Wild rice salad is a unique cold salad to try. If you’re looking to add color and texture to your diet, add this honey mint salad to your recipe list.
Whip up a batch of wild rice salad to bring to a gathering, serve as a side dish, or eat as a meal (another great Meatless Monday option).
The dominant flavor is mint, so you can add “refreshing” to the list of adjectives used to describe this recipe.
Wild Rice Health Benefits
Wild rice in a salad? Sure, why not? At first, I thought rice in a salad was odd, but we use pasta in salads, so it’s not that far off.
Wild rice has many health benefits, so any chance to eat more of it is welcome.
We’ve reached the season where immune-boosting is a priority.
Not only is wild rice high in fiber, but it packs an impressive amount of vitamins and antioxidants.
Eating this tasty grain regularly may even improve your heart health and help decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Keep this recipe in mind if you have mint to use up from your garden, or if you plan to go apple picking. If neither of those two scenarios applies, I suggest buying the ingredients anyway. 😉
If you’re into meal planning for the week, you might be able to scoop out a couple of days worth of this salad.
I haven’t tried yet, but I imagine anything more than two days would be soggy. However, you can prepare most of the mixture and slice a fresh apple on the day you plan to eat it.
If you’re looking for more heart-healthy salads, here’s one with quinoa and sprouts.
You may also want to learn how to grow your own sprouts in just a few days.
Check out the best salad toppings for flavor and crunch.
Honey Mint Wild Rice Salad Recipe
A cold salad with lots of color, flavor, and texture. It has a minty flavor that pairs well with the sweet apple.
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice, uncooked
- 2 apples, chopped into chunks
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup almonds, sliced
- 2 tablespoons mint, fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package instructions and cool completely.
- Combine apple chunks with lemon juice and mix well.
- In a small bowl, add orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper and whisk well. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine rice, apples, almonds, and mint and mix well. Add orange sauce and mix well to evenly coat.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or until serving.
- Serves 6-8.
Notes
The ingredients list "uncooked rice" because it's easier to measure. You can definitely cook the wild rice ahead of time since it can take up to 45 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, the salad can be done in about 10 minutes.
It's up to you if you want to peel the apple or not.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1/6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 210mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
Nutrition facts are an estimate only.
Unique side dishes to make:
- Chicken and peach pasta salad is a unique flavor combo bursting with flavor.
- Bacon and ranch pasta salad is perfect for Father’s day parties.
- Bean salad is a delicious side or a dip.
Have you ever tried a wild rice salad?
Karly
Wednesday 6th of March 2019
What a fun flavor combo! I've gotta try this!
Jennifer
Wednesday 6th of March 2019
Let us know if you do!! :)
Merry K.
Wednesday 3rd of October 2018
I have never made a rice salad. This looks so good that I have to try it!
Paul
Sunday 16th of September 2018
So Healthy recipe
Krystal
Friday 14th of September 2018
I need to add more grains into my diet - I’m the worst at eating rice and beans. This looks good too!