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.

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Table of Contents

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

What dressing goes on quinoa salad?

A creamy cilantro cashew dressing adds a fresh, zesty flavor to quinoa salad. It pairs well with roasted veggies and crunchy raw ingredients.

Can you put raw sweet potatoes in a salad?

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.

Are quinoa and sweet potato good for you?

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.

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