With warm, roasted sweet potatoes, crunchy chickpeas, and creamy avocado on a bed of well-dressed kale, this Sweet Potato Kale Bowl is an easy plant-based meal satisfying enough to keep you full for hours! The toppings are coated with a creamy cashew-based roasted garlic dressing that brings out the sweet and savory flavors. Perfect for meal prep! {Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free}
Sweet Potato Kale Bowl
We love grain or veggie bowls for a quick and healthy meal. They’re so easy to toss together: get some greens, add your beans and/or grains, load up on veggie toppings, and add a nice sauce that brings it all together!
I have to admit, though, that this sweet potato nourish bowl is one of my favorites. The sweet potato cubes, garbanzo beans, and garlic are all roasted together, so every bite has that smoky, chili-infused flavor in every bite.
Plus, the creaminess of the avocados mellows out the garlicky flavor from the cashew dressing. It’s seriously so good!
For more delicious kale salads, try this Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad and Kale Salad with Cranberries and Almonds!
Why We Love This Kale Sweet Potato Bowl Recipe
- Loaded with a mix of spices for a warm, satisfying flavor
- Great source of fiber, plant-based protein, and healthy fats
- Developed by a Registered Dietitian to be a balanced meal or side
- Naturally vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free to meet a variety of dietary needs
- The perfect balance of sweet and savory
- Easy meal for a weeknight dinner
- Hearty meal prep option for a healthy lunch
- Relies on mostly simple pantry staples!
Ingredient Notes
For the kale bowls:
- Sweet potatoes: These are roasted on a sheet pan with the chickpeas and garlic to infuse the spices into every bite!
- Extra virgin olive oil: You need a little olive or avocado oil to help adhere the spices to the sweet potato cubes and chickpeas and help them crisp up.
- Seasonings: Stick with warm, savory spices, like smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Low sodium chickpeas: These need to be drained and rinsed before roasting. Black beans are a good alternative.
- Fresh kale: To save some time, grab shredded or chopped kale from the grocery store.
- Avocado: For a little creaminess to balance the warm spices and for satiating healthy fats.
For creamy roasted garlic dressing:
- Raw cashews: Soak raw, unsalted cashews in a little water to make a creamy, nutty dressing loaded with healthy fats.
- Lemon juice: For a little brightness.
- Roasted garlic: This will be roasted with the sweet potatoes, so no extra step!
- Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor and is loaded with B vitamins, making it a great cheese alternative for vegans.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Soak one cup of cashews in a bowl of boiling hot water for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, add the garlic cloves, diced sweet potatoes, and chickpeas. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Next, sprinkle the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper over the sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Toss well to evenly coat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the chickpeas are crisp, sweet potatoes are tender and the garlic is roasted and fragrant.
- Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, add the kale and massage with 1 teaspoon of olive oil for a couple of minutes.
- To make the dressing, drain the cashews. Combine the soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, roasted garlic cloves and salt to a high power blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the flavors if desired, adding more lemon juice or salt as necessary.
- Add some of the creamy dressing to the kale and toss to coat. Next, add the roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas in with the kale. Drizzle on some additional dressing and toss to combine. Top the salad with avocado. Serve and enjoy! The salad keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge, add the avocados just before serving.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert Tips
- I recommend adding some of the roasted garlic dressing to the kale first and giving it a good toss and even massaging it into the leaves to really infuse the flavor. These bowls tend to taste better the longer the kale sits in the dressing. Next, add in the roasted sweet potato and give it another gentle toss, adding some additional dressing if needed.
- I only used about 3/4 of the dressing for all four kale bowls, so you’ll most likely have some left over. If you do have leftover dressing, it’s also great as a creamy sauce tossed with cooked pasta, drizzled in wraps or as a dip for sweet potato fries!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Although I know many of us are used to power bowls with grains, the sweet potatoes meet that need. They’re filling and hearty, and really fill you up when combined with the chickpeas. If you find that this combination isn’t filling enough for you, simply add some cooked quinoa or some of the optional add-ins listed below to make it a little more satisfying.
If you’re not a fan of roasted garlic, you have lots of options. I have many other healthy salad dressings to choose from – the Maple Dijon vinaigrette or Honey Mustard would work especially well with the flavors in this sweet potato kale salad. I do recommend a creamier dressing with extra healthy fats, like a creamy tahini dressing or another cashew-based dressing.
We almost never recommend dressing a salad before storing it in the fridge, but kale is a little different. It’s a tougher green and benefits from a little time infusing in dressing. By tossing the kale bowls before storing, you’ll help infuse flavor and tenderize the kale. This salad actually tastes better the longer the kale sits in the dressing!
Storage Guidelines
These bowls can be served warm or cold, like a salad. If you prefer to warm up the toppings, then store the sweet potatoes and chickpeas in a separate container from the greens and avocado and reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes or microwave for 1-2 minutes before serving.
If you prefer to eat them cold, store everything together in the same airtight container. The leftovers will last approximately 3-4 days, so perfect for a week of healthy lunches.
Optional Add-Ins
The beauty of these bowls is that they’re very flexible, and you can add whatever your heart desires on any given day! Here are some of my favorite additions for these sweet potato kale bowls:
- Grilled chicken (marinated in one of these healthy chicken marinades – try the BBQ chicken marinade!)
- Sliced turkey sausage
- Salmon (try this Walnut Crusted Salmon)
- Feta or goat cheese
- Pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- Dried cranberries
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Roasted beets
Serving Suggestions
These sweet potato salad bowls are really a complete meal on their own. They’re naturally plant-based, offering plenty of fiber from the veggies and protein from the beans and dressing.
They’re also wonderful with a little bread on the side, like my healthy cornbread, and a bowl of soup, like these options:
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
- Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
- Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Pumpkin Chicken Soup
Recipe Variations
- Add more protein: Add 1/4-1/2 cup of protein-packed quinoa to each bowl or some roasted chicken breast, baked salmon, a fried egg, etc.
- Load up on veggies: The roasted sweet potatoes work great with roasted broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, potatoes, butternut squash, beets, zucchini, bell pepper, and more. You can go crazy with veggies here!
- Spice things up: Although garlic is known for having a punch, this recipe uses the sweeter, milder roasted garlic. If you want a little extra fire, add some raw garlic to the dressing and/or some red pepper flakes. Sometimes I also like to add thinly sliced red onions for a crisp, spicy crunch.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Healthy Black Bean Burrito Bowls
- Burger Salad Bowl
- Copycat Panera Bread Baja Bowl
- Healthy Korean Beef Bowls
- Beef and Quinoa Bowls
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Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Kale Salad Bowl
Ingredients
For the kale bowls
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper
- 14 ounce can low sodium chickpeas, drained
- 8 cups shredded kale, packed
- 1 avocado, sliced
For the roasted garlic dressing
- 1 cup unsalted cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 large cloves garlic, roasted
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Soak one cup of cashews in a bowl of boiling hot water for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- On a large rimmed baking sheet, add the garlic cloves, diced sweet potatoes, and chickpeas. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Next, sprinkle the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper over the sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Toss well to evenly coat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the chickpeas are crisp, sweet potatoes are tender and the garlic is roasted and fragrant.
- Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, add the kale and massage with 1 teaspoon of olive oil for a couple of minutes.
- To make the dressing, drain the cashews. Combine the soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, roasted garlic cloves and salt in a high power blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the flavors if desired, adding more lemon juice or salt as necessary.
- Add some of the creamy dressing to the kale and toss to coat. Next, add the roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas in with the kale. Drizzle on some additional dressing and toss to combine. Top the salad with avocado. Serve and enjoy! The salad keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge; add the avocados just before serving.
Notes
- I only used about 3/4 of the dressing for all four kale bowls, so you’ll most likely have some left over. If you do have leftover dressing, it’s also great as a creamy sauce tossed with cooked pasta, drizzled in wraps or other bowls as well. The nutritional information is based on using only about 3/4 of the dressing divided equally among the four bowls.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in March 2019 and was updated in October 2024 to include more helpful tips and photos.