Whole Grain Wheat Berry Salad
A good grain salad is always worth making, and while wheat berry salad might not be as popular as those made with other grains, it should be. Chewy spelt berries are packed with flavour, have a much better texture than many other grains, and for most of you, can be grown locally or nearer than you think. A little more effort is needed to cook wheat berries versus, say, bulgur or quinoa, but the taste is well worth it.
This salad pairs those wheat berries with roasted autumn vegetables, chickpeas, and a tahini dressing for a hearty warm salad that really satisfies. The base is nutty, the vegetables are a little sweet after roasting, and the creamy garlicky dressing ties it all together.
Different types of wheat berries have varied cooking times and that’s noted in the recipe card. This is adapted from my roasted vegetable salad, which has been a staple recipe for us for over a decade now.
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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why
There can be plenty of variations to this salad, and this is an autumn/winter version. See below for substitutions. These are my notes from recipe testing. Find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.
- Wheat berries: pictured is spelt, but you can use any type of wheat berry – whole wheat, spelt, einkorn, emmer, khorasan, and so on. Rye is only okay. For most ancient grains it’s recommended to soak before cooking as the bran is generally thicker.
- Chickpeas: cooked or canned, it doesn’t matter. Drain and rinse well before use in any case.
- Pumpkin: I prefer to use Hokkaido pumpkins, which don’t need to be peeled. Any pumpkin or winter squash can be substituted so use what you like most. Check the skin with your thumbnail – you shouldn’t be able to pierce the skin easily. If you can, the pumpkin hasn’t cured and it will be starchy. Sweet potato and carrots are good substitutes.
- Beetroot: red, yellow, striped, any type of beet is good. Yellow beets are milder if that’s what you prefer. I only peel the really gnarly bits. Radishes, kohlrabi, and turnips can replace some or all of the beetroot.
- Apples: try to find an apple that keeps it shape after cooking, like boskoop or elstar. A fairly acidic apple is best here but if using one with really tough skin like granny smith, you might want to peel it (I really can never recommend granny smith though).
- Onion: red, white, or yellow, all are fine. Shallots are a slightly sweeter substitute.
- Spices: cumin, sweet paprika, a little cinnamon, and hot pepper. Adjust to your taste as always. A warm spice mix can replace this blend. Coriander is an excellent addition.
- Oil: use your preferred cooking oil. I almost always use olive oil.
- Dressing: pictured is with a tahini garlic dressing, which is great, but others are good too – try with a balsamic vinaigrette or maple Dijon dressing.
How to Make Wheat Berry Salad
Start by soaking the grains if needed, and cook in salted water. The soaking and cooking time will depend on the type of grain you use, but I’ve tried to outline general times in the notes of the recipe card.
Step 1: prep and chop the vegetables. Place on a baking sheet with the spices and oil, and mix well to coat the vegetables. If you can’t use your hands for this, instead place the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon before transferring to the baking sheet.
Step 2: roast for about half an hour, until just soft enough to be pierced with a fork. You don’t want to overcook the vegetables. You can see in this picture that the apples have held their shape very well – they’re Belle de Boskoop, my favourite baking apple.
Step 3: mix the roasted vegetables with the cooked wheat berries and mix to combine. Wheat berries can be a little soggy if not drained well, so be sure to let them rest in the colander for a while to let all of the water out.
Step 4: top with the dressing and serve warm or at room temperature.
Expert Tips for the Best Grain Salad
- Serve warm: while it’s not bad cold, the roasted vegetables do shrivel up and harden a bit when chilled. If you know you’ll have leftovers then it’s best to keep the dressing separate and reheat before adding the dressing or vinaigrette.
- Keep the main elements: balance is the whole point of this salad. It’s a mix of sweet and savoury flavours, different textures, and a little punchy garlic in the dressing. If you’re changing it up be sure to keep something sweet (keep the apples, or use another fruit like pears) and use a stronger vinaigrette or dressing to keep it interesting.
- Roast the chickpeas: for some added crunch, the chickpeas can be roasted with the vegetables instead of added separately. It just depends on how you prefer them – I like it more when they blend in to the salad rather than being a focal point, so I don’t usually roast them.
More Autumn Salad Recipes
Wheat Berry Salad
Description
Ingredients
- 200 grams (1 cup) wheat berries see notes
- ½ small pumpkin or winter squash, ~500 grams weighed with seeds
- 1 large beetroot ~400 grams
- 1 large onion
- 2 medium apples or 1 large apple
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin seed use ¼ teaspoon for ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes optional, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 250 grams (1 ½ cups) cooked or canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
Tahini Dressing
- 50 grams (¼ cup) tahini runny is best
- 1 small clove garlic minced or finely grated
- 2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup to taste
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the wheat berries in plenty of salted water until tender, the same way you would cook pasta. The time needed will depend on the type of grain used, but is usually about 30 minutes.200 grams (1 cup) wheat berries
- While the wheat berries are cooking, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and prepare a large baking sheet. Optionally line with parchment paper for easy release.
- Peel the pumpkin if necessary and cut into roughly 3cm (1 in.) large pieces. Peel any very thick skin from the beetroot and also cut into 3cm (1 in.) large pieces. Halve and slice the onion. Core and slice the apples.½ small pumpkin, 1 large beetroot, 1 large onion, 2 medium apples
- Place the vegetables on to the baking sheet and add the oil, salt, cumin, paprika, hot pepper, and cinnamon. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until just soft.1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon cumin seed, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- While the vegetables are roasting, make the tahini dressing. Add the tahini, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to mix until well combined. Thin with water if needed.50 grams (¼ cup) tahini, 1 small clove garlic , 2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Drain the wheat berries very well and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and chickpeas, and mix to combine.250 grams (1 ½ cups) cooked or canned chickpeas
- Top with the tahini dressing or your preferred vinaigrette and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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About Alexandra Daum
Alexandra Daum is a professional recipe developer, food photographer, and cookbook author. She started sharing carefully tested vegetarian recipes in 2014 and has since published hundreds of recipes with seasonal ingredients and whole grains as the focus. Her work has been featured on CTV, in House & Home and Chatelaine, on popular websites like Buzzfeed and Best Health, and in countless other publications.