Sweet Potato-Pecan Salad Recipe (2024)

By John Willoughby

Sweet Potato-Pecan Salad Recipe (1)

Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(295)
Notes
Read community notes

Southern-style sweet potato salad with pecans makes an excellent companion for fried chicken.

Featured in: Fried Chicken’s Northern Exposure

Learn: How to Cook Potatoes

Learn: Basic Knife Skills

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Ingredients

Yield:6 side-dish servings

  • 4medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into uniform 2-inch chunks
  • 2tablespoons salt
  • ½red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
  • ½green bell pepper, seeded and diced small
  • ½large red onion, diced small
  • ¼cup finely chopped parsley
  • 3tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3tablespoons ketchup
  • 1teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¾cup olive oil
  • ¼cup cider vinegar
  • 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • cup pecan halves, lightly toasted

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

400 calories; 31 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 571 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Sweet Potato-Pecan Salad Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Fill sink or a large bowl with water and ice cubes. Put sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, add the salt and water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork but still offer some resistance and don’t break apart, 10 to 12 minutes.

  2. Step

    2

    Drain potatoes and immediately put them into the ice-water bath. After 1 minute, remove potatoes, drain again, and put into a large bowl along with diced peppers, onion and parsley.

  3. Step

    3

    Make the dressing: In a large bowl, combine mustard, ketchup and garlic. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Whisk in vinegar, Worcestershire and lime juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

  4. Step

    4

    Pour dressing over sweet potatoes, add pecans and toss gently.

Ratings

4

out of 5

295

user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Lesley

I've made this dish on at least 5 occasions this summer. It's really delicious. I use less oil (1/3 C), about 1/4 C lemon juice, and cilantro (instead of parsley). Although the salad can be made a day ahead, add the toasted pecans just before serving.

Katherine

I took the recommendation of someone below and replaced the 3/4 c oil with 1/3 c oil and 1/4 c lemon juice. It was still way more liquidy than I like my cold salads - I don't like to have the bottom third swimming. My fried who doesn't mind that said it looked fine to her. Definitely not 3/4 c oil though - that would have been way too oily.

AJ

And an apple, dont forget to add an apple.

AJ

Add 2 cups of torn greens of some kind and only 1 sweet potato for a very nice lunch salad.

Anne

Spicy pecans to use with this: pecans with butter and salt melted together. Toss with some Worcestershire, some cayenne, some cinnamon...then baked 30 min at 300.It works great with this salad if you don't eat the pecans first.

Judith S.

A big hit at work. I roasted the sweet potatoes which worked well (peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks; roasted at 400 for about 40 min checking periodically). I also used walnuts b/c I didn't have pecans and scallions b/c I didn't have red onion. Super easy and I would make again.

Magpie

I note the direction to stop the potatoes from cooking; seeking advice from anyone who has made this, should they be lukewarm when dressed? Completely cold? Does it matter? Thank you.

Read the notes and hold back some dressing :)

I should have read all of the notes on this. I used 1/4 cup oil and glad I did. But I made the mistake of pouring all of the dressing onto the salad. As many posters have noted, it's way too much dressing for the two pounds of sweet potatoes. The salad is delicious, though, and I'll make this again! I like Paisley's idea of using some of the extra dressing on beets and AJ's idea of adding an apple.

Somewhere In 413

I really liked this salad, I tweaked it by using the lime zest and adding Trader Joe's Everyday seasoning. I like heavily dressed salads and used only half after making it with 7 potatoes, about 4 lbs. As many have said, way more dressing than needed.

Will roast the sweet potatoes next time

Unusual but tasty. I added a Granny Smith Apple and reduced the oil to 1/4cup as suggested. Dressing almost overpowers the veggies.

Susan

Followed suggestions for less oil and adding lemon juice. Also made and used 1/2 amount of dressing, which was plenty. Tasted great and received plenty of compliments.

Good but too much dressing

The dressing is essentially a BBQ vinaigrette and it makes about 1/3 cup more than you need. I would add it in little amounts to taste. I also added bacon because bacon makes everything better.

Rick

This is quite tasty! As others have said, it’s rather heavy on the dressing. I used about half of what I made. I must say, I thought the sweet potatoes got a little lost among the other ingredients. I guess I was expecting it to be more potato-forward. I might try an adjustment or two next time.

Paisley

I've been trying to find this recipe again! I made it last year and it was delicious. The yield of the dressing was more than I needed for the sweet potatoes, I used the rest of the dressing for another salad a couple of days later using beets. My finicky uncle was visiting, and he loved it!

Approdesiac

The outcome was initially exciting, but quickly overwhelming. This dish could stand on its own or compliment a very basic, no frills, chicken entree. I’m all about a straightforward recipe and this one requires too much tweaking.

Anne

Spicy pecans to use with this: pecans with butter and salt melted together. Toss with some Worcestershire, some cayenne, some cinnamon...then baked 30 min at 300.It works great with this salad if you don't eat the pecans first.

EvaM

Loved the salad; served with grilled pork chops.For the dressing: Used 1/2 cup olive oil, and only poured half of the dressing on the sweet potato-pepper mixture; otherwise the salad would have been soupy.Added a few slices of jalapeno to the red & green peppers mix

Jtango

I used only 1/4 cup of olive oil and added 1 tablespoon of sriracha. Delicious!

Carolyn

Delicious! I doubled the recipe and was delighted to find out 1/2 cup vinegar was not too much.

AJ

Add 2 cups of torn greens of some kind and only 1 sweet potato for a very nice lunch salad.

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Sweet Potato-Pecan Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when making potato salad? ›

Undercooking or Overcooking The Potatoes

Potatoes are the main ingredient, so it's essential that they're cooked just right. Don't let them cook long enough, and you'll be left with firm, crunchy potatoes — not a texture potatoes should ever take on in this dish. Cook them too long, and you'll have mushy potatoes.

How many holes should you poke in a sweet potato? ›

Use a fork to poke 8 to 10 sets of holes in the skins of each sweet potato for ventilation and wrap each tightly in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet to catch the juice that will inevitably leak out. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until soft.

Should you rinse potatoes in cold water after boiling for potato salad? ›

Rinsing washes off some of the starch from the potatoes so that the potato chunks are more defined and easily coated with the dressing. Rinsing the potatoes in cold water also stops the cooking process so you know exactly what texture your potatoes will be and won't risk over-cooking.

Is it better to boil potatoes whole or cut up for potato salad? ›

How to Boil Potatoes for Potato Salad. Waxy potatoes can be cooked whole or cut, with or without the skin. Starchy potatoes should be cooked whole with the skin on, then peeled and cut after they're cooked. Select medium Russet potatoes, not large ones, to ensure the skin doesn't split while cooking.

How does Rachael Ray make potato salad? ›

In the bottom of a medium mixing bowl, grate 1/4 onion using a hand grater. Add mustard and mayonnaise, paprika and cayenne pepper sauce to the grated onion and stir to combine. Add potatoes to the bowl and stir to evenly distribute dressing. Season potato salad with salt and pepper and taste to adjust your seasonings.

Is it OK to cook potatoes day before making potato salad? ›

Your potato salad will of course be best if you make it shortly after cooking. But if you want to do some of your work ahead of time, boil the potatoes, let them sit uncovered for several hours, even overnight, and then cut and dress them at the last minute.

What are the most common ingredients in potato salad? ›

Stir mayonnaise, pickles, hard-cooked eggs, red onion, celery, mustard, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Fold in cooled potatoes until well combined. For best flavor, chill potato salad in the refrigerator until chilled or overnight before serving.

Does it matter what kind of potatoes you use for potato salad? ›

The Type of Potato Matters: Waxy Is Better than Starchy

Waxy: These thin-skinned potatoes have the least amount of starch and retain their shape well when boiled, making them our favorite for potato salad. Thin skins also mean that peeling is optional if you're short on time or like a more rustic salad.

Why don't you peel potatoes for potato salad? ›

If you'd like to add a little extra color and texture to your salad, leave the skins on. Just be sure to scrub them thoroughly with a vegetable brush before you cook them. Once you've either scrubbed or peeled your potatoes, cut them into bite-size chunks, place them in a large pot, and cover them with water.

What happens if you forget to poke holes in sweet potatoes? ›

Do you have to poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking? Typically holes are poked into a sweet potato to prevent a potato exploding in your oven. However, the chance of that happening is low, and according to Lifehacker, sweet potatoes will retain more flavor if you don't poke them.

How do Japanese people eat sweet potatoes? ›

One delicious way of cooking sweet potatoes is to make them into yaki-imo by baking them with the skin left on. Not over an open flame or in an oven, though — the best way is to immerse them in piping-hot stones.

Does it matter which end of a sweet potato goes in water? ›

The sweet potato produces vine-like stems that resemble the philodendron plant. Place the sweet potato in a container of water. Keep the top 1/3 of the potato exposed by placing toothpicks into the sides. The pointed end should be down in the water.

What goes bad in potato salad? ›

But the truth is, mayonnaise isn't your main concern when it comes to spoilage. The actual culprit is the potatoes. Yes, it's true! The humble, reliable potato is a hotbed for bacterial growth if improperly stored after cooking.

What causes potato salad to spoil? ›

How To Prevent Potato Salad From Spoiling Too Quickly. Since the main cause of this dish's spoilage stems from soil bacteria left behind on the potatoes, it's a good idea to clean them thoroughly before putting them in.

How do you keep potatoes from getting mushy in potato salad? ›

Start with cold water, not boiling. According to Love Potatoes, dropping them into cold water instead of boiling water (and letting the potatoes and water heat up together) will prevent the outside from cooking faster than the inside.

Why does my potato salad get mushy? ›

Potato's starchy cells are bound by pectin, which acts as the glue that holds them together. As potatoes cook, their pectin starts to break down. Thus, the longer they're cooked, the more their pectin breaks down, causing potatoes to become mushy.

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