This Spicy Mung Bean Salad is bold, satisfying, and full of contrast. Tender mung beans are paired with sweet, honey-roasted carrots, crispy pan-fried halloumi, and finished with a fiery, spiced oil drizzled over the top. Hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian main or vibrant enough to shine as a side, it’s a protein-packed salad that delivers big flavor in every bite.
Ok, hear me out.
Mung beans are delicious in salad. I would know, because as an internet Nutrition Lady, I am an expert in both mung beans and salads. In fact, we have a whole archive of satisfying and healthy vegetarian salads here on HNL.
If you're having a hard time picturing mung beans being good for anything other than sprouting in your desk drawer, I urge you to open your mind to the possibility of a gloriously spicy mung bean salad tossed with golden honey-roasted carrots, cubes of pan-fried halloumi, a judicious amount of cilantro, and a fiery dressing that will knock your socks off. Yes, there are a few different elements to make, but the effort is worth the reward.
This salad is delicious both warm and cold, and it's one of those recipes that gets even better with time, so it's perfect for make-ahead meals. Oh, and if spicy bean salads are kind of your vibe (they're totally my vibe) I want to also point you in the direction of our absolutely sublime Spicy Butterbean Salad with Buffalo Butterbeans.
Let's make spicy mung bean salad together!
Ok, friend, let's roll up our sleeves and get going! If you prefer to just get into the recipe, by all means use the "jump" button to go straight to the recipe card. Otherwise, join me for a scroll, and we'll walk through it together.
Step 1: prepare the carrots
Start by preparing the carrots. You want them peeled, sliced on the diagonal, and tossed in a mixture of olive oil and honey. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt, then spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet to roast for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2: pan-fry your halloumi
While the carrots are roasting, you can cube the halloumi and pan-fry it in a bit of olive oil. We're looking for a nice golden brown on the halloumi, which should take about 5-7 minutes of pan-frying.
Step 3: make your spiced oil
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the seeds, and let them sizzle for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, and add the chili flakes and garlic. The residual heat is enough to gently cook the garlic without burning it.
Phew! All of the hardest parts are out of the way at this point.
Step 4: make the salad
Place the mung beans in a large bowl. Add the oil along with all of the spices, the apple cider cider vinegar, and a good amount of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Add the roasted carrots, pan-fried halloumi, and chopped cilantro to the mung beans.
Step 5: serve!
Toss everything up, and then transfer to a bowl or platter.
That's it! You're done!
Spicy Mung Bean Salad
Ingredients
For the carrots
- 2 cups sliced carrots about 3 large carrots
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
For the halloumi
- 8 oz halloumi cubed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the salad
- 2 cups cooked mung beans
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
Instructions
For the carrots
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the honey and olive oil, warming the honey if need be.2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoon honey
- Add the carrots to the bowl, and toss to coat with the honey and olive oil mixture. Season with flaky salt.2 cups sliced carrots, ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Spread the carrots into a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, remove, flip the carrots, and roast for another 5-10 minutes, until golden and crisp around the edges.
- Set aside to cool slightly.
For the Halloumi
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and the cubed halloumi.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 8 oz halloumi
- Pan-fry, stirring occasionally, until the halloumi is golden on all sides.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the spiced oil
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat in a small frying pan.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Add the fennel, cumin, and caraway seeds, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the seeds are sizzling.1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- Remove the pan from the heat, and add the crushed garlic and chilli flakes. Allow the residual heat to gently cook the garlic.2 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
To make the mung bean salad
- Place the cooked mung beans into a large bowl. Add the spiced oil, along with all of the spices.2 cups cooked mung beans
- Add the apple cider vinegar, and toss to combine.2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Add the honey roasted carrots, pan-fried halloumi, and the chopped cilantro.1 bunch cilantro
- Toss everything to combine well. Transfer the salad to a serving platter.
- Serve!
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- Mung beans can be cooked a day ahead of time. The roasted carrots and halloumi can also be prepared in advance.
- Mung bean salad is good served warm, cold, or at room temperature.
- If you can't find halloumi, you can replace it with cubed or crumbled feta. Do not pan-fry the feta in this case.
- For a vegan salad, skip the cheese, or replace with tofu feta.
Nutrition
Elizabeth Hughes 2831204 says
I’ve tried each of these recipes Katie. Each was easy to follow, and I was delighted with my results. Delicious and nutritious!!!
Jo says
Absolutely delicious 😋
Katie Trant says
Yay, I'm so glad you think so!!
Kim says
This is a great salad to prep ahead of time for a busy week. Had to air fry the carrots so I didn’t heat my entire house up with the oven and they still turned out great. Accidentally forgot to add the honey to the carrots so just added it to the bottom of the bowl before I tossed in my hot mung beans and it easily mixed with them and the warmed oil. I had to pull up your IP mung bean recipe for the time (0 min lol) and it all came together beautifully with the subbed feta. Even got better over night. Thanks Katie!
Rachelle Patterson says
Straight forward directions. DELICIOUS RESULTS!
Katie Trant says
So happy you enjoyed this one, Rachelle!
Frances Ardestani says
We absolutely loved this salad. I didn't alter the recipe which is unlike me, but I had all the ingredients and didn't need to alter.
Katie Trant says
It's surely a sign when you've got absolutely everything you need! So glad to hear you nejoyed this one as much as we do!
Gail Hunt says
This is a great addition to our salad repertoire - always looking for fresh tastes in salads. We're having a bit of trouble finding mung beans here on the Sunshine Coast!
Thanks, Katie!
- Gail
kim says
Excellent. I've made this salad twice since you've published the recipe and have thoroughly enjoyed eating it. I like the sweetness of the carrots with the crunch of the spices. And such a fast-cooking healthy little bean it is too!
pamela says
Delicious!!
Leanne says
This was dinner tonight and it was soooo good! Thanks for the recipe.
Carole Hildebrandt says
Oh my! I can't wait to try the salad...