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Mexican

Ensalada de nopales

Vegetarian

Tender boiled cactus paddles tossed with tomato, white onion, cilantro, jalapeño and lime, finished with crumbled queso fresco — a bright, tangy Mexican salad.

Ensalada de nopales is a Mexican salad from Mexico, ready in about 50 minutes and made with nopales (cactus paddles) and tomato. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of nopales cactus salad with onion and coriander
Photo: Fernando González del Cueto / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
15 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
72

Ingredients

4 servings

For cooking the nopales

For the salad

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the cut nopales (opens in a new tab) in salted water with a chunk of onion (opens in a new tab) and the garlic (opens in a new tab), uncovered, until olive-green and tender and the sticky juices have released.

    Food safety: Wear gloves or hold the paddles with tongs while trimming the spines.

  2. Step 2

    Drain in a sieve and rinse well under cold running water to wash away the slippery liquid. Discard the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) and leave the nopales (opens in a new tab) to drain and cool completely.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Combine the cooled nopales (opens in a new tab) with the diced tomato (opens in a new tab), finely diced onion (opens in a new tab), cilantro (opens in a new tab) and chilli.

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Dress with the lime juice (opens in a new tab), olive oil (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab) and salt, toss, then top with queso fresco (opens in a new tab) and avocado (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Mexico · Well documentedAlso popular in United StatesMore food from Mexico
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Raw
Taste
tangy, fresh, spicy (chilli heat), herby
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Paleo-style, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Tomato · Onion · Garlic · Coriander leaves · Jalapeño · Lime juice
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Knife skills

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom queso fresco

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

72 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 220 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 46%
  • Fat 42%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy72 kcal33 kcal
Protein2.5 g1.2 g
Carbohydrate9.2 g4.2 g
Net carbohydrate5.2 g2.4 g
Sugars3.9 g1.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4 g1.8 g
Fat3.7 g1.7 g
Saturated fat0.5 g0.2 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium615 mg280 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
526 mg
Calcium
222 mg
Iron
1.1 mg
Magnesium
76 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
69 µg
Vitamin C
29 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
20 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: queso fresco, avocado.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Rinsing the boiled nopales well is what takes away the okra-like slime.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the nopales while warm — they wilt the tomatoes and cilantro.

Serve with

  • With grilled meats, in tacos, or alongside rice and beans.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in the fridge; add cheese and avocado when serving.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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