This quick and easy Hearts of Palm Salad recipe combines the delicate, tender hearts of palm with crisp celery, creamy cannellini beans, and marinated artichoke hearts for a refreshing, Mediterranean-inspired salad that's perfect for any occasion.
Using pantry ingredients and ready in minutes, this salad is hearty, packed with protein, and can be customized with various toppings to create a complete meal. But first, what the heck are hearts of palm anyway?
What are hearts of palm?
If you’re new to hearts of palm, you’re not alone! I didn’t have much experience working with them until recently. Hearts of palm are harvested from the inner core of certain varieties of palm trees. They’re a staple in Latin America, because that’s where they grow! Elsewhere in the world, they are available in canned or jarred form, packed in brine. The Spruce Eats wrote a comprehensive article about hearts of palm if you want to learn more about them.
Although hearts of palm are a Latin American ingredient, this salad has a decidedly mediterranean flair to it. I think these flavors go super well with the tender texture and neutral flavor of the hearts of palm.
Shopping list
Most of the ingredients needed for this recipe are pantry-friendly, so you may have some of it (or all of it) on hand already. Here’s the list:
- Hearts of palm: You can get these in cans or jars at most grocery stores, especially if there’s a Latin foods section. They're also available online.
- Artichoke hearts: Also found in cans and jars, usually right next to the pickles. If you don’t have artichoke hearts, you can also just double up on hearts of palm.
- Cannelini beans: Canned or freshly cooked, it’s up to you.
- Celery: I love the fresh crunch the celery brings to this salad.
- Garlic: Just to punch up the flavor a bit.
- Lemon juice and zest: To add tanginess and aroma.
- Extra virgin olive oil: To lube everything up and bring the flavors together.
- Salt: For seasoning.
- Sumac: You can often find ground sumac in the spices section, or the Middle Eastern section. This one’s optional, but I love the extra citrusy flavor you get with sumac. You can also just add a bit more lemon if you don’t have sumac and want more tang. I bought some really good sumac from a company called Olive Odyssey and I’ve been putting it on everything!
How to make this Hearts of Palm Salad
This salad comes together really quickly, as it mostly involves just opening cans and jars. So handy!
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Drain and rinse the hearts of palm artichoke hearts, and cannelini beans. Place them into a large bowl lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess water.
Step 2: Pull the palm hearts out of the bowl, slice them to ¼ inch thick, and add them back to the bowl. Depending on how big your artichoke hearts are, you can cut those into smaller pieces as well.
Step 3: Remove the paper towel from the bowl. It has done its job.
Step 4: Wash the celery and slice it into ½ cm slices. Add the celery to the bowl.
Step 5: Time to make the dressing. Mince or grate the garlic and add it to a small bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt, and sumac.
Serve the salad on a bed of arugula or other greens, as well as any extra toppings. (See below for ideas).
How to serve this Hearts of Palm Salad
This salad is refreshing and punchy as is, but I always like to jazz it up to make it a super satisfying meal. Here are some topping ideas:
- Avocado: An obvious choice, as avocado adds so much richness to an otherwise very fresh and light salad.
- Canned tuna: A lovely way to add some protein to this salad and make it really come together.
- Crumbled feta cheese: Also for richness, as well as a salty creamy bite.
- Nuts: I love crumbled walnuts on this salad. Flaked almonds or cashews would also be lovely.
- Grilled chicken thighs: A bit of warm, grilled chicken on top would be so nice with the lemony flavors of this hearts of palm salad.
Storage tips
This Hearts of Palm Salad will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The celery will lose a bit of its crunch over time, but it'll absorb the dressing and turn into more of a pickled vibe. It's a good idea to give it a quick toss before serving to redistribute the dressing.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! This salad can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For optimal freshness, add the celery just before serving to maintain its crunch.
Are hearts of palm expensive?
Depending on where you live, hearts of palm can be a little on the pricy side. I've seen cans for as much as $7 CDN in some grocery stores. Generally speaking, you'll get a better price if you buy them from a Latin American grocery store.
For sure. Cannellini beans work great in this recipe because they're super creamy, but you can substitute them with other white beans like Great Northern or navy beans. Chickpeas also work well.
Yep! This salad is gluten-free. Just be sure to check the labels on your canned ingredients to ensure they are processed in a gluten-free facility if you have celiac disease or severe gluten sensitivity.
An easy swap for sumac is some additional lemon zest and juice.
Hearts of palm can last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, keep them submerged in their liquid or a mixture of water and lemon juice. This recipe uses the whole can/jar though, so it shouldn't be an issue 🙂
Yes, you can omit the oil, however the salad does taste best when there is some richness to it. I'd recommend substituting the olive oil with plain yogurt or something else kinda creamy to add lusciousness to the salad.
Whether you're meal prepping for the week or serving guests at your next backyard party, this salad is a winner.
I hope you love it!
Try these simple and hearty salads next:
- Creamy Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Easy Healthy Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Shopska Salad
- Kohlrabi Salad with Apple and Fresh Dill
- Grilled Zucchini Salad with Chickpeas
Lemony Hearts of Palm Salad with White Beans
Equipment
- large bowl to toss the salad in.
- Cutting board and knife to chop the ingredients.
- Small bowl and whisk to mix the dressing.
- Colander to rinse the canned ingredients.
- Paper towel to drain the rinsed ingredients.
Ingredients
- 398 millilitres hearts of palm 1 can
- 398 millilitres artichoke hearts 1 can
- 398 millilitres cannellini beans 1 can
- 5 sticks celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 lemon juice and zest
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sumac
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the hearts of palm artichoke hearts, and cannelini beans. Place them into a large bowl lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess water.
- Pull the hearts of palm out of the bowl, and slice into ¼ inch slices. If yor artichoke hearts are fairly large, you can chop them up a bit too.
- Remove the paper towel from the bowl.
- Wash the celery and slice it into ½ cm slices. Add the celery to the bowl.
- Make the dressing by mincing or grating the garlic and adding it to a separate small bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt, and sumac.
- Remove the paper towel from the big bowl before adding the dressing and tossing the salad well to combine.
- Serve the salad on a bed of arugula or other greens, as well as any extra toppings. (See below for ideas).
Katrina says
I made this for meal prep and it was perfect. Added some tuna for protein. Love it!
Paula says
Yes I love the tuna addition!