This colourful and nourishing salad is packed with black beans, roasted sweet potatoes and bell pepper in an easy lime dressing. If you are looking for a healthy lunch or quick meal, this simple black bean sweet potato salad is for you. It's a breeze to make and ready in under 30 minutes too!
Table of Contents
Hearty black beans pair perfectly with roasted sweet potatoes and crunchy red peppers in this recipe! The sweet potato chunks are first tossed with spices - paprika, cumin and garlic powder - which make each tender piece so more-ish and tasty.
And the cilantro lime dressing is zingy and full of fresh flavours that make this whole dish irresistible!
I absolutely love to make a big double batch of this healthy salad for easy weekday meals because it's low on effort but high on satisfying flavours and textures.
Whether you make it as a quick meal for yourself, or to take to a BBQ or picnic, it's sure to be a huge hit!
This Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad recipe is:
- Flavourful
- Refreshing
- Nutrient-rich
- Easy to make
- Vegan-friendly
- Gluten-free
- And perfect for meal prep!
Ingredient tips
Here’s everything you need for this black bean salad recipe:
Black Beans: You can use canned black beans for convenience or cook them from dried beans if preferred. Either way, remember to drain and rinse them thoroughly.
½ cup dried black beans = approximately 1 ½ cups of cooked beans or a drained 15-ounce can of beans
Step by step pictures
Here's a visual guide on how to make this yummy roasted sweet potato and black bean salad. For the full, adjustable and printable recipe, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
Step 1: In a large bowl, toss sweet potato cubes with vegetable oil, ground cumin, paprika, garlic powder and salt until evenly coated.
Step 2: Roast the sweet potato cubes for about 20 - 25 minutes at 425°F / 220°C until tender with brown edges.
Step 3: While the sweet potatoes are roasting, combine black beans, diced red bell pepper, chopped red onion, and cilantro/coriander leaves in a salad bowl.
Step 4: Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt to make the dressing.
Step 5: Once the sweet potatoes are roasted, add them to the salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine.
Substitutions and variations
We've kept the basic recipe for this salad pretty simple, but there's many ways you can make it your own! Try some of these ideas if you want to mix it up:
Bonus ingredients:
- For more creaminess and healthy fats, you can add 1 diced avocado to the mix.
- For extra vibrancy and sweetness, add up to ½ a cup or 85g cooked corn kernels.
- For extra crunch, sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds on top of the salad before serving.
- To add some leafy greens, massaged kale, baby spinach or shredded romaine lettuce can be stirred in just before serving.
Substitutions:
- Instead of red onion, you can use chopped green onions or spring onions.
- Use butternut squash as an alternative to sweet potato.
- If you don't like the flavour of cilantro / coriander leaves, the best substitute is fresh parsley.
- If you don't have garlic powder to hand, then you can add 1 fresh garlic clove to the dressing as an alternative.
- Instead of red wine vinegar, more fresh lime juice, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar can be used.
Serving
You can either eat this salad as soon as it's made, or enjoy it chilled.
For a more filling meal, combine it with a grain of your choice, such as brown rice or quinoa.
This salad also goes deliciously with salsa or tomatoes, inside a tortilla wrap or with some crunchy tortilla chips on the side!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Give it a quick toss before serving to redistribute the dressing.
You can also store it in individual containers for easy grab-and-go lunches or dinners throughout the week.
More salad recipes
I hope you loved this black bean salad with sweet potatoes! If you're looking for more vegan-friendly salad recipes to try, here are three delicious options:
📖 Recipe
Black Bean Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
For the roasted sweet potato
- 1 pound (450 g) sweet potato peeled, diced into ¾inch or 2cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the salad
- 1 ½ cups (1 can, 240 g drained) black beans canned or cooked from dried
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro / coriander leaves chopped
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F / 220°C.
- In a large bowl, toss sweet potato cubes with vegetable oil, ground cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and salt until evenly coated.1 pound (450 g) sweet potato, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Spread the seasoned sweet potato cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for about 20 - 25 minutes until tender and the edges are starting to brown.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the salad ingredients. Combine black beans, diced red bell pepper, chopped red onion, and chopped cilantro/coriander leaves in a salad bowl.1 ½ cups (1 can, 240 g drained) black beans, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small red onion, 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro / coriander leaves
- In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt to make the dressing.2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Once the sweet potatoes are roasted, add them to the salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Annie says
It's coming on to winter here, I don't eat lunch and i prefer something warm in the evening. however, I reckon that if I roasted the onion and red pepper with the sweet potato and tossed innhot, drained beand with the dressing, this woukd be great hot. I might add some fresh chilli, too.
Sophie and Paul says
I think that sounds like a great idea Annie. Let us know how it turns out 🙂
Babs says
I can’t eat peppers what would you use as an alternative?
Apart from that it sounds great
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Babs, I think tomatoes, corn or zucchini/courgette would all be good alternatives! Hope you enjoy the salad 🙂