Roasted Carrot Couscous
on Mar 10, 2026
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Cumin, coriander and cinnamon give this roasted carrot couscous fantastic savory and spiced flavor. While the carrots roast, I quickly make the couscous with golden raisins. Then I combine the carrots and couscous with pistachios, parsley and chives. Each bite has something roasted and fresh. Serve this easy vegan recipe as a side dish or a main.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Pantry seasonings do the work. I use the same technique when I make this sheet pan roasted carrot and halloumi dinner. Cumin, cinnamon and coriander give the roasted carrots bold flavor that mixes in with the couscous and chickpeas.
This roasted veggie couscous has a great balance of roasted, pantry and fresh ingredients. Carrot season lasts from fall to winter to early spring. This is a root vegetable that I have on repeat because it plays well with lots of other ingredients, and that variety is so handy.
You can eat this couscous warm or at room temperature, and leftovers are great cold. I will even turn it into a salad and toss in baby arugula and crumbled feta along with a zesty lemon vinaigrette.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Carrots: If you can find them, rainbow carrots give the recipe so much color. Peel the carrots and then cut them on the diagonal into 1-inch wide slices. If the carrots are really thick, slice them in half lengthwise too. You can substitute with butternut squash, but you will need to increase the roasting time by 5-7 minutes.
- Couscous: Even though they look like grains, couscous is pasta made from semolina flour. It’s used in North African cuisine. You can substitute with quinoa to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Chickpeas: The recipe calls for a can of chickpeas. I take the time to pull of the skins after I rinse the chickpeas in a colander, so they don’t fall off into the couscous, but this is an optional extra step.
- Raisins give the spiced roasted carrots and couscous a touch of sweetness. This takes inspiration from stirring chopped apricots into a Moroccan vegetable tagine.
- Parsley and chives: These fresh herbs are important to give the couscous flavor. Minced chives are light and oniony along with the chopped parsley.
- Pistachios add nutty crunch to the couscous and carrots. You can substitute with chopped almonds or walnuts.
- Cumin, coriander, cinnamon, kosher salt and black pepper season the carrots. This mix is savory with a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon.
- Olive oil: You will need this for roasting the carrots.
How To Make This Roasted Carrot Couscous
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
1. Prep and season the carrots. Toss them with olive oil, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper. I do this right on a baking sheet and then spread them out.
2. Roast the carrots. Give them 20-25 minutes, tossing them about halfway through roasting. They should lightly brown on the edges and be tender in the middle.
3. Make the couscous. I take advantage of the hot water and put both the raisins and the couscous grains in a bowl. Then the raisins plump up. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring the couscous with a fork.
4. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Stir the roasted carrots, chickpeas, pistachios, parsley and chives into the couscous and raisins.
Serving
Adjust the serving size to approach this as a side or a main dish. It works with recipes with Mediterranean and North African flavors like this sweet potato & cauliflower soup, cauliflower apple salad or this orange fennel olive salad. You can add tofu. If you don’t need the couscous to be vegan, you can pair it with roasted chicken, shrimp or salmon.
Also check out this collection of my easy roasted vegetable recipes with tips, seasonal go-to ingredients and sheet pan favorites.
Roasted Carrot Couscous
Ingredients
For carrots
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch-wide slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Pinch of coriander
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For couscous
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- On a sheet pan, toss the carrots with olive oil, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Spread the carrots across a sheet pan into a single layer without overlapping.
- Roast the carrots for 20-25 minutes, flipping them over halfway through roasting, until the carrots are lightly browned on the edges and tender in the middle.
- Combine the couscous, raisins and boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Use a fork to comb through the couscous, breaking up any clumps.
- Fold the roasted carrots, chickpeas, pistachios, parsley and chives into the couscous.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe inspired me to break out of my recipe rut, so thank you for that!!! I only made a couple of slight modifications – I substituted red quinoa for the couscous, and since I am not a huge chive fan, substituted fresh mint to use along with the parsley. I also subbed diced dried apricots for the golden raisins (your reference to the Moroccan flavor profile inspired that choice!) Finally, I roasted brussel sprouts along with the carrots (just to add some vegetable variety, since I was using this as a main dish) and tossed the entire thing with wild red arugula and finished with a homemade lemon vinaigrette, as you had wisely suggested.
My only criticism of this recipe was that roasting the spiced veggies at 425 resulted in them being almost too charred to eat after 20 minutes! My fault for not checking the oven sooner, I guess, but still, that temperature seems way too high in my opinion – or perhaps my oven just runs hot? Just for folks to be aware – they may want to try a slightly lower temperature or alternatively, check their vegetables frequently for burning!
That all said, I LOVED this recipe and will definitely make it again!
Thanks for your wonderful and creative recipes! I am a big fan, even though I have never posted a review.
Thank you for sharing everything that you modified in the recipe. I will definitely try adding mint the next time I make it. Coincidentally, I had conversation with my mom about the raisins because she’s not a fan of them like I am. Dried apricots are a great alternative!