Fall & Winter Sweet Potato Salad combines seasonal sweet potatoes, arugula, and pomegranate, with dried cherries, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds. All are tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette and deliver all five flavors to your taste buds. This recipe is a healthy must-have for any holiday feast!
Fall & Winter Sweet Potato Salad
I’ve made this sweet potato salad for the winter holidays over the past few years and it’s a hit!
As a kid, we always had candied sweet potatoes on our Thanksgiving table, and I loved them.
I must admit, I’ve outgrown the sugar and texture of traditional sweet potato dishes, but I still want to eat sweet potatoes during the cold months…by the truckload!
So, this salad is a must-have recipe for the holiday sweet potato lovers out there.
First, let me share what I love about this sweet potato salad:
~ Sweet potatoes, arugula, and pomegranate are in season during fall and early winter.
~ You can eat sweet potatoes for the holidays and skip the sugar overload of candied sweet potatoes.
~ Recipe takes less than 30 minutes to pull together.
~ It’s vegan and gluten free, and no one will know it’s secretly healthy.
The color, flavor, and texture make it the perfect holiday salad!
When you get a bite of this salad with morsels of each ingredient, you’ll get savory from the sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds and slightly bitter flavors from the arugula and quinoa.
Then, it ALL comes together in perfect harmony with the sweetness pomegranate, sweet potatoes, and dried cherries.
It’s heavenly!
Then there’s the texture…the crunchy, chewy, and creamy…all in one! This dish is mah jam, and could be yours too!
How far in advance can I make sweet potato salad?
You may prep each ingredient up to a few days in advance, store them in the fridge, and toss all together just before your throwdown goes down.
Ingredients you’ll need for Fall & Winter Sweet Potato Salad:
- quinoa
- sweet potato
- raw pumpkin seeds
- arugula
- pomegranate seeds
- dried cherries
- Bragg apple cider vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- maple syrup
- salt and pepper
Tools I use to make this sweet potato salad recipe:
- chef knife and cutting board
- sauce pot or Instant Pot (to cook quinoa)
- oven or microwave (to cook sweet potato)
- small bowl and whisk (for salad dressing)
- salad serving bowl
Here’s how I make my Fall & Winter Sweet Potato Salad recipe:
- cook quinoa and refrigerate
- microwave whole sweet potatoes and dice; or dice whole potatoes and bake
- toast pumpkin seeds
- whisk together salad dressing ingredients and refrigerate
- toss all together and serve
Looking for more healthy, fall and winter holiday feast recipes?
Be sure to check out my No Cook Cranberry Pomegranate Relish…perfect served on top of warm, brie cheese.
You’ll love my Vegan Green Bean Casserole, in fact, you won’t believe it’s vegan!
For a true comfort food, grab my recipe for Half-Healthy Butternut Squash Baked Mac and Cheese.
Traci Antonovich
Yields 4 cups
Sweet potatoes, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, arugula, dried cherries, and pomegranate, tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette.
20 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Save Recipe5 based on 11 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry Quinoa (or 1 cup cooked)
- 1 large Sweet Potato
- 1/4 cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 cups Baby Arugula
- 1/2 cup Pomegranate Arils
- 1/4 cup Dried Cherries (lightly chopped)
- 2 Tbsp Bragg Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Maple Syrup
- pinch Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Cook dry QUINOA according to package instructions; allow to cool.
- Pierce raw SWEET POTATO several times with a knife; place in microwave; cook on high until tender (5-8 minutes); allow to cool; remove skin; chop into bite-sized pieces. {alternatively, you can bake sweet potato in the oven or steam in the Instant Pot}
- Place PUMPKIN SEEDS on a baking tray under low-flame broiler in oven or toaster oven; gently toast until fragrant (be careful, they burn easily).
- In a bowl, whisk together APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, OLIVE OIL, MAPLE SYRUP, SALT, and PEPPER; cover and chill up until needed.
- When ready to serve, toss together QUINOA, SWEET POTATO, ARUGULA, PUMPKIN SEEDS, POMEGRANATE ARILS, DRIED CHERRIES, and VINAIGRETTE.
Notes
*NOTE: Sweet potato can be roasted (instead of microwave-cooked) by peeling, dicing, tossing in olive oil, salt, and pepper and baking at 375° about 30 min.
Traci Antonovich
About my recipes: Minimal meat & more plants!
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