Hearty Sweet Potato, Arugula & Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Dressing
This delicious salad recipe features roasted sweet potato, wild rice and arugula. It's fresh, filling and nutritious! Enjoy this salad all week long.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 3, 2024
This stunning salad came to be by accident. In a state of impending hanger, I threw together the leftovers scavenged from my fridge: fresh arugula, cooked wild rice, baked sweet potato fries (why not?), and ginger dressing.
I topped it with the leftover toasted nuts and seeds sitting in a bowl by the sink, and somehow summoned the energy to add some crumbled feta.
That salad really hit the spot, so I jotted down some notes about it and here we are.
Why This Salad Works
Spicy arugula offers a nutritious, green base. Fresh ginger in the salad dressing balances the sweetness of the caramelized, roasted sweet potatoes. I’ve been obsessed with wild rice in salads lately, since it offers such a great, chewy-tender texture and nutty flavor.
Crumbled feta, green onion and dried cranberries round it out to create a bold, beautiful fall and winter salad. This is a meal-in-a-bowl situation.
Watch How to Make Hearty Sweet Potato, Arugula & Wild Rice Salad
Salad Notes
This is a seriously large salad that makes great leftovers. Be sure to store the salad and dressing separately if you intend to have leftovers that last for several days. You can toss it all together at once, but the arugula wilts fairly quickly—not a bad effect if you’re eating it all within a day or so.
You could also easily halve this recipe, if you don’t want to make an enormous amount at once. Either way, you’ll end up with some leftover dressing that you can use to improvise your own salads. Let me know how those turn out!
If you have an Instant Pot, (affiliate link) check out the recipe notes for a foolproof and faster way to cook the wild rice.
Change It Up
This recipe is versatile. Here are a few ways to change it to suit your needs:
- For extra protein, add cooked chickpeas.
- Butternut squash would work well in place of the sweet potato. Or, you could save time and simplify the recipe by swapping raw diced apples for the sweet potato.
- Any cooked whole grain (about 3 cups) will work in place of the wild rice; farro or wheat berries would be really nice.
- Sub your favorite green for the arugula (massaged chopped kale or baby kale, spinach, spring greens, etc.).
Please let me know how this salad turns out for you in the comments! It’s not the quickest salad to make, but it keeps so well that it’s definitely worth the effort.
Craving more hearty salads that keep well? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Hearty Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Salad
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Avocado Sauce
- Greek Lentil Salad
Hearty Sweet Potato, Arugula & Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Dressing
This delicious salad recipe features roasted sweet potato, wild rice and arugula. It’s fresh, filling and nutritious! Enjoy this salad all week long. This recipe yields a lot of salad (6 generous servings) and is easily halved.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (2 medium or 3 small), peeled and sliced into 1” cubes
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup raw pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, chopped pecans or almonds, or any combination thereof
- 5 ounces arugula (about 5 packed cups)
- ½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese (about 2 ounces)
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onion
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, to taste
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- About 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To cook the wild rice: Bring a large pot of water to boil (or see Instant Pot option provided in notes). Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow, for 40 minutes to 55 minutes, until the rice is pleasantly tender but still offers a light resistance to the bite. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes, then remove the lid, stir in ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, to roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place the cubed sweet potato on the pan, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Toss until the sweet potatoes are lightly and evenly coated in oil. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing halfway, until they are caramelized on the edges and tender when pierced through with a fork. Leave the oven on and let the sweet potatoes cool for a few minutes.
- To make the dressing, simply combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Combine the arugula, wild rice and roasted sweet potatoes (keep the parchment paper) in a large serving bowl or platter.
- Spread the seeds and/or chopped nuts on your parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant (be sure to set a timer; we’re toasting at high heat here).
- Spread the toasted seeds/nuts over the salad. Top with the crumbled feta, green onion and dried cranberries.
- If you’re serving the salad immediately, go ahead and drizzle most of the dressing on top (you probably won’t use it all). Gently toss to combine, and let the salad rest for a few minutes so the rice has time to absorb some of the dressing. Serve.
- If you’re planning to have leftovers, divide the salad into portions and store the dressing separately. The salad and dressing will keep well, each covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days. Leftover dressing is great to keep on hand for future salads!
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the feta. For a vegan salad, be sure to use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it nut free: Use pepitas and/or sunflower seeds in place of the nuts.
Instant pot option: Add the wild rice and 1 ¼ cups water to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Select the Manual/Pressure Cook option and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve drops, remove the lid and give the rice a stir. Let the rice cool for at least 10 minutes before tossing with the remaining ingredients.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Flavorful, filling, and EASY salad. I made mine without feta (vegan) and loved it. Will be making again. Tip – go heavy on the arugula.
Delish! I added scallions, bell pepper and snap peas as I needed to use them up. Perfect salad with a thai inspired bbq chicken recipe.
Hi, can I swap the dried cranberries for anything else?
Hi! Sure, you could omit or dried cherries could be nice.
LOVE this salad. I’ve made it about four times in the last two months.
It’s amazing! Keeps well and the roasted sweet potato is amazing in it.
I haven’t made it with the rice yet but I have substituted Kale for arugula and it works really well as well!
Hooray! I love to hear that, Janet. Thank you for your review!
This is THE BEST salad. My fiance and I eat it at least once a week. He’s a big meat eater and usually asks for a chicken breast or salmon filet on the side when we have salad for dinner, but not with this one! It’s hearty and filling but still tastes/feels fresh and light. When we don’t have the ingredients for the ginger dressing we use a bottled balsamic vinaigrette or just balsamic vinegar/olive oil and it tastes just as good! I use a lot of C+K recipes but this one really knocked it out of the park.
Love to hear that, Cat! Thank you for sharing.
This salad was delicious had never heard of arugula and found it can substituted with rocket I had it at a christening will definitely be making this myself Lorraine
Rocket is the British word for arugula. Well done – you hit the nail on the head
Made this yesterday and it was fantastic. Definitely a keeper. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch today. Didn’t have would rice so I used farro.
This is one of the best salads I’ve made in a long time! Dressing is divine! I added an apple. Thank you so much for posting this!
You’re welcome, Patty! I appreciate your review.
I was looking for a fall salad that used sweet potato and found this. The only thing I skipped was the green onion, and I had black rice on hand so I used that. I will absolutely be making this salad again, it is delicious. The dressing was perfect. I often find salad boring but not this salad, its so complex while being simple to put together. I did have leftovers and kept the dressing separate, the salad is just as good if not better the second day. It reminds me of one of those expensive salads available at my favorite market deli.
Made w goat cheese and farro instead of wild rice which always wrecks my stomach. It was a meal in and of itself. Absolutely delicious!
Great to hear, Talya! I appreciate your review.
This dish was VERY delicious- I love all the textures, and how t the amazing ginger dressing brings everything togethe! But I don’t love wild rice, ditto arugula so I employed 2 of your suggested swaps: different grains–red quinoa— and kale instead of arugula; it was good AND loaded with superfoods!Will be making it again soon!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Nina! I appreciate your review.
This was excellent. the dressing is bright with the right amount of acidity. I added roasted chickpeas, per the suggestion, and topped my salad with 2 over-medium fried eggs…for the additional protein. This will definitely be added to my monthly rotation. It’s an easy meal to prepare the components ahead of time (earlier in the week) and then combine before serving. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi. Where can I find the actual recipe?
Hi! The recipe card is below the blog post. I hope you try it!
So good! All of my friends loved it.
Wow!! This is absolutely amazing! Both me and my husband really loved this!! Thank you so much!!
You’re welcome, Lynne!
Made this for supper tonight–total success! The dressing is perfect–love that subtle ginger–and the ideas for substitutions based on available. Another 5 stars to Cookie and Kate!
Thank you for your review, Cici!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. It is everything you want in food – sweet, salty, crunchy, soft – a perfect bite.
Thanks so much for sharing your content. It is much appreciated.
Also, love your healthy slaw. It’s another salad that is in regular rotation at our house.
Your flavor profile is perfection!
Made this for a quick weeknight meal and it became an instant favorite! I love your recipes, thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Brooke!
Loved this recipe even though I substituted one or two things! I used brown rice as I didn’t have wild rice, and used white wine vinegar instead of the apple cider. Will definitely make it again.
Julie
Great to hear, Juliet!
I made this with buckwheat groats (no wild rice on-hand,) but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Delicious. I did only make a third of the recipe, which was easy to do, and it was plenty for lunch for two. The dressing is delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Eileen! Thank you for your review.
This salad is exquisite. Subbed acorn squash for the sweet potatoes, because we had one looking for a purpose. Forgot to add the cheese before we ate it, but actually didn’t miss it, there is so much else going on! Otherwise, stuck to the recipe. Bringing this could make you the favorite guest at Thanksgiving dinners everywhere!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Sue! Thank you for your review.
Every time I’ve ever gone out of my way to make a “special salad”, I’ve been disappointed – until now. I just finished the leftovers from last night and it was somehow even better today – and I normally really dislike leftover salad! This was so great! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
You’re welcome, Sheri!
What a refreshing recipe to have. Added black beans red and yellow peppers and red onions to give a kick. Great with chicken or by itself with a bun. This will be a keeper.
Thanks
Kate, thanks so much for sharing this tasty recipe! My Dad and I loved this for dinner tonight. You are my go to girl for meatless recipes and I really appreciate you bringing these delicious recipes that help me cut down on my meat intake!
Thank you. :)
You’re welcome, Kristine! I appreciate your review.
This salad is the BEST!!!! I didn’t have cranberries on hand, so I subbed tart cherries. So good. The dressing was great too!! I did only use a teaspoon of honey since I tend to like things less sweet. What a great meal!!!!!
I LOVE this recipe! I have made similar but will try this one…I could eat for lunch and dinner, maybe top with a fried egg for breakfast!
Great to hear, Pam!
This is THE best Thanksgiving salad! Everyone needs some extra veggies during the holidays, and this recipe hits the spot–it’s healthy, hearty, and delicious. This is my go-to side dish for Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving, and I get compliments every time. Highly recommend making for your next gathering!
I’m glad you love it, Camille! Thank you for your review.
I’m excited to make this for the first time for Thanksgiving. I’m early prepping and wondering if this is served cold or warm? I’d think it would be totally wilted if the rice and sweet potatoes are warm, so I’m assuming cold. I’m blown away by the reviews of this. I like to incorporate one brand new recipe annually and felt like we have a lot of mushy options with mashed potatoes, turnips, green bean casserole, so I wanted more greens and more crunch and something that incorporates my favorite, the dear sweet potato. This checks every box!
If you don’t want the lettuce to wilt, let the hot items cool some. But it is also good warm or cold.
This is such a great recipe! It’s become a staple for me in the fall especially for friendsgiving/Thanksgiving and it’s always a crowd-pleaser. It’s hearty and has the perfect combination of textures and flavors. I will continue making this on repeat!!
Looks like another go-to recipe. We use Violife vegan feta (perfect crumbly texture with a tang), so making salad as-is. Thank you!
I planned to make this for a NYE party for 22 people so needed to double the recipe. I clicked the 2X button and printed the recipe. Some ingredients doubled and some didn’t. I’m glad I noticed it before I started making it, it looks wonderful!
I really enjoyed this. Added a bit more maple syrup to the dressing to sweeten it and toasted walnuts and added them as well. A hearty salad you can eat as an entree!
I agree, Cathy! Thank you for sharing.
Sweet mother of mystery! This is SO good. All the contrasting flavors and textures. We had it for lunch yesterday and even 3/4 of the way through it, we kept saying MMMmm This is so good.
Great to hear, Susan!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! We added roasted chickpeas for a little extra protein and left the feta off. I’ll definitely be making both again!
Great to hear, Kylie!
I absolutely love this salad – especially with the goat cheese. Yum!!
Thank you for another fantastic recipe, Kate! I made a couple changes based on what I had on hand: quinoa was great, added carrot (sadly, no feta in the house but I bet it would knock it out of the park). I would not have thought to use my leftover roasted sweet potatoes in a salad like this. Now I’m inspired to bring this healthy, high protein salad to work next week! Thanks again for the inspiration and for all your wonderful recipes.
You’re welcome, Tara!
I love this salad! Delicious, satiating & beautiful. It is hearty without being heavy. There are a lot of great food bloggers and recipe developers out there, and this is the type of recipe that keeps me coming back to Cookie and Kate over and over again.
I round up the amount of sweet potatoes and cook them in the air fryer because I love them that way. I skip the feta, because I’m plant based. Also, I often vary the dressing that I use because why not?
This salad was perfect. The nutty arugula with the wild rice combined with sweet potato and ginger dressing, made it great taste sensation. I just used pepitas and added black beans because I got the idea from your kale sweet potato tossed salad. Kate, your recipes are always delicious and spot on. Thank you!
That’s great to hear, Sally! Thank you for your review.
I made this for friends and everyone raved about how good it was. I used toasted pecans. No other changes. I will be making this again!
This has become a staple in our house. I make a few changes (omit the cranberries, swap the arugula for spinach) but this is one of my favorite weeknight dinners. Love your blog and your cookbook – I’m constantly sharing your recipes with family and friends.
Great to hear, Brooke!
I’ve been eating a variation on this salad almost every day for the last couple weeks since I came across it browsing recipes here. I would not have thought of adding rice to a salad and I love the pepita/feta/cranberry combo. Works great with a balsamic dressing too. LOVE THIS SALAD
That’s great to hear, Kristen! I appreciate your review.
Sooo good! The only thing I changed was crumbled goat cheese in place of feta. Versatile and good enough for a dinner party.
I love this recipe! Embarrassingly, this was my first time making wild rice – I’m 49. Does it always take so long to boil wild rice (40 – 55 min)? I’m so used to using 1 cup rice to 1 cup water, get it boiling and remove from heat and wait until absorbed. I had to add more water and I felt anxious using all that gas from my stove (don’t judge – I don’t cool a lot)!
You need more water, Grok says 3 cups water for each cup of rice. 45-55 minutes, but if you have a pressure cooker it’s much faster. I think I set mine for 18 minutes yesterday.
Awesome
I took this salad to a gathering with friends, and it was a complete success! I used Trader Joe’s peeled and diced butternut squash, ,mixed wild rice with brown rice, and added 1 diced Honeycrisp apple. It travels well and keeps it flavor.
This is yummy. I sometimes just make the rice with the sauce when I’m in a hurry. I made it for a friend yesterday with just the sauce and a little arugula and I wasn’t sure he’d like it but he said it was good and ate it all, and today he asked me for the recipe.
I have yet to make it with all the ingredients but someday I’ll definitely do that.
Hello C+K, I prepared the hearty sweet potato, arugula & wild rice salad for Mothers Day. 1x time about 1/2 the recipe ingredients for my salad. I am trying to determine how many calories per cup?
Hi Petra, the recipe inclues approximate nutrition information if you click the “nutrition” button.
I made this for the second time for my family in Sweden on Midsummer’s Eve. They absolutely loved it. Couldn’t find pepitas here, but I subbed pine nuts and they were great.