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Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes

Chayote Salad Recipe

Published: May 30, 2019 · Modified: Oct 28, 2020 by Myra · This post may contain affiliate links

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FAST, EASY and DELICIOUS! Mix up this salad with the next big SUPERFOOD, chayote squash. It’s tasty and healthy.  You can make it ahead of time in just 20 minutes!

Large black bowl full of creamy chayote squash salad with bacon, cheddar cheese and onions

This post contains affiliate links.

Have you heard of chayote squash yet?

It’s pronounced (chay-oh-tee), in case you’re wondering.

I’d noticed it before at the grocery store, but not paid much attention to it until my parents brought me one to try as a curiosity.

And I was SO impressed!

One whole chayote squash, one chayote squash cut in half, close up photo

This little baby is delicious!  It’s got a crispy, watery crunch, kind of like a water chestnut or raw potato, but the flavour is more like cucumber, with a hint of sweetness.

Right away I started thinking of tasty ways to use it!

At the moment I’m avoiding eating too many gassy foods, because they seem to really bother our baby boy, who I’m breastfeeding.  So that means lots of nutritional powerhouses that I love to eat are off the table for now.  No broccoli, no cabbage, no string beans or snow peas.  You get the idea.

I’ve already used chayote squash in the place of a bunch of different veggies and I love the taste, and especially the crispy crunch!

As soon as barbecue season rolls around, I love to make broccoli salad.  But not this year.

This year we’re making Chayote Salad.  And we’ve got the recipe for you!

Hand holding half a chayote squash

But first, a few common questions and answers about chayote squash:

What IS chayote squash, anyway?

Chayote is a fruit from the Cucurbitaceae family.  It grows on a tropical vine.  In my mind, the closest thing to compare it to is a zucchini, but the texutre is crunchier and it’s a bit sweeter.

It’s used around the world in a large variety of cuisines, but is especially popular in Mexico and Latin America.  It’s also known as cho-cho, mirliton, pear squash, choko, christophene, and probably other names as well.  You can read more about it here.

Can chayote be eaten raw?

Yes!  Some sites say that it is tough, but I find the texture is lovely when raw and I’ve happily added it to salads and slaws for a pleasant crunch.  You can also cook it if you’d rather.

Do you have to peel chayote squash?

No, not unless your peeling is tough.  Chayote is a nutritional powerhouse, and most of the nutrients are in the peeling, so I would definitely try to leave it on if possible.  The entire fruit is edible, including the soft seed in the centre.

Chayote benefits and chayote nutrition:

I didn’t know this when I first tried it, but chayote is SUPER healthy!  One cup of it has just 25 calories!  I don’t count calories or anything, but that is just crazy!  And the same cup has just 0.2 grams of fat.

Chayote also has zero saturated fat, no cholesterol,  lots of fibre, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and a good amount of folate and potassium.  It also has a bunch of other impressive healthy qualities, which you can read more about here.

CHAYOTE SQUASH SALAD RECIPE – STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Ingredients for chayote salad - mayo, red onion, chayote squash, cheddar cheese, bacon, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepperChayote Salad Ingredients

Minced red onion in a bowl of water

Start by doing the step that takes the longest – cooking the bacon (I like to cook mine in the microwave on a plate like this, because it’s very hands-off and not messy).

Once the bacon is cooking, dice the onions nice and small, and if you want to reduce the bite from them, soak them in a bowl of cool water while you prep the other ingredients.

Easy dressing ingredients for chayote salad in bowl

Whisk up your mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and set it aside for a few minutes to let the flavours meld.

Plate of ingredients for chayote salad - cubed chaytote squash, minced red onion, crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. Dressing in bowl

Wash and cube the chayote squash (I found some of my cubes were a little big, so feel free to go a bit smaller when you do yours), shred cheddar cheese, crumble cooked bacon, drain the minced onion and pat it dry with a paper towel.

Pouring dressing into bowl of chayote squash salad ingredients

Toss ingredients together in a bowl, pour dressing over it and stir well to combine.

Chayote salad in black serving bowl, with side plates and forks

Enjoy! 🙂

 

Did you make this Chayote Salad Recipe?
Leave us a star rating below!

Chayote salad in black serving bowl, with side plates and forks

Chayote Salad Recipe

FAST, EASY and DELICIOUS! Mix up this salad with the next big SUPERFOOD, chayote squash. It's tasty and healthy You can make it ahead of time in just 20 minutes!
4.89 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Canadian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 194kcal
Author: Myra

Ingredients

For Salad

  • 2 chayote squash
  • 6 slices bacon (about 1/2 of a 375g package)
  • 1/2 cup red onion (minced)
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)

For Dressing

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Cook bacon* and cut into bite sized pieces.
  • Mince onion and put it in a bowl of cool water to reduce the onion bite. Set aside for a few minutes. Drain before using and pat dry with paper towel.
  • Combine dressing ingredients and set aside.
  • Dice chayote into bite sized pieces, shred cheese.
  • Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and stir well to combine.
  • Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Enjoy! 🙂

Notes

*I like to cook bacon in the microwave with a dish like this (it's very hands-off and not messy at all).

Nutrition

Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 287mg | Potassium: 81mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gwen says

    February 21, 2022 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this twice now, and it’s a real hit with my family.
    I haven’t had bacon, so I used a spicy sausage instead, and it was delicious.
    My family doesn’t like sweet salads or sweet with meat so I cut back the sugar to a generous pinch and added vinegar to taste (a bit more than the recipe asked for).

    This is a good simple recipe that can easily be adjusted to taste. The salad is nice and crunchy and keeps well. It’s in my regular rotation now.

    Reply
    • Myra says

      March 11, 2022 at 7:51 am

      Thanks for letting me know Gwen! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Nicole Normand says

    November 20, 2021 at 12:18 pm

    4 stars
    I tried this last night (Nov19/2021) and it was really good. The recipe for one chayote was for 5 servings but I ended-up having 2 servings (it was too small) and my macros were good. When I make it again – no if about it – I will put 1 tsp instead of 1 Tbsp. of sweetener.

    Reply
    • Myra says

      December 02, 2021 at 9:57 am

      Hi Nicole! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Nicole N. says

    November 19, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    Hi, I’m going to come back on this to comment on the recipe itself but in the meantime I’d like to thank you for letting us know a cup equals 25 calories. I did a fast and on day 7th, I started eating 5 black olives because we’re only allowed 35 calories – it’s a fast – but I could’ve gotten a whole cup of chayote instead!

    Reply

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HI, WE'RE MYRA AND LAURIER!

We want to help YOU eat delicious food, AND save money on groceries!

With years of experience, we bring you EASY and CHEAP recipes and tips.

Take back control of your grocery budget, AND eat amazing food.

More about us →

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  • Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie (NO protein powder!)
  • Grilled Cheese With Tomato and Onion
  • Quick & Healthy Mediterranean Dip (with hummus)
  • Homemade Bistro Box aka Adult Lunchables

EASY ENTERTAINING

  • Herb and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Bites – An Easy Party Appetizer!
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