This sweet potato salad is perfect for a quick and filling lunch or dinner that is packed with wholesome ingredients. It has tasty sweet potatoes, creamy feta cheese, and the most delicious maple balsamic vinaigrette! Plus, it goes really well with a variety of main dishes.
If you’re looking for a salad that never gets boring, be sure to give this sweet potato salad a try! It is one of my go-to recipes for a tasty and filling lunch or dinner that always tastes great.
The salad perfectly combines sweet and salty flavors with delicious and nourishing ingredients. Plus, it’s super easy to make!
Sweet Potato Salad Ingredients
To make this roasted sweet potato salad, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Sweet potatoes: I used medium-sized/large sweet potatoes to make this recipe. So be sure that they aren’t too small. Otherwise, you may not have enough roasted sweet potato cubes for the salad.
- Seasonings: You’ll need garlic powder, paprika powder, salt, and pepper to season the sweet potato cubes so that they have a little bit of extra flavor.
- Vegetables: For the salad, you’ll need leafy greens, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. I used a bagged salad mix for greens, but you can pick any type of leafy green you want!
- Feta cheese: Feta cheese is an absolute must in this recipe! So be sure to use it. It perfectly complements the salad as it’s quite salty, making it really delicious in combination with the maple balsamic vinaigrette.
- Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds taste great, are packed with nutrients, and add some texture to this salad. So I highly recommend using them!
- Homemade balsamic vinaigrette: For the homemade balsamic vinaigrette you’ll need balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
How to make this sweet potato salad
Making this sweet potato salad is super simple! You just need a little bit of extra time to roast the sweet potatoes. Here are the steps to follow:
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C).
- Prepare the sweet potato cubes: Next, place the sweet potato cubes in a bowl and add olive oil, paprika powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss and transfer the sweet potato cubes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are browned and flip once or twice while roasting to ensure even browning. Then remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.
- Prepare the salad ingredients: In the meantime, prepare the leafy greens, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and feta cheese and place them in a bowl.
- Prepare the maple balsamic vinaigrette: In another bowl, whisk together the maple balsamic vinaigrette. Then set it aside.
- Combine: Now pour the maple balsamic vinaigrette over the salad ingredients and toss. Then gently fold in the roasted sweet potato cubes. Check if you want to add more salt and pepper and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
Here are a few quick tips that may help you when making this roasted sweet potato salad.
- Feel free to use your air fryer if you own one. I love to use my air fryer when I want to roast potatoes. They always turn out crispier in less time. You can set it to 400 °F and roast the sweet potatoes for around 15 minutes.
- Don’t toss or flip the sweet potato cubes too often. I only do it once or twice so that the sweet potatoes have a chance to brown from all sides while still giving them enough time to crisp up. If you flip them too often, they actually end up softer and mushier.
- Don’t use more oil than recommended for the sweet potatoes. More oil makes the sweet potatoes less crispy, so I’d recommend sticking to the recipe. Less is definitely more in this case!
Variations
As with most salads, you can definitely change a few things to make this sweet potato salad your own! Here are some of my favorite variations that you could try.
- Sweet potatoes: There are many ways to season sweet potatoes to make them taste extra delicious! If you like things a little bit spicier add some cayenne pepper and if you love dried herbs feel free to add some! I love dried herb blends like herbs de Provence but feel free to use something you like.
- Vinaigrette: The vinaigrette tastes slightly sweet and tart while still being quite mild. So adjust the vinaigrette to your taste if you have different preferences. Some people may want a little bit more punch. In that case, add more Dijon mustard.
- Ingredients: There are many ingredients that you could add to this salad. Pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and other vegetables such as cucumber are great additions!
How to serve this sweet potato salad
This sweet potato salad is definitely filling as is, but you could add some protein to turn it into a complete meal. Here is how I love to enjoy this salad.
- Protein: One of my favorites with this salad is raw sashimi-grade salmon cut into cubes! It tastes seriously delicious and I recommend trying this if you have access to it. Other favorites are seared salmon filets, roasted chicken breast, seared shrimp, and cooked lentils. Feel free to pick something you like!
- Bread: You don’t necessarily need bread to make this salad satiating, but I’ll recommend it anyways because it tastes great! 😊
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It’s packed with nutritious ingredients and it is quite filling. It’s a favorite for lunch or dinner.
The maple balsamic vinaigrette is slightly sweet and tart with a little bit of punch from the Dijon mustard. Overall, it’s quite mild and beautifully complements the salad ingredients. You can also adjust the vinaigrette to make it suit your taste.
I recommend making only as much as you want to eat as the salad turns soggy when you toss it with the dressing and then store it. If you want to meal prep, you can prepare the salad ingredients and layer them in a container. Then store the dressing in a separate container. Also, pay attention to the feta cheese. You don’t want it mixed in the salad as it will dehydrate the ingredients, making the salad soggy again.
More simple and delicious salad recipes
If you are looking for more salads that aren’t boring, feel free to check out the following recipes.
- Balsamic Lentil Salad
- Turkish Dill Potato Salad
- Herbed Mustard Potato Salad
- Cabbage Kidney Bean Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potato Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized/large sweet potato peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad Ingredients
- 4 handfuls leafy greens roughly chopped
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 avocado cut into cubes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- ½ red onion finely diced
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C).
- Place the sweet potato cubes in a bowl with some olive oil and all seasonings. Toss until evenly covered. Spread the sweet potato cubes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes until browned. Flip the sweet potatoes in the oven when they have browned a little bit to ensure even browning.1 medium-sized/large sweet potato, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon paprika powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper
- In the meantime, prepare all salad ingredients and place them in a bowl.4 handfuls leafy greens, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, 1 avocado, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, ½ red onion
- In a small bowl, whisk together all maple balsamic vinaigrette ingredients.3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper
- When the sweet potatoes are finished, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.
- Add the maple balsamic vinaigrette to the salad and toss. Gently fold in the roasted sweet potato cubes. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy!
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