasted carrots and chickpeas served with herby rice.

Expert Tips

  • Spread out your chickpeas and carrots on the baking tray. They should be spread out into a single layer with some space between to help everything roast evenly.
  • Adjust the maple to your liking. You can add more or less based on the taste of your carrots. Carrots that don’t taste as sweet can benefit from a little more of the maple syrup.
  • Swap the herbs. Feel free to play with other herbs you may prefer. This works well with a combo of parsley, dill and a small amount of mint.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this be made in advance?

Yes! Allow the chickpeas and carrot mixture time to cool then place in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can heat everything back up in the air-fryer, oven, pan or microwave for a few minutes just to warm them through.

How do I make this gluten-free?

This recipe is naturally gluten-free, so no modifications need to be made.

Side view of a bowl of roasted carrots and chickpeas over herby rice and yogurt sauce.

Make It a Complete Meal

I love serving this with rice, but to make it even more nutritious I like to add some extra bits to my rice. After cooking in a rice cooker, I will finely mince a handful of herbs and 2 leaves of kale, stems removed. Fold both into the warm rice and add a squeeze of your favorite citrus over top.

If you want to add more protein, I highly recommend this marinated tofu to top your bowls with.

For some extra crunch and tang, these pickled red onions are my favorite.

More Easy Chickpea Recipes

Large bowl of herby rice over a smear of herby yogurt and served topped with roasted chickpeas and carrots.
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Close up of a large bowl of rice, roasted chickpeas and chickpeas and a side of herby yogurt.

Za’atar Maple Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Roasting
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Quick and easy Za’atar Maple Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas, perfect for when you’re short on time and ingredients. Serve with fluffy rice and an herby yogurt sauce for a complete meal in 30 minutes.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and roughly chopped into 1 inch chunks
  • 1, 15 oz canned chickpeas. drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil or favorite neutral oil, divided
  • 3 tsp za’atar, divided
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup finely minced cilantro
  • 1 small clove of garlic, grated
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided
  • 1 tsp white miso paste
  • 1/2 cup plant-based unsweetened yogurt
  • 23 tsp maple syrup or to taste
  • Salt & pepper to taste

To Serve

  • Rice (in case you ask after my rice cooked I added a mix of leftover minced kale and cilantro along with leftover lime juice)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Add your carrots to a mixing bowl and top with 1 tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoons of za’atar and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to coat then spread out into a single layer on one tray, making sure the carrots are placed cut side down.
  2. Place your rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry to remove excess moisture. Discard any chickpea skins that fall off (no need to do all) then place the chickpeas in the same bowl and coat with the remaining oil, za’atar, garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat, then place the chickpeas on the other tray spreading them out into a single layer.
  3. Place the carrots on the top rack and chickpeas on the bottom rack in the oven. Roast both trays for 30 minutes, while giving the chickpeas a toss half way through.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the herby sauce. To a small bowl add the herbs, grated garlic, zest and juice of half a lemon, the miso paste, a teaspoon of maple syrup (optional) and a pinch of salt. Lightly mash the miso into the mixture until combined then fold in the yogurt and stir until fully incorporated. Adjust salt to taste then set aside.
  5. Add the roasted chickpeas and carrots back to the original bowl used in the beginning then top with the remaining zest and lemon juice along with the maple syrup and toss to evenly coat.
  6. Spread a dollop of the herby yogurt in your plate then top with the rice and the carrot chickpea mixture and serve.

Notes

Spread out your chickpeas and carrots on the baking tray. They should be spread out into a single layer with some space between to help everything roast evenly.

Adjust the maple to your liking. You can add more or less based on the taste of your carrots. Carrots that don’t taste as sweet can benefit from a little more of the maple syrup.

Swap the herbs. Feel free to play with other herbs you may prefer. This works well with a combo of parsley, dill and a small amount of mint.

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.

 Catherine

This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!

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