Sweet Potato Salad

Each bite of Sweet Potato Salad has varying flavors and textures that make it SO satisfying! Tender bites of sweet potatoes are tossed together with fresh arugula, crisp apples, bold red onions, crunchy pecans, chewy dried cranberries and the best sweet and tangy apple cider vinaigrette. This is a festive fall salad that you’ll be craving all year round.

Sweet Potato Salad

Just because fall is here doesn’t mean you have to forget about salads! The season of comfort food is up on us, but we can still enjoy the fresher things in life – like this easy sweet potato salad. It’s loaded with plenty of nutritional ingredients you can feel good about and flavors that’ll have your fork digging back for more! The medley of different textures is also incredibly satisfying.

You’ll also enjoy just how quick and easy this salad is to toss together. The sweet potatoes roast to tender perfection in just about twenty minutes, then they’re tossed with all of the other ingredients! A great way to save time is to prep all of the other salad ingredients while the potatoes are roasting in the oven. The sweet potatoes will cool off pretty quickly and be ready to toss in no time, so it pays to be prepared.

This autumnal salad works well as an appetizer, side dish, and light lunch! If you do choose to serve it as a side dish, pair it with something that’s also deliciously fall flavored like my favorite apple butter pulled pork sliders. Honestly, with a salad this good, you may just want to make it your dinner! The sweet potatoes certainly bulk it up and make it filling enough to stand on its own.

How to Make Sweet Potato Salad

In just a few quick and easy steps with inexpensive ingredients, this sweet potato salad comes together in no time!

1. Roast the potatoes. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Arrange the chopped sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.
2. Let cool. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool to room temp.
3. Toss the salad. Place the cooled sweet potatoes to a large bowl with all of the other ingredients. Drizzle on the dressing and toss to coat.
4. Serve or chill. You can serve this salad right away at room temperature or cover and chill it in the fridge for an hour. It’s delicious either way!

What’s in sweet potato salad?

Here’s your short and sweet shopping list!

• Sweet Potatoes – Feel free to roast these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge to make this salad recipe even quicker.
• Olive Oil – This can be swapped with avocado oil if preferred.
• Apples – Both granny smith and honeycrisp apples are used to create both tart and sweet flavors.
• Red Onion – I don’t recommend swapping this boldly flavored onion with any other color.
• Chopped Pecans – These add the best crunch! You can replace them with walnuts or almonds if you’d like.
• Dried Cranberries – Dried cherries also work well. The chewy sweetness adds so much to the salad!
• Apple Cider Vinaigrette – For the very best flavor, use my easy recipe for homemade apple cider vinaigrette! It’s so much better than the store-bought stuff.

Can I make sweet potato salad ahead of time?

Yes! I recommend prepping the sweet potatoes ahead of time just so they’re already ready to go. Keep them stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

However, don’t toss the salad ingredients with the vinaigrette until you’re ready to serve it. Once the ingredients are tossed with the vinaigrette, they’ll start to get soft if not served right away.

Enjoy more of the best easy salad recipes!

• Autumn Apple Spinach Salad with Bacon and Candied Pecans
• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

For more fall salad ideas, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!