This Carrot Dip Recipe From Lizzo's TikTok Is 100% Delish
All the rumors are true.
In Elite Daily's I Tried series, we put celebrities’ favorite products, recipes, and routines to the test to show you what living like your fave star is really like. In this piece, we try a carrot dip recipe made popular by Lizzo and TikTok.
If you follow Lizzo on social media (and if you don’t, WYD?) you know the talented musician is always looking for ways to expand her horizons, whether it’s with a fun workout or a popular TikTok trend. As someone who also likes to try new things, when I saw her post about a new recipe, I knew I had to try it. And let me just say: Lizzo’s carrot dip recipe from TikTok is unlike anything I have ever tasted.
On June 6, Lizzo posted a TikTok of a homemade carrot dip, which was interesting, because I had quite literally never heard of carrot dip before. Carrots? Sure. Dips? Obvi. But never together. It turns out, however, carrot dip is a very real thing. In fact, Lizzo got the recipe from a food influencer named Nasim Lahbichi (@lhabco on TikTok). The Moroccan-inspired dish is full of harvest-y flavors and spices (like root vegetables, cinnamon, and cumin), which means it’s the perfect thing to whip up in preparation for autumn.
Lizzo’s TikTok didn’t give me much information about the dip, other than the fact that she groaned while eating it in a way that made me want to quote When Harry Met Sally. But after navigating to Lahbichi’s website to get the full recipe, I realized making this dish would be significantly more complex than, say, Ted Lasso’s biscuits (I’m talking 20+ ingredients here, people). That didn’t deter me, though — I wanted to have what Lizzo was having.
The Recipe
Before starting to make the recipe, I was a little overwhelmed. The ingredients list is long and I wasn’t trying to spend hours at the grocery store tracking them down. Luckily, I ended up already having most of the supplies on hand. The seasonings are pretty standard (so if you don’t already own them, buying them is a solid move since they’re used in plenty of dishes), and the few items I didn’t have could easily be swapped out for stuff in my pantry and fridge. Here’s what the official recipe calls for:
To cook the carrots:
- 1 pound of carrots (I used a bag of baby carrots)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 yellow onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
To make the dip:
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Juice of 1 navel orange
- 2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts or walnuts, chopped (I used almonds)
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (I also used some Mike’s Hot Honey)
- Salt, to taste
For garnish:
- Olive oil
- Orange zest
- Parsley
- Chopped hazelnuts (Again, I used almonds)
The Prep
First, I tossed some olive oil in a large skillet to heat and then threw in my chopped yellow onion. While my onions cooked down, I started prepping the rest of the dish.
Since I wasn’t about to spend my night washing and cutting a whole bunch of root veggies, I just got a bag of baby carrots and tossed them in a food processor for a few seconds to chop them up a bit. After adding in my garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and salt, I incorporated the chopped carrots into the pan, set the heat to medium, and covered it to cook. The recipe says to cook for about 20 minutes (while stirring occasionally), so I set a timer and ran around trying to get the rest of the ingredients ready.
Since I didn’t have any hazelnuts or walnuts, I grabbed some raw almonds from the pantry and threw them in a saucepan to roast. I have no idea how to roast nuts, so I just turned the heat to medium and promptly forgot about them until they started making a popping noise. (Whoops!) Assuming that meant the almonds were sufficiently roasted, I dumped them in the food processor to chop them up. Before adding in the rest of the ingredients, I gave my carrots a stir and was completely thrown off by the smell that greeted me. The steam rising out of the pan reminded me of, I kid you not, lipstick — sort of sweet, sort of spicy, sort of waxy. Needless to say, I was not excited to eat the dish at this point, but I was already in the thick of it, so I replaced the lid and went back to the processor, slightly deflated.
From there, I zested an entire orange into the processor’s bowl (I was too in the zone to measure this out, but it looked like it was about two tablespoons) and then squeezed the juice in. Just as I was adding the rest of the seasonings, the alarm I set for my carrots went off. They looked much darker than the carrots in Lizzo’s video, but I wasn’t sure if that meant they needed more time or were already overcooked, so I took them off the heat and hoped for the best.
After letting the carrots cool for about 10 minutes, I added them to the food processor, blended everything up, then added in the olive oil and syrup. And since I’m currently having a love affair with Mike's Hot Honey (which made the dish not vegan, FYI), I added a few squirts of that in before giving the entire concoction one final pulse. Finally, I spooned it all into a bowl, garnished with some parsley, olive oil, and more honey, and surrounded it with some fresh baguette and cheese slices.
The Taste Test
To say I had no idea what to expect would be an understatement, but after scooping a heaping amount onto a piece of crusty bread and popping it into my mouth, I was definitively impressed.
The dip was sweet, smoky, rich, and bold. I couldn’t really taste the carrots; instead, it was all a blend of savory flavors, intricate spices, and a touch of citrus. As a vegetarian, I rarely get to eat things I would deem “hearty,” but this dip was exactly that. The tomato paste added an almost pizza-like flavor and the honey gave it an overall sweetness that had me reaching for more (and then more... and then more).
I tried a few different variations of dipping accoutrements — including crackers, bread, and parmesan cheese — and every single option was delicious. Eventually, I had to put the container away, because I was about to eat a whole pound of carrots in one sitting, which, IDK, seems like something I shouldn’t do? Not sure, but I’m going to consult with my doctor.
Final Thoughts
In all honesty, I wasn’t that excited before making this dip. But I love dips, I love Lizzo, and I love pretending to be a Master Chef, so I gave it a try, and I’m *so* glad I did. It’s the perfect autumn dish, and I can see how it would go well with almost anything, from salads to sandwiches. While the process seemed daunting at first, it took me exactly an hour from start to eat, which isn’t that bad considering how versatile the dip is and how easy it would be to double (or triple) the recipe for larger groups.
Even though I probably won’t actually eat this every day, it’s absolutely going to be a staple in my house moving forward. And the next time I’m asked to bring a dish for a party, potluck, or event, I’m 100% bringing this dip, because in case you didn’t catch on — it’s good as hell.