Wild rice salad is one of those recipes that makes seasonal eating feel easy! This one's hearty, flavorful, and perfect for make-ahead lunches or holiday gatherings. With nutty wild rice, pops of tangy pomegranate, and a bright vinaigrette, it's the kind of salad that keeps things fresh, colorful, and nourishing through the colder months.
If you're craving something hearty, colorful, and full of texture this season, you need this wild rice salad on your menu!
With nutty and chewy wild rice (or a blend - you can use either), sweet-tart pomegranate seeds, salty feta, crunchy walnuts, basil ribbons, and a tangy orange vinaigrette, every single bite sings with flavor and texture.
It's the kind of salad that feels just right for fall and winter, being festive enough for Thanksgiving or holiday gatherings, yet simple enough to meal prep for seasonal weekday lunches.
Serve it on its own or alongside a cozy bowl of butternut squash apple soup for the ultimate cold weather combo that'll bring so much color into your week!
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Key Ingredients + Notes
- Wild rice or wild rice blend - You can use a wild rice blend, such as the kind from Lundberg, or you can use all wild rice (the black grains). I switch off, but I love the blend's different flavors and textures in a salad.
- Pomegranate seeds - You can buy pomegranate seeds (aka pomegranate arils) already removed from the fruit. Or, see my tips on how to deseed a pomegranate (without a mess!).
- Kale - A hardy green that can grow in cold weather, kale is perfect for using in winter salads.
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegan - Omit the feta to make this recipe vegan, or if you're feeling ambitious and have a little extra time, you can try making your own vegan feta!
- Greens - This is one recipe that actually makes me want to eat kale because of how it soaks up the vinaigrette but still stays sturdy. That said, if you want to try another leafy green, I recommend arugula.
- Nuts - Pecans, almonds, pistachios, or pepitas are all great in this recipe.
- Grains - Another nutty, chewy grain such as farro, wheat berries, or whole barley would be a great substitute for rice. These types of grains stand up well to sitting in a vinaigrette in the fridge, as they maintain their chewy textures while still soaking up all that flavor. Wheat berries are probably my fave, and I even have a delicious wheat berry salad recipe I think you'll love.
- Pomegranate seeds - I love to celebrate pomegranates when they're in season, but red grapes would be delicious in this salad, too!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Lightly toast the dry rice in a pot over medium heat with some olive oil for about a minute, then add water and simmer according to package instructions. Once done, drain any excess water and rinse rice in a mesh sieve under cool water.
- Step 2: Once the rice has cooled, place it in a large bowl. Add the kale, red onion, pomegranate, feta, walnuts, and basil. Stir everything together to evenly combine.
- Step 3: Make the orange vinaigrette by combining olive oil, cider vinegar, juice of an orange, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a mason jar. Shake the jar vigorously to fully emulsify the dressing ingredients.
- Step 4: Pour the vinaigrette all over the salad ingredients and toss to coat everything. Feel free to enjoy immediately, but this salad is spectacular after chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Pro tip: Shred kale with a kitchen shears directly into the bowl for a low-mess way to chop your kale.
Sustainability Tips
- Buy rice in bulk: If you have a local grocery store or co-op that sells rice in bulk bins, try to purchase that way! It helps cut back on plastic packaging waste.
- Save scraps: Save kale stems and onion peels in your freezer to make a veggie scrap broth in the future.
- Compost: For the pomegranate pith and skin, pop those into your compost for an environmentally friendly way to toss.
Wild Rice Salad FAQs
Wild rice salad is friendly with almost all proteins, so pretty much whatever you serve it with will be delicious. I think salmon, chicken, pork, edamame, or tofu would be particularly delicious!
I don't recommend freezing this salad or any of the ingredients, as freezing changes the texture of these ingredients too much once thawed.
Store wild rice and pomegranate salad in an airtight container for up to five days in the fridge.
Make It a Meal
Whether it's a weeknight dinner or a holiday spread, here are some ideas for what to make with your wild rice and pomegranate salad.
Did you make this wild rice salad recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a ⭐️ rating and comment below, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and my newsletter for more everyday seasonal recipes.
📖 Recipe
Wild Rice Salad with Pomegranate + Feta (Festive + Make-Ahead!)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This wild rice salad is packed with pomegranate, kale, feta, and walnuts for a colorful, hearty salad that's perfect for fall and winter gatherings. Better yet, it can be made ahead!
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend*, dry
- seeds from 1-2 pomegranates
- 4 cups kale, shredded
- ¾ cup red onions, diced small
- ¾ cup feta
- ¾ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup fresh basil, shredded into ribbons
- ⅓ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice from 1 orange
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the rice. Cook wild rice according to package instructions. Once fully cooked, transfer rice from pot to a fine mesh sieve to rinse with cool water.
- Combine salad ingredients. In a large bowl, combine wild rice, pomegranate seeds, kale, red onions, feta, walnuts, and fresh basil. Gently stir together to combine.
- Make the vinaigrette. In a mason jar, add cider vinegar, olive oil, orange juice + zest, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Shake vigorously until fully emulsified.
- Toss the salad. Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine. Option to chill for 30 minutes before serving, or eat right away!
Notes
- Storage: Store this salad for up to five days in the fridge in an airtight container. Freezing is not recommended for this salad.
- Ingredient prep tip: Save 15 minutes of prep time by chopping/prepping the other ingredients while the rice is cooking! Deseed pomegranate(s), shred kale and basil into ribbons, finely dice onions, etc.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stovetop + Combine
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ cup
- Calories: 333
- Sugar: 9.3 g
- Sodium: 279.1 mg
- Fat: 23.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 4.1 g
- Protein: 8.3 g
- Cholesterol: 16.7 mg
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