This crunchy, creamy, delicious roast pumpkin salad features chunks of caramelised pumpkin, fresh rocket, toasted pine nuts and soft goat’s cheese, drizzled with herb-infused oil. It’s the perfect salad for picnics, parties and entertaining, because it can be made ahead and tastes even better the next day!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – all you need to do is roast a tray of pumpkin. Then, simply toss all of the ingredients together. Everything comes together in around 30 minutes.
- Make ahead – roast pumpkin salad keeps well in the fridge and can be easily made ahead of time. It tastes even better the next day! You can also prep all of the components in advance and assemble the salad on the day you want to serve it.
- Customisable – swap the pumpkin for sweet potato or mixed roasted vegetables. Rocket (arugula) is a lovely, peppery addition, but can be swapped for spinach or your favourite leafy greens. And the goat’s cheese can be swapped for feta or grilled halloumi.
- Versatile – perfect for any occasion! Pumpkin salad is perfect served with lunch and easy dinner recipes. It also makes a fantastic side dish for Christmas, BBQs and gatherings. Maximum flavour with minimal effort, it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser any time you are asked to “bring a salad”.
- Can be served warm or cold.
If you love this easy pumpkin salad, give this Aussie potato salad or Italian pasta salad a try for your next BBQ or gathering!
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Pumpkin – I use Kent or Butternut pumpkin for this salad. But any type of all-purpose roasting pumpkin can be used. Peel and de-seed the pumpkin and cut into even, bite-sized cubes. You can cut the pumpkin ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or, swap pumpkin for sweet potato or a mix of roasted vegetables like beetroot, potato and carrot.
- Rocket – peppery, leafy rocket (arugula) adds contrast to the sweet pumpkin and creamy goat’s cheese. If you prefer something with a milder flavour, you can substitute with baby spinach leaves, mesclun, romaine or mixed leaf salad.
- Goats cheese – use a soft, creamy goats cheese that is marinated in a garlic and herb-infused oil. The cheese is crumbled through the salad and the savoury oil is drizzled over the salad for maximum flavour. You can find it in the supermarkets or specialty food stores. Alternatively, you can make your own or swap for crumbled feta or chunks of grilled halloumi cheese.
- Pumpkin seeds – crunchy pumpkin seeds (pepitas) add crunch and texture. They can be found in the health section of supermarkets or in health food stores.
- Pine nuts – are toasted and added to the salad for texture and flavour. They give a lovely, earthy flavour and crunch to balance the salty cheese and sweet pumpkin. Or, swap them for walnuts, almonds or roasted hazelnuts. To keep the salad nut-free, swap with sunflower seeds or more pumpkin seeds.
Step by step instructions
Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;
Step 1 – Roast the pumpkin;
Toss the pumpkin through the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast until tender, with crisp, golden edges.
While the pumpkin is roasting, toast the pine nuts in a pan over medium heat, stirring continually to prevent burning.
Step 2 – Make the salad;
Allow the roasted pumpkin to cool on the tray before tossing the remaining salad ingredients together. This will prevent the cheese from melting and the rocket from wilting. Drizzle some of the reserved oil from the goat’s cheese over the top, to dress and flavour the salad.
The pumpkin can be added warm, if you need to serve it immediately.
Expert tips
- Try to make the pumpkin cubes evenly sized, to ensure they cook through at the same time.
- Don’t overcook the pumpkin. It will become mushy if cooked for too long and will fall apart in the salad. It should be tender, but still hold its shape.
- Flip the pumpkin as it roasts, to stop it from sticking to the tray.
- Use a good quality goats cheese marinated with oil and herbs, for best results. The oil is used to flavour the salad.
- Add your other favourite roasted vegetables, such as beetroot, carrot, sweet potato or eggplant.
- If you don’t have oil from your goat’s cheese, use olive oil instead.
- While you can serve this salad warm, I recommend letting the pumpkin cool slightly before tossing the salad ingredients together. If the pumpkin is too hot, the cheese will melt and the salad leaves can wilt.
FAQs
Butternut or Kent pumpkins are considered good, general-purpose pumpkins because they are great for roasting, baking and soups. But any type of sweet, firm pumpkin with a hard rind will also work.
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To make this salad ahead of time, roast the pumpkin cubes and prepare all of the other ingredients. Keep the components in separate, airtight containers and toss them together when you are ready to serve. Or, mix everything together and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If the oven temperature is too low, the pumpkin will sweat and become soft and soggy, instead of crisp and caramelised. Set the oven temp to 240 C/464 F, to draw out the moisture and make the pumpkin lovely and golden. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will become mushy and not hold its shape in the salad.
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Roast Pumpkin Salad with Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg pumpkin Kent or Butternut, peeled and cut into small, bite-sized (2cm) cubes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil for roasting
- salt to taste
- 120 grams marinated goats cheese marinated in herb-infused oil. Or swap for feta or grilled halloumi
- 6 cups baby rocket leaves
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
To serve
- 4 tablespoons reserved oil from the marinated goats cheese or olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 240 °C/464 F.
- Cut the pumpkin into small, 2 cm sized cubes.
- In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin pieces with the olive oil and add a little salt. Arrange the pumpkin pieces in a single layer on 1-2 baking trays.
- Roast the pumpkin for around 15-20 minutes, or until it is tender, golden and crispy on the edges, but still holding its shape. Turn the pumpkin halfway while roasting, to stop it from sticking on the tray.
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow it to cool on the tray while you prepare the other ingredients. Taste the pumpkin and season with more salt, if needed.
- Add the pine nuts to a dry frying pan (no oil). Using a wooden spoon, stir the nuts over medium-low heat, until the nuts have browned slightly. Stir continuously to avoid burning. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- In a large salad bowl, mix the cooled pumpkin, goats cheese and rocket together until combined. Add the reserved oil from the marinated goat cheese (or use some olive oil instead) and sprinkle the pine nuts and pepitas over the top. Serve immediately, or cover and store in the refrigerator and serve cold when required.
Notes
- Try to make the pumpkin cubes evenly sized, to ensure they cook through at the same time.
- Don’t overcook the pumpkin. It will become mushy if cooked for too long and will fall apart in the salad. It should be tender, with crispy, caramelised edges.
- Flip the pumpkin as it roasts, to stop it from sticking to the tray.
- Use a good quality goats cheese marinated with oil and herbs, for best results. The oil is used to flavour the salad.
- Add your other favourite roasted vegetables, such as beetroot, carrot, sweet potato or eggplant.
- If you don’t have oil from your goat’s cheese, use olive oil instead.
- While you can serve this salad warm, I recommend letting the pumpkin cool slightly before tossing the salad ingredients together. If the pumpkin is too hot, the cheese will melt and the salad leaves can wilt.
- To keep the salad nut-free, swap the pine nuts for sunflower seeds, more pumpkin seeds or your preferred seed of choice.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To make this salad ahead of time, roast the pumpkin cubes and prepare all of the other ingredients. Keep the components in separate, airtight containers and toss them together when you are ready to serve. Or, mix everything together and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the salad being divided into 5 bowls, with one bowl being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the salad.
- This recipe is made using Australian metric cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in December 2018, but was re-published with new information, helpful tips and photos in May 2024.
Susan says
This is one of the best salads I’ve had
Andrea Geddes says
Hi Susan! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, it’s one of my favourites. Thanks so much for letting me know how you went! Andrea 🙂
Ann says
Delicious.
Andrea Geddes says
Thanks so much Ann! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂