Cold Rice Salad with Pickled Cherries
Inside: How to make summer salads with wild rice, the indispensable trick for cooking and cooling the grains quickly — and why it’s important for perfect cold rice salad.
Want a wild rice salad that can be served cold or at room temperature? This quick and easy rice salad recipe uses a wild rice blend, green onions, Italian parsley, crunchy pistachios and cherries with a tangy vinaigrette. Serve this cold rice salad as a summer side dish for picnics and cookouts.
Rice salad recipes are one of my favorite summer side dish hacks. I love them because they’re easy to make and the flavor combinations are endless.
Salads with wild rice (it’s not really rice but rather an aquatic grass) have a nutty, toothsome quality we’re particularly fond of. I’ve used it in this Asian Rice Salad with peanuts and this Italian Wild Rice Salad with green beans and sun-dried tomatoes.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It can be made ahead of time.
- Serve it cold or at room temperature.
- It’s perfect for cookouts. No mayonnaise means this wild rice salad can sit at room temperature longer.
- It pairs well with Smoked BBQ chicken, Hickory smoked ribs, and lamb kebabs, to name a few.
- Tasty mix-ins and easy homemade dressing make the flavors POP.
Ingredients:
- Wild Rice Blend–I used Sprouts Wild Rice Blend, which includes long grain rice, but you can use your favorite brand. If you can’t find a blend, you can use all wild rice.
- Pickled Cherries–from this easy recipe. Make the pickled cherries a day or so before the salad, or use fresh Bing cherries that have been pitted.
- Scallions–a.k.a. green onions.
- Fresh Parsley–I used Italian parsley, but you can also use curly parsley.
- Pistachios–look for roasted and lightly salted nuts.
- Shallots–a cross between onions and garlic, these purplish alliums add a sharpness to the dressing.
- Dijon Mustard–this French mustard has a touch of white wine which softens the flavor. If you don’t have Dijon, substitute with brown mustard.
- Sherry Vinegar–made from sherry wine, it has a soft, tangy flavor.
- Pickled Cherry Juice–from the jar of pickled cherries(optional, but awesome)
- Honey–to add sweetness to the dressing.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil–to emulsify the dressing.
- Salt & Pepper–for seasoning.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Rinse the wild rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and stir in the wild rice blend.
- Cook on a rapid simmer, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain the rice well through a mesh strainer, shaking to remove all the excess liquid.
3. Spread the cooked wild rice blend into a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan and set aside for the steam to evaporate and the rice to cool to room temperature.
4. While the rice cools, assemble the vinaigrette by adding shallots, Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, honey, salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisking until the dressing emulsifies.
5. Combine the chopped scallions, parsley and pistachios in a large mixing bowl.
6. Add the cooled rice to the vegetables and pour on 3-4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
7. Gently toss the vinaigrette into the wild rice salad to coat the grains. Taste for seasoning; if it needs more, add the dressing one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Taste again before adding more.
8. Add the pickled cherries and toss to combine.
Pro-Tips:
- It’s important not to add hot rice to the salad because hot cooked rice will absorb liquids (like the vinaigrette) and become mushy.
- This recipe makes more dressing than you’ll need for the cold rice salad. Any leftovers would be great drizzled over grilled chicken or fish or tossed in a green salad.
Variations:
- If you don’t have pistachios, substitute them with roasted salted almonds, cashews, toasted pine nuts or even chopped Brazil nuts. Avoid peanuts for this cold rice salad; their distinctive flavor would overpower the others.
- Look for a rice blend that includes wild rice, brown rice, and white rice, such as jasmine or basmati rice. Or pick your favorite variety and cook it according to the package directions if you can’t find a suitable blend.
- Switch up the salad ingredients by swapping the cherries and pistachios for a savory vibe using chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, sweet bell peppers, black olives, cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs like fresh basil. You can even add crumbled feta cheese or chunks of fresh mozzarella.
FAQs
Absolutely. Although “cold” is a relative term. I recommend enjoying the wild rice cool, but not ice cold. The flavors will be more pronounced when cool or at room temperature.
Absolutely. You may need to adjust the cooking time as wild rice takes longer. I recommend cooking it for about 5 minutes less than the package’s directions, to keep the grains chewier.
Storage:
- Store this wild rice salad recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
Make Ahead:
- You can assemble parts of the cold rice salad several days ahead. Make the dressing 1-2 days ahead, cook and cool the rice 2-3 days ahead and the pickled cherries can be made several days or weeks ahead.
- For the best flavor, wait until the last minute to assemble the dish and don’t add the chopped scallions, parsley. Otherwise, the veggies will wilt.
- If you’re making cold rice salad ahead of time, add the pistachios at the last minute before serving to maintain their crunch.
More cold summer salads:
- Grilled Vegetables with Feta and Farro
- Zesty Quinoa Salad with Lemon Tarragon Dressing
- Mexican Chopped Salad
- Edamame and Quinoa Salad
- Grilled Greek Orzo Salad
More rice salad recipes:
Cold Rice Salad
INGREDIENTS:
FOR COLD RICE SALAD
- 1½ cups wild rice blend or all wild rice
- 1 cup pickled cherries drained and patted dry
- 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup toasted pistachios roughly chopped
- 4-6 tablespoons Cherry Spiked Vinaigrette or more as needed (Recipe below)
CHERRY SPIKED VINAIGRETTE
- 2 shallots minced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1½ tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons pickled cherry juice from recipe of pickled cherries
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
FOR THE RICE:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a teaspoon of salt and 1½ cups wild rice blend. Cook until the rice is done according to package directions. The wild rice should still be firm and the softest rice will be done.
- Drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer until all the liquid is drained.
- Transfer the rice to a large sheet pan and spread it in an even layer. Cool it to room temperature. This will also help the rice dry out.
- DO NOT MIX HOT RICE WITH THE OTHER INGREDIENTS. It should be room temperature and slightly sticky or tacky.
MAKE THE CHERRY VINAIGRETTE
- Combine 1 bunch scallions, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 1½ tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1½ tablespoons pickled cherry juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper to a medium bowl and whisk until emulsified. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE THE RICE SALAD
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled wild rice blend, 2 shallots, ½ cup chopped parsley, 1 cup pickled cherries and ½ cup toasted pistachios.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of the Cherry Vinaigrette and toss to coat. Taste the salad and see if it needs more dressing. Add additional dressing 1-2 tablespoons at a time, tasting after each addition.
- You want the rice salad to be lightly coated in the dressing but not goopy. You can serve the wild rice salad chilled or at room temperature.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
Pin “Savory Pickled Cherry Cold Rice Salad” For Later!
That is a beautiful salad! Love the addition of sweet cherries. Anxious to try this!
Thank you! I’ve been looking to make a non mayo summer salad & this will work perfectly!
This salad looks so healthy and filling! Love all the ingredients!
I would definitely be using this Sprouts wild rice blend when I try this recipe. My family would love it.
We love Sprouts!!! This salad looks great! Would make a perfect side dish or even a nice lunch!
This looks like the perfect summer salad. Love the sound of the cherry vinaigrette. I love going to Sprouts Farmers Market since they have a good selection of organic produce. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for that organic wild rice so I can make this salad.
This is such a unique and beautiful salad! I love the look of it and pickling cherries is absolutely something I need to do!
I love a rice salad, those cherries sound like such a great addition! Perfect summer dish,
I absolutely love wild rice and this recipe is delicious! Will have to check out Sprouts Farmers Market!
Made this for dinner tonight — SO good!
A unique and flavorful recipe. A must try recipe for sure. Looks tasty.
This sounds and looks so delicious! What a great side dish for summer!
I love summer salads like this! Easy to make and packed full of flavors!