Simple Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This wheat berry salad is a hearty, flavorful dish made with delightfully chewy wheat berries, sweet dried cranberries, salty feta, and a bright lemon vinaigrette. It’s perfect for meal prep, as the flavors get even better over time, and can be served as a nourishing side or a light, wholesome meal.

this recipe

The first time I tried wheat berries was with my mom, and we both instantly went crazy over their nutty flavor and chewy, satisfying 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 in the fridge.

This wheat berry salad with 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 (lemon dill salmon or roasted chicken would be delightful). Let’s make some wheat berry salad!

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. 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, aka 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. Did you know you can regrow your green onions in a small glass of water? Mind-blowing, right?! All you need to do is 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. Before you know it, you'll have some new green onions!
• 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

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!

Did you try this delish wheat berry salad? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!