Wild rice and sweet potato salad is loaded with healthy veggies and tossed in a chili lime vinaigrette. Gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and perfect for lunch or a side salad!
When it comes to salads, the more colors, the happier I am! Some of my favorite colorful salads include a good old classic Cobb Salad or Taco Salad, but when I’m craving something a little different, I go for this Wild Rice + Sweet Potato Salad.
With a delicious base of wild rice blend and roasted sweet potatoes, we load our salad up with crunchy carrots and celery, fresh cilantro leaves, red onions, and a tangy chili lime vinaigrette that makes anything and everything taste like a million bucks.
This salad is one I come back to time and time again because it’s hearty, healthy, and absolutely delicious!
Reasons you’ll ♡ this sweet potato salad
- it’s beautiful and perfect for a dinner party
- it’s vegan-friendly and gluten-free
- with a few swaps, you can make this in to a tasty meal prep lunch!
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this salad recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Let’s talk ingredients
- sweet potato– around 4 cups of cubes which is 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
- veggies– red onion, bell peppers, carrots and celery. You can swap these out for what you have in the fridge!
- wild rice blend– I prefer the texture of a wild rice blend, but you could go 100% wild rice if that’s your thing! This is the blend I used.
- cilantro– only add if you are eating this salad within a few hours of making it
- chili lime vinaigrette– which is one of my all-time faves! With white wine vinegar, olive oil, chili powder, garlic, lime juice, honey and dijon, it’s absolutely delicious.
Tips for the perfect salad
- hot or cold? I tend to serve this salad cold, and allow the rice and sweet potatoes to cool before mixing it all together. I bet it would be delicious warmed as well.
- big batch– this makes 8 servings, so it’s good for feeding a crowd. You can easily cut the recipe in half if you need to.
- meal prep- this salad does not keep well after tossing in the dressing, but you could meal prep it by prepping all the ingredients except the cilantro. Leave the dressing off until you are ready to serve.
- make it a meal– you could totally bulk this salad up with 1-2 cans of black beans, some cooked chicken, or your favorite protein.
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Can I add other veggies?
Sure, this is a really great ‘clean out the fridge’ kind of salad
- roast up some cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, brussels sprouts or broccoli with the sweet potatoes
- add in some fresh tomatoes when serving
- make it spicy with some fresh minced jalapeno peppers
Can I make this recipe vegan?
Yes, you can swap the honey for maple syrup at a 1:1 ratio.
What should I serve with sweet potato salad?
To make this a meal, you could simply add a can of black beans. Here are some other ideas:
- tofu- make a batch of Easy Baked Tofu
- shrimp- use this Honey Lime Air Fryer Shrimp recipe
- chicken- try this Perfect Baked Chicken Breast
This post was originally published in 2014. It has been republished with new photos and recipe tips in 2019, same great recipe!
Southwestern Wild Rice and Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potato
- 4 cups sweet potato (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes; roughly 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper
Salad
- 3/4 cup wild rice blend (uncooked )
- 1 carrot (peeled and grated)
- 1 celery (finely chopped)
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 1 yellow pepper (diced)
- 1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (roughly chopped; loosely packed)
Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons honey (maple syrup to make it vegan)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potato
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss sweet potato in olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet or baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes, stir up, and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, until a fork goes into the sweet potatoes easily.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Salad
- Cook rice according to package directions. You should end up with just over 2 cups of cooked rice. Allow to cool completely before assembling the salad.
- Combine cooled sweet potato, cooled rice, and remaining salad ingredients.
- Shake together all vinaigrette ingredients and toss salad thoroughly.
Storage
- If you are planning to make this salad ahead, leave off the cilantro until just prior to serving.
- For meal prep- omit the cilantro and add a can of black beans. Portion out into 2 cup meal prep containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
