Nigerian Salad Recipe: Nigerian Vegetable Salad In 10 Mins! (2024)

Fresh, stunning, and full of flavor, Nigerian salad is always a hit at home and at parties. And while there are many Nigerian mouthwatering recipes, this easy Nigerian salad may very well be your absolute favorite.

This Nigerian salad recipe is a juicy one! It is made of fresh, delicious, and nutrient-rich vegetables that enthrall your taste buds.

One thing many Nigerians don’t fancy in the cooking industry is eating their greens raw. I’m actually guilty of this.

There’s nothing wrong with raw greens, but I will take a solid meal with assorted meat any day. Blame it on being Nigerian!

This should explain why many Nigerians, albeit Africans, are not usually seen at the bland salad table at buffet parties.

However, with the introduction of this exotic salad recipe in Nigeria, many people now look forward to eating the salad topped with a generous layer of Heinz salad cream, even when there is no festivity!

This salad is an embodiment of beauty in the physical and taste. Ah! Just take a look at this Nigerian dish!

We usually serve this vegetable salad as a classic side dish to rice at parties or as one hearty main dish.

What Is Nigerian Salad?

Nigerian salad is also called Nigerian mixed vegetable salad. It is made of colorful vegetables, like carrots, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, and potatoes.

And topped with eggs and even African corned beef, specifically Exeter corned beef. We love our proteins!

This salad is one of the most “lively” salad recipes you will ever find. Our salad dressing of choice is the popular Heinz salad cream or mayonnaise, which makes the taste heavenly.

If you can’t stand salad cream or mayo, I recommend avoiding this African salad. I remember my siblings and I drenching our salad with extra salad cream.

You might as well say that Nigerians are slightly obsessed with salad cream. While many people enjoy their salad cold, some just want theirs at room temperature.

The fun thing about Nigerian vegetable salad is that you can experiment with ingredient substitution and addition as much as possible.

Why You’ll Love Nigerian Salad

• Tasty – Nigerian salad does not have the bland taste that most salads give. The combination of juicy tomatoes, baked beans in tomato sauce, and the dressing make the taste very exciting; you don’t want to miss that.
• Easy To Make – This hearty salad is easy to prepare. All you need is the skill and patience to chop the necessary ingredients in the right size and shape.
• Customizable – You can make this Nigerian salad to suit your taste. For example, people on a weight management journey can reduce the amount of cream they add to their salad or use low-fat dressings.
• Cost Effective – The ingredients used in making this delicious salad are affordable and easily accessible.

Is Nigerian Egg Salad Healthy?

Yes, Nigerian egg salad has a spot on the list of healthy foods in Nigeria. This is because it is made of healthy vegetables and animal products (eggs).

However, adding salad cream or mayonnaise might not be the most healthy option for somebody who wants to lose weight. Other than that, you are good to go with consuming this delicious salad.

What Are The Benefits Of Nigerian Salad?

Improves Digestion

The vegetables in the salad are good sources of dietary fiber that aid digestion.

This helps improve your overall health because your digestive system can now break down food fast and turn them into important nutrients required by your body.

Increases Energy Levels

The excitement you feel from the taste of Nigerian salad helps to increase your energy levels.

This is good for mental clarity, especially for children, stress reduction, living a more fulfilling life, and keeping diseases, such as hypertension, at bay.

Prevents Cells Damage

The ingredients of Nigerian salad have antioxidative properties that help to fight against cell destruction. This might help with preventing diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Nigerian Salad Ingredients

• Cabbage – Green or white cabbage is one of the two central ingredients in Nigerian salad. It gives the salad its slightly bitter taste, which mixes with the sweet taste of the other ingredients.
• Lettuce – Lettuce is the second of the two central ingredients in Nigerian salad. It has a greener and earthier taste than cabbage because of the existence of more chlorophyll in it.
• Carrots – Sliced or grated carrots give your salad a more colorful appearance and crunchy feel in the mouth. It has a sweet taste that makes the Nigerian salad more delicious.
• Canned Peas – Canned peas are starchy vegetables that make your Nigerian salad more filling. They have a sweet taste that mixes with the taste of the other interesting ingredients in the delicacy.
• Canned Corn – Canned corn is made of cooked sweet corn. It is added to your Nigerian salad to make it richer and sweeter.
• Medium Cucumbers – The juiciness and crunchiness of cucumber is one very exciting thing about the taste of Nigerian salad.
• Fresh Tomatoes – Tomatoes give your Nigerian salad its distinctive taste. The hard, fresh ones are usually used because of less water content, and the seeds are usually removed from the moon pieces to make the salad less complicated.
• Potatoes – Irish potatoes are classified as starchy vegetables that are needed in your Nigerian salad to form a balanced diet with the other ingredients. They are usually cut into normal bite-size pieces and boiled in water before combination with the raw ingredients.
• Eggs – Hard-boiled eggs are sliced into round, fancy pieces on the salad after they are boiled in the same or separate water as the potatoes.
• Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce – This ingredient is another proteinous ingredient in your salad. Besides its health benefits, it also makes your salad extra tasty and filling, just like the canned peas and corn.
• Salad Cream Or Mayonnaise – Either of these creams is used for the salad dressing. They are the reason for the sweeter taste of the delicious Nigerian vegetable salad.

Tools Needed To Prepare Nigerian Salad

• Salad Bowl to serve your salad
• Salad Spoon to eat your salad
• Food Processor to chop some of the ingredients
• Medium grater to grate carrots
• Egg Slicer to slice your egg
• Knife to chop some of the ingredients
• Wide Serving Bowl to contain the chopped and grated ingredients in layers
• Measuring Cup

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For Nigerian Salad

Potatoes

You can substitute potatoes in your Nigerian salad with the popular elbow macaroni. This macaroni is rich in carbohydrates, just like potatoes.

However, the tastes might not be the same. Regardless, macaroni salad is also very flavorful and appetizing to devour.

You have to boil the dry macaroni in hot water just like you will boil the potatoes. Don’t forget to add a little salt to the taste!

Salad Cream Or Mayonnaise

Heinz salad cream, condensed milk, or evaporated milk can be used instead of Heinz salad cream and mayonnaise.

Although I can’t bring myself to use condensed or evaporated milk with my salad, some people don’t mind the taste.

Evaporated milk might be better than condensed milk if you’re on a weight loss journey since condensed milk typically has sugar added to it.

Proteins

You can add other forms of proteins like chicken, hot dog, or Exeter corned beef to your Nigerian salad.

The well-seasoned fried proteins are sliced into bite-size pieces and are added along the way with the other ingredients.

Onions

To add more life to your Nigerian salad, add raw onion! These can be spring onions, white onions, or red onions.

Onions have good nutrients packed in them, and their crispness and distinctive flavor will really benefit your taste buds.

Green Bell Pepper

Green bell peppers can also serve as an additional ingredient in your Nigerian salad. It adds its slightly bitter taste and grassy flavor to the hearty meal.

How to Make Nigerian Salad (Step-by-Step)

Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium bunch of lettuce
• 0.5 small heads of cabbage
• 0.5 cups of canned peas
• 0.5 cups of canned corn
• 3 medium-sized tomatoes
• 2 small cucumbers
• 3 eggs
• 2-3 potatoes
• 1 cup baked beans in tomato sauce
• 0.5 cup salad cream or mayonnaise

Instructions

STEP 1: Grate peeled carrots on a medium grater. Wash cabbage and lettuce, finely chop.

STEP 2: Cut the tomatoes, remove the core, and cut into small cubes. Peel the cucumber, remove the seeds, and cut them into small cubes. Prepare beans, peas, and corn.

STEP 3: Hard boil chicken eggs (about 7 minutes). Remove the egg shell and cut into round slices. Boil potatoes, peel, and cut into cubes. (You can use the same pot to boil the eggs and the potatoes).

STEP 4: Layer all the ingredients in a large serving bowl, except for eggs and beans. I like to start with the biggest ingredient and arrange by colors. You can start with cabbage and lettuce.

This is the fun part. You can have children assist you with this. I loved doing this as a child.

STEP 5: Continue adding layers until all ingredients have been used. Next, add baked beans on top.

STEP 6: Finally, spread the circles of eggs on top and squeeze in a few slices on the sides of the salad bowl.

STEP 7: Serve or keep refrigerated until your guests arrive. We typically use salad cream or mayonnaise but you can serve this with any salad dressing.

What To Serve With Nigerian Salad

• You can serve your Nigerian salad as a side dish to Nigerian jollof rice, fried rice, coconut rice, jollof spaghetti, or moi moi.
• You can also serve your Nigerian salad with tasty grilled chicken for a more delicious treat.
• Last but not the least, you can serve your Nigerian salad as one hearty meal with any drink of your choice, like a cold wine.

Tips About Making Nigerian Salad

• If the onions taste too pungent, you can reduce it by soaking the sliced onions in cold water and salt for 10 minutes. Or give it a quick dip in hot water.
• The seeds and inner parts of the cucumber should also be removed to prevent excess water in your salad.
• If you want to make the process of making Nigerian salad faster, use a food processor to chop the necessary ingredients instead of a knife. Or better yet, buy pre-chopped vegetables.
• Dressing your salad when you are not ready to eat can make the raw vegetables, like lettuce and cabbage, limp. Therefore, ensure the only time you dress the salad is when you and your guests are ready to eat it. This can be after you take it out of the fridge or whenever you feel relaxed to eat it at room temperature.
• The creamy salad dressing should be in moderation. While too much dressing will make your salad messy in appearance and taste, too little dressing will give off a bland vibe.
• Grated carrots should be used instead of chopped carrots. This is because they are more convenient to eat with the other ingredients in the recipe than the chopped ones.

How To Store Nigerian Salad

Nigerian salad can be stored for up to 24 hours in the fridge. Cover the salad with cling film if your salad bowl does not have a cover before putting it in the fridge.

After 24 hours, some of the ingredients, like lettuce, start to wilt. Therefore, it is advisable to refrigerate it for just a few hours and eat it immediately if you want it cold.

Also, Nigerian salad that has been brought out of the fridge should not be returned to the fridge. This will only make it less palatable.

What Are The 7 Types Of Salads?

1. Green Salad – a salad that contains lettuce as its star ingredient.
2. Caesar Salad – a salad that is popular for its delicious taste because of its dressing with the sumptuous caesar salad cream.
3. Chef Salad – a salad that consists of proteins like eggs, chicken, turkey, ham, and cheese.
4. Waldorf Salad – a salad with the main ingredients of apples, celery, mayonnaise, walnuts, and grapes.
5. Coleslaw-Based Salad – a simple salad made of cabbage, sugar, salt, vinegar, pepper, and cream. At times, carrots are added for a more colorful feel. This is also super popular in Nigeria.
6. Pasta Salad – a salad that is made of pasta. An example is the Nigerian macaroni salad.
7. Bound Salad – a salad that is often used as sandwich fillings. Examples are chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, potato salad, and pasta salad.

FAQ About Nigerian Salad

Easy Nigerian Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Fresh, stunning, and full of flavor, Nigerian salad is always a hit at home and at parties. And while there are many Nigerian mouthwatering recipes, this easy Nigerian salad may very well be your absolute favorite.

Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium bunch of lettuce
• 0.5 small heads of cabbage
• 0.5 cups of canned peas
• 0.5 cups of canned corn
• 3 medium-sized tomatoes
• 2 small cucumbers
• 3 eggs
• 2-3 potatoes
• 1 cup baked beans in tomato sauce
• 0.5 cup salad cream or mayonnaise

Instructions

1. Grate peeled carrots on a medium grater. Wash cabbage and lettuce, finely chop.
2. Cut the tomatoes, remove the core, and cut into small cubes. Peel the cucumber, remove the seeds, and cut them into small cubes. Prepare beans, peas, and corn.
3. Hard boil chicken eggs (about 7 minutes). Remove the egg shell and cut into round slices. Boil potatoes, peel, and cut into cubes. (You can use the same pot to boil the eggs and the potatoes).
4. Layer all the ingredients in a large serving bowl, except for eggs and beans. I like to start with the biggest ingredient and arrange by colors. You can start with cabbage and lettuce. (This is the fun part. You can have children assist you with this. I loved doing this as a child).
5. Continue adding layers until all ingredients have been used. Next, add baked beans on top.
6. Finally, spread the circles of eggs on top and squeeze in a few slices on the sides of the salad bowl.
7. Serve or keep refrigerated until your guests arrive. We typically use salad cream or mayonnaise but you can serve this with any salad dressing.
   

Notes

If the onions taste too pungent, you can reduce it by soaking the sliced onions in cold water and salt for 10 minutes. Or give it a quick dip in hot water.

The seeds and inner parts of the cucumber should also be removed to prevent excess water in your salad.

If you want to make the process of making Nigerian salad faster, use a food processor to chop the necessary ingredients instead of a knife. Or better yet, buy pre-chopped vegetables.

The creamy salad dressing should be in moderation. While too much dressing will make your salad messy in appearance and taste, too little dressing will give off a bland vibe.

Grated carrots should be used instead of chopped carrots. This is because they are more convenient to eat with the other ingredients in the recipe than the chopped ones.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 283Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 510mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 7gSugar: 13gProtein: 10g

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for the most accurate results.

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Conclusion

Nigerian vegetable salad is a delicious meal you can enjoy any time of the week. You can serve it as a whole dish for breakfast or as a side dish with jollof rice at lunch.

It is very easy to prepare, and you don’t need great culinary skills to make perfect-looking, great-tasting Nigerian salad.

If you are having visitors over, this hearty salad should be your perfect go-to before the main dish. Don’t be surprised if your visitors refuse to leave your house without getting this recipe. You’ve been warned!

Your visitors will be well impressed and won’t leave your house without the recipe…lol!

Your turn! What’s your favorite Nigerian food? Have you tried Nigerian salad? What about African salad (akaabacha)? Sound off in the comment section below.