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.
The ingredients are all thrown in raw and it’s a very healthy recipe that’s keto-diet friendly and suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Serving:
4-6 servings
Ready in:
Prep: 10 minutes
Chill time: 1 hour
Skill level:
Easy
Serve with:
Alone or as a side
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 Powder
- 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
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. 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 like this Spanish tuna tomato salad or this 5-minute Spanish tomato salad (with fennel seeds). 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, but I must admit we’d never tried it until we moved to Spain.
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 (one of the most common ingredients used as a herb in Spain)
- Cumin (one of the most commonly used spices in Spanish cooking)
- Extra virgin olive oil (discover the health benefits of olive oil)
- Red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
- Salt
Pipirrana Spanish Salad - Vegan, low-carb summer salad.
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
- Dice the tomatoes, cucumber, and pepper and add to a large bowl.3 Roma tomatoes, 1 small cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper
- Drain the onions and add them to the rest of the vegetables.1/2 red onion
- 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
- Add the salad dressing to the salad and gently mix together.
- Cover salad and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
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.
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.
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 to take you Pipirrana salad to the next level?
Check out our awesome Seafood Pipirrana Salad recipe.
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