This wheat berry salad is a hearty yet simple dish made with chewy wheat berries, sweet dried cranberries, salty feta, and a bright lemon vinaigrette. It's perfect for meal prep (gets better in the fridge!) and can be served as a nourishing side or a light meal.
The first time I tried wheat berries was with my mom, and we both instantly went crazy over their nutty flavor and chewy texture. Ever since, they've been my go-to for grain-based salads, especially because they hold up so well in salad dressing and somehow get even better after a day or two in the fridge.
This wheat berry salad with dried cranberries, feta, and lemon vinaigrette is a version I keep coming back to for its simplicity and bright, tangy flavors. Plus, it's meal-prep friendly and works as both a hearty side dish or a light, nourishing lunch, so you can easily pair with a protein or main dish (think lemon dill salmon or roasted chicken). Let's make some wheat berry salad!
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Key Ingredients & Swaps
- Wheat berries - If you've never had wheat berries before, this simple wheat berry salad is the perfect opportunity to try them. A wheat berry is essentially the whole grain of wheat, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. You can cook it similarly to barley, farro, or other whole grains! Note, it's not gluten free, but you can swap in quinoa for a gluten free grain salad, or pop over to this simple quinoa salad recipe.
- Water to boil - Not pictured above, but to cook wheat berries, you'll need water to boil them. We'll cook them similarly to pasta here - not so exact with the water-to-grain ratio, like rice or quinoa.
- Lemon vinaigrette - For this recipe, we'll basically be using a simplified version of my go-to lemon vinaigrette recipe, just without the shallots. You're welcome to add shallots, if you'd like!
- Feta - Or goat cheese. I frequently rotate between the two, and both are delicious. Goat cheese will provide tang, while feta provides saltiness.
The remaining ingredients are pictured above, and I'll go into full detail in the recipe card.
Let's Make This Salad
Step 1: Heat some olive oil in a medium-large pot over medium heat. Toast the wheat berries for a couple minutes, then add water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Step 2: While wheat berries are simmering, whisk or shake together lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, and maple syrup in a jar or bowl. Taste and add salt and pepper. If you haven't yet, you can slice your green onions (with tops) and finely chop your cilantro while waiting, too.
Step 3: When wheat berries are done, drain and rinse them under cool water. You'll want to make sure they're cool enough before combining with feta, or the cheese gets melty.
Step 4: Add all ingredients to large bowl with the lemon vinaigrette, and toss to combine. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to eat!
Sustainability Tips
In my sustainability journey, I talk about how our small efforts add up to make a huge difference. Here are a few simple actions you can take with this recipe!
- Regrow green onions. Chop off the white bulbs and place them in a little glass of water. Shot glasses work really well for this because multiple onion bulbs can stay standing up together in there. Change out the water every few days, and set next to a window with sunlight. Watch them grow!
- Storing cilantro. To store cilantro so that it doesn't go bad, remove it from any packaging, if applicable. Fill a jar or glass about halfway with water, and place cilantro stem side down into the glass, like a bouquet. Pop it in your fridge and clip off the leaves as you need them!
- Use up leftovers. The nice thing about grain salads is that they can sort of become kitchen sink salads, aka a catch-all for what's in your fridge. Do you have leftover grilled chicken or legumes that need to be used? Toss them into this salad for added protein and to help use them up before they go bad.
Wheat Berry Salad FAQ
Once prepped, feel free to add the dressing right away and store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It tastes amazing after days of sitting in the fridge, so it really is perfect for meal prep!
I don't recommend freezing the full wheat berry salad, but feel free to make the wheat berries ahead and freeze them. Just make sure they're completely cooled and dried, then freeze them for 1-2 hours in a flat later on a sheet pan. After, transfer to a reusable zip-top bag or
Related: More Hearty Make-Ahead Salads
Making hearty salads in advance is a great way to prep for the week! It's fun to switch it up, so you can try one of the recipes below after you try wheat berries. Yum!
📖 Recipe
Simple Wheat Berry Salad with Feta
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This nourishing wheat berry salad is hearty yet fresh, made with chewy wheat berries, dried cranberries, feta, herbs, and green onions in a simple lemon vinaigrette. Perfect for make-ahead lunches or simple sides.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry wheat berries
- Water for boiling (at least 3 cups, to cover wheat berries)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup green onions, sliced (with tops)
- ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- ¾ cup feta, crumbled
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup juice from fresh lemon (about 1 large lemon)
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook wheat berries. In a medium-large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add dry wheat berries and toast for about two minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in at least three cups of water and the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook for 35 minutes or until wheat berries are soft and plump (see notes). Drain through a fine mesh sieve and rinse until cool water.
- Make lemon dressing. In a small jar or bowl, shake or whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and Dijon. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine. Making sure wheat berries are cool enough (to avoid cheese melting), add all ingredients and lemon dressing to large bowl and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until you're ready to eat!
Notes
- Wheat berries. Wheat berries come in hard and soft varieties, and some of the hard varieties take longer to cook. I use a hard red wheat berry from the bulk bin at my local co-op, and it takes 35-40 minutes to cook until the berries are soft and plump. Some harder varieties can take longer, and some softer varieties (like soft white wheat berries) can take as little as 25 minutes.
- Storage tips. Store leftovers or prepped salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up 5 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Salad
- Method: Combine, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 457
- Sugar: 18.2 g
- Sodium: 884.6 mg
- Fat: 30.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.4 g
- Fiber: 4.7 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
YOLANDA PAVEY says
Yummy! I will definately make this again! I am not a fan of cilantro so I sub some chopped mixed greens.
Thank You!
Tera Gigot says
So glad you liked it and found a sub for cilantro!