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Jump to RecipeAn easy side dish for a bbq or picnic, this healthy cold sweet potato salad is paleo and dairy-free. Minimal ingredients and lots of antioxidants in this easy healthy potato salad.
Healthy Cold Sweet Potato Salad
Cold sweet potato salad might just be my new favorite summer dish. Because truth be told, I actually love traditional potato salad … I just don’t love the lack of nutrients from white potatoes or the heavy mayo. This “healthified” version uses avocado mayo and more nutritious sweet potatoes in a favored classic. It’s nutritious, easy to make, and a real crowd pleaser.
Try this healthy sweet potato salad for your next cook-out, BBQ or an easy dinner side dish.
Sweet potato vs. red potato
While sweet potatoes and red potatoes are both root vegetables, they actually differ in what they provide.
They are both similar in calories, protein, carbs and fat—but while sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants (hello bright orange color), regular potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, which have been shown to have anticancer in test-tube studies. Sweet potatoes are lower on the GI (glycemic index)—and being lower on the GI index can be indicative of not spiking your blood sugar as high.
At the end of the day, both types of potatoes are nutritious … I just personally love sweet potatoes (have you seen this?) which is why I wanted to make a potato salad recipe with sweet potatoes.
Different add-ins or variations to this healthy potato salad
- Celery. I love a good potato salad with some crunch, and adding some celery adds plenty of that!
- Bacon. While I personally don’t eat bacon (why I have this broccoli salad without bacon recipe), I know that I may be in the minority. It’s also one of the foods I try to meal prep most weeks since it can up the fun factor to so many foods—like this one!
- Diced red pepper. One more in the crunch category, red pepper can also bring in some fun color along with a little Vitamin C!
- Sunflower seeds. I’m all about plant-based protein in seeds, and sunflower seeds are a favorite of mine. They add some additional texture and crunch, too
- Jalepenos. Kick up the heat with some diced jalepenos. Make sure to taste it prior to as jalepenos can range so much in terms of heat.
How to make paleo potato salad
- Make cubed roasted potatoes .
- While they are cooking, make hard boiled eggs. While there are numerous methods to do this, my favorite way to make hard boiled eggs is to boil water in a pot. Once boiling, add eggs and boil 15 minutes. Place in an ice bath until cool.
- Dice onion. Steps 1, 2 & 3 can be done ahead of time.
- While potatoes and eggs are cooking, make the dressing by whisking avocado mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and salt & pepper.
- Combine dressing with potatoes, egg and onion. Chill serve when desired.
An easy side dish for a bbq or picnic, this healthy cold sweet potato salad is paleo and dairy-free. Minimal ingredients and lots of antioxidants in this easy healthy potato salad.
- 4 sweet potatoes , washed and cubed
- 2 hard boiled eggs , peeled & diced
- 2 tbsp diced onion
- 1/4 cup avocado mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
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Add roasted potatoes, diced eggs and onions to a medium-sized bowl.
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In a separate large bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together.
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Add potato/egg/onion mixture to dressing and mix to combine. Chill until ready to serve.
So there you go! But before we part ways – a few other recipes I’d love to share with you:
Easy healthy salad recipes
Quinoa Salad with Blueberries and Strawberries
Roasted Beet and Orange Kale Salad (Vegan)
Healthy Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing