Japanese Sweet Potato Salad (Paleo)

This Japanese sweet potato salad is the perfect fall or winter dish. It's made with cooked Japanese sweet potatoes, fresh herbs and seasoned pecans. This side dish is paleo, gluten free, dairy free and easily made whole30.

Japanese sweet potatoes have always been my favorite sweet potato variety. They have a dark reddish-purple skin and white to yellow flesh. They're drier and slightly sweeter than orange fleshed sweet potatoes, which I love. They get perfectly crisp when roasting!

This Japanese sweet potato salad uses air fried Japanese sweet potatoes, however you can cook them any way you wish. They're combined with fresh herbs like basil and parsley, and topped with seasoned pecans.

This salad is the ultimate fall or winter side dish. It's gluten free, dairy free, paleo friendly and easily made whole30 compliant.

Ingredients

Here's a list of what you need to make these roasted sweet potato salad:

• Japanese sweet potato - either one extra large, or a couple small ones. You may use other sweet potato varieties, but Japanese sweet potatoes are drier when cooked, making them perfect for salads.
• olive oil - for roasting the sweet potato and for the homemade dressing.
• salt - for the sweet potatoes.
• pecans - you can use any type of pecans you want (raw, dry roasted, seasoned). I made my spicy honey roasted pecans for this salad.
• parsley - rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants. This herb adds flavor and a host of nutritional benefits.
• basil - provides a lot of flavor and a good dose of vitamin K.
• onion - I used a red spring onion, but you could swap it with shallots, green onions, red onions or even leek.
• pumpkin seeds - these give this dish an extra crunch and boost in nutrition. I like organic sprouted pumpkin seeds, but raw would work well too.
• homemade dressing: olive oil, spicy brown mustard (or Dijon), lemon juice, honey, granulated garlic.

How to Make Sweet Potato Salad

To make this sweet potato salad, you'll first need to cook the sweet potatoes. You may cook them whatever way you prefer, but I cooked mine in my Cuisinart air fryer. Therefore, instructions will be based off of this method of cooking.

First, wash your sweet potato and cut off the ends. Then use a sharp knife to cut the sweet potato into bite sized cubes.

Place the cut sweet potato into a large mixing bowl and coat with olive oil and salt. Then transfer them to the wire air fryer basket. Spread them out so that none of the potatoes are overlapping.

Place the sweet potatoes in the bottom rack of the Cuisinart air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When done, the sweet potatoes should be golden brown and crisp.

Let the sweet potatoes cool while you prep the rest of the ingredients and the dressing.

For the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a small jar. Then shake vigorously until well mixed.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl, then add in the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle the dressing on top and mix it all together using salad tongs or two large spoons.

Transfer the salad to a nice serving bowl to serve. You can top it with additional pecans, pumpkin seeds and parsley for a more finished look.

Storage

Place leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. This salad is best eaten within 3-4 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

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