Iโm starting to hit that phase of summer where everything feels fleeting and urgent and I realize that Iโm far behind my seasonal quota of patio sitting, potlucking, and eating side dishes for dinner. My pick: Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon.
This colorful, zippy salad is the ideal addition to your summer spread.
It stand outs from the crowd, and Iโm betting youโve never had a potato salad quite like it.
Bucket list recipe, right here.
While plain-old potato salad often lets me down (with the rare exception of this Healthy Potato Salad), sweet potato salad makes my taste buds sing.
For a roasted sweet potato salad, this Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Saladย is my squeeze and a meal prep super star.
When Iโm looking to please a crowd, however, itโs this Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon all the way.
This vibrant and healthy sweet potato salad recipe has no mayo, replacing it with a lively jalapeno mustard dressing.
A shower of crispy bacon and crunchy celery combined with the golden, tender sweet potato chunks give this salad different textural dimensions.
A light sprinkle of green onions adds a subtle but important bite that will leave you craving more.
Lovers of German potato salad with its grainy mustard dressing (as well as all lovers of bacon and all lovers of sweet potatoes) will be especially enamored with this simple but surprisingly flavorful sweet potato salad recipe.
About Healthy Sweet Potato Salad
I first made this cold sweet potato salad a few years ago, and itโs become one of my favorite sides to bring to summer get togethers.
Itโs memorable, easy to make, and someone always asks me for the recipe.
How to Store This Salad
- To Store. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I’ve enjoyed this sweet potato salad cold, at room temperature, and even warmed up as a side at dinner.
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Potato combination scrubber/peeler
- All purpose baking sheet, plus an oven-proof baking/cooling rack for the most perfectly cooked bacon
Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon
Ingredients
For the sweet potato salad:
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cooked*
- 3 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks (I do a rough 3/4 inch, but you can do any size you like)
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery hearts
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
For the mustard dressing:
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced**
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoonsย rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large bot of salted water to a boil, then add the sweet potatoes. Simmer just until fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes depending upon the size of your potato chunks. Drain, gently and quickly rinse with cold water, then set aside.
- If necessary, cook the bacon according to one of my easy methods listed below. Once cool,ย crumble it into a large bowl. Add the celery and green onions.
- Prepare the mustard dressing: In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the jalapeno (or fresno chile), mustard, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the bowl with the bacon, drizzle with the dressing, then toss gently to combine. Taste and season with additional salt/pepper as desired. Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature.
Notes
- I’ve enjoyed this sweet potato salad cold, at room temperature, and even warmed up as a side at dinner. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- *Easy bacon cooking methods: Air Fryer Bacon and Oven Baked Bacon.
- **The original recipe calls for a red Fresno chili. I was unable to find one, and swapped a seeded jalapeรฑo. It was delicious!
- Recipe shared with permission from Pure Delicious
Nutrition
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Hi Erin, Iโm trying this for the first time today. The recipe calls for 3 large sweet potatoes, once theyโre cubed, how do they measure? How many cups? Iโm cutting this recipe in half. Thank you! Lorri
Hi Lorri, I’ve not measured the amount of sweet potatoes in cups, so it would be hard to say. This really is a forgiving recipe so if you are halving, I would use two medium sweet potatoes. Hope you enjoy it!
I found the dressing too bitter for my taste so added about 1Tbs sugar. Very tasty.
Hi Brian! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!