This Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad is loaded with fall goodness — tender sweet potatoes, crisp apples, tangy feta, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans, all tossed in a homemade honey Dijon dressing. Sweet, savory, and crunchy all in one bite!
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♡ What you’ll love about this recipe:
✔ Hearty & Satisfying: This sweet potato salad is all about bold flavors and delicious textures. Roasted sweet potatoes, crunchy toasted pecans, chewy dried cranberries, creamy tangy feta, and hearty kale come together for the perfect balance of sweet, savory, roasted, creamy, and crunchy in every bite.
✔ Homemade Honey Dijon Dressing: Made with simple ingredients—olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and honey—this dressing is zesty, sweet, and ties everything together beautifully.
✔ Great for Any Season (Especially the Holidays!): With sweet potatoes and kale available year-round, this salad is perfect for fall, Thanksgiving, or anytime you want a colorful, feel-good dish.
✔ Healthy & Vegetarian: Simple to make, packed with nutrients, and hearty enough to enjoy as a satisfying vegetarian meal.
Ingredients you'll need
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Sweet Potatoes – You’ll need about 1½ pounds of sweet potatoes, which is roughly 2 medium or 1 large yam; they add a naturally sweet, hearty base to the fall salad.
- Kale – Use one bunch of kale, washed and thoroughly dried so the dressing clings better and doesn’t dilute the flavor.
- Pecans – Toasted pecans bring a rich, nutty crunch that adds earthy flavor and great texture contrast to the sweet kale salad.
- Dried Cranberries – These add a burst of tart sweetness; dried cherries or raisins are great alternatives if that’s what you have on hand.
- Feta Cheese – Feta brings a creamy, salty punch that balances the sweetness in the salad; goat cheese is a great substitute for a slightly tangier flavor.
- Apple – Apples add fresh crunch and natural sweetness; red apples work well, while Granny Smith adds a crisp, tart contrast.
- Honey – A touch of honey helps caramelize the roasted sweet potatoes and adds sweetness to the dressing; maple syrup can be used in its place and it also keeps it vegan.
- Olive Oil – Good-quality olive oil forms the flavorful base of the dressing; avocado oil is a suitable alternative.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This vinegar adds brightness and acidity to the dressing to balance out the sweet elements; lemon juice also works, just add a little more honey to round it out.
- Dijon Mustard – Dijon adds a subtle sharpness and a creamy texture to the dressing, helping to cut through the sweetness of the yams and tie everything together.
Make the honey dijon dressing - Add honey, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, grated garlic, salt and pepper into a mason jar and shake well, until well combined.
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How to prepare kale for salads
- Wash and dry the kale thoroughly. Rinse the leaves under cold water to remove dirt or grit. A salad spinner works great for this.
- Remove the Stems. Kale leaves have a tough, fibrous stem that should be removed before chopping. To do this, hold the stem with one hand and strip the leaves off with the other.
- Chop. Stack and slice them into bite-sized pieces—smaller pieces are easier to chew. I also find it easier to just tear them into bite-size pieces with my hands.
- Massage the Kale. Drizzle a tiny bit of the prepared honey Dijon salad dressing over the chopped kale and gently massage it with your hands for 1–2 minutes. This softens the texture, reduces bitterness, and makes them easy to chew.
Substitutions and variations
- Cheese Swap: Try creamy goat cheese instead of feta for a tangier, slightly sweeter flavor.
- Nut Options: Toasted sliced almonds or walnuts make great substitutes for pecans.
- Smoky Flavor Boost: Add ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin to the honey Dijon dressing for a smoky depth.
- Different Veggies: Use cubed butternut squash in place of sweet potatoes—perfect as a Thanksgiving salad.
- Greens Alternatives: Swap kale for baby spinach or mixed greens, but skip massaging and toss the dressing just before serving to avoid sogginess.
- Spicy Twist: Use hot honey instead of regular honey in the dressing for a sweet-and-spicy kick to the sweet potato kale salad recipe.
Tips for Success
- Cool the Sweet Potatoes: Let the roasted sweet potatoes cool slightly before adding them to the salad to avoid wilting the greens.
- Choose the Right Cheese: Goat cheese makes a great alternative to feta, offering a creamier, tangier flavor.
- Make the Dressing Ahead: Mix the dressing up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge—it helps the flavors meld beautifully.
- Toast Your Pecans: Always use toasted pecans for nuttier flavor and extra crunch—raw ones just don’t compare!
- Massage the Kale: Don’t skip this step—it softens the leaves, reduces bitterness, and makes the kale much more enjoyable to eat.
Make-Ahead & Storage Tips
This roasted sweet potato and kale salad is ideal for making ahead—perfect for meal prep, potlucks, or your Thanksgiving table! The sweet potatoes can be roasted up to 2–3 days in advance. Let them cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature before tossing into the salad.
The honey Dijon dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Just give it a good shake before using to re-emulsify.
Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container—no soggy greens here!
Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad
Ingredients
Roasted sweet potato
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potato about 2 medium
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove pressed or grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad
- 1 medium bunch kale (8 cups chopped)
- 1 medium apple thinly sliced or chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup toasted pecans or toasted sliced almonds
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
Roast sweet potatoes
- Preheat oven to 425°F and grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Peel and dice sweet potatoes into ½” thick pieces and transfer them to the baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss to combine. Spread into an even layer.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, turning the pan half way through roasting. Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the salad.
Make dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients into a mason jar and shake well, until well combined. You may need to re-shake before dressing the salad since it can separate as it sits.
Salad
- Strip the kale leaves from the stems and discard the tough stems. Wash and dry the leaves thoroughly, then chop or tear them into bite-sized pieces. Add the kale to a large bowl, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the dressing, and massage the leaves with your hands for 1–2 minutes. This helps soften the kale, reduce bitterness, and will also make the leaves shrink in volume.
- Scatter cooled sweet potatoes, sliced apple, pecans, dried cranberries, and crumbled feta on the kale. Drizzle the remaining dressing on top (or use to taste) and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
More Salad recipes for Thanksgiving
Looking for fresh, colorful salad recipes to round out your Thanksgiving spread? These easy, make-ahead options are full of flavor, texture, and seasonal ingredients—perfect for balancing out those heavier holiday dishes!
- This quinoa and black bean salad with honey lime cumin dressing is a perfect way to use up leftover quinoa and makes an excellent make-ahead salad.
- This broccoli cranberry salad is a vibrant explosion of flavors and textures—crisp, crunchy, and chewy in every bite.
- This carrot raisin salad is creamy and sweet with a little crunch from walnuts and is ready in under 15 minutes.
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