This Caribbean Rice Salad tastes like a trip to Costa Rica in a bowl! Adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant, it uses several spices, sweet potatoes, rice, beans, and tomatoes to create a wonderful main dish salad.
Many Central American recipes often contain a blend of rice and beans with different spices and fruits added to change the flavor. It seems to be a delectable mix of Hispanic, African, and Caucasian cooking, and this Caribbean Rice Salad incorporates the best blend of ingredients. Try it with my Spinach and Orange Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing for a really bright, refreshing flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Caribbean Rice Salad
- Incredibly flavorful - From the fragrant rice cooked with warm spices to the tart, flavorful vegetables, every bite of this salad is tasty and delicious.
- Easy and filling - Start by cooking the rice in a mixture of spices, then bring the entire dish together. The brown rice, sweet potatoes, and beans will fill you up for hours!
- Main dish or side salad - Because this rice salad is so filling, it can easily be enjoyed as a main dish or a side salad.
Ingredients
- Canola oil
- Seasonings - Season the rice with a mixture of paprika and turmeric. Use salt, pepper, and allspice to combine the salad flavors.
- Brown rice - Rinse and drain the rice before cooking.
- Water
- Sweet potatoes - Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, then boil them while the rice cooks.
- Dressing ingredients - Mix garlic, jalapenos, lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and spices to add flavor to the rice and vegetables.
- Vegetables - Dice fresh tomatoes and bell peppers into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice scallions for color and crunch.
- Black beans - Either cook dried black beans or drain and rinse canned beans.
Garnish
- Cubed avocado
- Thinly sliced lime rounds
Variations
- Add protein - Serve this Caribbean rice salad recipe with grilled chicken or shrimp for an extra dose of protein.
- Serve warm or cold - This salad can be eaten warm right after you stir the ingredients together or let it chill in the fridge to eat as a cold side dish.
- Add more crunch - Add some thinly sliced celery or chopped peanuts for extra crunch.
- Stir in some pineapple - Many Caribbean recipes include tropical fruits, like pineapple, for a bright flavor. Add some pineapple juice to rice’s cooking liquid or add some finely diced pineapple to the fresh salad ingredients.
How to Make Caribbean Rice Salad
This delicious salad is an adaptation of the Caribbean Rice Salad from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special.
- Heat the oil in a pot big enough to boil your rice.
- Add the paprika and turmeric and heat for about 5 minutes.
- Sauté the rice in the oil for a few minutes.
- Add 2 cups of water, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover, and gently simmer until the water is absorbed, about 40 minutes.
- If the rice is not done, add more water and continue to cook until rice is tender.
- Cook the sweet potatoes in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes until tender.
- Drain and set aside.
- Whisk together the garlic, jalapenos, lime peel and juice, orange juice, ginger root, allspice, and salt in a large serving bowl.
- Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, scallions, and black beans.
- Toss well.
- Fluff the cooked rice and let cool for a few minutes.
- Stir the rice into the other veggie mixture.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve garnished with avocado cubes and lime rounds.
Expert Tips
- Let the salad rest - Let the salad sit for at least an hour to bring all the flavors together.
- Use fresh spices - Part of the beauty of this salad is the mix of rich, warm spices and bright, refreshing flavors. Make sure your spices are fresh to get the best flavor.
- Season well - Although this salad is very flavorful, it’ll taste even better if properly seasoned. Taste it several times and add more salt until it tastes delicious.
Recipe FAQs
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Serve it either chilled as a cold salad or heat it up to wake up all those bright flavors.
Although this rice salad would typically be eaten as a side dish, it’s hearty and filling enough to really tide you over for hours! One serving has 317 calories, 7g of protein, 12g of fat, and 48g of carbohydrates. For even more protein, serve it with grilled chicken or fish.
The canned jalapenos give this salad a little heat, but if you like really spicy recipes, replace those with fresh jalapenos and add some ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to taste.
More Rice Recipes To Try
- Coconut Basmati Rice
- Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
- Costa Rican Rice and Beans
- Mexican Rice
- Easy Egyptian Rice
Caribbean Rice Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 2-3 cups water
- 2 ½ cups sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon diced jalapenos canned
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated lime peel
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- ½ cup diced yellow, green or red bell peppers
- 2 scallions finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups cooked black beans 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- 1 avocado cut into small cubes
- Thinly sliced rounds of lime
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pot big enough to boil your rice.
- Add the paprika and turmeric and heat for about 5 minutes.
- Sauté the rice in the oil for a few minutes.
- Add 2 cups of water, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover, and gently simmer until the water is absorbed, about 40 minutes.
- If the rice is not done, add more water and continue to cook until rice is tender.
- Cook the sweet potatoes in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes, until just tender.
- Drain and set aside.
- In a large serving bowl, whisk together the garlic, jalapenos, lime peel, lime juice, orange juice, ginger root, allspice and salt.
- Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, scallions and black beans.
- Toss well.
- Fluff the cooked rice and let cool for a few minutes.
- Stir the rice into the other veggie mixture.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve garnished with avocado cubes and lime rounds.
Nutrition
Kathy acquired the blog, Recipe Idea Shop in 2024. She was raised on a farm in Arkansas where having a big garden and good food to eat was the norm. She shares recipes for homemade comfort food and new trending dishes.
Kathy began her blogging journey in 2011 when she founded PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, and thrift store finds.