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Crunchy Jicama Beet Salad with Tahini Dressing

September 13, 2018 (Last Updated: August 21, 2023)
Beets and jicama salad

I love my salads to be colorful, textured, and easy to make. This lectin-free, nutritious beet and jicama salad is made of four main ingredients: raw red beets, raw yellow beets, raw jicama, and parsley and is finished with a creamy and delicious homemade tahini sauce.

What is jicama?

If you were born and raised in Europe, you probably don’t know what jicama is. I had no idea this vegetable existed until I read The Plant Paradox book by Dr. Steven Gundry. Luckily, I lived in Dallas, Texas, where jicama was available in food stores.

Jicama in Central Market in Dallas, Texas
Jicama in Central Market in Dallas, Texas (on the left)

Jicama is a root vegetable with brown skin with a crispy texture, something between an apple and a raw potato. It tastes a little bit like an apple but not as sweet. You can cook it or eat it raw.

One of the most interesting ways jicama is sold in some parts of the United States is as jicama tortillas, thin slices of jicama that can be used as a low-carb alternative to wraps and classic tortillas.

You can make your wraps at home, but that requires a large slicer or mandolin, as the jicama root is pretty big for a normal-size mandolin.

Is Jicama good for you?

Nutritionally, jicama is a lectin-free, low-calorie, nutritionally dense vegetable that is considered a resistant starch with a significant amount of fiber and vitamin C, so a great addition to any diet.

Jicama baked fries on a plate
Jicama baked fries
Jicama wraps
Jicama wraps / tortillas

Beet and jicama salad – light and refreshing

Eat the rainbow, they say. And who doesn’t love food that looks vibrant and healthy? This jicama and raw beet salad is a simple side dish that is super easy to make and goes with everything.

This is what you need to make it:

The tahini sauce is such a great salad dressing; it goes with everything. Make a bigger quantity and store it in the refrigerator in a glass jar for up to a week.

Tahini sauce made lectin-free
Homemade tahini sauce with garlic and cumin

How to make this easy jicama salad recipe in 15 minutes

  • Wash and peel the skin of the jicama and beets and cut them into thin sticks.
  • Wash and chop the parsley and add the jicama, beets, and parsley to a large bowl.
  • Add tahini sauce, combine everything, and serve as a side dish.
  • The tahini sauce should add enough seasoning flavor, but if needed, add more salt and pepper.

Beets are the best raw

If you are following the plant paradox lifestyle, you might be confused about the status of beetroot in Dr. Gundry’s food list (the YES and NO list). Beetroot is plant paradox compliant, with the mention that it is only recommended raw. However, a few of Dr. Gundry’s recipes contain cooked beetroot.

The way to explain this contradiction is that people with pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, or diabetes should avoid cooked beetroot due to the high sugar content and the impact it may have on insulin levels. However, if you are healthy, you can occasionally enjoy cooked beetroot.

I do use it in several of my recipes and sometimes love to make beet chips. But this salad is a perfect way to enjoy the full benefits of beets.

More recipes with jicama and beets

I hope you like this crunchy beet and jicama salad.

For another salad with beets, you may like my Beetroot and Horseradish Side Salad. And for another way to use Jicama try my Cauliflower Tacos with Jicama-Cabbage Slaw.

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.

Crunchy Beets and Jicama Salad with Tahini Dressing

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By Claudia Curici Serves: 2 - 4
Prep Time: 15

A colorful, textured, and easy-to-make salad. This lectin-free, nutritious beet and jicama salad is made of four main ingredients: raw red beets, raw yellow beets, raw jicama, and parsley and is finished with a creamy and delicious homemade tahini sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 small to medium red beetroot
  • 1 small to medium yellow beetroot
  • 1 small to medium jicama
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup homemade tahini-garlic sauce (see post for link to recipe)

Instructions

1

Wash and peel the veggies and cut them into thin sticks.

2

Wash and chop the parsley and add the jicama, beets, and parsley to a mixing bowl.

3

Add tahini sauce, combine everything and serve as a side dish.

Notes

The number of portions may vary depending on whether you have this as a main dish or side or appetizer. Cooking time does not include the tahini sauce, which I shared in a separate post (please check the link in the introduction).

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4 Comments

  • Reply
    Cassie
    April 18, 2019 at 11:04 am

    How do you cut them so neatly and perfectly into sticks?

    • Reply
      Claudia
      April 18, 2019 at 2:18 pm

      Hi Cassie, best way to do it is to slice them with a mandolin and then cut them in sticks with a good knife.

  • Reply
    Claudia
    July 5, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    Thank you for letting me know Rebecca, I’m happy you like it xx

  • Reply
    rebecca wilson
    June 27, 2018 at 8:48 pm

    the combination of flavors is quite stunning in this dish. i used half the amount of garlic because i am a bit sensitive to it…but i love the notion of not having to peel each clove and then straining! the tahini proved to be a nice substitute for my much missed humus…need to try your version soon!

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