Wild Rice Salad

This Wild Rice Salad combines cooked and cooled wild rice with mixed greens, roasted sweet potatoes, pomegranate arils, creamy feta (or goat) cheese, and honey-roasted almonds. A simple and delicious lemon vinaigrette ties everything together perfectly!

Serve this salad on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table along with Crockpot Turkey Breast, Sweet Potato Casserole, Thanksgiving Dressing, Roasted Vegetables, and the best, no-knead Dinner Rolls.  And save room for dessert! This Apple Pie or Pumpkin Pie Recipe.

Wild Rice Salad

This autumn Wild Rice Salad is one of my favorites! Mixed greens with a seasoned, cooked-and-cooled wild rice blend, plus roasted sweet potatoes make up the base. Then we’ve got pops of flavor, texture, and creaminess coming from the pomegranate, cheese, and almonds.

Truthfully though, I don’t reserve this salad only for the fall and winter; I’ll make a Wild Rice Salad summer version by replacing the pomegranate arils with sweetened dried cranberries or dried tart cherries. If you want to take advantage of fresh fruit while keeping with the red fruit theme, go for some fresh strawberries or red raspberries. Check out a few other ways I change up this salad:

Wild Rice Salad Dressing

The dressing whips together so quickly–simply add everything to a jar with a lid, and shake to combine! You might recognize this dressing from my favorite Lemon Vinaigrette — it’s adapted from that recipe. Here’s what we’ve got in the dressing:

• Lemons. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t pack the same flavor as fresh, and since lemon is one of the main flavors here–go for the fresh lemons. The dressing also benefits from lemon zest which is another reason to use fresh lemon.
• Red wine vinegar. Instead of relying solely on lemon juice for flavor and tanginess, I add red wine vinegar which adds even more zip and some flavor nuance.
• Dijon mustard. Make sure to use Dijon, not yellow mustard.
• Olive oil. I recommend extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.
• Honey. Since the vinegar and lemon add a fair amount of tang, I like balancing that out with some honey.
• Dried oregano. This dried herb adds a flavor that nicely complements the wild rice. You could also use dried Italian seasoning here.
• Salt and pepper. Add to taste preference, remembering that an extra pinch can be the difference between a good and a stellar dressing!

How To Deseed A Pomegranate

Cut and deseed a pomegranate or use already seeded pomegranate arils! These arils are typically sold in small plastic cups in the refrigerated produce section or freshly cut fruit section of most grocery stores. They can sometimes be tricky to find and are usually only sold in the US from October to February. If the pre-seeded pomegranate isn’t available, then you’ll need to do it yourself.

Here’s how I like to remove the seeds from a pomegranate: 

1. Cut in half.
2. Hold one half (cut side down) with one hand over a bowl.
3. Use a wooden spoon to firmly hit the pomegranate.
4. Watch as the pomegranate seeds fall out (along with some of the surrounding membrane).
5. Fill up the bowl with water and watch as the membranes rise to the top.
6. Scoop them out, discard, and drain.
7. Arils are ready to use in this wild rice salad!

Let’s Chat Wild Rice

To make an easy wild rice salad, I like to use a packaged seasoned wild rice blend. These mixes only take around 20-25 minutes and are already nicely seasoned/flavored. The blend mixes in a few other grains, since 100% wild rice is pretty dense.

That said, if you’d prefer to make your own homemade seasoned wild rice mix, here’s my favorite homemade wild rice mix:

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup wild rice blend (see “quick tip” below)
  
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1-2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon EACH: oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder
• 1 teaspoon white sugar

Instructions:

1. In a fine-mesh sieve, thoroughly rinse the wild rice blend.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer (a few notches above the lowest temperature).
3. Cover the pot.
4. Cook for about 45 minutes and then check. If tender, stop cooking–if not, cook for another 10-15 minutes or until it is tender. Add additional broth if needed.
5. When the rice is cooked through, drain off any additional liquid and fluff it with a fork.

Wild Rice Salad FAQs

Can wild rice be cooked the day before?

Yes. The rice can be made up to three days in advance.

Do I need to soak wild rice before cooking?

No soaking is needed, but I do like to thoroughly rinse the rice in a fine-mesh sieve before using.

How to make wild rice salad?

Wild Rice Salad has a few components, but they come together quickly and easily.

If you’ve never roasted sweet potatoes, you’re in for a treat! Here’s a complete guide on preparing roasted sweet potatoes, with step-by-step photos showing how to chop the potato.

What To Serve With Wild Rice Salad

• Chicken. To make a chicken salad with wild rice, prepare some blackened chicken or grill some chicken to serve on the side or to chop and mix into the salad
• Add to your holiday table spread.
• Serve with an easy weeknight meal like Harvest Vegetables and Sausage or this Pumpkin Pasta.
• Have a soup and salad dinner — serve this wild rice salad alongside this Easy Tomato Soup or Potato Leek Soup.