Spiced Carrots and Dates Side Dish

Rich in flavor and vibrant in color, these spiced carrots and dates make a terrific vegetarian side dish for any occasion! Roasted carrot coins are tossed with sliced dates, pecans, and fresh mint, then drizzled in an olive oil dressing spiked with lemon juice, honey, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom.

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How is Easter is this weekend? I was totally on top of the other major food events this year, like Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day, but I seem to be a little behind on my recipes for Easter.

But just because I’m late on posting these spiced carrots and dates doesn’t mean you can’t still make them this weekend! This delicious dish dish is very easy to prepare, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

It’s just perfect for the beginning of spring, with bright orange carrot coins, fresh mint, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Some of the ingredients, like the dates, pecans, and cinnamon, are reminiscent of carrot cake. The combination makes for a fairly sweet side dish, but the sweetness isn’t overpowering. It’s overall a well-rounded recipe!

I think spiced carrots and dates would pair very nicely with your Easter ham or roast and would be a great addition to a brunch spread too. Check out some of my serving suggestions for this dish if you need ideas!

How to Make Spiced Carrots and Dates

For the full ingredients list and directions, scroll down to the recipe card. Here’s a preview of the steps!

1. Roast the carrot coins until tender.
2. In the meantime, slice the dates, pecans, and mint. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
3. Combine the roasted carrots with the rest of the ingredients, and toss in the dressing until coated.

Expert Tips

• Preparation: For a pretty presentation, slice the carrots crosswise on an angle! To be honest, I always admired photographs of roasted carrots that were cut this way on other blogs. So I was very excited to try it out with this carrots and dates recipe! It’s a simple technique that adds some extra flair to a dish. Try to cut the carrots into roughly the same size to promote even cooking.
• Ingredient Tips: Tri-color carrots would be gorgeous in this dish, if you can find them. I recommend purchasing pitted dates so that you don’t have to remove the pits yourself. You can usually find them by the nuts and dried fruit in the grocery store. Keep the dates in the refrigerator to make them easier to slice.
• Substitutions: Feel free to substitute walnuts or another type of nut or seed for the pecans. To make this dish vegan, use maple syrup in place of the honey. I made the spiced dressing with cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom. If you don’t have cardamom on hand, add a little more cinnamon.
• Prep Ahead and Storage: This dish keeps very well in the fridge, so it can be made ahead of time. I recommend making it no longer than 24 hours in advance though. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Spiced carrots and dates can be enjoyed warm or cold.

What to Serve with Carrots and Dates

This easy recipe makes a great side dish for Easter brunch or dinner. For brunch, it would pair well with the Easy Broccoli and Cheese Egg Bake, Baked Brown Rice Risotto with Asparagus, Prosecco and Carrot Juice Cocktails, Marinated Celery Salad, and the Mini Cucumber Sandwiches with Dill Cream Cheese.

More Carrot Side Dishes

If you love this easy recipe, check out some of my other side dishes:

• Carrot Raisin Salad with Pineapple
• Roasted Asparagus and Carrots
• Dill and Maple Roasted Carrots
• Herbed Carrot and Swede Mash
• Carrot and Celery Soup with Thyme Pecan Crumble

I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

📖 Recipe

Happy Easter weekend! – Lizzie