Carrot Salad with Aleppo Chickpeas & Date Vinaigrette

I love it when a salad is inspired by cake. And that’s exactly what happened with this Carrot Salad with Aleppo Chickpeas & Date Vinaigrette! It was inspired by carrot cake…and before you call me crazy, just trust me, it works.

The salad itself is savory (NOBODY PANIC), but it enlists some flavors that we know and love in carrot cake, while taking them and pairing them with a few other flavors that make it make a little more *sense*. Think: the cinnamon of carrot cake, but we pair it with cumin and Aleppo to make it spicier and more flavorful. Then I took inspiration from the raisins in carrot cake to make this sweet date vinaigrette.

See? Inspiration, but not direct copy-and-paste. Plus, it makes this recipe insanely flavorful and impressive enough to serve to friends, or just keep all for yourself. And don’t worry, no one has to know it was inspired by carrot cake.

The ingredients for this carrot salad

As with all things raw vegetables, I usually encourage adding whatever veggies you have into the mix! But for this carrot salad, here are the vegetables I suggest:

For the carrot salad

• 3 large carrots
• 5 medium scallions
• 1/2 medium red onion

For the date vinaigrette

• 2 large medjool dates, pitted
• 1 lemon, for zest and juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients you’ll need for the spicy chickpea crumble topping

The chickpea topping is the first thing we prep when starting this carrot salad with Aleppo chickpeas. It’s simple, it just needs a bit of chopping and time in the oven! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup raw pistachios, shells removed
• 1/4 cup raw walnuts
• 1 teaspoon each of ground coriander, cumin, and Aleppo pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

The secret to getting the most crisp carrot salad

Carrots themselves are naturally a crispy veggie, and the other vegetables I added alongside it – namely red onion and scallion – are crisp as well. The thing is, when you thinly slice these vegetables, they can tend to get drab and floppy pretty quickly.

My number one tip to keep your carrot salad crisp is to soak your scallions and red onion in ice water if you have the time. You could also add in the carrots, but if they aren’t super thinly sliced, they can be a bit tough to chew. But, for the red onion and scallions, it’s a total game changer. It mellows them, makes them sweeter, and makes your whole salad more crisp!

How to assemble this carrot salad with date vinaigrette

Once the chickpeas are in the oven, that’s the best time to start the carrot salad! It will save you time and streamline the process.

To start the salad, use a julienne peeler (or any peeler you have) to grate the carrots into a large bowl.

Slice the scallions on a sharp angle and thinly slice the red onion. If you have time, soak these in an ice bath for a few minutes before adding them to the carrots. This will make them mellow and wonderfully crisp.

How to prepare the date vinaigrette for this salad

Now that the vegetables are ready, you can use a small bowl to prepare the date vinaigrette!

1. First, finely chop the dates and add them to the bowl. Zest half the lemon and squeeze in all the lemon juice. Grate in the garlic cloves and season with a large pinch of salt.
2. Add the olive oil and vinegar and mix. Season with the Aleppo pepper flakes, then add salt and pepper to taste.
3. When the salad is ready to assemble, add the scallions and red onion in with the carrots, then add the date vinaigrette and toss.

How to prepare this salad ahead of time

If you’re a meal prepper, or just a general prepper, this salad is great to make ahead of time.

To do this, I suggest making all three components of the salad separately:

• First, cook the chickpeas and nuts. These can store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
• Second, slice and prep your vegetables. You can add these to the fridge and they will keep for up to 4 days.
• Lastly, make the date vinaigrette. If you want to blend it, even better! It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Then you can just assemble the salad when you need it!

Tips for storing this carrot salad

But wait, if you’ve already combined the elements – i.e., dressed the salad, thrown on the chickpeas, etc. – do not fear! Just toss it all in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days, but after that the carrots tend to get a little mad at you. But, it’s worth keeping for leftovers all the same!

Other suggestions for how to use the crumbled chickpea topping

Now depending on your verve for crunch, you might have a bit of the chickpea topping leftover. Let’s count this as a good thing! I personally love to use it on salads like my famous Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or even on a pasta like this spring pea version.

But if you are looking for something more bare-bones, I also love to use it on things like:

• Avocado Toast
• Eggs
• Shakshuka (so….more eggs!)
• On top of ricotta with a bit of olive oil as a savory snack
• On any raw vegetable salad you’re also prepping

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.

Looking for recipes similar to this carrot salad with Aleppo chickpeas?

We do love salads on this blog. Here are a few other salad recipes that have been giving me life lately:

And that’s it for this Carrot Salad with Aleppo Chickpeas & Date Vinaigrette!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3