This carrot, walnut & red lentil hummus is a nutritional powerhouse of a dip. Lentils offer a nice boost of protein while brain-boosting walnuts lend plant-based omega-3s, vitamin E, and folate.
Nutty.
Spiced.
Savory.
Protein-packed.
Spreadable.
Subtly sweet.
Satisfying.
This Carrot, Walnut & Red Lentil Hummus is all that and a bag of chips (or at least you’ll need a bag of chips).
Or a loaf of rye bread. Mmhmm, rye bread works great too.
Full disclosure: I probably should have shared this recipe before the summer heat took hold because it involves roasting. But weather appropriate, schmeather appropriate. I couldn’t imagine waiting 3 months for the crisp fall weather to emerge, so I’m gently bending the rules and sharing it with you now.
Besides, aside from the roasting, this swoon-worthy dip is totally summer appropriate. It’s absolutely delicious served chilled with an array of crisp, refreshing crudités and that warm shade of golden-orange might as well be called “Summertime Sunshine”, don’t you think?
To make it, you’ll start with the steamy stuff. Carrots are tossed in olive oil, curry powder, sea salt, and black pepper and roasted until tender and golden-brown.
As the carrots roast, you’ll cook up 1/2 cup of red lentils. The great thing about red lentils is how speedily they cook, requiring just 10–15 minutes of simmer time until they’re tender. As they simmer, you’ll pan-toast 1/4 cup of raw walnuts for a quick 5–7 minutes.
Once the carrots and lentils are ready, you’ll add them to a food processor along with olive oil, cilantro, tahini, fresh lemon juice, a clove of garlic, ground coriander, sea salt, cumin, cayenne pepper (for a kick), and black pepper. You’ll process all that goodness until just about smooth and then add the toasted walnuts and pulse to chop and weave them throughout the dip.
Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and top with chopped cilantro, parsley, and pepitas, if desired. Then, serve it as is or chill it down for those extra toasty summer days.
This dip offers a nice boost of protein thanks to the lentils. Plus, walnuts are a good source of plant-based omega-3s, vitamin E, and folate and are often hailed as one of the top brain-boosting foods. Have your hummus and feel good too.
Carrot, Walnut & Red Lentil Hummus
Ingredients
- 4 medium carrots, washed, ends trimmed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 cup uncooked red lentils, thoroughly rinsed
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, tough stems removed, plus more for garnishing if desired
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
- 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, plus more for seasoning the carrots
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley, for garnishing (optional)
- Pepitas, for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add the carrots to the lined baking tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with the curry powder, and lightly season with sea salt and black pepper. Toss to coat.
- Roast the carrots in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until fork-tender and golden brown, tossing about halfway through baking.
- Meanwhile, combine the lentils and water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Strain off excess water.
- Add the walnuts to a large skillet and toast over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until wafting a warm toasted scent, swirling the pan occasionally to prevent burning. Set aside.
- Add the roasted carrots, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and cooked lentils to a food processor along with the cilantro, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to taste. Process for 1 to 2 minutes or until mostly smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the toasted walnuts and pulse 15 times to chop and incorporate. You want to maintain some texture and for there to be small yet visible walnut pieces. Taste and season with more sea salt and black pepper, if desired.
- Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro, parsley, and pepitas if desired. Serve with crackers, fresh veggies, or warm pita bread.
This hummus is so my kinda thing! I could probably devour this whole delicious bowl!!!
Hope you have the chance to make it, Tori!
omg this looks absolutely amazing!!! I love the color of the hummus so much and the pictures are lovely :D
Thanks so much, Anne!
Yum! This looks delicious! I am fascinated by the combination of ingredients. I will definitely be making this soon.
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it!
Wonderful recipe, thank you so much! I am in total agreement…great ingredient combination!
You’re welcome and thank you, Pam! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
fantastic
Thanks, Eliza!
Hello! This hummus looks and sounds amazing. I really want to make it but my only problem is finding cilantro. I live in Italy and it’s extremely rare to find (once in five years kinda rare), so can I either substitute it with dry cilantro or something else or just omit it altogether? It’s such a distinctive flavor I would hope it wouldn’t ruin the overall tastiness if it’s missing.
Hi, DeAnna! Great question (also, love, love, love Italy). You could certainly use dried cilantro (much less of it, of course), but I’d actually recommend making it without the cilantro first (omitting it altogether) and seeing how you like it. You can always add it if you feel that it needs a boost of flavor, but it’s actually quite flavorful without it. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy! p.s. I’m so sorry for my slow response time—I was out of the country on vacation for the last three weeks and just returned last night.
Made this today for a group of 20 of us as part of a middle eastern lunch spread…. it was fantastic! Thanks
Made this for our New Year’s Day party and it was a total hit! The toasted walnuts add extra flavour and crunch to an already delicious blend of savoury flavours. One could serve this with a drizzle of pumpkinseed oil, too, for a different experience.
I thought about making a dip with carrots and walnuts and searched the Internet to see if anybody had tried something similar. This page was the first search result.
I tried the recipe (without garlic) and it tastes really good. Lentils are a good idea and a nice alternative to chickpeas or beans.
A few notes from my experience:
• I think my carrots must have been a lot thicker than yours because they weren’t at all soft after even 40 minutes. It wasn’t really a problem – the end result is still good – but I’ll try smaller chunks next time to save time and energy costs.
• I put the walnuts in the same pan as the carrots 5 mins before taking the carrots out, as it seemed easier.
• The end result was pretty thick. Next time I’ll drain the lentils less well so there’s a bit more moisture.
• If I have carrots with their leaves still attached next time I try this recipe, I will try chopping up some of the leaves in place of the parsley. The taste is supposed to be similar.
Hi, Jamie! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you for taking the time to share your notes and future adjustment ideas. Very helpful for me and for others, too. Happy cooking!
Hi Ashley!
Greetings from sunny Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I really enjoy reading your blog for inspiration and to relax at the end of the day after my two year old is asleep.
I’d love to make this hummus for my boyfriend; however, he is allergic to walnuts (& pecans). Would toasted sunflower seeds or raw hemp hearts work in lieu if the walnuts? Or, can you recommend other nuts or seeds?
Hi, Laurie! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the blog—thanks for taking the time to share kind words. It means so much.
I think toasted sunflower seeds will work just fine as a substitute for the walnuts in this recipe. I’d love to know how it goes if you end up making the swap and have time to come back and share!
Omg this was amazing. I only substituted the cilantro with parsley and the rest was history. So good!
Made this recipe tonight and loved it! Used baby carrots and whole carrots due to size of our whole carrots. We spread it on a tostada with roasted cauliflower, parsley, goat cheese, and avocado toppings.
So glad you enjoyed it, Diana! Thanks for taking time out of your evening to come back and share your thoughts—means so much.
Hey! Recipe looks great – just wondering your thoughts on subbing out the walnuts for hazelnuts?
Thanks, Stef! I think that should work just fine. Obviously a different twist on the flavor, but texture wise should be good. Enjoy!
I used hazelnuts instead and it was delicious! Will be making again for sure! How long would leftovers last would you say?
Hi, Stef! Happy to hear the recipe worked well with hazelnuts. When stored in an airtight container, leftovers will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I find this recipe is usually best on day two once the flavors have had a chance to meld.
Oh my GOSH this recipe is AWESOME!! Made it for the first time tonight (made a double batch because I could tell my husband and I would love it), and I know it will become a staple in our kitchen! (I didn’t have walnuts, so I toasted pecans instead.) We made lettuce wraps out of them. We have rather recently transitioned to a Plant-Based Diet, and finding fabulous, super-healthy recipes like this is so exciting! :)
This is wonderful to hear, Nancy! So glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe. Also great to know that it worked well with pecans. Can see that being a really lovely substitute for the walnuts here. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback and modifications—means a lot to me and is helpful for others planning to make the recipe, too. Happy plant-based cooking to you!