Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (2024)

by Traci ·

4.93 from 14 votes

Total 30 minutes minutes

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Savory Sweet Potato Salad is a mouth-watering sweet potato salad with arugula, pomegranate, dried cherries, quinoa, and pepitas in apple cider vinaigrette. It represents every flavor of the palate and makes the perfect fall season side dish.

Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (1)

Sweet potato salad has been a favorite holiday side dish for the past few years and it's a hit! As a kid, we always had candied sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner, and I loved them. But, it's way too sweet for a holiday side dish now that I'm an adult...with a waistline...that I'd like to keep. This sweet potato salad...it's lightly sweet, tart, savory, crunchy, and peppery all at once! It's a must-have holiday recipe for the sweet potato lovers out there.

Savory Sweet Potato Salad Ingredients

  • quinoa - You can make a classic stove cooked quinoa or make Instant Pot quinoa.
  • sweet potatoes - Make oven baked, stove boiled, or pressure cooker sweet potatoes.
  • raw pepitas - also called pumpkin seeds
  • arugula
  • pomegranate seeds
  • dried cherries
  • apple cider vinegar
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • maple syrup
  • salt and pepper
Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (2)

How to make Sweet Potato Salad

  • Step 1. Cook the quinoa and allow to cool.
  • Step 2. Cook the sweet potato (recipe includes microwave and oven-roasting instructions).
  • Step 3. Toast the pumpkin seeds.
  • Step 4. Whisk together salad dressing ingredients and refrigerate.
  • Step 5. To serve, toss all ingredients together...and devour!

You can prep each ingredient up to a few days in advance, store them separately in the refrigerator, and toss everything together just before your throw down goes down.

Once this salad is dressed, it needs to be served immediately as the arugula wilts over time.

Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (3)

Sweet potato salad - flavor and texture galore!

When you get a biteof this salad with morsels of each ingredient, you'll get savory from the sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds and slightly bitter flavor from the arugula, tart from the pomegranate, sweetness from the sweet potatoes and dried cherries, and maple dressing, all perfectly balanced with a touch of salt.

Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (4)

Grab these easy potato recipes

  • Roasted Smashed Potatoes
  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  • Vegan Potato Salad
  • Loaded Potato Salad
  • Classic Red Potato Salad

Fall recipes we love

  • Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
  • Pomegranate Cranberry Relish
  • Citrus Salad
  • Vegan Green Bean Casserole
  • Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

📖 Recipe

Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (5)

Savory Sweet Potato Salad

Savory Sweet Potato Salad is a mouth-watering sweet potato salad with arugula, pomegranate, dried cherries, quinoa, and pepitas in apple cider vinaigrette. It represents every flavor of the palate and makes the perfect holiday dinner side dish.

Prep TimePrep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook TimeCook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total timeTotal Time: 30 minutes mins

Yield 4 1-cup servings

Author Traci Antonovich

4.93 from 14 votes

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • ½ cup dry Quinoa or 1 cup cooked
  • 1 medium Sweet Potato
  • ¼ cup Pepitas
  • 2 cups Baby Arugula
  • ½ cup Pomegranate Arils
  • ¼ cup Dried Cherries lightly chopped

For the vinaigrette:

  • 2 tablespoons Bragg Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
  • ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
  • Black Pepper to taste

Equipment

Instructions

To cook the sweet potatoes

  • In the oven:

    Peel skin, chop into cubes, toss in extra virgin olive oil, and bake at 400° until tender (about 10-14 minutes); allow to cool before adding to the salad.

    In the microwave:

    Pierce raw SWEET POTATO several times with a knife; place in the microwave; cook on high until tender (5-8 minutes); allow to cool; remove skin; chop into bite-sized pieces; allow to cool before adding to the salad.

Toast the pepitas

  • Place PEPITAS on a baking tray under low-flame broiler in oven or toaster oven; gently toast until fragrant (be careful, they burn easily).

Apple cider vinaigrette

  • In a bowl, whisk together APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, OLIVE OIL, MAPLE SYRUP, SALT, and PEPPER; cover and chill up until needed.

  • To serve, toss together QUINOA, SWEET POTATO, ARUGULA, PUMPKIN SEEDS, POMEGRANATE ARILS, DRIED CHERRIES, and VINAIGRETTE.

Final step

Click stars to vote. Please visit 'Comments' below for reviews.

4.93 from 14 votes

Did you make this recipe? I'd love to see it!Follow @thekitchengirl on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag #thekitchengirl. This always makes my day!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 347mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5117IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

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Reader Interactions

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Comments

  1. Mary Helene says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (6)
    My new favorite any potato salad - thank goodness the family feels the same!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Yay! So glad you and your family love it...and thanks for popping in to let me know 🙂 I really appreciate it!

  2. Midge says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (7)
    CAn you skip the quinoa? Please advise.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Hi Midge, you can totally leave the quinoa out. No problem...enjoy!

  3. Sandi says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (8)
    This salad has everything we look for. Color, Flavors and healthiness. Perfect for Thanksgiving too.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Sandi! Yes, it has all of those things going on 🙂 All my favs!

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Jennifer! Hope you love it like I do!

  4. Jill says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (10)
    I love all the ingredients in this salad. Plus it looks so pretty - perfect for Fall entertaining!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Jill! It is perfect for fall 🙂

  5. Kelly Anthony says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (11)
    This salad has it all! Oh my goodness, I wish I had a plate of it RIGHT NOW! So craving sweet potatoes after all those yummy photos!!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Kelly! Love the kind words 🙂

  6. Elaine Benoit says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (12)
    This salad looks so hearty and delicious! I love autumn salads and yours looks absolutely perfect!!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Elaine! Love hearing that...hope you get to try it out sometime 🙂

  7. Taylor Kiser says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (13)
    Love everything about this salad! It will be a beautiful addition to the Thanksgiving table!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Taylor! We love it for holiday feasts 🙂

  8. Lisa Bynum says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (14)
    Where I live, it still feels like summer. I'm so ready to start pulling out fall recipes, but it's too dang hot! This recipe is perfect! I can get all those yummy fall flavors without breaking a sweat.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Haha yep! You sure can! It's good through the winter too 🙂

  9. Michelle says

    So many Fall flavors! It looks fantastic!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Michelle!

  10. rebecca says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (15)
    this is FALL right here! looks delicious

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks Rebecca!

  11. Lisa | Garlic + Zest says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (16)
    I could eat this for lunch every day! Love the pomegranate -- I actually have one on my counter right now... Will have to make this!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Yay Lisa! Hope you love it like I do! Served it up for Thanksgiving last year...it was a hit 🙂

  12. Jacque says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (17)
    I LOVE a good salad to take on during the fall season. This looks like absolute perfection.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      You're makin my day with comments like that! Thank you 🙂

  13. Ginny McMeans says

    Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (18)
    What a beautiful and flavorful salad! The sweet and tangy go perfectly together.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thank you! Yes, that was the goal...thanks for saying so 🙂

  14. Jessy says

    I feel like you've found the most incredible flavor combo on this! I'm especially loving the addition of arugula!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thank you! Yes, I totally agree with you on the flavor combo...it was a happy accident a few years ago. And I'm hooked for life! 🙂

  15. Sarah says

    This salad is packed with flavor and all of my favorite ingredients. LOVE! ...especially that pomegranate mmm!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thank you! I cannot resist this salad during the fall season... the pomegranate makes it!

Savory Sweet Potato Salad Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (2024)

FAQs

How to make potato salad Martha Stewart? ›

Directions
  1. Put potatoes in a large pot of salted water; bring to a boil. Cook until just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain; let cool.
  2. Stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and dill; season with salt and pepper. Peel potatoes; cut into 1-inch chunks. Fold into mayonnaise mixture.
Feb 25, 2021

How to keep potatoes from falling apart when making potato salad? ›

Taste of Home Deputy Food Editor James Schend suggests adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to the water before it comes to a simmer, which will help create a “crust” on the potatoes. This way, they'll be less likely to fall apart.

How to make a potato salad Jamie Oliver? ›

Method
  1. Gently boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and leave to cool slightly.
  2. Whisk the mustard with the vinegar and slowly add the olive oil. ...
  3. Slice the cooked potatoes in half and dress with the shallot and parsley vinaigrette.

Why is my potato salad always watery? ›

Potatoes can retain moisture. To prevent this, drain the potatoes very well in a colander or pot. Allow all the steam to escape the potatoes before mixing them with the dressing and other ingredients.

What is in Walmart potato salad? ›

POTATOES, MAYONNAISE (SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT), MUSTARD (WATER, VINEGAR, MUSTARD SEED, SALT, SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, TURMERIC, PAPRIKA, GARLIC POWDER, SPICES, ANNATTO EXTRACT (COLOR], XANTHAN GUM, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVOR), DILL PICKLE CUBES (CUCUMBER VINEGAR, SALT, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, NATURAL ...

How long does homemade potato salad last? ›

According to StillTasty.com, prepared potato salad—whether homemade or store-bought, dressed with vinegar and oil or mayonnaise—will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days if stored properly.

Does potato salad contain vinegar? ›

All you need is four ingredients for this simple potato salad recipe: scallions, mayonnaise, white-wine vinegar, and Yukon gold potatoes.

Is it OK to make potato salad the day before? ›

Yes, and PLEASE do, chilling your salad will only make it more flavorful! You can make the Potato salad 1 or 2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I often make my potato salad the night before serving for best results.

Why are my potatoes hard in my potato salad? ›

Not Getting The Cook Time Right

It's a delicate balance to achieve soft, tender potatoes for that just-right potato salad texture. Defer to your recipe for specific cook times, which depend on the type of potato being used, but a good rule of thumb is to boil them until you can pierce the spuds with a fork.

What kind of potatoes are best for potato salad? ›

Waxy potatoes are generally considered the best for classic potato salad because they retain their shape, you don't have to peel them, and they have a smooth texture.

When making potato salad do you cut potatoes before boiling? ›

Dice unpeeled potatoes into uniformly-sized pieces. Place in cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer until tender.

What is potato salad dressing made of? ›

Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in large glass or plastic bowl. Add potatoes, celery and onion; toss. Stir in eggs. Sprinkle with paprika.

Does it matter what kind of potatoes you use for potato salad? ›

The Type of Potato Matters: Waxy Is Better than Starchy

What to look for: Red, new, or fingerling potatoes are the most common varieties. In-between: Also known as all-purpose potatoes, these have more starch than waxy potatoes, but will generally work well in most potato dishes, including potato salad.

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