This Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad mixes roasted sweet potatoes, fluffy quinoa, fresh spinach, sweet cranberries, and creamy avocado with a delicious lemon dressing.
Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
This salad brings all my favorite flavors together. Quinoa is always in my kitchen—it’s hearty and makes a great base. Roasted sweet potatoes? My very favorite veggie, so they’re in too!
I added creamy avocado, fresh basil, and sweet cranberries for the perfect salad balance. And the lemon dressing? It’s the best!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad:
- Sweet Potatoes: Peel and cut into small cubes for even cooking.
- Quinoa: Follow my guide for the easiest, fluffiest quinoa!
- Spinach: Roughly chop for better mixing.
- Avocado: Use a ripe one for the best creamy texture.
- Cranberries: Sweetened ones add a pop of sweetness.
- Basil: Adds fresh flavor but is optional.
- Lemon: Fresh juice makes the dressing taste better.
- Olive Oil: A good one makes the dressing richer.
- Garlic: Mince or use pre-minced for ease.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds tang and helps blend the dressing.
Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad Dressing Notes
- Sweeter Dressing: Add up to 1 tablespoon of honey for a sweeter dressing.
- Storing Leftovers: Store dressing in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container.
- Recombining Dressing: If it separates or clumps, let it sit out for 20 minutes, then shake to mix.
- Adjusting Amount: Use less dressing if you like—the recipe can be halved.
- Vegan Option: Replace honey with agave or another sweetener.
Quinoa Notes
- Make it ahead to save time—cooking and cooling it early makes salad prep quicker.
- In a rush? Spread it out on a pan and pop in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Roasting Sweet Potatoes
- Best Types: Pick Red Garnet or Jewel for a sweet, creamy texture.
- Cut Small: Chop into 1/2-inch cubes for even cooking.
- Roast Right: Spread out on a big pan to stop steaming. Crowding makes them mushy.
- Cool: Let them cool fully before adding to the Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad.
Variations
Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad Variations
- Add Meat: Top with grilled chicken, flank steak, or rotisserie chicken for more protein.
- Swap Herbs: Use cilantro or green onions instead of basil for a new flavor.
- More Toppings: Add seeds, nuts, feta, or goat cheese for extra texture and flavor.
- Add Fruit: Toss in diced apples for a sweet crunch.
Storage
Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad Storage
Keep Separate: Don’t add dressing or avocado if you won’t eat it all in one go. The salad (without dressing or avocado) stays fresh for 3 days in the fridge.
To Meal Prep:
- Store Salad: Split undressed salad into containers and keep the dressing in a jar.
- Store Avocado: Use 1/4 avocado each day. Cover the rest with lemon juice and store in a bag, cutting off browned spots as needed.
- To Eat: Add avocado, toss with dressing, and enjoy!
More Delicious Salad Recipes
- Winter Salad with a creamy dressing
- Italian Salad with tomatoes and croutons
- Spinach Salad with apples and bacon
- Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe with red onion
- Chick-Fil-A Kale Salad with a simple dressing
Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad blends tender roasted sweet potatoes, fluffy quinoa, fresh spinach, creamy avocado, and sweet cranberries with a zesty lemon dressing.
Equipment
- Large mason jar or other sealable container
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups cubed sweet potatoes 2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 5 cups fresh baby spinach coarsely chopped (4.4 ounces)
- 1 large avocado chopped
- 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil optional
Lemon Dressing
- 1 large lemon
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon honey see note 1
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Place on a large sheet pan with plenty of room so they will roast (not steam). Drizzle with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and salt/pepper. (I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.) Toss everything to coat, space out cubes, and roast 15 minutes. Then flip potatoes and roast for another 10–20 minutes or until desired tenderness.
- Prepare quinoa according to the directions in this post. Cool to room temperature or spread on a sheet pan and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes if in a hurry.
- Zest lemon to get 1 teaspoon of zest and juice it for 3 tablespoons of juice. Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, adding salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Seal the jar and shake until well-mixed. Store in the fridge until ready to use, and shake again before dressing the salad.
- Toss spinach and cooled quinoa together in a large bowl. Add cooled sweet potatoes, avocado, cranberries, and basil (if using). Add dressing only to the portion being eaten immediately (see storage notes below). Toss with desired dressing amount (about 3/4 of the dressing is usually enough). Adjust seasoning with a pinch of salt if needed. Enjoy promptly once dressed.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To keep the salad vegan, swap out the honey for another liquid sweetener, such as agave.
Storage: This salad is best eaten immediately after being dressed, so if you want leftovers, only add avocado and dressing to the portion that will be eaten immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30.1g | Sodium: 173.6mg | Fiber: 8.4g | Sugar: 11.7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very adaptable recipe. Used kale instead of spinach. Roasted acorn squash, sweet potatoes, and then with 15 minutes left, added sweet onions and asparagus. In the dressing, I used fresh basil and mint leaves, an inch of ginger, avocado oil instead of EVOO, freshly ground pepper, and a heavy dash of sesame seed oil. Put it in a blender to smooth out the hard ingredients. It was a potluck hit, and my wife came home and had another big bowl.
Why can’t use normal mustard? I don’t have Dijon mustard 🙁
Flavors are very different; unfortunately the dressing would be pretty gross with normal mustard
Tried this salad today and it was sooo amazing! Super fresh and filling! Loved it <3
I’m so glad to hear this! 🙂
The flavors are amazing! What would you recommend as a substitution for the sweet potatoes? I love them but they’re on my “avoid” list of foods to eat. Thanks!
Could you do butternut squash?
This salad was soooo delicious and super filling. I can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch ahhhhh
I’m so happy to hear this! Enjoy 🙂
I had my older son over for dinner who is vegan. This was so tasty and he loved it. I also baked some chicken breast and my husband and I ate this salad with it and all the flavors were so good. Excellent recipe!
So happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for the comment Liz 🙂
what a creative salad recipe, I love sweet potatoes so was drawn by the title, and really like all of these other ingredients, too, the dressing is very inspired, very impressive all in all, thank you for this wonderful salad< I'm having mine topped with pistachios!
Thanks Sabrina! 🙂
My husband and I LOVE this salad. I’ve made it numerous times, and everyone always ends up calling and asking for the recipe. One question, about how long do you think I can keep the dressing? I’d love to keep a big mason jar full for a month or so, but wasn’t sure because of the lemon!
I’m so happy to hear that! Yay! 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment Angelina! As far as the dressing, I think the garlic is more of a concern than the lemon (lemon is a natural preservative!) so you could use garlic powder instead of minced garlic to make it keep longer. I don’t know for sure, but I would think this dressing could last 2 (maybe 3) weeks in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge.
I threw in some elderly broccoli and 3 unpeeled garlic cloves to the roasting. I used the smashed garlic cloves in the dressing (it IS phenomenal) and didn’t put craisins in the dish as I didn’t feel it was needed. I also used a combo or baby spinach and baby kale chopped fine. Finally, I added canned, cooked lentils (rinsed to remove the sodium) to increase the protein. DELISH!
Sounds amazing!! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this salad Kitty! 🙂
This salad looks amazing! I’ll be trying it this weekend. Great tips about preparing the individual ingredients.
I hope you love it! 🙂