A deliciously sweet and zesty Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad recipe all dressed up in a zesty lime vinaigrette. Fluffy white quinoa dressed in a zesty lime dressing with roasted sweet potato, cranberries, and kale made into a pretty fantastic and easy-to-make salad.
Because this girl loves a good salad!
And because sweet potatoes are tasting extra delicious this time of year. Yes – they are delicious every day of the year but there’s just something so warm and cozy about carbs in January!
ABOUT THIS SWEET POTATO QUINOA SALAD RECIPE…
Roasting your sweet potatoes are a must here! For one – who doesn’t need more roasted veggies in their life? And for two – roasted sweet potatoes hold their shape better than boiled or steamed potatoes (ie. they are soggy, mushy or too watery). I cut the sweet potato into itty-bitty bite-sized pieces, about 1 cm or so, and I think that works best here. (I tried with larger chunks of sweet potato and with those you don’t get a little bit sweet potato in every bite, which I thought was super important.)
The cranberries are a sweet and tangy touch to this salad and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They give a sweet bite, chewy texture, which fits in perfectly with this salad. Other amazing things stirred into this salad – kale (obvs.), onion (your choice of red, green, white), and raw pumpkin seeds and herbs, like cilantro and parsley.
This salad has ALL the textures.
And that dressing! (Insert a million heart-eye emojis please!) Dressings, sauces, and spreads are my weakness and this one is no exception. Olive oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, honey and just a pinch of spice – like cinnamon and cayenne and cumin. It’s zesty and a little sweet with a little bit of earthy goodness from the spices. It brings the sweet potatoes and the quinoa and the fresh herbs and the cranberries and the kale together in one delicious grainy salad.
And if you’re feeling like this dinner or lunch needs a little extra punch of protein feel free to add in some chickpeas to roast up with the sweet potatoes, some cooked chicken seasoned with cumin, cayenne and just a pinch of cinnamon or add some creamy cheese on top (like crumbled goat cheese).
This original recipe is completely gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free, egg free, soy free, peanut free, nut free and yeast free. There are about 2 servings of vegetables per portion in this salad.
Serves 4
A deliciously sweet and zesty Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad recipe all dressed up in a zesty lime vinaigrette. Fluffy white quinoa dressed in a zesty lime dressing with roasted sweet potato, cranberries, and kale made into a pretty fantastic and easy-to-make salad.
20 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 medium-large sweet potato, washed, peeled and cut into 1 cm chunks (about 3 cups sweet potato)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/2 cup dried quinoa
- 1 cup water or stock
- 1 cup finely chopped kale (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, roughly chopped (I like an equal combination of cilantro and parsley)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I like red or green onion)
- 2-3 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or use more lime juice)
- 1 tablespoon honey (or try maple syrup or agave, if vegan)
- 1/8 teaspoon (each) ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat for easy clean up.
- Transfer the chopped sweet potato to the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Gently toss the sweet potatoes with your hand to coat. Lightly season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cover the sweet potatoes loosely with a piece of foil and bake for 20 minutes, or when the potatoes are tender.
- Remove from the foil covering and let potatoes cool slightly before handling.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, add dried quinoa and cooking liquid (water or stock) to a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- Let the quinoa cook for 10-12 minutes or until fluffy and no water remains (or follow package directions).
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly in pot before handling.
- While the quinoa is cooking, add oil, lime juice, vinegar, honey (or sweetener of choice), spices and salt to a bowl or mason jar. Whisk or shake until the salad dressing comes together. Adjust sweetness, salt or lime to taste, if needed. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the slightly cooled sweet potatoes, slightly cooked quinoa, chopped kale, cranberries, onions and fresh herbs.
- Pour the dressing over top of the veggies and quinoa. Gentle stir to combine, ensuring everything is evenly coated. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Garnish with raw pumpkin seeds on top.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This recipe was first posted on this site in October 2016. I’ve updated the photos, ingredients and instructions slightly and have reposted it in January 2018. Thank you for all your comments and feedback!
This Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad recipe was inspired by an absolutely delicious, so insanely good salad I used to be completely obsessed with a few years back. I would walk down to my local health food shop almost daily, around 5:30 in the evening to get my daily fix. There was just something about it – sweet, spicy, crunchy, filling, delicious, satisfying, I could go on and on. The funny thing though, I was never able to recreate it on my own, something was always missing and it never turned out as good as the store bought one. Fast-forward about 6-ish years and that salad is still on my mind.
Is that weird?
Probably.
Anyway… today I have taken the memories of that sweet potato salad and its key ingredients like sweet potato, cranberry, onion, and lime and added delicious (and healthy!) things like quinoa, honey and a pinch of cinnamon, cayenne, and cumin to make this fantastic twist on my old favourite.
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! If you give this Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad a try let me know in the comments below and be sure to share a picture on Instagram using the tags @nourishingblog and #alwaysnourished. I love to see what you’re cooking!
I’m Rebecca - Registered Holistic Nutritionist, recipe developer, food photographer, writer, taste-tester and the friendly face behind Always Nourished.
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