Craving a salad with cool, creamy, goat’s cheese with crunchy greens and a tangy vinaigrette? This Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad is healthy eating straight from the Farmer’s Market.
Tired of plain green salad? This is actually a simple salad with everyday ingredient, and fresh blackberries are the star of the show…the big, juicy, ripe kind.
This favorite salad recipe starts with crunchy toasted hazelnuts and other luscious ingredients. If your Farmers Market is open, try the first for the freshest greens.
Here’s some good reasons to make this salad:
- Dotted with creamy, soft goat cheese (aka Chevre), it’s bursting with fresh blackberries and that is precisely what makes it so special. It’s tastes clean and refreshing, too. See my tips section below for other fruits to try.
- This makes a nice lunch, light dinner or side to an entree of grilled chicken or fish, or (reader favorite) Summer Pasta. Why not start with off with a great little appetizer too, like this easy and creamy Lemon Artichoke Dip?
- This salad has a light and lemony olive oil vinaigrette, that’s bright and flavorful and perfect for drizzling alongside.
- Love salads? Try this super healthy Superfood Salad, and this Celery Salad with Hazelnuts is unexpectedly good. A great Chicken Salad recipe is always good to have on hand too, especially if there’s a rotisserie chicken in the fridge 🙂
This salad is great with saucy main dishes like this Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the full ingredient list and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Fresh Berries: 1 1/2 cups blackberries…plump, juicy & sweet
- Goat Cheese (aka Chevre): Soft, creamy & crumbled on top
- Grains: Almost any leftover cooked grains will work, wheat berries are my favorite for this recipe.
- Lemon: We’ll need lemon juice for that tangy vinaigrette we’ll make
- Butter Lettuce: Tender, delicate & crunchy all at the same time 🙂 Add some spinach leaves if you have them too.
- Hazelnuts: Salted and toasted is best here
- Radish: Thinly sliced…peppery and so pretty!
- Italian Parsley and Mint: Both of these fresh herbs add a punch to the salad and are easy to find in grocery stores
- Seasonings: A few grinds of pepper and some flaky sea salt for finishing
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook the Wheatberries: Rinse the dried wheat berries in cold water, then simmer over medium-high heat for 20-30 minutes until the grains are chewy but tender
- Make the Vinaigrette: Use a simple canning jar with a lid or small bowl, add the ingredients, twist on the lid and shake to combine!
- Assemble the Salad: Lay the Butter lettuce on a platter or in a large serving bowl, then divide the grains on top of the lettuce. Add the blackberries, hazelnuts, radish, parsley, mint and goat cheese. Or, put all the ingredients in a large bowl for tossing.
- Season: Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Serve: Pass the Lemon Vinaigrette alongside for drizzling
How to Select Blackberries
- Look for berries that are firm, fat, round, and juicy. Shiny, even.
- A proper blackberry is SO plump and sweet and amazingly wonderful you won’t care if the seeds stick to your teeth 🙂
- Check for ripeness by their deep black color and plump, full feel. Taste one if possible!
- Buy in season and make sure no berries are smashed in the container. They’ll mold faster if any one of them is crushed.
- For more info on how to choose and store fresh berries, here’s a little “Berries 101” if you’re interested.
Tips and Substitutions
- Use other fruits like raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries or even fresh figs would be great in this salad
- Use leftover or frozen grains if you have them to save time. Buy cooked, frozen grains at the grocery store. It doesn’t take long to cook the wheatberries yourself! Make extra for this super delish Roasted Grape Hazelnut Breakfast Bowl.
- Try rice, farro, bulgar or spelt berries, even couscous works! For gluten free, try brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa or millet.
- I love the soft crunch of butter lettuce, but other small, leafy greens like arugula, spinach, red leaf lettuce or even romaine would taste great too.
- Hazelnuts–toasted, salted and roughly chopped, add a certain sweetness and can stand up to the other flavors in this recipe, but toasted pecans would be delicious too.
- For crumbled hazelnuts, chop roughly with a sharp knife to break them down a bit. Or, put a clean kitchen towel over the top and lightly pound them with a kitchen mallet or the bottom of a sturdy glass jar (like a Ball canning jar.) Uneven sizes and crumbles are PERFECT.
Serving Ideas
- Could you serve a sliced, warm chicken breast with this salad? The answer is YES. Try grilled salmon, prawns or tofu (drain on paper towels first) if you’d like.
- Rather than serving on a large platter, try plating each portion individually!
- Don’t assemble this salad more than a few minutes ahead of serving or it will start to look sad. Keep the components chilled in the fridge until you’re ready start plating.
- Some dessert ideas for this recipe are Muffin Tin Caramel Apple Pies, Melon with Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce, Roasted Nectarines with Caramel Sauce
- You could also finish it off with Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar. Or, if you’re into more blackberries, try a Fresh Blackberry Galette!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Quinoa, farro, millet, barley and even rice works with this kind of salad recipe.
Yes! Raspberries would be delicious, so would blueberries and also try stone fruits like sliced plums or nectarines
Yes…a store-bought balsamic vinaigrette or blackberry vinaigrette would work well.
Baby spinach with an oz or two of arugula would be a great combo, but any fresh greens will taste great.
More Recipes
Roasted Pear Salad: Warm and absolutely delicious!
Roasted Vegetables with Vinaigrette: So easy, so incredibly delicious!
Decorated Chocolate Covered Strawberries Great for dessert with this recipe!
Strawberry Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Gotta love that lemon vinaigrette!
Celery Salad with Hazelnuts Another warm weather favorite, refreshing too!
Simple Chickpea Salad This is surprisingly great as a side for almost anything!
Modern Carrot Salad Another simple, healthy and flavorful side dish to try
If you’ve tried Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad or any recipe of Studio Delicious, please leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Cooked Wheat berries
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups Butter Lettuce
- 1/2 cup Hazelnuts, dry roasted, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Blackberries
- 1/4 cup Radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup Mint Leaves, fresh
- 1/2 cup Goat Cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 tsp Flaky sea salt and ground pepper
- FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- Flake Sea Salt and lemon pepper
- TO MAKE COOKED WHEAT BERRIES
- 1 cup Wheat berries, rinsed in cold water & dried
- 3 cups Water
Instructions
- COOK THE WHEAT BERRIES Place rinsed and dried wheat berries in a medium saucepan with the 3 cups of water with a teaspoon salt. Bring water to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until water is absorbed, 20-30 minutes. Add a little more water if needed until the grains are tender and chewy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool before assembling the salad. Can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
- MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE Put the olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar and honey in a small jar with a lid (like a Ball canning jar) and shake until combined. Alternatively, you can place the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until combined.
- ASSEMBLE THE SALAD Lay the butter lettuce on the platter or plates, then divide the grains on the plates. Add/divide the hazelnuts, blackberries, radish, parsley, mint and goat cheese. Season with the flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve the lemon vinaigrette alongside to drizzle on top.
Notes
- Use other fruits: Raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries or even fresh figs would be great in this salad
- Use leftover or frozen grains if you have them to save time. Buy cooked, frozen grains at the grocery store. It doesn’t take long to cook the wheatberries yourself! Make extra for this super delish Roasted Grape Hazelnut Breakfast Bowl.
- Try rice, farro, bulgar or spelt berries, even couscous works! For gluten free, try brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa or millet.
- I love the soft crunch of butter lettuce, but other small, leafy greens like arugula, spinach, red leaf lettuce or even romaine would taste great too.
- Hazelnuts–toasted, salted and roughly chopped, add a certain sweetness and can stand up to the other flavors in this recipe, but toasted pecans would be delicious too.
- For crumbled hazelnuts, chop roughly with a sharp knife to break them down a bit. Or, put a clean kitchen towel over the top and lightly pound them with a kitchen mallet or the bottom of a sturdy glass jar (like a Ball canning jar.) Uneven sizes and crumbles are PERFECT.
Nutrition
- Super important to read the whole recipe before you begin
- Pay attention to the ingredient list and photos for the recipe
- If possible, prep your ingredients a little before you start
- Always use a sharp knife for safety
- Use the size of pan called for in the recipe
- For savory recipes, taste and season as you go
- Buy fresh, organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible
SOURCE: This recipe was originally posted August 2019 and was updated with new photos and instructions June 2021
Such a refreshing salad bursting with flavor. The toasted hazelnuts were a great addition. Will def make again.
Totally agree! Ripe blackberries are a must! This is perfect for when we need a quick meal!
Yep, its a quick one! Thanks 🙂
This is my kind of salad! LOVE the fresh flavors!
Right? Thanks so much!
This was a huge hit with my kids! They really loved them!
Great, glad to hear it! 🙂
I love adding fruit to my salads and I can’t wait to try this with blackberries! It looks delicious!
Thanks!
Hey, this looks so refreshing and healthy. Will give it a try this weekend. Nice share. Thanks.
Thank you!
This is such a unique idea for a salad! I have never tried making a salad with blackberries but going to have test this one out. And the toasted hazelnuts in it would be so yum 🙂
It’s really good! Filling too…enjoy!
Thank you!
I love how fully loaded this beautiful blackberry salad is! The goat cheese, hazelnuts and mint play wonderfully together for the perfect fall side dish or lunch salad!
Thanks!
This Salad is so colorful and awesome combination of fruits, veggies, nuts and healthier options. Best Salad for a light and healthier Dinner .
Thank you!
I love a good hearty salad and this was perfect! The combination of blackberries, whole grains, hazelnuts and lettuce made this perfect. Along with the easy dressing that goes on top. Will be making this again!
Great! 🙂
I eat blackberries by the handful when they’re fresh and I really enjoyed them in this salad, everything balanced so nicely, juicy berries, crunchy hazelnuts, a lovely vinaigrette, and the grains made it a full meal. Thanks for sharing!
Well thank you!
This Blackberry Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts was off the chain wonderful. I loved all the textures and flavors. I made extra to take to lunch, and I swear my female co-workers were jealous! It looked so fabulous! I gave them your blog link so they could make their own instead of eyeing mine lol!!
Haha…thank you, that’s so nice.
This salad recipe is so wonderful, loved how you conceptualize this dish. The color and the presentation is really something and will make you entice to this. Thanks for sharing such a healthy and unique salad meal for us.
Thank you:)
It’s been such great year for blackberries, we have so many of them! This salad would definitely be a great way of using some of these juicy and delicious berries! Love addition of toasted hazelnuts, they must add such a lovely crunch to the dish!
Sure do! Thanks..:)
This is such a refreshing salad recipe and my favorite lunch since today. I have enjoyed berry salad before but this one was amazing.
Great news!
This us truly a beautiful salad. The use of blackberries which I have to say this years harvest plump sweet and so delicious, and the hazelnuts brilliant! Well done!🥰
Well thank you so much! 🙂