Did you ever try the recipe with wheat berries? If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. This Wheat Berry Salad with Mint dressing is hearty, nourishing, toothsome, flavorful and to die for!
It’s like summer in a bowl with all the refreshing flavors. You’ll create serious lunch envy with this vegan salad recipe. Make it for lunches all week, or serve it as a side dish at your Holiday dinner, Thanksgiving dinner, or any occasion. No matter when you eat it, you’ll relish every bite. It’s that good!
I can’t think of a better way to start the week than by sharing this wheat berry salad with a mint dressing recipe with all of you!
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What is Wheat berry?
Wheat berries are the edible part of the wheat kernel, including the bran, the germ, and the endosperm, before the grain undergoes any processing. You can use this whole grain like you would any other whole grain.
They are high in fiber, iron, and protein as well as magnesium and vitamin E, and low in calories and fat.
They come in many varieties.
It is slightly sweet, very chewy, and nutty. You can buy it in any grocery or natural foods store, either with rice and beans or in the baking aisle with various cereal grains. You may find them on Amazon too.
Wheat berries take a while to cook. But making them in Instant pot in a big batch is life and time saver. Make them in a big batch and then add them to various dishes throughout the week.
It works fine in savory as well as sweet dishes. My favorite way to eat it in salads and soups.
When I was in India, I used to eat these cooked wheat berries a lot as an evening snack with some spices, lemon juice, and sev on top.
After coming to the US, I have started incorporating the wheat berries in my many soups and salads.
So today I am sharing one of my most favorite salad recipes with you all.
This salad is bursting with summer flavors. The dressing is very refreshing with mint, cilantro, and lemons.
Why you’ll make this recipe?
- Can make ahead for a gathering. You can prepare the entire salad up to 2 days in advance.
- Crowd pleaser
- Simple, Vegan, Nutritious, refreshing, and delicious
- Perfect as a side dish or meal
Wheat Berry Salad Recipe Ingredients
This wheat berry salad recipe is filled with flavorful summer flavors:
- Wheat berries – Their sweet, nutty flavor and chewy texture are fantastic here. I bought my wheat berry from the Indian store. It’s easily available on Amazon too. But if you can’t find them, don’t worry. Farro, couscous, or wild rice is an excellent substitute.
- Kale – The hearty greens pair perfectly with the nutty wheat berries. You can replace it with spinach, arugula, lettuce, or kind of greens.
- Cucumber and onion – great for refreshing flavors. Any type of cucumber and onion works fine.
- Apple – Typically, Salads considered as a combination of vegetables. But adding fresh fruit in salads can be very delicious with added health benefits too. Apples, kale, and wheat berries pairs well in this colorful salad. The sweet and tangy mint dressing coats the apple nicely and keeps them from turning brown. You can use any type of apple. I have used Gala apple here. You can add any fruits like orange, pear, peaches, pomegranate, etc. to this salad.
- Almonds – For crunch!
- Dried cranberries – They add a chewy texture and sweet/tart flavor.
- And an easy Mint Salad Dressing – A salad is not complete without a dressing. This simple 9 – ingredient dressing ties the whole salad together. It’s the heart of this salad.
Mint Salad Dressing
I always make my salad dressing. I don’t think that I’ve bought salad dressing in my entire life. It is the easiest thing to make and I always know what’s in it.
Store-bought dressings contain preservatives and in loaded with some weird and scary ingredients.
I had a lot of Mint growing in my kitchen garden, so I decided to make my go-to mint recipes with it and share them with you all. So stay tuned for more delicious mint recipes.
This mint dressing has been my go-to dressing lately. It is so fresh and bright and makes any salad taste delicious. It takes only 5 minutes to make this wonderful dressing.
I usually make enough for a few days. It keeps well in a mason jar in the fridge for 2 weeks. If it starts to separate, just shake it up and it comes back together.
This mint dressing is very refreshing. It’s made with
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice – Don’t substitute it with lime juice.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For nutty flavor!
- Lots of fresh mints – It is the hero of this dressing. Use ONLY fresh mint. Don’t use dried mint.
- Lots of Cilantro – You can use parsley too instead of cilantro.
- Maple syrup – To balance the flavor. You can substitute it with agave or honey.
- Dijon mustard – Dijon mustard added to dressing not just for the flavors but also as an emulsifying agent that encourages oil and lemon to stay together. You can substitute it with vegan Mayonnaise too.
- Garlic and shallots – gives great flavors and makes it irresistible.
- Salt and black peppercorns – I have used regular salt and black peppercorn. You can use crushed black pepper or black pepper powder instead of black peppercorns.
How to make Wheatberry Salad with Mint salad dressing?
Cooking wheat berries
First of all, wash the wheat berries and drain all the water.
Now cook them according to the package instruction.
I have cooked them in my Instant Pot. Take all the wheat berries in the inner pot of the instant pot, add water and salt. Stir it.
Now close the lid, vent valve on sealing position.
Press the pressure button and set the timer for 25 minutes under high pressure. Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid and drain the remaining water. And keep the cooked wheat berries aside.
Make the mint salad dressing
Take all the dressing ingredients into a food processor and blend it until well combined. Keep it aside.
Note – We are going to use only half of the dressing. You can store the remaining dressing in the mason jar or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Make salad
Take cooked wheat berries, cucumber, kale, onion, kale, almonds, cranberries, apple in a big mixing bowl.
Add half of the dressing (or as much as you like). Mix all the ingredients well.
Place the salad bowl in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Serve wheat berry salad cold. Enjoy! I hope you love it as much as we do.
Quick FAQs
You can add pretty much any salad toppings of your choice. Some of the toppings which go really well with this salad and dressing are
Soft cheese
Edamame
Avocado
Fresh herbs
Tortilla chips, croutons or pita chips
Beans and legumes
Dried fruits and seeds
You can store this salad very well in the fridge in an air-tight container. It stays good for up to a week. I wouldn’t recommend freezing them as wheat berries will lose their texture.
You can eat this salad as is but I often pair it with a slice of focaccia or a hunk of crusty bread, or I toss in a few boiled chickpeas for extra protein.
For a larger meal, serve it alongside a bowl of soup. Any of these soup recipes would be great choices:
Broccoli Almond Soup
Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup
Spinach Soup
Ginger Garlic Carrot Soup
To make this salad gluten-free, substitute wheat berries with wild rice.
If you prefer a little bit of spice kick to your salad dressing, you can add any hot sauce, serrano peppers, jalapenos, ghost peppers, or some crushed red peppers.
Other than Mint dressing,
Orange vinaigrette
Balsamic vinaigrette
Pumpkin Vinaigrette
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
And this creamy green goddess works well.
More Favorite Salads
If you love this wheat berry salad with Mint dressing, try one of these salad recipes next:
- Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
- Wild Rice Salad
- Southwest Salad
- Balela Salad | Mediterranean chickpea salad recipe
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Wheat Berry Salad with Mint dressing
Ingredients
For cooking Wheatberry
- 1 cup uncooked wheat berry
- 2 ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Mint salad dressing
- ½ cup Mint leaves packed
- ½ cup Cilantro packed
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 shallot
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 4 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorn
For salad
- 2 cups chopped cucumber
- 2 cups chopped apple
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cup packed kale chopped
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Cooking wheat berries
- First of all, wash the wheat berries and drain all the water.
- Now cook them according to the package instruction.
- I have cooked them in my Instant Pot. Take all the wheat berries in the inner pot of the instant pot, add water and salt. Stir it.
- Now close the lid, vent valve on sealing position.
- Press the pressure button and set the timer for 25 minutes under high pressure. Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and drain the remaining water. And keep the cooked wheat berries aside.
Make the mint salad dressing
- In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Keep it aside.
- Note – We are going to use only half of the dressing. You can store the remaining dressing in the mason jar or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Make salad
- Take cooked wheat berries, cucumber, kale, onion, kale, almonds, cranberries, apple in a big mixing bowl.
- Add half of the dressing (or as much as you like). Mix all the ingredients well.
- Place the salad bowl in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Taste it. Add salt, pepper, or more dressing if required.
- Serve wheat berry salad cold. Enjoy! I hope you love it as much as we do.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Warm regards,
Dhwani.
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