This easy and colorful jicama salad is the perfect side for your favorite main dish! It’s crunchy, fresh, and pairs perfectly with summer BBQ.
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Spring and summer warmth call for fresh salads, and I love a good crunchy salad as a side dish for grilled summer main dishes!
Our jicama salad (pretty close to a jicama slaw) is refreshing, crisp, and easy to make. It works great as a side dish or as a main dish salad if you add grilled chicken or steak on top.
I like to call this a jicama crunch salad because it has a lot of crunch and texture, especially with the sunflower seeds (so good!).
Why we love this recipe
Our colorful jicama salad is a beautiful side dish for your favorite entree, and it’s fast to make with simple and natural ingredients.
It’s also allergy-friendly and made without gluten, dairy, and other top allergens, so it’s a great salad option for gatherings with friends and family who have multiple food allergies.
This salad holds up pretty well in the fridge for a couple of days, unlike lettuce-based salads, so you can make this a day ahead if you like. It’s also a great option for outdoor picnics or BBQs as well, since it stays crisp and won’t wilt/soften as quickly.
How to make crisp jicama salad
Our jicama salad (or jicama slaw) is easy to make! Here are the steps to make this salad (the full recipe card is at the end of the post).
- Rinse and peel your jicama, then cut it into smaller pieces by slicing it and cutting the slices into matchsticks. Measure out 2 cups and place them into a large bowl.
- Cut the purple cabbage into thin slices, separating the pieces, and measure them out. Add them to your bowl.
- Add the shredded carrot/matchstick carrots, chopped green onion, and sunflower seeds.
- Wash the lime and, using a microplane or zester, zest it into the bowl. Then juice the lime and measure out the juice required into the bowl.
- Add the olive oil (I like bold-tasting olive oil here), garlic, salt (or smoked salt), and pepper. If fresh garlic is too strong, you can swap to garlic powder instead.
- Toss everything together so it is well-coated. You can serve this immediately or refrigerate for an hour or so to allow the flavors to soak into the vegetables.
If you want to make this hearty salad a main dish, this would be delicious topped with chopped grilled chicken and some crumbled dairy-free feta cheese as well!
Check out our other gluten free and dairy free salad recipes!
Easy Crunchy and Colorful Jicama Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups jicama, cut into matchsticks
- 1½ cups purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup bagged shredded carrots
- 3 Tablespoons green onions, sliced
- 3 Tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (I love bold tasting olive oil here)
- 1 small clove of garlic pressed or minced (if this is too strong, use garlic powder)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or smoked salt)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and peel your jicama, removing all the brown and fibrous parts of the peel. Then cut it into matchsticks by slicing it and cutting the slices. Measure out 2 cups and place them into a large bowl.2 cups jicama, cut into matchsticks
- Thinly slice the purple cabbage and separate the pieces. Measure out 1½ cups and add it to your bowl.1½ cups purple cabbage, shredded
- Add the shredded carrot/matchstick carrots, chopped green onion, and sunflower seeds.1 cup bagged shredded carrots, 3 Tablespoons green onions, sliced, 3 Tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
- Wash the lime and, using a microplane or zester, zest it into the bowl. Then juice the lime and measure out 1 Tablespoon of juice into the bowl.Zest of 1 lime, 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Add the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. If fresh garlic is too strong, you can swap to garlic powder instead.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 small clove of garlic pressed or minced, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Stir everything together so everything is mixed well. You can serve this immediately or refrigerate it for an hour or so to allow the flavors to develop.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 2 days.
Nutrition
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Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie which she founded in 2011. Sarah is based in Wyoming and has been managing food allergies for herself and her 2 children for over 20 years. Sarah was also a certified personal trainer for 12 years, as well as a group fitness instructor, health coach, running coach, and fitness nutrition specialist.