This Roasted Sweet Potato Salad blends mixed greens, sweet potatoes, wild rice, cranberries, almonds, avocado, apples, and feta, topped with lemon balsamic dressing. Find included shortcuts, prep-ahead tips, and meal prep suggestions.
This salad is a holiday classic that pairs perfectly with other side dishes such as mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, roasted Brussels sprouts, and/or a sweet potato casserole!
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
The minute fall hits, we make Roasted Sweet Potato Salad an embarrassing number of times. I’m typically craving a bit more veggies with all the fall baking that goes on around these parts.(I’m looking at you, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Bread, and Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars)
This salad, rich in textures like seasoned wild rice, crisp apples, creamy avocado, and caramelized sweet potatoes, is equally delicious. It’s topped with a favorite balsamic dressing, enhanced with a hint of lemon that perfectly complements the salad’s flavors.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes: Provide sweetness and a soft texture.
- Olive oil: Used for roasting potatoes and as a base in the dressing.
- Wild rice mix: Adds a chewy texture and nutty taste.
- Apples: Offer sweetness and crunch.
- Avocados: Contribute creaminess to the roasted sweet potato salad.
- Lemon juice: Adds freshness and prevents browning of avocados.
- Dried cranberries: Introduce a tart sweetness.
- Roasted almonds: Give a nutty crunch.
- Mixed greens: Serve as a fresh base.
- Lemon balsamic dressing: Combines lemon juice and zest, onion powder, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic, bringing a tangy and slightly sweet flavor to the salad.
How To Make Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Roast sweet potatoes: with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Cook and cool wild rice.
- Make dressing: with lemon juice, zest, onion powder, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and olive oil.
- Slice apples and avocados: and mix with lemon juice, cranberries, and almonds.
- Combine: mixed greens, roasted potatoes, rice, and fruit-nut mix in a bowl.
- Drizzle with dressing, toss, and serve. Store extra dressing separately.
Storage
Storage And Make Ahead Tips
- Prep ingredients: Cook sweet potatoes and rice, make dressing, and portion cranberries, almonds, and cheese in advance.
- Handle delicate ingredients last: Cut apple and avocado just before serving to prevent browning.
- For make-ahead: Keep components separate until serving; combine before eating.
- Dressing: If it solidifies, warm and shake before use.
- Leftovers: Dress roasted sweet potato salad only before eating to avoid soggy lettuce and browning of apple and avocado.
More Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes
- Thanksgiving Dressing
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Mashed Potatoes
- Cornbread Muffins
- Butternut Squash Soup
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
This Roasted Sweet Potato Salad mixes greens, wild rice, cranberries, almonds, avocado, apples, and feta, all topped with a lemon balsamic dressing. Includes shortcuts, prep tips, and meal-prep ideas!
Equipment
- large sheet pan,
- Small blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped sweet potatoes cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (6-ounce) package Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix like Uncle Ben’s, see note 1
- 2 large apples I love Honeycrisp best, chopped or thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 ripe avocados chopped or thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1/2 cup sliced roasted almonds
- 9 cups mixed greens lettuce 8 ounces; I use a 50/50 blend spinach and spring mix leaves
- Crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese, optional
Lemon Balsamic Dressing
- 1 large lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel and chop sweet potato into 1/2-inch chunks and add to a large sheet pan.
- Drizzle chopped potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil plus salt and pepper (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Use your hands to toss and coat in oil and seasonings; then press in an even layer (the more room to roast, the better!). Bake 10 minutes, flip, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Flip once more and bake 5–10 additional minutes or until the pieces are crisp-tender and roasted through. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prepare the wild rice (either according to package directions or see note 1.) Once rice is tender, refrigerate about 10 minutes to cool down a bit so it doesn’t wilt the lettuce.
- Zest and juice lemon to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and 2-1/2 tablespoons juice. Combine zest and juice with all dressing ingredients in a small blender or food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Pulse until combined and emulsified; taste, adjust to preference, and pour into a dressing bottle or jar and place in the fridge.
- Chop or thinly slice apple and avocado(s). Drizzle 2 teaspoons lemon juice over all the pieces.
- Add lettuce to a large bowl. Top with room-temperature potatoes and cooled wild rice. Add cranberries, almonds, and optional feta or goat cheese. Add the apples and avocado.
- Only dress what you will enjoy the same day. (Once dressed, the salad doesn’t store well.) Drizzle dressing over salad to personal preference. Gently toss salad with dressing and enjoy. You will likely not use all the dressing. Use leftovers on other salads or roasted vegetables.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Here’s how to make homemade wild rice:
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (116g) wild rice
- 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
- 1 and 2/3 cups (359g) chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 teaspoon each: fine sea salt and dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon each: cracked pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
-
In a fine-mesh sieve, thoroughly rinse wild rice.
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Combine all the ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer (a few notches above lowest temperature).
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Cover the pot, simmer for about 45 minutes, then check. If tender, stop cooking; if not, cook another 10–15 minutes or until tender. Add additional broth as needed (if the liquid has all evaporated but rice is not yet tender).
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When the rice is cooked through, let it stand and steam for 5–10 minutes off heat (still covered with lid), then drain off any additional liquid and fluff it with a fork. (Wild rice cooking times vary by the brand, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it as it cooks.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 1303mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 18653IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This salad was delicious! I served with crusty bread and the whole family loved it!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Stefanie! 🙂
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I replaced the feta with homemade vegan cheese and I just loved how the different flavors harmonize! Will definitely become one of my go to recipes, especially as it’s so easy to prep!
So happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for the comment Jessica 🙂
I made this for dinner last night. The homemade wild rice you posted is so good, I will remember that alone as a side dish. All in all, and excellent salad. I did find that the dressing seemed to overpower the delicious flavors of the wild rice and roasted sweet potatoes. I am now eating it without dressing, and it’s still really good!
Thanks so much for your comment Sarah! I’m thrilled you liked the salad and the wild rice 🙂 Thank you!
Just came across this on pinterest… I remember grandma making this “salad” when I was younger… it had a different name though (which I can’t remember.)
Wrong recipe… my comment was for the frog eye salad… I must have touched my screen in the wrong place.
No worries 🙂 Thank you Alissa!
Such a delicious salad just had it tonight with some grilled chicken. Like Thanksgiving in a bowl. I will definitely be considering this for my Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks!
Love that you added some grilled chicken — that sounds awesome!! Thank you so much for the comment Bonnie!
What a beautiful salad! I love all the vibrant, jeweled colors, and the addition of wild rice is something new to me. Thanks for all the handy tips for prepping the salad ahead of time!
Thank you so much! 🙂
This salad is beautiful! Perfect idea for lunch ALL next week. Thanks for sharing, Chelsea!
Awe thank you Karla! 🙂
I have to agree with you that the ingredients in this salad work so well together especially the roasted sweet potato with the crunchy apples and feta cheese! Very yummy!
Thank you Olivia!! 🙂
This salad looks HEAVENLY! I will definitely try it. I love your make ahead tips too!
I appreciate that! Thank you 🙂
Sweet potatoes.. This salad has such a nice combination of ingredients.
Thank you so much! 🙂