Roasted sweet potato salad is the ultimate fall dish! Bursting with seasonal flavors and textures, it features cinnamon and maple-roasted sweet potatoes, tender greens, sweet tangerine segments, candied pecans, and creamy goat cheese. This autumn salad truly has it all.
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About This Recipe
If you are looking for the ultimate fall salad that is loaded with crunch, flavors and textures, you will adore this roasted sweet potato salad!
Full of delicious seasonal fall ingredients with cinnamon and maple roasted sweet potatoes that are layered on top of tender greens and sweet tangerine segments, candied pecans and creamy goat cheese, this sweet potato salad has everything!
Serve the salad alongside your favorite fall comfort food, such as lemon roast chicken or alongside a hearty Thanksgiving spread!
Recipe Highlights
- A vibrant, flavorful salad that's both hearty and refreshing.
- Ideal for vegetarian and gluten-free diets.
- Bursting with seasonal fall ingredients!
📋 Ingredients
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Salad Greens: Use a mixture of your favorite tender salad greens, such as arugula, red leave lettuce, baby kale or shredded kale.
- Sweet Potato: Look for sweet potatoes that have minimal bruising and feel heavy for its size.
- Onion: Use a sweet onion such as yellow onion, white onion or even substitute with caramelized shallots, which I love adding to pear and prosciutto pizza.
- Citrus: Sweet clementines are adding to the sweet potato salad but other options are tangerines or segmented blood orange or cara cara oranges.
- Vinaigrette: The simple vinaigrette is made up of olive oil, clementine juice, apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. Use a mason jar to shake it all up or whisk in a bowl.
- Salad Toppings: Dried cranberries, candied pecans and creamy goat cheese give the salad crunch, sweetness and tanginess.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
- Use Different Vegetables: Replace sweet potatoes with roasted butternut squash, roasted delicata squash or sweet roasted beets.
- Nut-Free: If nut allergies are a concern, swap out pecans for toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- Fruit Variations: Add pomegranate arils, diced apple or sliced pears instead of citrus.
- Different Cheeses: Instead of goat cheese, substitute with crumbled feta or creamy blue cheese, such as gorgonzola.
⏲️ Instructions
Step 1: Season the cubed sweet potato with cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, pepper and olive oil and toss. Season the onion slices with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Roast the vegetables in a pre-heated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 minutes until tender.
Step 3: Start layering the salad onto a large platter with the salad greens, along with the roasted sweet potatoes and roasted onion.
Step 4: Top the salad with the clementine segments, candied pecans, dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle the vinaigrette all over.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Once the vegetables are roasted, let them cool slightly before adding them to the salad.
- To check if the sweet potatoes are done, pierce a cubed sweet potato with a fork and if it goes through easily, it's ready.
- Don't add all the vinaigrette at once, start with a few tablespoons and add more as needed.
- To make ahead, later the salad as instructed and dress the salad right before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, layer the salad as instructed but don't drizzle the vinaigrette until right before serving.
Yes, omit the cheese or substitute with dairy-free cheese to make the salad vegan.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the sweet potato salad alongside your favorite fall dishes, such as one pot chicken with chickpeas or red wine braised short ribs. This also makes a fantastic addition to Thanksgiving dinner alongside challah stuffing and balsamic brussels sprouts.
More Salads to Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onion
- 1 sweet potato peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ white onion
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salad
- 4 cups mixed greens baby kale, baby red leaf lettuce, arugula
- 2 clementines or tangerines, peeled and segmented
- ½ cup candied pecans
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
Citrus Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tangerines juiced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potato and Onion
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cubed sweet potatoes to one side and the sliced onions to the other. Season the sweet potatoes with cinnamon, maple syrup and a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Season the onions with salt, pepper and toss with olive oil.
- Place the vegetables into the oven and roast for 45 minutes, until the onions are tender and slightly charred and sweet potatoes are tender and caramelized.
Arrange the Salad
- Make the vinaigrette by adding the olive oil, juiced clementines, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper to a mason jar and shake to combine. You can also whisk the ingredients in a bowl.
- Arrange the salad by layering the greens onto a wide platter, along with the roasted sweet potatoes and roasted onions, tangerine segments, candied pecans, dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese.
- Drizzle enough of the vinaigrette over the salad to lightly dress everything and serve. You may have leftover vinagrette.
Notes
- Once the vegetables are roasted, let them cool slightly before adding them to the salad.
- To check if the sweet potatoes are done, pierce a cubed sweet potato with a fork and if it goes through easily, it's ready.
- Don't add all the vinaigrette at once, start with a few tablespoons and add more as needed.
- To make ahead, later the salad as instructed and dress the salad right before serving.
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
I love everything in this salad (except the blue cheese - I know, blasphemy! I totally deserve your disdain). Sweet potatoes are so yummy and nutritious.
Rachael says
Wow! This salad really calls you from across the page, doesn't it? I love those hearty salads and the mix of sweet potato, blue cheese, and onion really says my name. Thanks for the cravings! 😉
sunithi says
Yumm Sam, I am making this ! Looks & sounds so appealing. I just need to get blood oranges though. Maybe I can use grapefruit. Have lots of that !
adam @unorthodoxepicure says
Beautiful!
Judith in Ottawa says
No sweet potato in the recipe ingredients?
Samantha says
My apologies, Judith. I just noticed that as well. I added it..should be 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1in cubes.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
Gorgeous recipe!