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salad with sweet potatoes
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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Sweet Potato Winter Salad With Toasted Pecans

A vegan sweet potato winter salad with toasted pecans. This nutritious salad is packed with roasted sweet potatoes, toasted pecans, homemade croutons, cranberries and leafy greens of choice. Serve it with a light lemon vinaigrette for a fresh, yet hearty salad.
Course Salad
Cuisine vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 small-medium sweet potatoes, diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
  • 6 cups leafy greens greens of choice (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Homemade Croutons

  • 2 slices bread (see notes)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Lemon Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Instructions

Prepare the Sweet Potatoes

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Dice the sweet potatoes and place them on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Spread the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes. The roasting time will depend on how big or small you cut the sweet potatoes.

Make the Homemade Croutons

  • Chop the bread into bite-sized cubes and add them to a mixing bowl with the oil, garlic powder and salt. Toss to combine.
  • Spread the prepared bread on a baking sheet (leaving some space for the pecans later). Toast for 10 minutes at 400°F in the same oven as the sweet potatoes. Remove from the oven, toss the croutons and add the chopped pecans to the baking sheet. Return to the oven and keep toasting for another 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the pecans and croutons in the last minutes to avoid burning.

Prepare the Lemon Vinaigrette

  • Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette. Add all the ingredients in a jar and shake until mixed. Make sure the garlic is finely grated. You can also add the ingredients in a small blender if preferred.

Assemble the Salad

  • Add your greens in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Top with the roasted sweet potatoes, croutons, toasted pecans and dried cranberries. Serve immediately.

Notes

To save time, you can skip the croutons or use store-bought croutons.
To make this salad gluten-free, use gluten-free bread or store-bought gluten-free croutons.
I recommend using a thick, rustic bread for the croutons.
You can make this salad with shredded kale, spinach, mixed greens and/or arugula. If using kale, make sure to massage it with the vinaigrette. This makes it easier to eat.
You can also serve this salad with vegan parmesan.
This recipe makes 4-6 side salads or 2 larger portions when served as an entrée.