Best Ever Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

With roasted sweet potato, fluffy quinoa, arugula, crumbled feta, and a quick hummus dressing, this warm Sweet Potato Salad recipe is a hearty side salad for serving up on any occasion.

 

Tis the season for all the salads! But not the leafy kind. We’re talking about the grainy kind. The hearty kind. The kind that are roasted in the oven and full of tasty surprises and make you feel all cozy and warm.

This roasted Sweet Potato Salad is a combination of some of my most favorite ingredients. Sweet potato, quinoa, and arugula make up a bulk of the salad. But then we throw in their best friends, feta cheese and red onions and raisins!

And if that isn’t tasty enough, we’ll tie it all together with a lemony hummus dressing (similar to what we did in these highly underrated Butternut Chickpea Wraps!)

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Salad

We’ll start with a hearty base of filling, savory ingredients, and then we’ll finish it off with a delicious, light hummus dressing!

• Sweet Potato: We’ll roast the sweet potato into tender, caramelized perfection to create this warm grain salad.
• Quinoa: Quinoa adds nutrient-filled bulk to this salad. You could also use bulgur, couscous, or farro.
• Arugula: While the slightly spicy flavor of arugula does well here, you could also use kale, spinach, or whatever leafy green you have on hand.
• Flavor Makers: Feta cheese, raisins, red onion, and mint take this potato salad to the next level.
• Hummus Dressing: Finish it off with a quick hummus dressing. Just combine hummus, lemon juice, and a touch of cold water!

How to make this Recipe

To make this salad, we will first cook the sweet potatoes and quinoa before mixing together the dressing and assembling the ingredients!

Step 1: Prep the sweet potatoes
First, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and dice the sweet potato into small bite-sized pieces.

Step 2: Coat and cook the potatoes
Spread the sweet potato pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, tossing to evenly coat. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until fork tender.

Step 3: Cook the quinoa
Bring 1 cup of water to a simmer and add the quinoa. Cover and cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

Step 4: Make the dressing
To make the dressing, stir together the hummus, lemon juice, and water, adding more water as needed to reach a sauce consistency.

Step 5: Assemble and serve
Right before serving, toss together all of the salad ingredients. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Variations on this sweet potato salad

• Any orange veggie: Instead of sweet potato, you can sub butternut squash, pumpkin, or even carrot.
• Add nuts: Add some crunch by throwing in a handful of roughly chopped almonds or walnuts.
• Change up the cheese: Any tangy cheese works well here (like goat cheese!)

Serve this salad warm from the oven or at room temperature. As with most salads containing leafy greens, this Sweet Potato Salad does not store well and is best served right away. If you want to prep it in advance, you can cook everything before hand (roast the sweet potatoes, cook the quinoa), but hold off on mixing everything together until just before serving.

More vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes to try

• Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner on a Sheet Pan
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Grapes
• Thanksgiving Sides in a Slow Cooker
• Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
• Autumn Pomegranate Salad

The cone of shame doesn’t slow this sweet potato stealer down.