May 12, 2016
(last updated April 14, 2021) 
These spice roasted carrot lentil tacos are a hearty, wholesome vegan meal! You won’t miss the meat with these nutritious fillings.
These roasted carrot lentil tacos make for such a flavorful, plant-based meal!
I’ve been eating a lot of soft taco meals lately. They’re a super easy vehicle for veggies and for different vegan proteins. It’s fun to come up with creative toppings (even if my usual default is simply to smother them with cashew queso sauce).
These cumin roasted carrot lentil tacos are a departure from my usual toppings (refried beans, guac) in that they feature harissa, as well as cumin, smoked paprika, and coriander. The flavor profile is spicy and savory.
Crafting a perfect vegan taco
There are many different ways to create a hearty filling for vegan tacos. One is to use tofu, tempeh, or seitan for vegan meat replacement. Another is to use veggies that deliver a lot of texture and chew, like crispy cauliflower or mushrooms. I’ve stuffed my tacos with roasted sweet potato and barbecue zucchini. And I really like loading them up with my slow cooker chipotle lentils.
These tacos also rely on lentils as a cheap, nutritious plant protein source. But they also incorporate crispy, cumin-dusted roasted carrots. Carrots may not come to mind as a traditional taco ingredient, but I’m really impressed with the heartiness they add to this dish. They pair perfectly with the spice blend and the lentil/red onion combination. Slivers of creamy avocado complete the dish, adding healthful fats and a flash of beautiful, bright color.
These roasted carrot lentil tacos are part of my year-long celebration of the International Year of Pulses. The UN has named 2016 the year of pulses in recognition of beans, lentils, and dry peas as a sustainable, affordable protein source. I welcome all of you to take the Pulse Pledge with me. It’s a low-key commitment to eating pulses once a week for at least ten weeks this calendar year! I know it’s not usually hard for plant-based eaters to squeeze in pulses, but this challenge can still serve as a fun and friendly reminder.
And if you’re looking for a bold, flavorful recipe to start your pledge with, I recommend starting here!
Cumin Roasted Carrot and Lentil Tacos
Author –Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dry green or brown lentils (substitute 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, or 1 drained and rinse can of lentils)
- 1 pound peeled and trimmed carrots (about 8 carrots)
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon harissa spice blend
- Coarse salt
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, plus extra for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 corn or whole wheat soft tacos
- 2 large Hass avocados
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Half or quarter the carrots (depending on how wide they are), then cut them into 1-inch long pieces. Place them in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, the coriander, smoked paprika, and the harissa. Toss well to combine. Transfer the carrots to a foil or parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until the carrots are very tender and a little crispy.
- While the carrots roast, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add the red onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and clear. Add the lentils, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, the chili powder, lime juice, and salt. Stir to combine everything and heat the lentils up (about 1-2 minutes). Turn off the heat.
- Toast the tortillas gently over an open oven burner (about 1 minute per side). Alternately, you can wrap them in foil and place them in a 350F degree oven for about 5 minutes prior to taco assembly.
- To assemble tacos, place 1/4 cup lentil mixture, a handful of roasted carrots, and a few avocado slices in each taco. Top with an extra squeeze of lime juice, if desired. Fresh, chopped parsley makes a nice accompaniment, too. Enjoy.
If lentils aren’t your pulse of choice, feel free to try roasted chickpeas, kidney beans, or pinto beans in the recipe instead. You can also add some additional vegetables to your tray of carrots before roasting. I’d love to add mushrooms to the recipe sometime soon.
I hope you give these wholesome carrot lentil tacos a try soon. If you make them, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
xo
This post was created in partnership with the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council. Opinions are my own. Thank you for your continued support! To learn more about the Pulse Pledge and find more bean, lentil, and dry pea recipes, visit www.pulsepledge.com.
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Categories: Recipes,
Enchiladas & Tacos
Method: Oven, Stovetop
Ingredients: Lentils
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Method: Oven, Stovetop
Ingredients: Lentils
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Leave a Comment
I can’t wait to try the lentil filling! Black beans are always my go-to for tacos, so this will be a nice change! Gorgeous pictures, Gena.
Just made these! OMG good and so easy!
Will definitely make them again.
I’m not vegan/vego but have 2 meat free days per week.
I thought the same about using sweet potato
Thanks for a great recipe!
OMGosh this is so incredible! I have the worst luck roasting carrots – these are perfectly tender and the flavor MMMM!!!! Plus, it came together really quickly!
I ended up putting mine over brown rice and it was perfectly filling, satisfying, and so damn flavorful!
I made these for diner tonight. So delicious!! I made cashew cheese to go with it and added pickled jalapeños and habaneros. Will be making again! I’ve been roasting carrots the past few months but never thought to put them in a burritto!
Yum! Your additions sound fantastic. So glad you enjoyed the meal.
I made this tonight (replaced lentils with chickpeas) and topped with pickled onions, radishes, and tomato salsa. Sooooo good, as always!!
Hooray, Hannah! Thanks for telling me!
Thanks for the recipe.
In Mexico and especially with poorer Mexican families, vegan and vegetarian tacos are quite normal. I ate them often prepared by my mother. They were made with potatoes, zuchinni, squash blossoms, corn, slices of poblano and jalapeño peppers, all combined in different ways and with many different types of simple, tasty salsas, quite a few of them raw. Some even included peanuts and pumpkin seeds. 🙂
I love the idea of a peanut salsa! Thank you for sharing.
I LOVE these! Such a great idea, I am definitely going to try them out xo
Gena, this recipe is truly inspired! I love the food and flavor and spice combinations, and the photographs are exquisite! I will have to try a verson of this sometime. I love roasted carrots, and I bet they are great with cumin. Thanks!
These look almost too beautiful to eat! Almost… yum, lol!
Absolutely gorgeous! I’ve never heard of throwing carrots into a taco, but I LOVE the idea! Pinned for the next time a taco craving strikes 🙂
Ooh I’ve never tried carrots in tacos, but it looks amazing!! Thanks for the inspiration, Gena!! 😀
This has, like, all my favorite things!! Cooked carrots, tacos, & avocado!!! And lentils are awesome too. Gotta try these.
Yay for carrots in tacos! Last summer, some similarly spiced charred carrot and broccoli soft tacos were pretty big around here. I meant to post them but never got to it, and now you have me craving spicy carrot tacos again! I love your addition of lentils – these look so good!
Do you think the texture would be too mushy if I replaced the carrots with sweet potatoes?
Sincerely,
Sweet potato addict
Hey fellow sweet potato addict,
I think that sweet potatoes will be delicious and not too mushy, but I do personally love the bite and chew of the carrots here. If you do potatoes, it’ll just be a little different, and less texture contrast (but the added sweetness will be great). I’d cube them and roast them until they’re super crispy so that you do get good texture from them!
Hope you love it 🙂
G