Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Crème Fraîche
This roasted carrot and farro recipe looks gourmet, but it's surprisingly easy to make! This is the perfect holiday vegetarian main dish.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
Can we talk about how beautiful those rainbow carrots are?! You are looking good today, carrots. This stunning roasted carrot dish features warm whole grains, protein-rich chickpeas, spiced pepitas and a light herbed crème fraîche sauce.
Don’t be intimidated by its gourmet looks—this recipe is simple to make once you get going. It has several different components, but none are complicated, and they come together beautifully.
This recipe is an absolutely lovely vegetarian option for your holiday table. Call it a main dish for the vegetarians and a side dish for everyone else. It’s also a well-balanced weeknight or special occasion dinner.
If this recipe looks familiar, it’s because it’s one of my all-time favorites. It even made it into my cookbook with a tahini sauce variation. Today, I’m sharing it again with updated photos and a video so you can watch how it all comes together.
Crème Fraîche Notes
Crème fraîche is basically a French version of sour cream. It’s a thick, cultured cream that offers lovely, rich flavor and a light tang.
You can use crème fraîche in recipes that call for sour cream or heavy cream, whether savory or sweet. It’s a great addition to soups because, unlike sour cream, it won’t curdle at high temperatures.
Crème fraîche is available at well-stocked grocery stores near the cheese. Vermont Creamery is the most common brand available. If you can’t find it, try my tahini option in the recipe notes, or you could likely substitute labneh, sour cream or even Greek yogurt.
Watch How to Make Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Creme Fraiche
Serving Suggestions
This is a well-rounded main dish, checking off the boxes for vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based protein. If you’re looking for a side dish, add a fresh green salad, like my Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas or Seasonal Spinach Salad with apple or pear.
Meal prep tip: Farro freezes well for later. You could easily double the amount of farro to save extra for later. Simply add enough water to cover the farro by several inches, and reserve half of the cooked farro for later. Let the extra farro cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer bag before freezing. It’s easy to tear off a portion later and microwave to defrost. I like to add warm farro to my salads, or use it as a base for an improvised bowl.
On a carrot kick?
Don’t miss these carrot recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Perfect Roasted Carrots
- Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup
- French Carrot Salad
- Roasted & Raw Carrot Salad with Avocado
- Chickpea Salad with Carrots and Dill
Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Crème Fraîche
This roasted carrot recipe looks gourmet, but it’s surprisingly easy to make! It would be a lovely dish on your holiday table or a great weeknight dinner on its own. Recipe yields 4 main dish servings to 8 side servings, depending on portions.
Ingredients
Farro and chickpeas
- 1 cup dried farro, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
Roasted carrots
- 1 pound slender heirloom carrots, scrubbed clean and patted dry (I didn’t peel mine)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
Spiced pepitas
- 3 tablespoons pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of cumin
- Pinch of chili powder
- Pinch of salt
Herbed crème fraîche
- ⅓ cup crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish
- 1 more tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- To cook the farro: In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed farro with at least three cups water (enough water to cover the farro by a couple of inches). Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender to the bite but still pleasantly chewy (pearled farro will take around 15 minutes; unprocessed farro will take 25 to 40 minutes). Drain off the excess water and return the farro to the pot. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix well, then add the chickpeas and stir to combine. Set aside, covered, until you’re ready to assemble.
- To roast the carrots: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and add the carrots. Drizzle them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper. Use your fingers to make sure the carrots are lightly and evenly coated in oil and spices. Roast for 20 to 35 minutes, until the carrots are easily pierced by a fork near the top of their stems. Roasting time will depend entirely on the size of your carrots. I removed some of the more slender carrots at 20 minutes and checked them at 5 minute intervals thereafter, removing the carrots as they were done.
- To toast the pepitas: In a small skillet over medium heat, warm ½ teaspoon olive oil until shimmering. Add the pepitas and generous pinches of cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pepitas are turning golden on the edges and starting to make little popping noises. Remove from heat to cool.
- To make the herbed crème fraîche, combine the crème fraîche, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, water, and a few dashes of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- To assemble the dish, pour the farro and chickpea mixture onto a large serving platter. Arrange the carrots in a single layer over the mixture. Drizzle herbed crème fraîche generously over the carrots, then sprinkle them with pepitas and one tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately or let the dish cool to room temperature (it’s good either way!).
Notes
Make it gluten free: Substitute brown rice and/or wild rice for the farro, adjusting the cooking method/time accordingly.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Lemony tahini sauce with parsley is great here, too. Mix together ⅓ cup tahini, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then thin it out with 3 to 4 tablespoons water. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Those rainbow carrots are gorgeous. So is this entire dish! What a feast for the eyes, nose and taste buds!
Thank you, Amy!
I realize this recipe was posted years ago, but I just came across it and made it tonight for dinner. It was AMAZING! Such a complete dish. There are so many different flavors and textures, it’s wonderful. Our whole family loved it and it will for sure be added to our rotation. Thanks for creating such an interesting vegetarian dish!
Oh, this looks so good and so tasty. I am always on the lookout for different ideas with veggies and this is great !!! :-).
This sounds absolutely delicious. I don’t find rainbow carrots in any grocery store in my area (on the border with Mexico), but I’m sure regular carrots would work fine. It also sounds like my whole milk Greek yogurt would work in place of the creme fraiche – another ingredient I doubt I’ll find here – based on your flavor description.
Thanks, Susan! Yes, regular carrots work great. I’d choose the slimmer carrots in your bunch for this dish. Great idea to substitute Greek yogurt! Sour cream would work, too.
Isn’t this beautiful? I made something like this a while back with lemony millet and a black garlic yogurt (inspired by a dish from Top with Cinnamon) , but I LOVE how you spiced the pepitas and used farro with chickpeas. I adore products from Vermont Creamery, but I have yet to try their creme fraiche! You’ve inspired me!
Thank you, Emily! I’m really intrigued by your dish now.
I’ll loving roasted vegetables right now! Creme Fraiche is new to me. Not sure if I could find it in stores in my area – I’ve never seen it before. Definitely going out to look for it.
Me too, all the roasted vegetables I can get! I’ve found creme fraiche at the well-stocked grocery stores near me, so I hope you can find it, too! Look for a bright pink, sour cream-sized container near the gourmet/deli cheese section.
I love creme fraiche- I make my own and it’s super simple. I love how elegant this dish looks, and I bet it tastes amazing.
I LOVE Rainbow Carrots! This looks so delicious! :)
I love roasting carrots with cumin; so smoky and yummy for fall. I’ve never used creme fraiche on carrots but looks delicious.
Looks delicious! And it was really surprising for me to read creme fraiche is apparently a very European thing? I love the creaminess and slightly sour taste, also melts wonderful to make the most creamy sauces with (not very healthy but really tasty). Your dish looks divine and so autumn-y, and love the black bowl and cutlery you use!
Thanks, Evelyn! Yes, I think crème fraîche is super common in Europe, but relatively unknown over here.
These carrots are gorgeous! I’ve wanted to roast whole carrots for years now, but… Somehow I never got around to it. I guess I forgot about them when I spotted Brussels sprouts in the produce section, or butternut squash, or any other more “exotic” (well, to me!) vegetable. And I still have yet to try colored carrots — I’ve only ever had the orange ones! Your photos are gorgeous and make the carrots look so tempting. I’d easily make a meal out of them!
Thanks, Amy! Roasted carrots are so good. Hope you’ll throw some carrots in the oven soon!
Three cheers for rainbow carrots! I feel similarly about not being able to look away
This looks and sounds divine!! When I first moved to Holland I was so confused by the almost total lack of sour cream and vast abundance of crème fraîche… but I am 100% sold. Love the idea of serving it with roasted carrots!
Thanks, Sophie! I’d feel so fancy if I were eating crème fraîche in Holland! :)
Kate, your photography is always lovely, but, I mean, these photos….SO BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you, Sarah!
Holy smokes! I love roasted carrots. Not to be that person (you know, that person), but when you cook them with enough love, they are kinda like french fries. Those farro chickpeas and that OMG creme fraiche just upped the awesomeness quotient.
Can’t wait to try this one out!
You are so right, they are absolutely gorgeous carrots – both the colours and the wrinkly roasted skins! (and the mini-ness!). Love how you paired them with farro and the parsley creme fraiche for a slightly middle-eastern twist – so healthy and filling! <3
Hey there, I just wanted to say I’ve missed you! Havne’t heard from you in a while in the seasonal group. Hope you are doing well and was just thinking of you today. This recipe sounds perfectly fall :) Becky
Hi Becky! Great to hear from you. I seem to always miss those Facebook notifications. Hope you are doing well!
This is dish is gorgeous. Love how well it presents so well and seems simple to make! And a delicious way to eat farro.
I have been using farro mixed into oats and just love it! I bet it tastes delightful with roasted carrots too. Thanks for the inspiration!
All of your recipes are so beautiful and easy to make! I really appreciate the creative way you combine healthy ingredients. These pictures are so pretty they could be framed!
Thank you, Jessie! :)
These are the supermodels of the carrot world. How on earth did you get the most beautiful root veggies I’ve ever seen? Stunning pictures, lady :)
This is a wonderful and hearty main course. My 17-year-old son said I should make it again, so this is a two thumbs up review. I enjoyed the leftovers today over a handful of arugula.
Thank you, Jennifer! So glad you all enjoyed it. I bet arugula was a lovely addition.
I’ve been stalking your website for a year now and cooking your delicious and perfect recipes and never once saying thanks….. so this is long over due. This recipe (like all the others) is amazing. Thank you!
I’m so glad to know you’ve been cooking along, Terra! Thank you for saying hello. Glad you enjoyed this one!
Made this last night (along with your lemony roasted potatoes) and it was amazing! Having leftovers today at work. LOVE the simple crème fraiche + parsley dressing.
Thank you, Mandy! So glad you loved it!
Thank you for this tasty recipe! I made this for dinner last night and it was satisfying with all of the different textures, nutritious and a wonderful way to enjoy roasted carrots. The creme fraiche was an extra treat and a great excuse to buy that decadent cheese! I also appreciated that it was easy to pull together on a weeknight.
Thank you so much, Lauren! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed this one!
What a great recipe! I do have a basic question–Do you peel the carrots or roast them with the peel on?
Hi Tracy! I didn’t peel my carrots. I just bought organic carrots, scrubbed them clean and patted them dry.
This was so delicious… I kind of want to eat it for dinner every night! I love all your recipes. Keep up the strong work.
Happy to hear it, Hillary! Thank you. :)
Hi Kate, thanks for this amazing recipe, can’t wait to try it! I have the same question as Kate – do we peel the carrots before roasting them? Also I’d like to add some kale for leafy greens, how would you suggest I do with the kale, raw or something else? Thanks so much!
Hi Desira! No, I didn’t peel my carrots. I just bought organic carrots, scrubbed them clean and patted them dry. You could peel them if you’d rather. Kale sounds like a great idea. I would just chop up a couple cups’ worth of kale into little, bite-sized pieces (discard the tough stems), sprinkle them with salt and “massage” them for a few seconds… meaning scrunch them up in your hands until they’re fragrant and more palatable… then toss that into the warm farro mixture with the chickpeas.
What a stunning dish! I would love to make this as a vegetarian main for Thanksgiving. A total show stopper! Thanks for the inspiration :)
I just made this, wonderful recipe. I made the vegan version, thanks for adding that. It’s great recipe.
Thank you, Yvette! Glad to hear it!
I’m new to your website. So excited to try some of your other recipes. I made this tonight, almost exactly as written, but I chopped the carrots up in large chunks instead of roasting whole. The whole family was WILD for it, and we all declared it a success! I’ll definitely make this again. Thanks!
Hi Beth! Thank you for saying hello. I’m so glad you all enjoyed this dish and hope you enjoy my other recipes just as much!
You have inspired me to start cooking…I made this recipe a few weeks ago for the family – so delicious and such a great presentation that it is going to be a side dish for thanksgiving this year. I’m going to try the tahini version this time though to make it dairy free…thanks for all of these amazing recipes that I can actually make!
Jess
Yay! Thank you, Jessica!
Kate, you are helping my family make the switch from full on meat-eaters to semi-vegetarians. Thanks for recipes that are not scary to non-vegetarians :). I live in a small town and can’t get farro. What could I use instead, and how would you change the cooking times or procedure if you used something different? I have quinoa and barley. Would either of those work? Thanks!
Hooray, that’s great to hear! Either of those will work but barley would be closest in texture and flavor. I think you can just combine 1 cup rinsed barley with at least 3 cups of water in a pot, bring it to boil and then simmer it until it’s tender (that might take close to an hour).
I made these carrots for Thanksgiving, and they were my favorite dish of the day. The sweetness of the carrots with the creamy sauce and nutty flavor of the farro made for a great combination. And overall it was an easy dish to make. I found the farro, crème fraiche and colorful carrots at Whole Foods.
So glad you enjoyed this one, Rachel! Thank you. :)
Made this for dinner tonight with roasted salmon, big hit! Everyone loved it. Fabulous recipe, thank you so much for sharing!
I made this with Christmas dinner and wow this was certainly my signature dish! It was scrumptious and so pretty. I was so intrigued by it, I had to make it and so glad I did!
Hooray! So glad to hear that, Leslie.
This recipe is amazing! So delicious, my husband and I had it as a main dish. We finished the whole thing, terrific! I made it with fresh, local carrots from the farmer’s market. And I substituted chopped carrot tops for some of the parsley. This will be a regular for us!
Thank you, Yvonne! I’m so glad you both enjoyed this one!
I’d love to make this for a dinner party I’m going to, but I’d have to make it a day in advance as I’m limited on time. Do you think it would hold over well if I didn’t add the crême fraiche until I served it? Thanks!
Yes, I think it will! Great plan.
Fantastic dish!
This was so delicious, thanks Kate! I couldn’t find any farro so I used freekeh and the result was great. I didn’t realise how good carrots can be roasted alone. I usually cook them with other vegetables so I was pleasantly surprised to have them as the star of the dish. Took some photos and will share on Instagram soon!
I made this tonight and I ate it so fast I completely forgot to take a photo! I have tried many of your recipes, all have been great, but this will become a favorite!
I just made this for lunch, when I realized I had some leftover creme fraiche in the fridge and some carrots as well. It was SO delicious. I added some arugula to the warm farro and a sprinking of feta cheese as well – because, why not? The carrots really made it. I just had regular (thicker, orange) carrots, so I cut them on the bias into ovals instead of leaving them whole. I’m trying to keep myself from eating another serving. YUM
Delicious and very hearty!! Made this today …. as usual my husband was skeptical off all my vegetarian meals however he was impressed and Several servings!
Awesome! Glad to hear it!
i made this for dinner tonight, it was absolutely delicious! I forgot to buy chick peas and my supermarket was sold out of heirloom carrots so I used white kidney beans and regular carrots and it worked well. Even the non vegetarians in my house were floored by this recipe!
Thank you, Michele! So glad you all enjoyed it.
I’ve been following your blog for some time now and I have to thank you so much for your recipes! Since making the switch to a vegetarian diet, I found myself getting into recipe funks…making the same things over and over. But since I’ve found your site, everything has changed! Even my non-vegetarian husband is happy.
I made this dish last night and it has definitely topped my list of favorites from you.
Question: My grocery store is sometimes very low/out of small carrots.. do you have any suggestions as to other roasted veggies that might pair well in this if I can only get a few thin carrots? (broccolini, mushrooms, etc?)
Thank you!!
Hi Emily! Thank you so much. That’s wonderful to hear. You could use larger carrots, but they can take up to twice as long to roast throughout. Broccolini sounds like a great choice. Maybe cauliflower? You could slice it into “steaks” or just into big florets? That might be fun. Probably any roasted veggie would be tasty here!
I’d love to make this for a vegetarian main for Thanksgiving, but would have to make it ahead of time. Any advice on the best way to do that?
Thanks!
KATE YOURE A GENIUS!
So delicious! My husband was skeptical when I told him – generally – what was on the menu but he raved about the dish and had two servings. I used a mix of red and orange carrots, and cooked the farro in veggie broth for extra flavor. I think I would prefer the vegan version with tahini, but my husband loved the creme fraiche. Excellent dish and mix of flavors.
Any thoughts on preparing this the day before Thanksgiving and reheating?
Made this with regular, large organic carrots and it was delicious. Added some horseradish to the creme fraiche per another online recipe recommendation, and roasted some beets and sprouts as well. Definitely fell in love with this recipe, a keeper for sure, and would pair wonderfully as a side dish with red meat (for those that eat meat).