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.
I saw your recipe yesterday and decided to try. I did not have wild rice so I used black french lentils instead. I used goat´s cheese rather than Feta and reduced the amount of ginger by half as I thought that 2 teaspoons would be overpowering for my taste. I did not have arugula so I used a mix of spring mix leaves and spinach. I served it with a poached egg.
I will definitely make this again. I love the dressing! It was so tasty and filling! My husband who is not a fan of sweet potatoes loved the dish and asked me to do it again. Sorry I forgot to take pictures! I would say that french lentils go very well with this but I would try with wild rice next time.
Thank you for sharing, Maribel! I’m glad this one won your husband over in the sweet potato department.
Sweet potato arugula and wild rice salad was the best! Used butternut squash just because we had it on hand. Will be sure to make it again!
Great to hear! If you would want to give it a star review since you loved it so much, I would appreciate it!
So delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Barbara! Thanks for your review.
I made this salad as a side dish for dinner with friend and it was lovely. I substituted the goat cheese with avocado to make it dairy free. I also omitted the cranberries. I used the ninja to make the dressing because it helped incorporate the ginger and smooth out the texture. I am very happy with this salad and will make it again.
That’s a great substitution! Thank you for sharing and for your review.
Delicious!! I halved the recipe for 2 of us and will have leftovers for sure! Used spinach as didn’t have arugula but will definitely try it with arugula another time because I love that nutty bite from it.
Thanks! this will be a keeper.
I’m happy you enjoyed it with spinach, too! Thank you, Bonny.
Best dressing ever. It might even best out the sunshine dressing on your site. Yum!
Thank you, Kristin!
My husband and I have had this for dinner once a week (again last night) pretty much since you posted it, so I had to leave a comment! This salad is so, so good and simple to prepare. The dressing makes it. We love your website and cookbook and since going vegetarian about two years ago we make your recipes for dinner at least twice a week. Thank you for doing what you do!
I have literally been living off of this salad for dinner for MONTHS. I’m obsessed with it–and it really doesn’t get old for my tastebuds. I’m vegan, so I omit the cheese and keep everything else. It’s FABULOUS. Thanks, Kate!
You’re welcome, Shy! Thanks for sharing.
Oh My! This is a great recipe. Thank you so much, Kate. In our part of the world, arugula is at its best in the autumn and winter – when sweet potatoes are also in season and at their best. I’ve pinned this recipe for later, and also added it to a mini recipe roundup for flexitarians.
Thanks, Di-di!
I have a question about yams versus sweet potato. When I look at your recipes you talk about sweet potatoes for instance in your hearty sweet potato, arugula ad wild rice salad. When i go to the store I buy sweet potatoes but they are pale yellow. They are tasty in recipes but not that vibrant deep orange color. Am i using yams? Can you explain what the difference is between yams and sweet potatoes, seems like you use sweet potatoes more than yams Thank you! I make so many of your recipes and have loved every single one, i have never been disappointed. I have told so many friends about your recipes. I am a vegetarian and love the food you create! My friends have all been very grateful to find your recipes. Thank you!
Hi Kaz! These are sweet potatoes that I’m using. They can also be yams, depending on the variety and region you are in.
Anonymous. Is the 500 calorie count per serving or for the whole salad.
Thank you. Looks delicious.
Hi Mary, It’s an estimate per serving. You can see more on my nutritional information here: https://sooka.info/nutrition-disclaimer/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I just made this salad and it tastes absolutely amazing! I used pine nuts and balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar (forgot to buy). It is so complete that you don’t need any sides but it still fills you up. This will definitely become a staple. Thanks Kate!
You’re welcome, Ema!
This turned out so yummy! I followed the recipe exactly but wasn’t sure if it should be 1 cup of cooked rice? Or 1 cup dry rice which ends up being more like 1.5-2 cups cooked? I used 1 cup dry and added all of the cooked rice to my salad. Very hearty and the ginger dressing was perfect! I will definitely make this again.
Hi Anna! 1 cup dry rice, rinsed. I hope this helps!
Great salad! I made it for friends last night and everyone loved it. I did the rice in the Instantpot as specified and it came out perfectly. My 2.5 year old LOVED the dressing and she is a picky eater. (It might have been my Dijon, but I found the dressing to be a little TOO dijon-y. Everyone else thought it was well balanced!). Thanks for such a great recipe. (I also have a 10 week-old, so I was able to do the various steps of this recipe in between her naps).
Thanks for sharing, Heather! I’m happy to hear you found the instructions helpful.
A great salad! Made it for my family (which is not so used to such flavors) and they loved it! Will sure make it again.
I’m glad you like it, Nadya!
I made this after a climb ate I ate the whole thing at once. I was going to swap out the sweet potato for apple as you mention, but I’m glad I didn’t. I really enjoyed it the way is was, however I am curious about using butternut squash and may give that a try next time. Over the past 2 years I’ve slowly moved from including meat in my diet to being vegetarian. Your website has been a wonderful resource for recipes and information. Most of what I’m making now for dinner is either from Cookie and Kate of has a strong influence. You’re recipes delicious and colourful. So, thank you for all the work you put into this.
Thank you for sharing, Maury! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and others on the blog!
I made this last night and it was both beautiful and delicious. I left out the feta as I can’t tolerate dairy products but it did not suffer from that. I might increase the wild rice next time. I thought it got a bit lost.
So far, I have loved every dish I have made off your website.Thank you, Kate!
This salad was fantastic! I substituted farro for the rice and added roasted beets. Delicious fall flavors. I will definitely make it again!
We made this for my 4-year-old’s birthday party and the adults LOVED it — I saw people getting second and third helpings. Good thing we tripled the recipe! Even a few of the kids had some! The funny thing is that a few of the moms asked me where I got the recipe, and when I said “one of my favorite cooking blogs, Cookie and Kate”, she said that she loved your site! So you’re famous :). Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
Wow – whoever said you can’t make friends with salad never tried this one. It’s sensational and thanks for the tip on toasting pumpkin seeds – never like them before and now they’re delicious!
I halved the recipe and replaced half the oil with orange juice (watching fat intake) and looked forward to my 3 packed work lunches everyday.
It was so good I’ve bought the book and recommended your blog to friends. (Colourful Beet this week)
Thanks Kate!
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing how you modified this to work for you.
This salad is DELICIOUS ! I am eating it right now as I’m writing (I know, a no-no but I just had to tell you how good it is !)
Thank you, Anne!
I thought this salad was amazing! I made this recipe, which lasted me my whole work week’s of lunches. Normally when I try to make just salads for lunch, it’s either not filling enough or I get bored of the flavors. This was definitely NOT the case with this recipe. I love that it was pretty quick to meal prep and I could easily modify it to my tastebuds if I wanted (like adding avocado or hummus or onion). I plan to make it again next week because I just couldn’t get enough!
Thank you for sharing, Andrea! I appreciate your review.
This salad is addictive. Follow it to a tee. It’s perfect!
I’m glad you loved it!
Hi Kate,
I made this salad for the first time yesterday; it was for my kids’ preschool potluck dinner. I double the recipe and it turned out great, but the dressing tasted super mustardy. It was still good, but it was very thick and I thought the mustard flavor overpowered the ginger. Just wondering if that came from doubling the recipe, or if it might have been the type of Dijon mustard I used. I used Trader Joe’s Dijon mustard with white wine. Wondering if maybe I should have used their whole grain Dijon instead…? I doubled everything else in the dressing recipe as well, so I assumed that it would turn out fine, but maybe that’s just the way it’s supposed to taste. It was still delicious and everyone at the potluck RAVED about the salad (and dressing!). Just wanted to know your thoughts on the mustard and if there’s a specific brand you use. Thanks!!
I love you made it for a preschool potluck! It could have been your mustard choice, or it may not have been blended completely. If it is too cold, it won’t mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
Good tip! I’ll try bringing it to room temp first next time! Thanks again!
Update: I’ve since been making this dressing with the whole grain Dijon mustard instead of the creamy one, and it is perfect. I’ve made this salad for countless dinners and potlucks over the last three years and it is a huge hit every single time. Thank you for providing such an excellent go-to salad recipe!
That’s great to hear, Maya! Thank you for reporting back.
This was so perfect for my friendsgiving!
I made it vegan with dairy free feta cheese and maple syrup :)
The colors in this make it so pretty too, I’ll definitely be making it again.
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing! I love you made this work for your dietary needs.
Hi! I have all the ingredients top make this salad except wild rice. What I do have is Trader Joe’s Rice Medley. Do you think that would work?
Sure! Make sure to follow the rice cooking instructions.
We were looking for a healthy centerpiece for our Thanksgiving feast and this could not have been better. I wish to thank you for your efforts to bring superlative nutrition to our families and find great inspiration in your recipes.
I typically make a mashed sweet potato casserole topped with a heavy layer of streusel for the Thanksgiving table; but this year, I wanted to try a healthier sweet potato dish and chose this one after much searching. The results were excellent and just as tasty the next day. Thank you!
Really grateful to this salad for helping revert my morphing into a human cannoli following a fabulous trip to Italy this week. A bit heavy on the mustard for my mustard-averse fiancé, but I really liked it.
SO. YUM.
I’m glad you love it, Feline!
This was fantastic! I used pecans instead of pepitas, chèvre instead of feta (though I feel like it would have worked really well vegan), and add chickpeas roasted with a little cumin. The nuttiness of the chickpeas, pecans, and wild rice really complemented the sweet potatoes — fantastic all around!
Also, maybe we’re just really hungry, but this recipe fed me & my husband with one lunch-sized serving left over. Your mileage may vary!
I like the addition of the chickpeas, Nori! Thanks for sharing.
I made this salad. I added the chick peas and used sunflower seeds. I loved all the different textures.
Hi! I have a question about this recipe. Is the nutritional information for the entire salad, or for one of the six servings? Thanks!
Hi Kate,
I made this yesterday for a Christmas lunch and it was enjoyed by everyone with many asking for the recipe…thanks so much for another fabulous recipe!!
Hooray! I’m glad you loved it, Cathryn.
I made this for the Friendsgiving I hosted earlier this year and it was a hit! The dressing is delicious, and the salad is hearty but fresh. I used quinoa and mixed baby greens, because that’s what I had on hand. I kept the dressing separate and the leftovers packed well for lunch the next two days. Will definitely be making for a potluck (or just lunch) again!
Fantastic! Thank you for your comment and sharing, Ingrid. I’m glad you love this one and will make it often.
I made this for family Christmas dinner potluck, using kale instead of arugula. Everyone loved it!
This may be a dumb question…but I’m assuming you mean the Lundberg all wild rice and not something like uncle ben’s. Can you clarify for me? Planning on making next week :)
Cannot stop eating this salad.
That’s great to hear, Mary!
This is the third time I have made this recipe and it did not disappoint! It was delicious as always and the people at the potluck that I brought it to were amazed by it. Thank you for such great recipes! I have your book and I use your recipes frequently!
You’re welcome, Susan! Thanks for commenting.
This salad was absolutely delicious!! We ate it 3 days in a row, it was almost as good cold as it was warm. A huge hit and a new fixture in our family’s lunch routine! My husband absolutely loves the ginger dressing!!!
Thanks so much!!
This salad is FIRE! So good! Then again, I’ve never gone wrong with any of your recipes. Thank you!
This was so yummy. I also made the sweet potato kale pesto salad this week.
Both were easy and a great dinner/ lunch for leftovers.
Keep making more recipes!!! I love them all!
I LOVED this salad!! I added the chickpeas and replaced the Arugula with baby Spinach Leaves. So yummy thank you!! Cant wait to have the left overs tonight!
You’re welcome, Tracie! Thank you for your review.
Love this salad. This one needs a “jump to recipe” button like on your other recipes
This was delicious and I’ll definitely make again. Great to be able to interchange ingredients too for some variety. Thank you!
This was divine! Made a substantial side dish for grilled chicken with 3 lunches for the win. The whole family loved the flavours. I went a bit off poste using what I had in the pantry but stuck to the balance of textures and flavours. Our 1st time eating black wild rice and it is now a staple in our pantry.
This was incredibly delicious! The fresh ginger enhanced the taste of the arugula so much. I had to use a blend of spinach and arugula because that’s all I could find, but it was perfect. I loved every bite of it. I followed the recipe exactly and took your advice of going with a combination of nuts and seeds. 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and 1/4 chopped pecans because I love them all and couldn’t choose just one. Oh and I used goat cheese. It was amazing! Thank you so much! Love all of your recipes. Your cookbook is in my Amazon shopping cart. Fingers crossed I get it for Mother’s Day! Lol!
HI Kate, Can use black pearl rice instead for wild rice? Will it work well with that recipe? Wild rice sell 4oz box at Meijer grocery store, expensive for me to get two of wild rice boxes. Wonder will black pearl rice work fine?
Thank you
Hi Sherri, I’ve not tried black pearl rice but it sounds like a suitable substitute. Be sure to follow the package directions, though, since this recipe is written for wild rice.
I made this but swapped the cheese for a vegan feta I made instead. And the store had no wild rice so I used Black Pearl, which is a chewy and purply-black rice. This recipe is amazing!
I have just made this and am munching on it now! So delicious! Can’t believe how filling it is for a salad! Thank you for this great recipe!