Tropical Papaya Salad Recipe with a Mustard Dressing

A Tropical Papaya Salad with cucumber, red onion and apple slices served with a honey mustard dressing that indulges your taste buds and make them pop with happiness!

This salad serves really well with a protein like chicken or steak.

You can expect a crunchy texture, creamy tangy dressing with this papaya salad. It’s also light and healthy and we served it this weekend, perfect on a hot day!

If you are trying to eat lighter after the festive season, this a great low calorie diet recipe. Eating lighter doesn’t have to always be lettuce! Besides it’s a great change and makes you feel a little tropical🌴😃

Papaya Salad Recipe

Seeing huge papaya trees was normal for us growing up, and we’ve always called them pawpaws. I remember they were not my favorite as a child but my mother loved them and whenever she sliced them open I was always intrigued with the color contrast of orange with the dark textured seeds and smooth flesh.

I grew to not only love papaw but appreciate the refreshing taste. They still grow in certain parts of the country but I don’t see them as often so when I see papaya out, the nostalgia to enjoy them all over again, returns.

I used ripe papaya and mixed it with some cucumber, red onion, and a simple dijon honey salad dressing.

The dressing added a big punch of zing, so if you prefer sweeter, more natural flavors, use it sparingly or try another dressing.

Why You Will Love This Sweet Papaya Salad

Fresh Ingredients – This recipe uses simple ingredients that you probably know of and already use.
Heart health – This is a very healthy fruit and contains an enzyme called papain which is good for digestion. Papaya is also a heart-healthy food, vitamin c, a source of potassium (a mineral that regulates blood pressure), fibre and antioxidants.
Versatile – Eat papaya fresh and sliced, serve for breakfast with yogurt, brunch with quiche, dinner with grilled chicken or steak. Use it for salads, desserts, smoothies and add it to your salsa!

This papaya salad is very easy to make, this is what you will need:

Equipment

chopping board
large bowl
sharp knife
vegetable peeler

Dressing ingredients

fresh lemon
mustard
extra virgin olive oil
honey
salt
black pepper

Papaya Salad Ingredients

Papaya (also known as pawpaw in South Africa and Australia)
cucumber
red onions
apple
fresh parsley

How to Make Papaya Salad

This recipe is a matter of layering the ingredients together into a bowl. This is how I made it, super simple and the full printable recipe is in the recipe card below.

Pawpaw: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the pawpaw then a spoon to remove the papaya seeds. Slice and chop into chunks. Not too small you want it to maintain it’s shape when being mixed in with the other ingredients.

Parsley: Store-bought or from your garden, rinse and roughly chop the parsley.

Red onion: For thinly sliced red onion, I used a mandolin, but a sharp knife works well too. To reduce the strong onion flavor, soak the slices in ice water for a few minutes. This prevents the onion’s strong flavor from clashing with the dressing.

Cucumber: For the cucumber, thinly slice. There’s no need to peel it when slicing ultra-thin. Simply rinse and slice.

Apple: Slice the apple last to prevent browning while preparing the other salad ingredients.

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Recipe Notes

Ripe papaya is sweet and contributes to the taste and perfect balance of the fresh cucumber. I haven’t tried it with unripened papaya but it’s commonly used in Thai cuisine salad recipes.
This is delicious papaya salad but it should not be mistaken for a meal it’s a side dish which is best served with a protein, veg or both. I’ve shared some serving ideas below this post.
Note that because papaya is very high in sugar, it should not be eaten on an empty stomach or it can cause a rise in your blood sugar. If you start reaching for chocolate or crave something sweet after this salad, you probably ate it on an empty stomach.

Tip! Make the salad dressing up to 3 days ahead! Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

How to Cut a Papaya?

Wash: Wash the papaya under cold running water to remove any dirt.
Slice: Slice the papaya in half lengthwise.
Remove Seeds: Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from the center.
Peel: If you’re peeling the papaya, use a vegetable peeler, much easier to handle!
Slice or Cube: Slice the halves into whatever thickness you prefer or cut the halves into quarters, then slice each quarter into cubes.

Variations

Onion: You can use green onion if you prefer it over the red onion in this recipe.
Fruit: Use another fruit like strawberries. It won’t be red inside like a real strawberry papaya but you’ll have a berry papaya!
Fresh Lemon: You can substitute for fresh lime juice, taste as you add.
Crunch Toasted coconut, almond flakes or peanuts are a perfect finish.
Bake: Bake the papaya like Martha stewarts recipe where she uses brown sugar.
Spicy: We also love adding fresh green chili to papaya since we have some fresh ones in the garden (so proud!). It gives a great punch to papaya. You can use dried chili flakes for a little heat.

How to Serve Papaya Salad

This salad’s main ingredient is papaya which is light and if you are serving a family of four or more you are going to need a main course or another side to make it a satisfying family meal. Here are a few ideas.

Veggies: Roast vegetables or roast potatoes (as another side dish) but potatoes are filling.
Red Meat: Pan fried steak for a good source of iron and a great pairing for this delicious salad.

More Ways to Use Papaya

Breakfast: Papaya with yogurt, granola, any berries like strawberries

Light lunch: You can serve a slice of frittata (as a brunch option) quiche or egg muffins to make a complete meal.

Dinner: Chicken wraps with papaya salad or chicken tortillas topped with papaya for freshness. Corn tortillas are great for this sort of serving.

Chicken: Serve it alongside grilled chicken, roast chicken or rotisserie.

What Goes Well with Papaya?

Protein: Red kidney, cannelloni, lentils, chickpeas, poultry, tofu, other red meats and seafood.
Vegetables: I was thinking of adding jalapeño peppers again because I think that would go will with papaya. Other vegetables besides red onion and cucumber, would be green beans, bell peppers, spinach and arugula (rocket) and carrots.
Fruit: All types of berries, banana, different melon types and avocado’s.

FAQ’s

What can I use if I can’t find papaya?

My suggestion would be to use cantaloupe as the first option (also known as spanspek in South Africa). Other fruit that will work in this recipe are the melon varieties, apples, pears and mangoes.

How do you keep papaya from going bad?

When you buy them, make sure they are ripe but still firm especially if you don’t plan on using them immediately. Un-cut papaya will last much longer than 3 days in the fridge. Refrigerate whole for best storage. If already sliced, cover tighly with cling wrap and refrigerate, use up in a day or two.

Fruit Salads You Will Love!

If you give this recipe a try, let me know how it goes—I’d love to hear from you!
Leave a quick rating or comment below, it really helps more people find these easy, feel-good meals.
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