Waldorf Style Wheatberry Salad

Who doesn't love a good Waldorf Salad? This Waldorf Style Wheatberry Salad has sweet apples, crunchy celery, sweet dried cranberries, and walnuts in a tangy dressing with the added goodness of chewy wheat berries! It's a winning side dish for any occasion.

Like my Waldorf Style Chicken Salad, this recipe for Wheatberry Waldorf Salad takes the flavors of a classic Waldorf salad and imparts it into this wonderful whole grain side dish with sweet apples, dried cranberries, and crunchy walnuts all in a wonderful light dressing. 

Lately, I've been exploring whole grains. Specifically those whole grains available in the grocery store that I'm not that familiar with. This week, I'm trying wheat berries. They are the base of this wheatberry salad and I think they are terrific. 

What are wheat berries? 

A wheat berry ( aka wheatberry) is a whole wheat kernel. It's composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm, but has had the husk removed. Wheat berries have a nutty flavor and are slightly sweet. They have a crisp and chewy texture, which I love! 

You can add them to salads, eat them for breakfast like oatmeal, or serve along side meat for dinner. Wheat berries can take up to 45 minutes to cook, but if you can find ones that are par-boiled, that time is reduced significantly.

If you are gluten sensitive, wheat berries do contain gluten. 

How do you cook wheat berries?

Like most whole grains, wheat berries will need to be cooked in boiling water. They will vary according to brand as to how long to cook them. You should follow the directions on the package you purchase to prepare the wheat berries so you get the best texture and flavor. 

Why this recipe works

This recipe for wheat berry salad works so well because apples, dried cranberries, and walnuts work well with the nutty flavor and chewy texture of the wheatberries. As an added bonus, you get all the goodness from the whole grain including protein, fiber, and iron. 

Variations

• Substitute golden raisins for the dried cranberries or add any other dried fruit such as apricots or blueberries or cherries
• Omit the Greek yogurt and make the dressing with all mayonnaise
• Use low-fat mayonnaise and low-fat yogurt to reduce calories in this salad
• Add more protein in the form of chopped fully cooked chicken breast

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3 days. 

I hope you like this whole grain salad as much as we do! 

wheat berry salad, wheatberry salad, wheatberry salad with cranberries,

side dish

American

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Waldorf-Style Wheatberry Salad

Prep time: 10 MinInactive time: 29 MinTotal time: 39 Min

Sweet apples, crunchy celery, sweet dried cranberries, and walnuts in a tangy dressing with the added goodness of chewy wheat berries! It's a winning side dish for any occasion.

Ingredients

For wheatberry salad:

• 1/2 cup dry wheat berries, cooked according to the package direction then cooled
• 2 small apples, cored and chopped (leave skins on)
• 2 stalks of celery, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

For dressing:

• 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
• 2 TBSP honey
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 TBSP mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients for dressing in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
2. Add in the rest of the salad ingredients. Stir to coat in dressing. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

197.29

Fat (grams)

7.21 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.88 g

Carbs (grams)

30.88 g

Fiber (grams)

4.51 g

Net carbs

26.35 g

Sugar (grams)

15.6 g

Protein (grams)

5.2 g

Sodium (milligrams)

134.35 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

2.76 mg

Nutritional information is an estimate.

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