This Festive Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad recipe is oh-so-good!! It’s made with simple ingredients and loads of flavor, but best of all, it’s easy to make and satisfying.
An Easy & Delicious Sweet Potato Salad Recipe
This Festive Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad recipe is oh-so-good!!
When I first made this salad, it almost went unnoticed… Can you believe it? I knew my kids wouldn’t eat it because of the green onions, a.k.a. “the green thing”, but as soon as my husband and I started digging into this colorful salad, we couldn’t stop. We didn’t expect to get all excited over salad, but that’s what happened.
This Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad is a thrilling blend of flavors, textures, and colors. The individual flavors of this salad go so well together; it is as if they were meant to meet.
It’s absolutely delicious, and It will leave you feeling satisfied.
Ingredients You’ll Need, Substitutions & Notes
A few ingredients are all you’ll need…
- Sweet potatoes: You can substitute for pumpkin or butternut squash if you prefer.
- Olive oil: To roast the sweet potatoes.
- Salt & Pepper: To season the sweet potatoes.
- Green onions: Instead of green onions, you can use baby spinach, baby kale, arugula, or a spring mix.
- Pecans: Substitute pecans for walnuts, slivered almonds, or roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Dry cranberry: Swap the dried cranberries for raisins or pomegranate seeds.
- Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, you can use parsley instead.
- Queso fresco: Substitute for goat cheese or feta.
- Maple vinaigrette: This salad recipe pairs nicely with my maple vinaigrette, but if you want, you can just dress it with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic or apple cider vinegar.
Step By Step Recipe Tutorial
Step 1 – Roast the Sweet Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Mix the sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the mixture on the tray and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes soften. Remove from the oven and let cool down slightly. You can do this one day in advance.
Step 2 – Assemble the Salad
In a large salad bowl, toss together the roasted sweet potatoes, green onions, pecans, and cranberries.
Step 3 – Season the Salad
Garnish with chopped cilantro and queso fresco. Dress with Maple Vinaigrette to taste.
Serve.
Tips for Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Toast the pecans. If time allows it, toast the pecan to bring out a nuttier, crispier texture. Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until they smell nutty. You can do this one day in advance.
Double or triple this recipe for a large crowd.
Add greens. For extra flavor and texture, add 1-2 cups of your favorite greens. I like to add arugula.
Storing Instructions
Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to three days.
Make Ahead
This salad is best eaten right away once it has been assembled, but you can get everything ready and just assemble it when ready to serve. I recommend roasting the sweet potatoes and pecans and making the dressing the day before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can double or triple this recipe.
Yes, you can omit the pecan or substitute for pumpkin seeds.
This salad is best eaten right away once it has been assembled, but you can get everything ready and just assemble it when ready to serve. I recommend roasting the sweet potatoes and pecans and making the dressing the day before. Keep everything stored separately covered in the fridge, and assemble when ready.
More Eggless Side Dish Recipes You’ll Love!
- Instant Pot Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries
- Easy Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Easy Garlic Lemon Roasted Potatoes
- Copycat Chick fil A Superfood Salad
- Slow Cooker Easy Green Bean Casserole
- Easy Cheesy Garlic Hasselback Potatoes
- Easy Creamy Eggless Coleslaw
Recipe Card
Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lb (900 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup dry cranberry, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
- ¼ cup Maple Vinaigrette, for dressing (see notes)
Important
You can find step-by-step photos above in the post and/or right here on the recipe card. They’ll walk you through the process and make everything super clear! Just click the camera icon button below on the right to show or hide them. Turn them off before printing if you prefer a cleaner copy!
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 400º F (200º C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Mix the sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the mixture on the tray and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes soften. Remove from the oven and let cool down slightly. Note: You can do this one day in advance.
Assemble the Salad:
- In a large salad bowl, toss together the roasted sweet potatoes, green onions, pecans, and cranberries.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and queso fresco. Dress with maple vinaigrette to taste. Serve.
- Toast the pecans. If time allows, toast the pecan to bring out a nuttier, crispier texture—toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until they smell nutty. You can do this one day in advance.
- Double or triple this recipe for a large crowd.
- Add greens. Add 1-2 cups of your favorite greens for extra flavor and texture. I like to add arugula.
I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
This recipe was originally published in November 2016. The recipe remains the same, but more notes, tips, photos, and information have been added to the post in October 2022 to make it as helpful as possible!
wowsers! girl you killing me with those pics. they are amazing. wow
Thanks so much ☺️
Your photos are beautiful. What lens and camera do you use? This salad looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it. I love the cranberry and sweet potato combo, so earthy with tartness and yum!
Hello Racheal! Thanks so much for your kind words. I use a Canon 5D mark III and my favorite lens is 24-70mm f 2/8. Hope you give this recipe a try soon ????
I will have to make this salad for the family. We love sweet potatoes. It looks so delicious.
This is definitely going to be a side dish for our thanksgiving feast! The colors and flavors looks outrageously delish!
Wow, this looks incredible! Definitely on my Thanksgiving menu. Pinning now!
This looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make this recipe this week.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes are so delicious. I am so excited to try this salad recipe on the weekend. I am sure it will be a big hit with my family.
This sweet potato salad looks amazing! I would love to make this with some roasted turkey for my family.
Such a pretty looking side dish. I’m not a big fan of sweet potatoes so I’ll have to defer to those that love them. I do enjoy dried cranberries though. I use them all the time.
Love your salad! IT sounds like all of my favorite things! I need to make it soon!
What a colorful salad! This is one that I know my parents would love, so when they come at Christmas time I’m going to make this. It looks delicious.
This looks fantastic! I am adding this to my Thanksgiving menu.
Oh this sounds like all of my favorite flavors! I need to make this!
Oh wow. I will definitely be serving this at Thanksgiving AND Christmas. It looks so good! I love all the flavors.