This roasted sweet potato quinoa salad with tahini lemon dressing is a vegan, gluten free, filling, and nutritious dish. Caramelised sweet potatoes, fluffy quinoa, sweet corn and crunchy cucumber piled into a bowl, drizzled with creamy dressing and finished with a scatter of juicy pomegranate on top makes it as good as it tastes.
Roasted sweet potato quinoa salad is colourful, protein rich and easy to make, with tahini lemon dressing elevating the taste and flavour. Perfect to make a batch on Sunday and you’ve got lunches sorted for a week.
This vegan roasted sweet potato quinoa salad is made with simple everyday ingredients and it’s just as good warm from the oven as it is cold from the fridge, which makes it perfect for lunchboxes, meal prep and on busy weekdays.
Notes On Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- For Roasted Sweet Potato: Sweet potatoes, salt, chilli flakes, cumin powder, onion powder, garlic granules and olive oil.
- For Dressing: Tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and water.
- To Cook Quinoa: Water and quinoa.
- To Assemble: Boiled corn, cucumber and pomegranate.
How To Make Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad?
As always, I recommend watching the recipe video and checking out these step-by-step instructions first. Then you can find the full recipe with the exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Preheat oven.
Step 2: Toss diced sweet potato with seasoning and oil.
Step 3: Spread them in a lined baking tray and roast.
Step 4: Cook quinoa until fluffly.
Step 5: Prepare dressing.
Step 6: In a large bowl, combine quinoa, roasted sweet potato, drizzle dressing and finish with pomegranate.
Enjoy nutritious roasted sweet potato quinoa salad with tahini lemon dressing.
Variations and Substitutions
Vegetables: Swap cucumber and corn for bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and red onion.
Protein: Stir in boiled edamame, black beans, cannelini beans or chickpeas.
Extra Crunch: Top salad with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or almonds.
Hint of Sweetness: Whisk a dash of maple syrup into dressing if you prefer it a bit sweeter.
Storage
Store quinoa, roasted sweet potato and boiled corn in airtight containers, with dressing kept separately for up to 4 days. Toss salad with cucumber, pomegranate and dressing just before serving to keep salad fresh and crunchy.
Serving Suggestions
This salad is a complete meal on its own, but works as a side dish with carrot lentil soup, garlic herb roasted root vegetables or roasted turnip.
It’s ideal to pack in a lunchbox along with spicy roast cauliflower or crispy roasted baby potatoes with rosemary, with dressing packed separately in a small pot.
Tips and Tricks
Don’t Crowd Tray: Spread sweet potatoes with a little spacing between them, if necessary, divide them into two trays or roast in two batches. Overcrowding the tray steams sweet potato instead of roasting.
Cucumber: Add it just before serving to keep salad fresh and crisp, as it releases moisture.
Quinoa: Rinse quinoa to remove the bitter coating.
Dressing: Tahini thickens when combined with lemon juice, then loosens as you add water. Add water gradually one tablespoon at a time.
Pomegranate: Add it just before serving to keep arils fresh and prevent dressing from turning pink.
FAQ
Yes, both work. Warm sweet potato quinoa is soft and comforting on chilly days. Cold salad tastes equally good as the flavours meld and is perfect for lunchboxes or picnics.
Absolutely, drain the liquid from canned corn and rinse corn well. Defrost frozen corn before using it in salad.
Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad With Tahini Lemon Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Steel Pot/Saucepan
- 2 spoons
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
For Roasted Sweet Potato
- 235 gms (1.5 cups) sweet potatoes
- salt as required
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic granules
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
To Cook Quinoa
- 95 gms (½ cup) quinoa
- 1 cup water
For Dressing
- 30 gms (2 tablespoons) tahini
- juice from half lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt as required
- pepper as required
- 3-4 tablespoons water adjust to get smooth pourable consistency
To Assemble
- 125 gms (1 cup) cucumber
- 50 gms (⅓ cup) corn
- 50 gms (⅓ cup) pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).
- In a baking tray, toss diced sweet potato with salt, chilli flakes, cumin powder, onion powder, garlic granules and olive oil.235 gms (1.5 cups) sweet potatoes, salt, ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic granules, ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- Spread them out in a single layer with a little spacing between them.
- Roast in a preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, flipping once halfway, until edges are caramelised and golden.
- While sweet potato roasts, cook quinoa. Rinse quinoa well under running water to remove bitterness.
- Add water to saucepan and bring water to a rolling boil.1 cup water
- Now add rinsed quinoa, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and grains are tender.95 gms (½ cup) quinoa
- Switch the heat off, let it sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
- In a bowl, whisk tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, lemon juice. It will look thick after whisking for a while.30 gms (2 tablespoons) tahini, juice from half lemon, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper
- Now add water one tablespoon at a time until the dressing is smooth and pourable.3-4 tablespoons water
- In a large mixing bowl, combine quinoa, roasted sweet potato, cucumber, corn, dressing and pomegranate.125 gms (1 cup) cucumber, 50 gms (⅓ cup) corn, 50 gms (⅓ cup) pomegranate arils
Notes
Nutrition
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KEEP IN TOUCH
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Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
