Roasted Sweet Potato Salad: Simple Side Dish Recipe

Imagine a potato salad that combines all the best flavors of summer into one delicious dish.

This roasted sweet potato salad recipe is a game-changer, with perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, a tangy dressing, and a medley of fresh ingredients that will make your taste buds do the Cotton-eyed Joe.

Whether you're planning a Labor Day bash or just looking for a new favorite side dish, this recipe is sure to become a family fav.

Table of Contents

• 🗝️ Key takeaways
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 📖 Variations
• 🥫 How to store leftover roast sweet potato salad
• Marye's Tip
• 💭 Things to know
• 🍠 How to roast sweet potatoes
• 👩‍🍳 FAQs
• 📚 Related recipes
• 📞 The last word
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• Unique and nutritious. This roasted sweet potato salad is not only delicious but also packed with nutritious ingredients. The roasting process enhances the natural sweetness of the potatoes, while the dressing adds a perfect balance of tangy and savory flavors. It's a refreshing change from traditional potato salads.
• Perfect at cookouts. Serve this salad at summer cookouts, picnics, or family gatherings. It's also a fantastic option for potlucks and holiday meals. The vibrant colors and flavors make it a standout dish on any table.
• Cooking sweet potatoes. I prefer them roasted in this dish because it brings out the sweetness but you can bake or boil them if you wish.

This easy, roasted sweet potato salad is packed with flavor from fragrant spices, tangy-sweet balsamic vinegar, sultry vanilla, and just enough smoky, hot chipotle to make it tingle.

Perfect for summer potlucks, it's also a healthy side dish for the colder months, and a nice change from regular, creamy potato salad anytime.

This is truly a unique side dish with plenty of flavor. It's easy to put together, too. You probably have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your pantry.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Variations

1. Add roasted red peppers for extra flavor and color.
2. Toss in some cooked quinoa to make it a heartier dish.
3. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the dressing for a citrusy kick.
4. Use walnuts in place of pecans
5. Add dried cranberries
6. Add a pinch of cumin
7. Add some fresh orange zest to brighten it up
8. Use pears in place of apples
9. Try a flavored balsamic like vanilla or fig in place of plain balsamic vinegar
10. You can use cider vinegar if you absolutely have to but it's really really not as good
11. Roast the apples and onions, too
12. Use maple syrup instead of honey
13. Add some fire roasted poblano peppers

🥫 How to store leftover roast sweet potato salad

If you have leftovers (ha! It's not likely), keep them in a tightly covered glass or plastic dish in the fridge for up to four days. After that, they get kind of soggy.

The flavors meld together even more as it sits, making it delicious the next day.

💭 Things to know

• Roasting the sweet potatoes at a high temperature caramelizes the edges and brings out their natural sweetness.
• You can prepare the dressing ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• This salad is a great make-ahead dish, perfect for busy schedules.

🍠 How to roast sweet potatoes

I love my recipe for roasted sweet potatoes because of the seasoning... but here's the basic technique -

1. Peel and cube
2. Toss with seasonings and a little olive oil.
3. Place on an oiled, heavy baking sheet.
4. Roast at 425F, stirring often, for about 30 minutes.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?

A yam is a starchy edible root that's related to lilies, and is imported to America from the Caribbean. It's drier and starchier than a sweet potato - think of the difference between bananas and plantains.

Sweet potatoes are members of the morning glory family. Depending on the variety, sweet potato flesh can vary from white to orange or even purple.

The orange-fleshed variety is the most well known and, in order to distinguish it from the white variety, producers chose the English form of the African word “nyami” and labeled them “yams.” Sweet potatoes are softer and sweeter than true yams.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that producers put labels that have the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato.’ Despite the label regulations, most people still think of sweet potatoes as yams regardless of their true identity.

📚 Related recipes

📞 The last word

I grew up eating potato salad, and to be perfectly honest, I love it all -- creamy old-fashioned potato salad, hot German potato salad, and every single variation in between. I eat it ALL summer long.

By Labor Day, I'm pretty much potato-saladed-out, and it's a mad dash through my cookbooks to figure out what to serve at the Labor Day bash.

One year I happened to have some heirloom sweet potatoes on hand from a trip to farmer's market and I had a wild and crazy idea. What if I did a potato salad mash-up (mash-up, get it?) and took all of the best parts from ALL the potato salads I liked.

It was awful - at least the first try. The second wasn't much better but by Labor Day I had created this recipe - and it was SO good that the bowl was emptied minutes after it was put on the table.

It was like pirañas. Our new, favorite sweet potato side dish!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published August 29, 2009. Last updated June 17, 2024 for editorial improvements.