Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach, grapes, avocado, feta cheese and more! This hearty, healthy salad recipe is both light and filling! Make it for your guests for a crowd-pleasing side dish, or just add your favorite animal protein to turn it into an entree salad.
Not yo momma’s tater salad right here, folks!
Oh hey, Hi! How was your Memorial Day Weekend?
My weekend in the Sierra Foothills was a blast and a half. Trails were hiked, drinks were drank, laughs were chuckled, I ate glutens, people. Finished Parenthood on Netflix, started Prison Break. There were face-sized cookies, pints of ice cream, cheese wherever a cheese can go. Did I mention I’ve been eating like a ravenous under-fed teenager at.every.meal?
This is where I tell you I read a book, but I totally didn’t.
Suffice it to say, I could use a full-fledge cleanse. BUT, I’m at that pivotal point where I’ve dug pretty deep into the addictive food groups and it just seems too complicated and un-fun to edit -> undo days upon days of off-trackedness. Plus, life feels real good when carbs are involved, can I get an amen?
I’ve been drumming up ways of replacing my alcohol and ice cream carbs with healthful carbs. This recipe instantly came to mind when I spotted Eating Bird Food’s Sweet Potato Salad on Pinterest. It’s one of those super filling dishes that tricks you into thinking you’re eating something naughty, when you’re really eating something nice. Carby, yet nutritious. Comforting, yet healthful.
Not swimming in mayo,
Won’t make you need a nap,
It’s crunchy,
It’s sqooshy,
It’s adult braces-friendly,
Well…kinda,
You and your friends will just love it,
Make it for all your summer picnics!
I can’t say I’ve ever been a uuuuuge fan of potato salad. When I was younger, I wouldn’t touch it on account of all the mayo. Over the last few years, I’ve learned to appreciate a great homemade potato salad, but to be quite honest, this is the first potato salad I’ve ever made by my onesie. As you can see, it’s a pretty unconventional version.
Sweet potatoes take the place of yukon potatoes. Minus the hard boiled eggs, plus some bombtastic add-ins like dried cranberries, avocado, red grapes, and spinach. It’s all tied together with just a smidge of mayonnaise (my favorite vegan mayo from Hampton Creek) and lime juice with a little sriracha kicker in right there in the back. It has all the essential elements to a tasty side dish – a little heat, a little sweet, a little cream action, and super nutritious to boot!
Obsessed with this idea of sweet potato salad, I’m thinking my next go at it should be grilled, being as it is grilling season at all. If you’re hot to trot about firing up the grill, this Grilled Sweet Potato Salad from CookingLight.com has been making my mouth water!
As is the case with regular potato salad, this sweet potato salad is even better the day after you make it. Keeping this in mind, I tossed everything together except for the avocado and allowed it to sit all day before adding the avocado and tapping in.
Get your tater salad!
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach and Grapes
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups red grapes halved
- 1 large ripe but firm avocado diced
- 5 ounces baby spinach chopped
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sriracha optional
- Pinch cayenne pepper optional
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt to taste
Optional For Serving:
- Goat chevre crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spread the chopped sweet potato over one or two baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Roast for 40 to to 50 minutes or until golden-brown and cooked through, turning once half-way through baking.
- Remove sweet potatoes from oven, and allow them to cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, sriracha, cayenne, and salt.
- Add the roasted sweet potato, red onion, dried cranberries, grapes, avocado, and spinach to a large serving bowl. Pour the mayo dressing over everything and toss well to combine. Serve alongside your favorite entree.
Nutrition
What a unique salad! I love the combination of flavors that you used. I’m not usually the biggest sweet potato fan, but this looks really good. I’m going to try making this, thanks!
This looks great! Is there feta or goat cheese in there?
Thanks Lisa! It’s goat chevre – not essential to the recipe, but an absolutely delicious addition 🙂 I’ll make that note in the recipe 🙂
Oh hell yeah! Man, Parenthood tore my heart out with the ending, so just going to stuff myself with this salad and be envious of your fab weekend!
I’m glad to hear you had a nice little getaway! And apparently we both thought of sweet potatoes to help us detox from our carby gluten binges.
I’m kind of freaking out about how perfect this looks. I love grapes almost as much as I love avocado and sweet potato so this is basically everything I need in life. Feed me!!
Your weekend sounds like SO much fun!! I am jealous! Sometimes you just need a little indulgence – or a lot. Good thing getting back on track tastes AMAZING with salads like these!
This looks really good! I never eat potato salads because I’m terrified of mayo, but it really seems to fly under the radar here. Love the grapes and avocado!
This looks so good! I love the idea of a sweet potato salad. So much healthier!
i found your blog over the weekend and am loving it! you come up with the yummiest flavor combos. 🙂
The bombtastic add-in’s…that’s what life is ALL about! I’ll take a hugh jass serving or five of this. Extra sweet taters puh-lease!
Julia,
How do you do it? Every recipe is a winner. I made this salad for my bride for dinner tonight but I was scared because I’m on the Whole30 eating plan and that meant that I was going to have to make the mayo and I’ve failed the three previous times I tried. Well, roasted sweet potatoes sounded so good that I took the leap and WOW!
The fourth time was the charm on the mayo and I did a basil/garlic rendition of the basic mayo recipe and it was SPECTACULAR! All the flavors combined to make this a mouth watering delight. I did substitute dried montmorency tart cherries for the cranberries but followed all the other list of ingredients. My bride and I agreed once again, you certainly do know how to “knock it out of the park” with the recipes you share. Keep ’em coming, please.
Raaaay, thanks so much for the sweet words and I’m so happy you and your bride enjoyed! So glad to hear you’ve been able to stick to the Whole30 – it’s no easy feat. Homemade basil-garlic mayo sounds fabulous – I must give that a try, myself! Have a great weekend!
Love the colors going on here with the orangey sweet potato and purple grapes, which, by the way, add such an awesome pop of sweetness 🙂
I think they key to undoing a week of crazy eating is to ease yourself back in…gently. No crazy detoxes for me, though I will take an extra bowl of this salad.
Several months ago I stumbled upon your blog. I immediately became a fan and read it in my Newsblur feed so I don’t miss anything! I made this recipe yesterday for a potluck. It was GONE! A big hit! So delicious – your recipes are amazing!
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I tossed the sweet potatoes in a bit of smoked paprika and cinnamon before baking for extra flavour, yummy addition. Love all your recipes, this one is no exception!!
YUUUUUUUHS! So happy you liked it, Kate!! Many thanks for letting me know and hope you had a marvelous weekend!
how many servings is this?
Hi Coleen, the recipe serves 6 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Okay, Julia, I am making your short ribs (instapot) recipe and your sweet potato salad recipe (here) for my man’s special birthday. For his special cake, making the blood orange buttermilk (may substitute kefir) updside down cake! Should be a hoot and delicious all the way around! Thank you for the first two recipes!
I’m so happy to hear it, Reba! I hope you and your man enjoyed the meal!
I don’ t know about y’all, but I will substitute MOST of the mayo with plain greek yogurt, and just add a tad of mayo. The mayo helps with the creamy, but it’s not overwhelming. You do.. .of course, have to love the taste of similar to sourcream, but it’s well worth it, works amazing in my Fresh Dill Chicken Salad. I mean it’s awesome! And I’ve also done this with regular potato salad, which makes it more “baked potato” like. Just a thought for those who are not diggin’ the mayo thing.