Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is made with sweet potatoes that have been coated in cinnamon and brown sugar and then roasted to perfection. This delicious salad recipe is simple enough to enjoy regularly, and fancy enough to serve at an elegant dinner!
This sweet potato salad is absolutely perfect for fall. It is full of flavor and pairs so well with just about any meal – I think I’m going to make it for Thanksgiving this year. It’s a great way to enjoy sweet potatoes without all the marshmallows and butter!
I adore baked sweet potatoes and roasting them is one of my favorite ways to cook them. I prefer baking them because they’re soft and tender, but a little bit crisp on the outside and have the best flavor. They’re great for side dishes or lunch as sweet potatoes are high in protein and fiber as well as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B6. Sweet potatoes even contain iron and protein!
ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALAD
The first step to making this salad is to roast the sweet potatoes. The key to making them absolutely amazing is to coat them with a little bit of brown sugar and cinnamon before roasting. It’s incredible how much flavor that coating adds! Once the potatoes cool, they are combined with crumbled feta, baby spinach leaves and pecans, and drizzled with a honey lemon thyme dressing. So many flavors in this delicious salad recipe!
Ingredients in Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
Sweet potatoes – Use your preferred variety of sweet potato. The skins were left on the sweet potato in this recipe, however the sweet potatoes can be peeled before chopping if preferred. You will need about 2 pounds of sweet potatoes.
Olive oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for roasting the potatoes. Avocado oil works great too!
Brown sugar – The brown sugar adds a nice extra sweetness and caramelization to the sweet potatoes. For best results, use brown sugar that is soft and moist.
Ground cinnamon – The ground cinnamon adds a hint of light spice to the sweet potato, which complements it perfectly.
SALAD
Baby spinach leaves – The baby spinach can be substituted with arugula leaves, or a variety of mixed lettuce leaves.
Feta cheese – Greek feta was used in this recipe, as its slightly firmer texture means it will hold its shape when mixed through the salad. The feta cheese can be substituted with any variety of soft cheese.
Pecans – Pecans add a nice crunch to the salad. The recipe calls for them whole, but you can chop them if you’d like. The pecans can be substituted with walnuts.
HONEY LEMON THYME DRESSING
Olive oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, or your preferred oil suitable for salad dressings.
Lemon juice – Lemon juice from a fresh lemon tastes best in the dressing, however bottled lemon juice can be used if fresh isn’t available.
Honey – The honey can be substituted with an equal amount of maple syrup.
Thyme – Fresh thyme leaves can be used in place of the dried thyme if preferred.
Salt and pepper – Used for seasoning both the roasted sweet potatoes and the salad dressing.
HOW TO MAKE ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALAD
ROAST THE SWEET POTATOES
To make the roasted sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 390°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Add the chopped sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl along with the olive oil, brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix until well combined. Spread the sweet potatoes over the baking sheets in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool completely.
MAKE THE SALAD DRESSING
To make the dressing, add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and dried thyme to a small mixing bowl. Whisk with a small whisk or fork until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
To assemble the salad, add the cooled sweet potato, crumbled feta, baby spinach leaves and pecans to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and mix until well combined. Transfer to a large salad bowl for serving, or serve straight from the mixing bowl.
Tips and tricks for making this salad recipe
- If you don’t have any parchment paper, the baking sheets can be sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray.
- The skin was left on the sweet potatoes in this recipe, however the sweet potatoes can be peeled if preferred.
- The sweet potato can be roasted without the brown sugar and ground cinnamon if preferred. Just coat them with the olive oil and roast as indicated by the directions.
- Lightly toast the pecans to add a deeper flavor to the salad.
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
- 2 pounds sweet potato chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
SALAD
- 4 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- ½ cup pecans
HONEY LEMON THYME DRESSING
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- ROAST THE SWEET POTATOES: To make the roasted sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 390°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the chopped sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl along with the olive oil, brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix until well combined. Spread the sweet potatoes over the baking sheets in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool completely.
- MAKE THE SALAD DRESSING: To make the dressing, add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and dried thyme to a small mixing bowl. Whisk with a small whisk or fork until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- ASSEMBLE THE SALAD: To assemble the salad, add the cooled sweet potato, crumbled feta, baby spinach leaves and pecans to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and mix until well combined. Transfer to a large salad bowl for serving, or serve straight from the mixing bowl.
Notes
Nutrition
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ARE OVEN ROASTED SWEET POTATOES HEALTHY?
Yes, sweet potatoes are healthy! Sweet potatoes are high in protein and fiber as well as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B6. Sweet potatoes even contain iron and protein. They have no fat or cholesterol and a medium sized sweet potato only has about 120 calories.
This recipe does call for a little bit of olive oil, cinnamon and brown sugar, but just enough to add a lot of flavor without packing on a lot of calories.
More sweet potato recipes to try:
- BROWN SUGAR ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
- MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH MAPLE CINNAMON BUTTER
- SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
- APPLE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH MARSHMALLOWS
- PINEAPPLE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
- MAPLE SWEET POTATO PIE
- BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES
- MAPLE PECAN SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
- SWEET POTATO BISCUITS
- CLASSIC SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is made with sweet potatoes that have been coated in cinnamon and brown sugar and then roasted to perfection. This delicious salad recipe is simple enough to enjoy regularly, and fancy enough to serve at an elegant dinner!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
What a delicious recipe, my family loved it! Thank you so much!
Taryn says
We love sweet potatoes. Thanks for the tips and recipe.