This Sweet Potato Beet Salad is full of color, flavor, and texture! Feta cheese, crunchy walnuts, and caramelized onions take it to the next level, and the honey balsamic dressing brings it all together!
This roasted vegetable salad has so many layers of flavor, once you try it you'll want to make it again and again!
We love this recipe because it's hearty and filling, which makes it perfect as a fall lunch, vegetarian dinner or served as a vegetarian side dish. It's made with a handful of simple ingredients, and is easy to customize!
Looking for more salad ideas? Check out my green arugula spinach salad.
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Arugula. You can use any greens you like- spinach, lettuce, kale, etc. I like the light bitterness and pepperiness that arugula brings to this salad.
- Feta cheese. You can use another white cheese or dairy-free feta if needed.
- Honey. For adding a touch of sweetness to the dressing. It can be substituted with maple syrup or agave syrup.
- Walnuts. It can be substituted with other nuts like pecans, or almonds, or seeds like pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version.
- Spices. Optional, but we like to use cinnamon and ground coriander to add season the veggies.
- Mustard. I love the flavor of Dijon mustard in the dressing, but yellow mustard can also work.
- Olive oil. For roasting the vegetables + making the dressing. Make sure to use high-quality extra virgin olive oil for best results.
- Balsamic vinegar. If you don't have it on hand, you can substitute it with lemon or lime juice, or red wine vinegar.
How To Make Sweet Potato Beet Salad
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Chop the beet and sweet potato into cubes, and slice the red onion. Add to a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle salt and spices. Mix to coat.
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Then, add chopped walnuts and continue baking for 10 more minutes, until the nuts are toasted, and the vegetables are fork-tender.
Let the roasted vegetables cool on the side while preparing the dressing.
In a small bowl, add all of the ingredients for the dressing and whisk until well-mixed.
To a large plate, add your greens of choice and toss with ⅔ of the dressing. Then, add the roasted vegetables, walnuts, and cheese on top, and drizzle the remaining dressing. Serve right away!
👩🏼🍳 Petra's Tips
- Add the veggies and cheese on the top. Dress the greens with the dressing first, then layer the rest of the ingredients on top. This makes for a better presentation!
- Make this recipe vegan by using dairy-free feta or another white vegan cheese of your choice.
- Skip the nuts to make this recipe nut-free. Or add seeds instead! Think pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
- Once the salad is assembled, serve it straight away! Like any salad, this one is the best in the few hours after it was made.
- Change it up! This sweet potato beet salad is pretty versatile, and that's the fun of it. Good add-ins would be avocado, fresh fruits like apples, cooked grains like quinoa, etc.
FAQ
Since pre-cooked beets are usually boiled, they won't have as deep flavor as roasted beets but will work fine in a pinch.
Use an oil-free dressing like my tahini miso dressing.
Yes, I've tried this recipe with both and it's delicious either way.
Dressing Variations
Similar to my arugula spinach salad, you can replace the balsamic vinaigrette with this sumac salad dressing.
Looking for a creamy dressing instead? Check out my tahini miso dressing.
Make-Ahead Option
You can make the dressing and store it in a jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can also roast the vegetables ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
My best tip is to use the layering salad method - adding the dressing on the bottom of a large jar, followed by the roasted veggies, walnuts, feta cheese, and greens on top.
This way you can make the salad 3-4 days ahead of time and since the greens and dressing are separate everything will stay fresh for longer.
Keep in mind that once everything is assembled and drizzled with the vinegarette, it won't last more than a couple of hours.
Serving Suggestions
We love to serve this salad alongside some crusty bread, pesto pasta, or even a bowl of soup like this potato leek soup.
Top the salad with crispy chickpeas or crushed air fryer pita chips to add some crunch and texture.
To make this salad a complete meal, serve it with one or more of the following protein sources:
- Poached or boiled eggs
- Tofu ham
- Air fryer tempeh
- Air fryer beyond burgers
- Cooked grains like quinoa or farro
Storage & Freezing
The salad is best served fresh, right after you toss it with the dressing.
If you have leftovers that have already been coated in dressing, they can last for a maximum of 24 hours in the fridge.
This recipe is not freezer-friendly.
More Easy Salad Recipes
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Beet Salad with Feta
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
- 1 medium beet, cubed
- 1 medium red onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
- 1 cup raw walnuts , roughly chopped (or sub with seeds to make it nut-free)
- 4 cups greens of choice (we use arugula)
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese (use vegan if needed)
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Layer a piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Add the cubed sweet potato, beet, and red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, cinnamon (optional), and ground coriander (optional). Toss to combine and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- After 30 minutes, take the vegetables out of the oven and add to them the chopped walnuts. Bake for 10 more minutes, or until the walnuts are toasted, and the vegetables are soft. Set aside to cool.
- In the meantime, prepare the dressing. To a small bowl, add all of the ingredients- olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey or maple syrup, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
- To a salad plate, add your greens of choice and toss with ⅔ of the dressing. Add the cooled vegetables and walnuts on top, followed by the crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle the remaining dressing all over and serve right away!
Notes
- Fridge: You can prepare the vegetables and dressing 4 days in advance. Once the salad is assembled and dressed, It will keep for a maximum of 24 hours.
- Freezer: This recipe is not freezer-friendly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
DC says
this was really great
Reggie says
This salad was as beautiful as it was delicious! The flavors and textures melded well. The dressing was so tasty that I made entire jar of it to keep on hand! I made it as the recipe was written other than adding some mixed greens to the arugula for variety. I have already shared the recipe with a few of my friends!
Petranka says
Hi, Reggie! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the amazing review!
Boris says
This salad is one of my favorites! I love how the feta and sweet potato fit together.
Petranka says
Yes, me too! Glad you liked it!