Turkish Roasted Carrot Salad with Yogurt and Walnuts Recipe
Sweet roasted carrots, thick garlicky yogurt, and crunchy nuts come together in a surprisingly addictive salad. In Turkey, similar dishes often appear as meze – small plates meant for sharing at the table. At home, it works great as a side dish for dinner or a light supper with a slice of bread.
This salad combines simple ingredients into a dish with layered textures and flavors: sweet caramelized carrots, tangy garlicky yogurt, and crunchy toasted nuts. Inspired by Turkish meze, it works both as a side and as a light main, and is easy to adapt with different spices and nuts.
Chef's tips
Use thick, full-fat yogurt so the sauce stays creamy and doesn’t turn watery when mixed with the warm carrots. Don’t skip toasting the nuts – it deepens their flavor and makes the salad much more aromatic. You can also roast the carrots a bit longer for more caramelization if you prefer a deeper, sweeter taste.
How to serve
Serve on a large platter as part of a meze-style spread with hummus, baba ghanoush, olives, and flatbread. As a side dish, it pairs well with grilled chicken, lamb, or baked fish. For a light meal, serve with warm pita or crusty sourdough bread and a simple green salad.
Ingredients
- carrot - 500 g
- olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- yogurt - 250 g
- garlic - 1 clove
- lemon - 0.5 pieces
- walnuts - 30 g
- dill - 2 tablespoons
- salt - 0.75 teaspoons
- black pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat).
- Peel the carrots and cut them into thick sticks or diagonal slices about 1 cm thick so they roast evenly.
- Transfer the carrots to a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with half of the salt, and mix thoroughly with your hands so every piece is coated in oil.
- Roast for 25–30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the carrots soften and are lightly browned on the edges.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: put the yogurt into a bowl, add the garlic pressed through a garlic press, the juice from half a lemon, the remaining salt, and the pepper. Mix and taste, adjusting the seasoning if needed.
- Roughly chop the walnuts and toast them in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Finely chop the dill.
- Let the roasted carrots cool slightly (they can still be warm), then mix them with half of the yogurt sauce and half of the dill.
- Transfer the salad to a plate or bowl, drizzle with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with the walnuts and the rest of the dill. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Storage
Sałatka po nocy w lodówce będzie bardziej miękka, ale nadal smaczna. Przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku, przed podaniem zamieszaj i ewentualnie posyp świeżym koperkiem.
