This hearty, Moroccan-inspired sweet potato chickpea salad with kale is full of delicious flavor and incredibly simple and easy to make! With only 20 minutes of hands-on time, make it ahead for midweek lunches, or bring it to your next fall gathering or potluck. Vegan. Video.
Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes. ~Alan Watts
Here’s a simple, make-ahead, vegan salad that was inspired by our trip to Morocco last fall. Some of my favorite days there were spent in the spice markets, wandering down the narrow stone alleyways in the souks, getting wonderfully lost… it was a feast for the senses!
What makes this salad so delicious is that the sweet potatoes are diced and tossed with fragrant Moroccan spices before being roasted. We add chickpeas, lots of fresh herbs, and a flavorful Moroccan dressing. It’s served over a bed of shredded kale for an added burst of nutrients.
It’s a lovely salad-one that will transport you to the souks of Morocco. ✨
Sweet potato chickpea salad Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes (or American yams)- red fleshed.
- Cooked or canned chickpeas – add a bit pf protein to the salad.
- Kale– lacinato is nice!
- Herbs: scallions and cilantro ( or Italian parsley)
- Seasonings: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, orange zest, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper
How to make Sweet Potato Salad
Toss small cubes of sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and spices and roast until tender and crispy. Sweet potatoes, when roasted, are lovely in fall salads, keeping their shape well. Plus, they only take 15-20 minutes in the oven! And they are loaded with powerful antioxidants. And have I told you how much I love them? I do, I seriously do. And I feel like they love me back. It’s not my imagination. 😉
Create lacinato kale ribbons: remove any tough veins, stack 5–6 leaves, and finely slice across the grain into thin ribbons to create a “slaw.” Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle a pinch of salt, and massage the oil into the kale ribbons with your fingers until the kale ribbons become tender and glossy. For an extra lovely touch, add 1–2 teaspoons of orange zest and massage this in too.
Place the dressed shredded kale in a serving bowl.
Place the chickpeas, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, maple, orange zest, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Sorry, I forgot to photograph this in my haste. 🙂
When the sweet potatoes are tender, let them cool for 10 minutes, add to the chickpea bowl and season the salad with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve this over massaged lacinato kale ribbons.
This salad will keep 3-4 days in the fridge.
The Moroccan Spices complement all the other ingredients well!
Hope you enjoy this roasted Sweet Potato Salad! Healthy, vegan and gluten-free, it is so EASY to make! I know you’ll love the flavors!
On the homefront: I’ve said it a million times. This is my favorite time of year. I love the breezy cool sunny days of early fall in the Northwest. The light shifts, the relaxed angle of the sun softens the hard edges of summer and I feel this sweet gentleness hover over me when I’m outside. I can’t get enough of it!
Ok- enjoy the salad, and have a great day!
xoxo
More Sweet Potato recipes you may like!
- Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Lemony Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas!
- Sweet Potato Fries with Harissa!
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Ginger
- Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Moroccan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Thai Sweet Potato Soup
- BBQ Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Oaxacan Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes with Miso, Ginger and Scallions
Watch how to Make Sweet Potato chickpea Salad
Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 ½ cups
- Category: main, vega, salad
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: moroccan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This hearty, Moroccan-inspired, Sweet Potato Salad with kale and chickpeas is full of delicious flavor and incredibly simple and easy to make – with only 20 minutes of actual hands-on time! Make it ahead for midweek lunches, or bring it to your next fall gathering or potluck!
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes or American yams, diced into 1/2-inch cubes, skins OK (about 4 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- generous pinch salt and pepper
- 14 ounce can of chickpeas, drained
- 2–3 scallions, sliced at a diagonal
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped, about 3/4 cup (or sub Italian Parsley)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or Aleppo chili flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5–6 lacinato kale leaves, thick bottom stem removed.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F
Place the diced yams on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat well. Spread the yams out so they have lots of space to crisp. Place in the oven and roast 15 minutes, toss, and continue roasting until tender and slightly crispy, about 10 more minutes. You don’t want them overly soft.
Meanwhile, place the chickpeas, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, maple, orange zest, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
To create the lacinato kale ribbons, remove any tough veins, stack 5–6 leaves, and finely slice across the grain into thin ribbons to create a “slaw.” Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle a pinch of salt, and massage the oil into the kale ribbons with your fingers until the kale ribbons become tender and glossy. For an extra lovely touch, add 1–2 teaspoons orange zest and massage this in too.
When the sweet potatoes are tender, let them cool for 10 minutes, then add to the bowl and season the salad with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve this over massaged lacinato kale ribbons.
Salad will keep 3-4 days in the fridge (keep the kale slaw separate).
Notes
If you like your chickpeas warm and crispy, feel free to roast at the same time (separate sheet pan) as the sweet potatoes, tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 9.2 g
- Sodium: 684.6 mg
- Fat: 16.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.5 g
- Fiber: 9.9 g
- Protein: 8.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
scrumptious!! your flavors are always on point! Thank you!
I do consider all the ideas you have offered to your post.
Thanks for the post.
I really enjoyed this recipe for my make-ahead lunches this week! It gets even better on the second and third days once the sweet potatoes and chickpeas have fully absorbed the dressing.
Thanks so much Ben- glad you like you like it!
so good!! thanks – simple, quick, delicious
Excellent and easy
Omg yum!!! I’m not vegan but I love sweet potatoes!!
AMAZING!!!!!
My family and I love this recipe. It works well for my 5-year old, who likes to eat the components separately (kale salad, chickpeas, roasted sweet potato) and for my husband and I eat, who like to eat it all mixed in together. We all enjoy the dressing (minus cayenne for the kiddo)!
Great to hear! thanks Christina!
Hi Sylvia, can this recipe be served cold? I’m going to prepare dinner for about 25 people and was wondering if I could prepare it the day before … Looking forward to hearing from you:)
I think it would be fine cold!
I’ve made this 3 times in two weeks. Unique, delicious and really satisfying. Added pomegranate seeds on top for extra color and sweet crunch. This is an absolute keeper.
Awesome Vicky, I love the addition of pomegranate….thanks!!!
I second the addition of pomegranate seeds. They add an extra punch of acidity that balances the flavors. I added some quinoa to my salad as well for some extra protein.
The number of ingredients makes the recipe seem laborious, but it’s really dead simple. I planned it in my menu list this week, then realized I was out of chickpeas. I subbed 1 c. black lentils, which I roasted with the potatoes for 30 mins at 425 degrees, then plated with a bed of kale. It’s so simple, and so sublime!
Great to hear!
I brought this to a potluck and it was probably the most popular item, disappearing faster than any other dish.
I couldn’t find smoked paprika, so seasoned the sweet potatoes with cumin. I also didn’t serve on a bed of kale (ran out of time). I didn’t use the red pepper since I knew the salad would be serving people iffy on hot spices.
Very delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks so much, Jan, glad it was a hit!
My go to lunch salad for the work week! Very filling and satisfying.
Yay! So happy you liked it Shannon!
This recipe is ridiculously delicious! Thank you so much, I’ve made in twice now and it is easy, inexpensive and healthy comfort food. Thank you.
Awesome to hear- thanks so much for letting me know!!!
Taste turnedout to be too good.
Awesome, great to hear~!
Sooooo good! Love this recipe.
This is super easy to make and SO tasty! Made it the night before and took it to work for lunch.
I really want to try this recipe! Very curious about using kale in this dish.
I assume you used canned chicken peas? Is there a reason why you use canned or dried chicken peas? Is the one better to use than the other?
You can use either! Some believe dried are healthier and less expensive. Canned are faster.
This is a taste sensation! And simple to make. LOVE IT! It will be my go-to recipe that everyone will want ❤
Wow, this Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad looks worth the food to try for at home, Sylvia! The photos itself is encouraging enough and I already imagine myself eating this dish. I have a quick question: can I omit the Aleppo Chili flakes or simple the cayenne, or would it affect the whole dish if ever I omit it? Thank you so much! Your recipes are helpful enough for me to start cooking soon!
Thanks Elizabeth and yes, of course, feel free leave out the spice! 🙂
Loved this recipe and tastes so good for this season / weather! I am not sure if I used the same kind of kale as I live in the Netherlands, but I cooked it a little in the wok pan, to tender the leaves. And squeezed a little of the orange juice on top of the kale, which was sooo good 🙂 I tend to forget to review, but you are my go to blog several times a week.
Thanks!
Yara, thank you!!! Appreciate you taking the time to write and review. So helpful. xo
First off, I have to thank you for all the amazing recipes. I probably make at least one a week and they never fail. This one was another hit. I took it to a potluck last night where we were celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving. It was fun to have a sweet potato dish that did not involve marshmallows and was infinitely more fresh and appealing. I followed the recipe mostly but with a few minor exceptions: I toasted the chickpeas (I just like chickpeas toasted), I added some chopped up orange pieces from the orange that I zested, I used a bit more kale (it was a large gathering), I subbed some apricot balsamic vinegar in for some of the apple cider vinegar, and I squeezed a bit of lime on at the end.
Thanks for sharing how you adapted the recipe! Appreciate this and your kind words. xo
Very flavorful, has a nice kick to it, so cut down on the cayenne if you are a little sensitive to heat! Super easy and quick to make.
Thanks Theresa! Appreciate this!
Made this for dinner last night, it was so delicious and easy to make. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tonight.
Oh awesome, thanks for sharing and letting me know! Glad it was good!
Lovely flavors Sylvia. I used kale as the base for that extra health kick. Added a sprinkle of pepitas on top.
I also cooked up a pot of the tasty garbanzos (Pedrosillano Cafe) that I purchased from your shop. I will be making hummus from the remainder of them. Thank you for your always tasty recipes.
thanks Cheri! Love that you found our chickpeas! xoxo
This looks amazing! Looking forward to trying it out.
Any suggestions for a kale substitute? Not easy to find around here… 🙁
You could serve over any salad green.