Pipirrana Spanish Salad

Vegan, low-carb summer salad.

Some Pipirrana Spanish salad sits in a colorful bowl on a grey slate counter

Pipirrana is a traditional Spanish summer salad recipe that’s made with diced fresh tomato, cucumber, red and green pepper, onion, garlic, and a cumin-infused olive oil dressing. With an emphasis on fresh ingredients, Pipirrana takes around 10 minutes to make and requires no special equipment.

Easy Recipe | Tapas Recipe | Vegan | Vegetarian | Salad Recipe | Mediterranean | Summer Recipe | Healthy Recipe | 10-Minute Recipe | Raw Food Recipe | Spanish Salad | Low Calories | Keto Diet Friendly

Serving:

4-6 servings

Ready in:

Prep: 10 minutes

Chill time: 1 hour

Skill level:

Easy

Serve with:

Fresh bread

INgredinets required to make pipirrana Spanish salad sits on a counter

Ingredients you’ll need to make Pipirrana Spanish salad

Serves 4-6 Tapas or side

  • 3 Roma tomatoes
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

    Equipment needed

    • Large sharp knife for dicing ingredients
    • Mortar and pestle for making the dressing
    A large colorful bowl of Pipirrana Spanish Salad sits waiting to be served to a small white bowl

    Summer Salads

    Come the time of long hot summer days, there’s nothing better than fixing a quick and easy meal that’s both refreshing, but also incredibly tasty, and healthy too! 

    Pipirrana is one such dish. It’s a salad that’s made with easy-to-find ingredients and has a subtle dressing that adds flavor without too much acidity. It’s the perfect salad for when you are hosting a bbq as it can be made in advance and refrigerated until it’s time to serve. 

    Best of all, this salad recipe is very cheap to make and can be easily made in a big batch to serve a large crowd a healthy and refreshing summer salad.

    Use the freshest ingredients you can find and in no time you’ve got a fantastic refreshing summer salad that’s great on its own or ideal when served as a side for any main meat, vegetarian or fish dishes. 

    Hello Summer! We’ve missed you! 

    Looking for more summer recipe inspiration? 

    Check out our shrimp and avocado salad and traditional Spanish Gazpacho recipe to keep you cool this summer!

    Pipirrana ‘vs’ Pipirrana Andaluza 

    Pipirrana Andaluza’ is another classic Spanish salad recipe that’s likely to pop up on your summer salad radar. Pipirrana Andaluza hails from Andalusia and is very common in areas such as Granada, Jaén, and Almería. It’s also found around Cádiz in the south, but it is called ‘piriñaca’ there.

    No matter what you call it, Pipirrana Andaluza uses similar raw vegetable ingredients and often has the inclusion of eggs, black olives, and sometimes fish such as sardines (boquerones in Spanish). The dressing is also made with a slight variation including white vinegar. 

     

    Easy Spanish salad recipes

    Check the internet for easy summer Spanish recipes and you’ll get plenty of green salad recipes, or of course, classic tomato salad recipes. But, hidden in those 26 million results (just Google it) Pipirrana is the rising star of easy Spanish salad recipes

    Pipirrana is so quick and easy to make, it’s a wonder it hasn’t gone viral, and let’s face it, ‘hot girl summer salad’ ain’t got nothing on this classic Spanish salad recipe.

    A large colorful bowl full of salad ingredients suts beside a mortar with some salad dressing

    Spanish salad dressing

    One of the best things about this recipe is the salad dressing! Pipirrana dressing is made using freshly ground garlic, cumin, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar), and some salt. That’s it! 

    The result is a salad dressing that is light enough to allow the fresh flavors of the other ingredients to shine through while adding a delicate touch of spice from the cumin and ground garlic. Not to mention it takes around a minute to make! 

    What you’ll need to make Pipirrana salad dressing:

    • Garlic
    • Cumin
    • extra virgin olive oil
    • red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
    • salt
    A large colorful bowl of Pipirrana Spanish Salad sits waiting to be served to a small white bowl
    Some Pipirrana Spanish salad sits in a colorful bowl on a grey slate counter

    Pipirrana Spanish Salad - Vegan, low-carb summer salad.

    Pipirrana is a traditional Spanish summer salad recipe that’s made with diced fresh tomato, cucumber, red and green pepper, onion, garlic, and a cumin-infused olive oil dressing. With an emphasis on fresh ingredients, Pipirrana takes around 10 minutes to make and requires no special equipment.
    5 from 3 votes
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 0 minutes
    Chilling time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Course healthy, Salad, Side Dish, starter, vegan, vegetarian
    Cuisine American, Mediterranean, Spain, spanish
    Servings 6 side servings
    Calories 114 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Large sharp knife for dicing ingredients
    • Mortar and pestle for making the dressing

    Ingredients

    • 3 Roma tomatoes
    • 1 small cucumber
    • 1/2 red onion
    • 1 green pepper
    • 1 red pepper
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

    Instructions
     

    • Dice the onion in small cubes and soak in some iced water for a few minutes to remove the sharpness in the onion.
      1/2 red onion
      Diced red onion sits on a white plastic chopping board
    • Dice the tomatoes, cucumber, and pepper and add to a large bowl.
      3 Roma tomatoes, 1 small cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper
      a bowl of diced tomato red and green peppers and red onion sits waiting to be served
    • Drain the onions and add them to the rest of the vegetables.
      1/2 red onion
      a bowl of diced tomato red and green peppers and red onion sits waiting to be served
    • Place the garlic in a mortar with the cumin and a pinch of salt. Slowly add the red wine vinegar and work the ingredients until they become a paste. Add some olive oil to achieve the desired consistency. You should aim for a liquid paste that drips from a spoon easily.
      2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
      A large colorful bowl full of salad ingredients suts beside a mortar with some salad dressing
    • Add the salad dressing to the salad and gently mix together.
      Some Pipirrana Spanish salad sits in a colorful bowl on a grey slate counter
    • Cover salad and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
      A large colorful bowl of Pipirrana Spanish Salad sits waiting to be served to a small white bowl

    Video

    Notes

    Serving and storage notes

    • Pipirrana is always best served chilled, especially on a warm summer’s day, so make sure you allow enough time for the salad to chill before serving. We recommend making Pipirrana at least 1 hour before you intend to serve it. 
    • Pipirrana is an easy and versatile summer salad that can be made in advance and will store refrigerated for 2 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100gCalories: 114kcalCarbohydrates: 7.4gProtein: 1.4gFat: 9.7gSaturated Fat: 1.4gSodium: 394mgPotassium: 295mgFiber: 1.8gSugar: 3.8gCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword 10-minute recipe, bell pepper, caramelized onions, Easy Dinner ideas, pipirrana, salad, salad dressing, summer, Summer salad, tomato

    Pipirrana Preparation Tips and FAQs

    How long does Pipirrana salad take to make?

    • Prep time: 10 minutes
    • Cook time: ZERO
    • Chill time: 1 hour
    • Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes. 

    Is Pipirrana salad vegan?

    Yep, sure is! This recipe uses no animal products at all and is 100% vegan-friendly

    Is Pipirrana healthy?

    Pipirrana is very healthy as it uses only raw vegetables, olive oil, minimal salt, and other spices. Pipirrana is low calorie, low carb, and high in protein and fiber. 

    A 100g serving of Pipirrana has the following nutritional facts;

    • 114 Calories
    • 9.7g Total Fat 
    • 1.4g Saturated Fat
    • Cholesterol – ZERO
    • 394mg Sodium 
    • 7.4g Total Carbohydrate
    • 1.8g Dietary Fiber
    • 1.4g Protein

    Is Pipirrana good for the Keto diet?

    This recipe is a great choice when on the Keto diet. It uses raw vegetables that are low in sugars and saturated fats. Pipirrana salad is also low-carb, but this versatile salad can easily benefit from a carb and/or protein boost by adding some boiled potato, tuna or grilled chicken, or any other high protein/high carb ingredient. 

    Can you make Pipirrana ahead of time?

    Yes, this recipe should be made at least 1 hour ahead of time before serving. This gives the salad ample chilling time. 

    Can you store Pipirrana salad?

    Pipirrana salad uses all fresh ingredients and will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days after it has been made. It is not recommended to freeze Pipirrana salad.

    Looking for more easy-to-make summer salad recipes?

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