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Why I Love This Salad
I love potato salad, and my family’s classic version is my go-to. You can find the recipe for my classic potato salad here. This takes the idea of potato salad and reinvents it into a fresh, sweet potato salad full of flavor.
This recipe starts with sweet potatoes and has hearty additions with a sweet-tangy vinaigrette. Sweet potatoes are sweet by nature, but still maintain that creamy texture when roasted. This salad uses candied pecans and dried cranberries to give just a hint of fall while still creating a salad that works in warm weather.
The best part this can be served warm or cold. Perfect for late summer evenings and the Thanksgiving table.
Sweet Potato Salad Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes are the perfect vegetable to add a little bit of inherent sweetness to this pasta salad. They’re great when roasted as well because the edges become slightly browned and crispy, providing additional texture to the dish.
- Pecans have a natural sweetness to them, which works so well in this potato salad recipe. You can either leave the pecans in halves or chop them even further, depending on the size you like to eat.
- Chipotle powder is a slightly smoky, mildly spicy spice. It adds a hint of warmth while adding some additional sweetness to the recipe. If you are averse to spice, you can swap out the chipotle powder for smoked paprika, which will still impart some of that smokiness but without the heat.
- Black beans add a note of creaminess and some protein to the dish. A different type of bean can be used, but black beans pair really well with sweet potatoes and the dressing for the salad.
- Dried cranberries have a reminiscent flavor that harkens to the idea of fall. Since this sweet potato salad is a transitional salad that’s perfect for both summer all the way through fall to Thanksgiving, the dried cranberries add a bit of seasonal sweetness and welcome texture.
The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sweet Potato Salad
Step 1: Prepare the sweet potatoes – Chop the sweet potatoes into small bite-sized cubes. Place on two parchment-lined baking sheets and cover in olive oil. Work together with your hands and spread out. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast in a preheated 425°F oven for 18-25 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the pecans – Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan. Add in the pecans, then the maple syrup, brown sugar, chipotle powder, and thyme, stripped from the stems. Finish with salt and place over medium heat. Toss until the pecans are coated. Cook until they are glazed and slightly toasted, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool.
Step 3: Create the dressing – Mince the garlic and add into a small bowl. Combine with apple cider vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, black pepper, salt, thyme leaves, and olive oil. Whisk everything together until homogeneous.
Step 4: Assemble the salad – In a large bowl, place the sweet potatoes, black beans, dried cranberries, diced red onion, diced celery, parsley, crumbled feta, the pecans, and dressing. Toss together and finish with additional feta, pecans, and dressing, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Chopping the sweet potatoes into smaller, uniformly-sized cubes allows them to roast more easily and more evenly, getting browned on all sides. Make sure to spread the sweet potatoes out into an even layer so that they have room to roast. If they are all piled on top of each other, they’ll steam rather than roast, which is undesirable.
- Pay close attention while cooking the pecans. They can be easy to overcook, which will burn the sugar.
- For a brighter taste, add some of the vinaigrette right before serving. The potatoes and pecans tend to soak up any liquid, so adding it later allows the flavors to shine through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of chipotle powder, you can use paprika with the pecans. It still provides a nice smokey flavor while cutting back on the heat level.
Yes! This can be prepared up to a day before. Just make sure to add the pecans later, just before serving, and reserve some dressing to add as well, as the potatoes will tend to soak up some as they sit.
Once prepared, cover any leftovers and place them in the refrigerator. The leftovers will last for 7 to 10 days. Just remember that the nuts may become a bit soggy as they sit in the dressing.
Some other nuts that would work well in this recipe are walnuts and pepitas.
More Side Dish Recipes
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Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
For the roasted sweet potatoes
- 3 lb sweet potatoes diced into ½-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the candied pecans
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For the dressing
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- ½ cup olive oil
For the salad
- 1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup diced celery
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 6 oz feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
For the potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Add the cubed sweet potatoes to two parchment-lined baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss the potatoes with the oil to evenly coat them and spread them out in an even layer. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast in the preheated oven until the sweet potatoes are browned and tender, 18-25 minutes. Once roasted, remove them from the oven and set them aside.3 lb sweet potatoes, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil
For the pecans
- Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the pecans, maple syrup, brown sugar, chipotle powder, thyme, and salt. Stir the ingredients over medium heat until the pecans are toasted and coated in a glaze, 6-8 minutes.1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups pecan halves, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 1 tsp chipotle powder, 2 tsp fresh thyme, ½ tsp kosher salt
- Once glazed, remove from the heat and pour the pecans on parchment paper to cool. Once cooled, break or cut the pecans in half.
For the dressing
- In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, black pepper, salt, and fresh thyme. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking and drizzle in the olive oil to form a vinaigrette.1 clove garlic, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp fresh orange juice, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp maple syrup, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp fresh thyme, ½ cup olive oil
For the salad
- In a large bowl, add the prepared sweet potatoes, black beans, dried cranberries, red onion, celery, parsley, feta cheese, prepared pecans, and half of the dressing. Toss to combine and add the remaining dressing to taste. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until it is time to serve. If serving later, reserve the nuts and sprinkle on right before serving so they do not become soggy.1 15-oz can black beans, ¾ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup diced red onion, ½ cup diced celery, ¼ cup chopped parsley, 6 oz feta cheese
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
This is a delicious and colorful fall salad which has become my new favorite! The dressing is so so good and blends perfectly with all of the fall flavors.
Delicious warm or cold
I just love, love this recipe. Sometimes I serve it over Bibb lettuce. It’s so good and so good for you.
Great recipe! It was delicious for a Thanksgiving side, but I’ve made it multiple times since to have in the fridge to eat during the week. A variety of flavors and textures. Add chicken for a meal. This one is in my files.
This is amazing – so perfect for fall and winter. Delicious! Everyone asked about it.
I was looking for an alternative sweet potato dish for Thanksgiving.
I just made Kaleb’s salad and it is so delicious! The blending of the sweet and savory ingredients come together so well.
Thank you Kaleb for another winning dish!
Delicious! A must try for Fall 🍁
I just made this for dinner tonight. Unfortunately I forgot the part that says to add the nuts later if you aren’t serving right away and I added them already. Oh well, I’m sure they will be fine. I made a small bowl so I could tasted it all together and it’s is really delish. I did it exactly the way the recipes says except I chopped the nuts a bit before I candied them. I’m serving this with chicken tonight. Thanks for the side idea!!!
Absolutely delicious. I used more onion and celery just because I love the crunch. It was a hit with my husband and his friend too.
I made this and it was awesome. I served it over romaine lettuce.