Try this easy and delicious roasted beet sweet potato salad. Loaded with seasonal flavors like cranberries, apples, and walnuts, it’s perfect for holiday dinners or weekday lunches.
Although I love a good salad any time of year, fall salads are by far some of my favorites. While summer salads are light and refreshing, fall salads are hearty and substantial, relying on roasted vegetables, toasted nuts and other seasonal favorites to create a crave-worthy salad that’s more than just a bowl of greens.
This beet sweet potato salad is what I’ve been making lately; it’s easy, delicious and loaded with fall favorites. Packed with color and flavor, it’s the kind of salad that you can just as easily serve for a holiday dinner or a weekday lunch.
Beet Sweet Potato Salad
Loaded with roasted beets, sweet potatoes, toasted walnuts, cranberries, apples and goat cheese this fall harvest salad features some of the season’s best flavors. It’s dressy enough to be your Thanksgiving salad but easy enough to throw together any day of the week. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Beets – For the best tasting beets choose ones that are medium in size and preferably still have their greens attached. (Beets sold without their greens tend to be oversized and old.)
- Sweet Potatoes – Use any orange-fleshed sweet potato variety you’d like.
- Orange – You’ll need the juice to roast the beets and sweet potatoes so choose a juicy variety like Valencia if possible but any orange will do.
- Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil.
- Maple Dijon Vinaigrette – To make the homemade vinaigrette you’ll need balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, olive oil and a finely minced shallot.
- Baby Greens – I like to use mixed baby greens but you could also use spinach or arugula for the greens.
- Cranberries – I like the contrast of tart dried cranberries with the sweetness of the roasted vegetables but you could also used tart dried cherries or the dried fruit of your choice.
- Apple – Choose a crispy sweet/tart variety like honey crisp or fuji for the best flavor.
- Goat Cheese – You’ll need a log of creamy goat cheese or you can substitute vegan goat cheese if desired or try feta instead.
- Walnuts – Toasted walnuts add a nice, satisfying crunch to the salad but feel free to substitute pecans or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version.
How to Make a Beet Sweet Potato Salad:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Start by roasting the beets and sweet potatoes. Toss the cubed vegetables with the orange juice and olive oil and roast in the oven until tender.
- Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, olive oil and shallot to create the vinaigrette.
- Toss the greens with half the vinaigrette then top with the roasted vegetables, cranberries, chopped apple, goat cheese and walnuts. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top and you are ready to serve!
Simple, yet special, it’s the kind of salad you’ll find yourself making all season long. Enjoy!
Variations:
This salad is quite flexible so feel free to tailor it to your needs and preferences. Here are some possible substitutions:
- Use all beets or all sweet potatoes instead.
- Use pecans or pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts.
- Substitute dried cherries for the dried cranberries.
- Use pear instead of apple.
- Use a vegan goat cheese for a vegan option (or omit) or use crumble feta instead.
- Use baby spinach or arugula instead of mixed baby greens.
- Use honey for the vinaigrette instead of maple syrup.
More Fall Salads:
Beet Sweet Potato Salad
Try this easy and delicious roasted beet sweet potato salad. Loaded with seasonal flavors like cranberries, apples, and walnuts, it’s perfect for holiday dinners or weekday lunches.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes:
- 3-4 medium red beets, peeled and cubed
- 1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 ½ Tablespoons/22ml fresh pressed orange juice
- 1 ½ Tablespoons/22ml extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Balsamic Dressing:
- 1 ½ Tablespoons/22ml balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ Tablespoon/7ml maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon/5ml Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot
For the Salad:
- 5 ounces/142g mixed baby greens
- 1 medium apple, cored and sliced
- ⅓ cup/40g dried cranberries
- ¼ cup/30g toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces/56g goat cheese, crumbled (omit for vegan or use vegan feta)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the beets on half the baking sheet and sweet potatoes on the other half.
- In a small bowl whisk together the orange juice, olive oil and salt. Pour half the mixture over the beets and the remaining half over the sweet potatoes and toss each individually until well coated.
- Place baking sheet in oven and roast for 25-30 minutes or until beets and sweet potatoes are tender.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and let vegetables cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile make the dressing by whisking together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, Dijon mustard and minced shallot.
- In a large bowl toss the mixed greens with half the vinaigrette.
- Place dressed greens on serving platter, top with roasted beets and sweet potatoes, sliced apple, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese and drizzle with remaining dressing.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Variations:
- Use all beets or all sweet potatoes.
- Use pecans or pumpkin seeds.
- Substitute dried cherries for the dried cranberries.
- Use pear instead of apple.
- Use a vegan goat cheese for a vegan option (or omit) or use
crumble feta instead. - Use baby spinach or arugula instead of mixed baby greens.
- Use honey for the vinaigrette instead of maple syrup.
Make-Ahead:
Dressing and roasted vegetables can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until needed.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan Option (omit cheese or use vegan feta), Egg-Free, Paleo Option (omit cheese)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 371Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 369mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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