Simple And Delicious Hearts Of Palm Salad

This hearts of palm salad recipe was originally a sponsored post. It’s so incredibly good and delicious, and I know you’ll love it as much as I do.

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My mom is a smart woman. She spent the last week in sunny Florida where she was concerned that one night it might be too chilly to sit outside on the beach to eat dinner.

Meanwhile, in Chicago school was called off for us Wednesday to Friday because of dangerously cold temperatures. Fortunately, I’m not bitter.

When she called on Thursday and asked if she could pretty please do a pop in after her flight landed Sunday night, of course I said yes. I whipped up this hearts of palm salad before she arrived, knowing it would taste delicious and remind her of the vacation she just left.

That night, I paired it with a chicken pot pie, but it goes well with everything from a burger to chicken salad and more. No shocker, don’t forget dessert, as everyone left room for some of the candy bar cookie brownies I’d made for my dad.

This vegan hearts of palm salad is incredibly easy to make, and Little Miss loved it so much that she asked for another helping of it after dinner while we played yet another board game. And no, I didn’t win that one either.

What are hearts of palm?

Hearts of palm are a vegetable that – no surprise – comes from palm trees. The inside of certain species provide this not super common vegetable, and it makes a perfect star to this salad.

Hearts of palm taste sort of like artichokes. They don’t have a very strong flavor, but you can taste the “vegetable-ness” of them.

Though they’re very low in calories and fat, depending on what they get canned with, they often have lots of stuff added to the liquid in the can. I always rinse my hearts of palm before I use them.

What is a hearts of palm salad like?

This hearts of palm salad is incredibly easy and quick to make. It tastes best when it’s had a few hours for the flavors to meld, but I generally make it the same day I’m serving it.

It tastes just as good the second day, but the lime juice has typically broken down the texture of the avocados and tomatoes a bit so that it isn’t quite as pretty.

This is a minimal prep salad with no cooking involved. It’s different from your traditional green salad, which is a plus in my book because I love things that are out of the ordinary.

It’s vaguely reminiscent of guacamole but perfect as a salad without the need for chips.

How to Make Hearts of Palm Salad

Slice half a red onion into bite size pieces. I slice off the tip, leaving the root end then cut my onion in half through the root just like I’m going to dice it.

Instead, I do small slices all along the onion, from the tip to the root end. I slice those longer slivers in half through the middle of the onion before cutting off the root end and having my perfect slices.

Because I’m eating my onion raw (and then planning to talk to people), I soak my slices in cold water for about a half hour before mixing the onion into the rest of the salad. This helps remove the bite of the onion so you get the perfect flavor and texture without screaming onion at everyone.

The other ingredients for the hearts of palm salad are simply cut into bite size pieces. The hearts of palm get sliced into circles.

The tomatoes are chunked with the majority of seeds removed as I cut them. Sometimes I use yellow Campari tomatoes, as well as a Roma tomato, but find whatever flavorful tomatoes you can.

Cut your English cucumber in half to access and remove the seeds. I prefer an English cucumber for this recipe, but you can use a “regular” one if you prefer.

Simply run a spoon through the center, which pulls out all the seeds. Depending on its size, slice the cucumber in half again, then cut it into bite size pieces.

Chop your cilantro – or leave it out if you’re a “cilantro tastes like soap” person. Roll it into a bundle, then slice through it. You can see how in my herb cutting tutorial.

Dice your avocado, and add all the ingredients for the hearts of palm salad to a bowl.

Zest your limes directly into the salad, then use your hand juicer to add the juice, along with the olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir it to get the ingredients equally mixed up, and you’re ready to serve.

Ideally, you want to let this hearts of palm salad rest in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors meld, but you can serve it immediately, if needed.

Have you ever made a hearts of palm salad?

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