Discover a new, flavorful salad with this Roasted Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad! It’s ready in under 40 minutes, full of slow digesting carbs, and perfect either as a healthy weeknight dinner or a barbecue side salad!

You could call this Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad a celebratory salad.

A salad that, once the Warriors won game five of the finals and we found out that our dog Allie did not, indeed, have cancer I had to celebrate with.

What?? A quinoa salad isn’t how you’d celebrate those things?! Not the first time I’ve heard something like that.

But, when the Warriors win only after Kevin Durant had just torn his Achilles, and you just escaped treating your dog for the third major medical condition in one year, there’s something about a nourishing and energizing salad that just feels so right.

Something that says, let’s do some self-care from the inside-out. Something that nourishes the soul with the complex and balanced flavors of salt, fat, acid, and heat, saying “it’s going to be okay.“

Because there’s something about an injury that could keep a player out of his game for a year and there’s something about avoiding a potentially terminal illness that you can’t prevent that brings a new perspective. A perspective that reminds to enjoy life, be in the moment, and be grateful for the simple things, like a fresh healthy meal and a family to enjoy it with.

This is one addicting & easy quinoa salad recipe! It’s….

• Filling, but not too heavy
• Vegetarian and easily made vegan
• Full of healthy slow-digesting carbs
• Naturally gluten-free
• A balanced workout recovery food, with carbs, protein, and fat
• Ready in under 40 minutes
• Perfect as either a side dish or main dish salad

And an all-around versatile and delicious dish.

How long can you keep quinoa salad in the fridge?

You can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days — if it lasts that long! Just make sure it’s covered in an airtight container. Quinoa salad doesn’t freeze well, either, so if you’re concerned that you won’t be able to eat the whole recipe, just cut it in half.

What to put in quinoa salad to make it taste good?

The perfect quinoa salad has a variety of textures, flavors, and seasonings to make it taste good. Dried fruit, veggies, herbs, cheese, and nuts are all great in a quinoa salad.

Make sure that you season your dressing adequately, however, with salt and use enough healthy fat — like olive or avocado oil — because salt and fat will bring out all the flavors in the salad. Choose and use enough of your acid — like citrus juice or vinegar — in the dressing as well, because that will really help the flavors in the salad pop!

What is quinoa salad made of?

Quinoa salads can differ but often it’s quinoa with a dressing and a combination of veggies, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or cheeses. This quinoa salad has roasted sweet potatoes, baby kale, red onion, golden raisins, and shaved cheese in a sweet and tart homemade white wine vinaigrette! The flavors are complex but it’s surprisingly easy to make.

How to serve this Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad?

This quinoa salad is hearty enough to enjoy on its own, but it would also be delicious with grilled chicken or some roasted salmon for extra protein! If you’re serving it at a barbecue, I’m sure it would be divine with a hamburger or ribs!

How to make this gluten-free quinoa salad:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and oil a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of oil.
2. Toss the cubed sweet potatoes and spices in the oil and then roast for 22-24 minutes, stirring about halfway through.
3. While the sweet potatoes roast: cook the rinsed quinoa according to the package directions. Note: don’t skip the rinsing step– it removes any ‘soapy’ flavor from the quinoa!
4. In a large bowl combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together until the honey or the other liquid sweetener (see the notes below) is dissolved. Then toss in the red onions, golden raisins, baby kale, and shaved cheese (if using) until all are evenly coated with the dressing.
5. For a warm salad, toss in the quinoa and roasted sweet potato as soon as they’re done cooking. For a cool salad, let them cool to room temperature before tossing in. Then serve!

To make this healthy quinoa salad vegan, just:

1. Substitute agave syrup or maple syrup for the honey in the dressing.
2. Omit the shaved cheese or use a vegan or nut cheese instead.

If you make and like this recipe, please rate it by clicking on the 5-star rating on the recipe card. I appreciate it so much! <3

Yield: 6 main salad servings

Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Spicy, tangy, and naturally sweet, this gluten-free salad is perfect for a quick weeknight main dish salad or for weekend barbecues! Follow the notes below to make this salad vegan.

Print

Ingredients

• 1.25 lbs (or about 1.5 larger sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey or other liquid sweetener (like maple syrup or agave syrup)
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup shaved hard cheese blend (I recommend asiago, parmesan, and romano)
• 3 cups baby kale or arugula

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and oil the baking sheet with the olive oil. Toss the sweet potatoes with the spices (cumin through red pepper) and 3/4 teaspoon salt on the baking sheet and roast for 22-24 minutes, or until potatoes are just starting to brown.
2. While the potatoes roast: cook the quinoa according to package directions.
3. While the quinoa cooks and sweet potatoes roast, whisk together the vinegar, oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and honey in a large bowl until the honey is dissolved.
4. Toss in the red onion, raisins, kale, and cheese until they are thoroughly covered in the dressing.
5. For a warm salad: toss the sweet potatoes & quinoa with the dressed veggies as soon as they are done cooking. For a cool salad, let both the quinoa and sweet potatoes cool at room temperature before tossing with the veggies. Enjoy!

Notes

- To make this recipe vegan, replace the honey with maple syrup or agave syrup and either omit the cheese or substitute it with vegan cheese.

- This salad last covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. It doesn't freeze well.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 393Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 13mgSodium 660mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 4gSugar 15gProtein 10g

Other healthy and easy salad recipes:

• Italian Farro Salad with Citrus – an easy and heart-healthy farro salad with golden raisins and pistachio in a fresh citrus dressing.
• Moroccan Chickpea Salad with Carrots – a bright and filling healthy salad with all the Moroccan flavors: preserved lemons, apricots, mint. and spiced chickpeas and carrots sitting on top a bed of fresh greens.
• Roasted Cauliflower and Cabbage Salad – roasted or grilled veggies are topped with a maple miso vinaigrette, toasted almonds, and herbs for a side salad or appetizer worthy of a fancy restaurant.
• Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower and Potatoes – a super simple roast salad with a tangy red wine dijon dressing and options to make it a filling vegetarian main dish.
• Kale and Broccoli Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing – a crunchy and tart kale and broccoli salad full of plenty of umami and flavor.
• Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad — a healthy and flavorful summer salad the whole family will love.

Other delicious sweet potato recipes:

• Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Harissa Hummus
• Vegan Sweet Potato Hashbrown Burgers
• Sweet Potato Gratin Gruyere
• Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup

Save this recipe for later on Pinterest: