Crunchy Jicama Salad

Name: Crunchy Chopped Jicama Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces jicama sticks or one small jicama (about 12 ounces); 3/4 cup corn (about 2 small ears, or use frozen corn); 1 medium sweet red pepper (diced); 1 cup grape tomatoes (cut in half); 1/4 cup diced red onion; 1/4 cup pepitos (roasted pumpkin seeds); 2 cups baby spinach (cut into slices); 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped); 1/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 large lime); 1/2 teaspoon lime zest; 1 tablespoon honey (or more to taste); 1 teaspoon dijon mustard; 1/4 teaspoon cumin; 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or more to taste); 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

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This crisp, crunchy, and colorful jicama salad is a perfect, refreshing side dish for Mexican or Southwest food. Crunchy cubes of jicama are paired with sweet grape tomatoes, grilled corn, shredded baby spinach, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. And everything gets tossed in a zesty Southwest chipotle-lime dressing.

A bowl of jicama salad with gold serving spoons scooping out a portion. A jar of salad dressing, a cut lime, and a grape tomato are in the background.

It’s an explosion of flavors, colors, and textures, one of my favorite ways to eat a rainbow of nutritious vegetables, and a salad you’re sure to love.

Dietitian tip: Jicama is a powerhouse vegetable for gut health. It’s rich in inulin, pectin, and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), prebiotics that nourish and support the beneficial probiotic bacteria in your gut. Check out my kefir smoothie recipe and article to learn more about prebiotics, probiotics, and how to get more of these important compounds in your diet.

Recipe At-A-Glance

PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: none
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
SERVES: 6
DIFFICULTY: easy
RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS: a colorful, crunchy jicama salad that pairs beautifully with Mexican or Southwest food.
FEATURED INGREDIENTS: jicama, grilled corn, spinach, tomatoes, chipotle-lime vinaigrette

Why This Recipe Works

EASY TO PREP AHEAD – Jicama holds its crunch and won’t turn brown or soggy after cutting, so it’s a great vegetable to prep in advance. You can also grill the corn, cut the vegetables, and make the dressing several hours or a day in advance, and combine everything when you’re ready to serve.
GUT-HEALTHY, BLOOD SUGAR-FRIENDLY FIBER – One cup of jicama delivers 6 grams of fiber, including inulin, a prebiotic fiber that feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut. It’s also very low glycemic, so its starch won’t spike your blood sugar.
A CROWD-PLEASER – The Southwest flavors in this jicama salad make it a perfect side dish for tacos, enchiladas, grilled chicken, or fish. But it’s also ideal for any summer cookout food.

What is Jicama?

Jicama (pronounced hee-ka-ma) is a root vegetable native to Mexico and South America. It looks like a giant, slightly flattened potato, and it’s rather heavy and hard with dry, papery brown skin.

It has a texture somewhat like raw potato but is much lighter, crispier, and very high in water, making it refreshing to eat. Jicama tastes a bit like a combination of a crunchy raw potato, a slightly savory apple or pear, and a water chestnut.

While the white inner flesh from a jicama bulb is safe to eat, the skin, stems, flowers, and seeds contain a natural insecticide that’s toxic to humans. Do not eat these!

A whole jicama and a piece of cut jicama.

Besides this salad, jicama is a perfect addition to:

Jicama Nutrition

Jicama is low in calories and high in fiber. A generous one-cup serving of sliced or cubed jicama has:

calories: 50
carbs: 12g
protein: 1g
fat: trace
fiber: 6g

Even though jicama has starchy carbs, they’re very low glycemic (only 17 on the GI scale), which means jicama won’t spike your blood sugar.

Jicama’s fiber has significant health benefits. It’s helpful for:

Improving your gut health and helping waste move through your GI tract.
Balancing your blood sugar. The fiber slows the digestion and absorption of sugar and starch, so it enters your bloodstream more slowly.
Reducing your cholesterol. The soluble fiber in jicama helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Maintaining a healthy weight by keeping you full and satisfied with very few calories.

How to Select Jicama at the Store

Look for a jicama that feels firm when you squeeze it — a soft jicama is past its prime. The skin should be dry, not wrinkled or shriveled. In terms of size, a small-to-medium jicama (about 1 pound) is all you need for this recipe.

You’ll usually find whole jicamas in the produce section near other root vegetables at most large grocery stores. Stores like Trader Joe’s and Sprouts often carry pre-cut jicama sticks in the refrigerated produce area, which is a great time-saver!

Recipe Ingredients

Here are some key ingredients you’ll need to make this jicama salad. I’ve listed a few substitutions and variations in the section below.

Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.

Ingredients needed to make jicama salad.

Jicama. If your grocery store carries peeled jicama sticks, use these to save time. If they’re not available, buy a small jicama. If you’re working with a whole jicama, see the instructions for peeling and cutting it below.

Baby spinach. I recommend using baby spinach because it’s more tender than larger spinach leaves.

Corn. If fresh corn is available, I highly recommend grilling it for this recipe. There’s nothing like the crispy sweetness it adds. However, if fresh corn is out of season, you can substitute frozen corn and saute it in a pan to add more flavor. Trader Joe’s also sells frozen roasted corn. If you shop there, pick up a bag and keep it in the freezer for this recipe.

Pumpkin seeds. These are often labeled “pepitas,” which means little seeds of squash in Spanish. Buy roasted pumpkin seeds/pepitas instead of raw. You can get them unsalted or salted, depending on your preference.

Cotija. This is a white, salty, crumbly cheese often used in Mexican cooking. Most grocery stores carry it in the cheese section.

Cumin, garlic powder, and chipotle powder. These add a nice Southwest flavor to the vinaigrette dressing. If you have some air fryer roasted garlic in the refrigerator, use it here. It’s so much better than garlic powder.

Substitutions and Variations

For a vegan option, skip the cheese.
Make a meal out of this jicama salad by adding about one cup of black beans for more protein.
Chopped kale is a good substitute for spinach.
If you can’t find cotija, substitute feta cheese.
Diced mango and/or cucumber are great additions to this salad.
The Southwest flavors in the dressing complement the ingredients in this salad, but if you have another favorite vinaigrette or creamy Southwest dressing, feel free to substitute it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

First, grill or toast the corn until it’s lightly charred in places. Remove it from the heat (cut the kernels off the cob if grilled) and let it cool.

Second, combine the Southwest salad dressing ingredients. Set the dressing aside.

Third, peel your jicama if you have a whole jicama. The outer skin is tough, so I find it easiest to cut a piece from the top and bottom to keep it straight. Then, use a sharp knife to cut down from the top to the bottom. When you get near the bottom, you can peel the skin the rest of the way. I prefer to use a knife, but if you have a good, sharp Y-peeler, you can also use it to peel away the skin.

Fourth, cut the jicama into sticks. Start by cutting slices down each side. Next, cut each slice into strips about ¾ inch wide.

Fifth, cut the jicama sticks into cubes about ¾ inch on all sides.

Sixth, cut the remaining vegetables. Cut the grape tomatoes in half or thirds and the red pepper and red onion into dice-sized pieces. Chop or slice the spinach leaves and mince the cilantro.

Seventh, combine all of the vegetables and the pepitas in a large bowl. Toss and add the dressing. Sprinkle with cotija cheese.

A white bowl of jicama salad. A gold serving spoon, jar of dressing, cut lime, and grape tomatoes are in the background.

Expert Tips

If you’re using frozen corn and toasting it in a pan, don’t overcook it, or it will harden and turn into popcorn kernels. Heat your empty pan over high heat, drizzle in olive oil or spray with cooking oil, then add the corn. Let it toast for about 30 seconds, stir, then remove from the heat.

Cut everything for this jicama salad into small and uniform pieces. That allows the dressing to coat everything evenly. It also means you’ll get a little bit of everything in every bite.

Check out my Chopped Mediterranean Salad recipe to learn how to make a perfect chopped salad.

This jicama salad is best served immediately after you add the dressing, as it will start to wilt once dressed. If you want to prep some of the ingredients ahead of time, you can:

Toast and cool the corn
Cut the jicama, tomatoes, and red pepper
Make the dressing and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator
Measure out the remaining ingredients, but keep them in separate containers
Just before serving, slice the spinach, mince the cilantro, toss everything, and add the dressing.

Important Safety Note!

Make sure you peel the tan skin from your jicama flesh before eating it. The skin contains toxins, so you shouldn’t eat it!

A white bowl of jicama salad with two serving spoons. A jar of dressing, cut lime, grape tomatoes, and small plate of salad surround the main bowl.

What to Serve With Jicama Salad

This is a perfect salad to serve with any Mexican or Southwest meal. It’s also tasty with grilled or roasted fish or chicken. Serve it with a pitcher of fruited iced sun tea or sparkling hibiscus iced tea. Try these recipes to pair it with:

Recipe FAQs

How long can you store cut jicama?

Once cut, jicama will last one week in the refrigerator. Make sure you store it dry (not in water) in a covered container. An unpeeled and uncut jicama will last two to three weeks in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place.

Does jicama turn brown after it’s cut?

No, surprisingly, it doesn’t turn brown after it’s cut. Don’t store it in water or lemon juice. Keep it dry and covered once it’s cut.