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This Wild Rice Salad is chockful of fresh autumnal ingredients. It contains delicious mix of colors and textures, from crispy sweet apples and dried berries, nutty pecans, and wild rice with a hint of smokiness. Plus, it’s topped with the freshest olives from our friends at California Ripe Olives that bring out an amazing salty/briny flavor in the salad. Topped with a light vinaigrette, it’s the refreshing burst of fiber that you’re craving!
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Why You’ll Love This Wild Rice Salad Recipe!
This nutritious harvest salad is delicious anytime, but highlights rich fall flavors. So when the joyful celebration season feels a little too indulgent, make this your go-to to cleanse your palate and reenergize!
Bonus: With just a bit of chopping, it’s super quick to make. And it’s meal prep friendly, making it great for lunches or side salads all week!
If you’re looking for more recipes on the lighter side, try these delicious vegan salads: Crunchy Salad with Peanut dressing, Quinoa Salad with Black Beans & Lime, and The Perfect Fall Salad.
Wild Rice and Its Benefits
Despite its name, Wild Rice is not a type of rice. It is a grain harvested from aquatic grasses that usually grow on shallow marshes and freshwater shores. It has a mild nutty and earthy flavor. It also gives a slightly smoky flavor and chewy texture once cooked. Wild Rice is naturally gluten-free, protein-rich, and a great source of fiber. It may not be as widely popular as white and brown rice, but it is for sure, delicious!
Ingredients for Wild Rice Harvest Salad
Ingredients for the Dressing:
- Olive oil: I use extra-virgin olive oil for the best results. However, any type of olive oil will do.
- Apple cider vinegar: I use 2 tablespoons of this wonder vinegar to add a bright tanginess to the dressing.
- Agave: An excellent all-purpose addition to any salad dressing because it has a milder sweetness compared to other sweeteners. However, feel free to use other sweeteners that you have on hand like maple syrup or sugar.
- Garlic : Aside from the nutritional benefit that garlic brings to our heart, freshly chopped garlic provides a refreshing sharp bite.
- Mint: Minced mint adds a zing of freshness to the dressing.
Ingredients for the Salad:
- Wild rice: It has a chewy texture and a nutty, earthy flavor. It works well as a potato, pasta, or rice substitute. Some people eat it on its alone, while others combine it with other grains or rice.
- Kale: Also known as leaf cabbage and comes in green or purple color. Its flavor complements the wild rice perfectly.
- Fuji Apple: Gives the salad sweetness and a crisp texture.
- Green Olives: These delicious bites with a briny and buttery taste provide a great flavor and texture to the apples. California Ripe Olives provide the freshest green olives and ensure a unique flavor in every dish!
- Walnuts and pecans: What is a salad without a crunchy right? These two cold-season nut harvests do a great job in giving the salad the perfect saltiness and texture.
- Dried cranberries or raisins: Add some of these fruity, chewy dried goods for some tarty-sweet surprise.
How to Make a Healthy Wild Rice Salad
Step 1: First, to assemble the salad in a bowl, add the wild rice, apple, chopped green olives, walnuts or pecans, and dried cranberries or raisins.
Step 2: Next, in a separate bowl, make the dressing by mixing together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave, garlic, and mint. Then, whisk until totally combined.
Step 3: Finally, drizzle the dressing on top and toss it together. You may serve with extra dressing on the side.
Substitutions and Add-Ins
- Fresh Fruit: Fruits that are in season are a good substitute for apples. Pomegranate, oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, and a lot more can give this cold wild rice salad recipe a new look and flavor profile.
- Dried Fruit: In a recipe that calls for dried cranberries, use dried tart cherries and raisins instead. Remember that the cherries will give more tartness, while the raisins will be sweeter.
- ‘Cheese’: Add some tofu feta, vegan parmesan, or nutritional yeast to make it savory and cheesy.
FAQs
Absolutely! You can start preparing this a day ahead of time by making the dressing first. It actually tastes better when all of the ingredients have time to meld together to create a fantastic flavor profile. You can also chop and slice the veggies and fruits, though I’d rather do that on the same day so they are as fresh as they can be.
You certainly can. I recommend using a few cups of arugula because its peppery flavor complements this rice salad recipe so beautifully. You can also add fresh parsley, basil leaves, celery, chives, and scallions.
Storage Instructions
If you are making a big batch of this salad, I recommend not tossing all the salad ingredients with the dressing. Just place enough salad ingredients for the number of people you are serving in a bowl and add the dressing there. The rest should go back to your fridge covered in plastic wrap. Keeping the dressing separate will ensure the fruits and veggies stay fresher longer.
Fridge: In case you have leftovers with the dressing poured in already, you can place it in a airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. It might lose some of the crunch and crisp but should still be delicious.
Leftover Wild Rice: It can be purchased in small quantities or in bulk. If you buy in bulk, make sure to store it in a cool, dry pantry and in an airtight container. Because it is unrefined, it will release its natural oils and become rancid over time, so use it within a year after purchase. You can keep a good amount of wild rice in a large, dry jar with a wide mouth with an airtight lid for easy access.
Serving Suggestions
While this salad is loaded enough to be a light meal on its own. It also goes great with many other dishes:
- Breads: Such as vegan bruschetta/crostini, vegan focaccia bread, tomato bread, or this easy vegan garlic bread.
- Sandwiches: Pairs delightfully with a tempeh sandwich, sweet potato sandwich, or crispy buffalo sandwich.
- Soups: Soup & salad it up with a vegetable barley soup, roasted parsnip soup, creamy zucchini soup, or butternut squash and apple soup.
- BBQ favorites: Enjoy the pleasant fall days outdoors with tofu skewers, BBQ seitan, grilled tofu steaks, or 9 mouthwatering vegan burger recipes to try here.
- Sides: Try wild rice salad with healthy baked falafels, BBQ cauliflower wings, corn on the cob, roasted asparagus, or sauteed mushrooms.
- Proteins: Serve alongside buttery lemon tofu, breaded tofu sticks, or easy lentil loaf.
- Thanksgiving: Invite it to a vegan Thanksgiving with these other amazing Thanksgiving recipes.
More Vibrant Vegan Salads
If you tried this wild rice salad recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
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Wild Rice Fall Salad
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Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ⅛ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons agave
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon minced mint
For the salad:
- 1 cup cooked wild rice
- 1 bunch kale finely chopped
- 1 large Fuji apple cored and diced
- ¾ cup chopped CA green olives
- ⅓ cup chopped walnut or pecans
- ⅓ cups dried cranberries or raisins
Instructions
- In a standard bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave, garlic, and mint, until thoroughly combined.
- In a large bowl, add the wild rice, apple, chopped CA olives, walnuts or pecans, and dried cranberries or raisins.
- Pour in the dressing and toss together.
Notes
- Fruits that are in season are a good substitute for apples. Pomegranate, oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, and a lot more can give this cold wild rice salad recipe a new look and flavor profile.
- In a recipe that calls for dried cranberries, use dried tart cherries and raisins instead. Remember that the cherries will give more tartness, while the raisins will be sweeter.
- Add some tofu feta or vegan parmesan to make it savory and cheesy.
