Roasted sweet potatoes Quinoa Salad topped with a creamy cilantro cashew dressing, crunchy red onions, and carrots, a mix of salt and sweet flavors, is so easy to make and works well as a lunch or light dinner.
I love curating fresh salads that bring together fresh pantry ingredients in an amazing way that makes the salad flavorful and vibrant.
This sweet potato quinoa salad is just that — a light meal for days when you don’t want to spend much time cooking but still want something delicious and filling.
Perfect for those busy weeknights, as the cilantro dressing and part of the salad can be made ahead of time. You may roast the sweet potato a day before. While I have used the direct gas stove roasting method, one can roast it in the oven too.
Find Easy Salads- Best 10+ vegetarian salads, Cucumber apple salad, Moroccan-spiced chickpea salad, Kala Chana Salad, Cucumber radish Salad.
More Sweet Potato recipes- Pan-fried sweet potato, Sweet Potato patties, Sweet Potato chaat, Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Soup, and Red Lentils Sweet Potato Soup.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements of the ingredients.
For The Salad
- Sweet Potato- I have used purple skin sweet potato as it's easily available here in India. Feel free to use any variety. I have roasted it over the stovetop. You can roast it in oven.
- Quinoa- Cook as per the instructions.
- Carrots
- Onions
For the Dressing
- Cilantro- Fresh cilantro (coriander leaves). Sort leaves ahead of time. Soft stems can be included.
- Cashews-Soak them in warm water while you prep.
- Garlic powder
- Olive Oil
- Dried basil leaves
- Salt
- Maple Syrup
- Black pepper
- Lemon Juice
How To Make Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
Step1 Roast Sweet Potato
Wash and dry sweet potato. Put it over the metal rack placed on the gas burner. Let it cook over a slow flame. This process takes around 20-25 minutes to roast sweet potato while you turn it from all sides to cook properly.
Alternate- Boil it for 2 whistles in a pressure cooker on full flame. Or you can peel it and chop it into cubes of 1 inch. Place on a baking sheet. Smear with olive oil and a little salt. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes till caramelized and cooked.
Step 2 Boil Quinoa
While the sweet potato is roasted, you may wash and soak quinoa and cashews, and chop veggies.
Cook quinoa as per the instructions. I have boiled the quinoa in a heavy steel pan over a slow flame. Took about 15 minutes.
Step 3 Prep Cilantro cashew Dressing
While both quinoa and sweet potato are cooking, prepare the cilantro dressing.
Add all ingredients for the dressing into a high-speed blender and make the creamy cashew dressing.
Step 4 Assemble
Now, when everything is ready, chop the roasted sweet potato into rounds of 1 inch and assemble them into a bowl. Pour the cilantro cashew dressing. Adjust salt and lemon juice.
Step 5 Serve it
Serve the vibrant Sweet Potato Quinoa salad made with cilantro cashew sauce.
Expert Tips
- Roast the sweet potatoes on medium heat so they cook evenly without burning.
- Let the quinoa cool before mixing to keep the salad from getting mushy.
- Store leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within 2-3 days for the best freshness.
- You may roast sweet potato and make cilantro dressing ahead of time.
Recipe FAQs
A creamy cilantro cashew dressing adds a fresh, zesty flavor to quinoa salad. It pairs well with roasted veggies and crunchy raw ingredients.
Yes, you can add raw sweet potatoes to a salad if you slice or grate them thinly for easy chewing. They add a crisp texture and mild sweetness to the dish. But I haven't tried it myself. I have always used either roasted or boiled sweet potatoes.
Quinoa and sweet potatoes make a great pair in salads. Quinoa adds a nutty taste while sweet potatoes bring natural sweetness making this salad a vegan and gluten free light meal.
More Easy Salads-
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Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad
Equipment
- Metal rack for roasting sweet potato
- Sauce Pan for boiling quinoa
- Mixing bowl
- Blender for making cilantro cashew sauce
- 1 Colander for sieving quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 large Sweet Potato
- ⅓ cup Quinoa Cook as per the instructions
- 1 small Carrot I have used orange carrot
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 cup Cilantro sorted ( 80-100 grams)
- 1 tablespoon Cashews Soak them in warm water while you prep.
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dried basil leaves
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Step1 Roast Sweet Potato
- Wash and dry sweet potato. Put it over the metal rack placed on the gas burner. Let it cook over a slow flame. This process takes around 20-25 minutes to roast sweet potato while you turn it from all sides to cook properly.
- Alternate- Boil it for 2 whistles in a pressure cooker on full flame. Or you can peel it and chop it into cubes of 1 inch. Place on a baking sheet. Smear with olive oil and a little salt. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes till caramelized and cooked.
- Step 2 Boil Quinoa
- While the sweet potato is roasted, you may wash and soak quinoa and cashews, and chop veggies.
- Cook quinoa as per the instructions. I have boiled the quinoa in a heavy steel pan over a slow flame. Took about 15 minutes.
- Step 3 Prep Cilantro cashew Dressing
- While both quinoa and sweet potato are cooking, prepare the cilantro dressing.
- Add all ingredients for the dressing into a high-speed blender and make the creamy cashew dressing.
- Step 4 Assemble
- Now, when everything is ready, chop the roasted sweet potato into rounds of 1 inch and assemble them into a bowl. Pour the cilantro cashew dressing. Adjust salt and lemon juice.
- Step 5 Serve it
- Serve the vibrant Sweet Potato Quinoa salad made with cilantro cashew sauce.
Notes
- Roast the sweet potatoes on medium heat so they cook evenly without burning.
- Let the quinoa cool before mixing to keep the salad from getting mushy.
- Store leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within 2-3 days for the best freshness.
- You may roast sweet potato and make cilantro dressing ahead of time.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 2 | |
| Amount per serving | 1 bowl |
| Calories | 291 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 9.1g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat 1.4g | 7% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 142mg | 6% |
| Total Carbohydrate 45.9g | 17% |
| Dietary Fiber 5.8g | 21% |
| Total Sugars 13.8g | |
| Protein 7g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 67mg | 5% |
| Iron 2mg | 11% |
| Potassium 397mg | 8% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
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