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Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes

Nopales Salad

Published: Aug 31, 2018 · Modified: Apr 12, 2024 by Brooke Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Have you ever tried cactus?  If you're skeptical, I encourage you to give it a try because our nopales salad is one you'll be using on repeat.

If you enjoy this salad with fresh, hot tortilla chips you may also love our copycat Chipotle tomatillo salsa and tomato salsa.

person scooping up nopales salad with a chip
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Expert Tips
  • Other Mexican Recipes You'll Love
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for nopales salad

All the ingredients for this Nopales salad recipe are easy to find at any large grocery store that has a Mexican section. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.

  • Pickled Cactus: We used pickled cactus and chopped it up.
  • Peppers: We used one large fresh jalapeno and diced it.
  • Fresh Herbs: We used fresh cilantro leaves for flavor.
  • Cheese: We used queso fresco and crumbled it.
  • Vinegar: We used white balsamic vinegar to give it some zing.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make

person mixing chopped vegetables for nopales salad
  1. In a large bowl, place the onion, tomato, pickled cactus, and fresh jalapeño.
  2. With a large spoon, stir until it is well mixed.
person whisking dressing and pouring in lime juice

3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the vinegar, spices, and olive oil.

4. Pour the freshly squeezed lime juice into the salad and stir.

person pouring dressing onto salad and adding cilantro

5. Add the homemade salad dressing.  Mix until it evenly coats the vegetables.

6. Sprinkle on the freshly chopped cilantro and stir.  Cover and chill for a minimum of one hour.

bowl of nopales salad with a person holding a spoonful

7. Just before serving, add half the crumbled cheese to the mixing bowl and stir.  Place it in a serving dish and garnish with the remaining cheese.

8. To have the best flavor, serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

Recipe FAQs

What does nopales taste like?

Prickly pear cactus is actually a vegetable that tastes similar to cooked green beans but has a different texture.  Like okra, it produces a slimy substance when boiled.  If you use the pickled version of this vegetable for this salad like I did, it will probably be pickled with serrano pepper and onions.  This will make it taste spicier.

What are the health benefits of eating nopales cactus?

Nopales are high in fiber, antioxidants, and carotenoids, rich in potassium and high vitamin A and C.

How do you eat nopalito?

You can use nopales or nopalito in salads, as an appetizer with tortilla chips, quesadillas, soft tacos, a side for grilled meat or mixed with scrambled eggs.

What are nopales called in English?

Nopal, or the plural nopales refers to the pads of the cactus plant. In English, this part of the cactus is called prickly pear.

Expert Tips

  • To make this less spicy, don't use the pickled onion and serrano pepper from the jar of pickled cactus.
  • If you don't have any queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese) on hand, feel free to substitute with feta cheese.
  • Use the pickled version instead of fresh to save time.
  • To remove any slime, rinse the cactus under cold water.
  • Serve as a side with grilled meat or with tortilla chips.

Other Mexican Recipes You'll Love

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  • bowl of Chipotle steak with fajita veggies, guac, rice, and salsa.
    Copycat Chipotle Steak Recipe
  • baked jalapeño poppers on two white plates
    Baked Jalapeño Poppers
  • person holding a spoonful of black bean soup
    Panera Black Bean Soup (Copycat Recipe)

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Recipe

person holding a spoonful of nopales salad

Nopales Salad

Nopales Salad is a gluten free Mexican salad that makes a fantastic filling for tortillas or a side with grilled meat.  Just toss together canned nopales, fresh veggies, and an easy dressing.  Make it vegan by leaving out the cheese.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 ½ cups
Calories: 91kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

  • ⅓ cup jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (about 1 large pepper)
  • ¾ cup Roma tomatoes, diced (about 1 ½ large tomatoes)
  • 15 ounce jar pickled cactus, chopped (¾ cup)
  • ½ cup yellow onion, diced (about ½ an onion)
  • ⅓ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
  • 2 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, from two limes
  • ½ tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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Instructions

  • Mix together the chopped onion, tomato, pickled cactus, and fresh jalapeño in a large bowl.
  • Whisk together the white balsamic vinegar, spices and olive oil in a smaller bowl.
  • Pour the freshly squeezed lime juice over the vegetables and stir.
  • Add the dressing, then mix well to coat all the vegetables.
  • Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and stir until well blended.
  • Cover and chill for at least an hour, then mix in half of the crumbled cheese just before serving.  Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining crumbled cheese.  For best flavor, serve slightly cold or at room temperature.

Notes

  • To make this less spicy, don't use the pickled onion and serrano pepper from the jar of pickled cactus.
  • If you don't have any queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese) on hand, feel free to substitute with feta cheese.
  • Use the pickled version instead of fresh to save time.
  • To remove any slime, rinse the cactus under cold water.
  • Serve as a side with grilled meat or with tortilla chips.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 91kcal (5%)Carbohydrates: 7g (2%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 6g (9%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mg (3%)Sodium: 343mg (15%)Potassium: 373mg (11%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 917IU (18%)Vitamin C: 24mg (29%)Calcium: 214mg (21%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth

    November 01, 2019 at 11:10 am

    5 stars
    Cactus salad is very unusual, but it is really good. 🌵

    Reply
    • Emma

      November 01, 2019 at 4:08 pm

      It is an usual salad, but so tasty! I love how similar it tastes to salsa.

      Reply

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We're Brooke & Emma Fajcz, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts. Our recipes have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Parade, Insider, Delish, and BuzzFeed.

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