Wild Rice Spinach Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing

A vegan Wild Rice Spinach Salad recipe made with colorful fresh veggies. Tossed in a light lemon-garlic dressing! (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free option.)

This earthy, vegan Wild Rice Spinach Salad is so colorful and nourishing.

Wild rice has such a chewy texture and nutty flavor which lends well to this simple salad.

This side dish is great served either chilled or at room temperature, so it's a great choice for take-along lunches, meal prep, BBQs, potlucks, etc.

Ingredients for Wild Rice Salad

For this recipe you will toss together in a large bowl:

• Wild rice: This is a whole grain that is actually an aquatic grass, not rice. It has a very earthy taste, and hearty, tender texture. Wild rice also contains antioxidants, protein, fiber, folate, zinc, and many other nutrients.
• Fresh baby spinach: Or you can substitute this with arugula or baby kale. (Or try a combination of greens!)
• Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes: I use these because they are the sweet and flavorful. But you can also use roma tomato, or other garden tomato. Roasted tomatoes would add another layer of deliciousness as well.
• Orange bell pepper: Or red bell pepper or yellow bell pepper.
• Sweet corn: Either cooked fresh, frozen corn, fire-roasted, or canned.
• Green onion (scallion)
• Fresh lemon juice: You will need about one lemon for this recipe. For even more flavor, use a half teaspoon or so of lemon zest as well.
• Garlic clove
• Olive oil: Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil or your own favorite vegetable oil like avocado oil. (Or simply omit for an oil-free version.)
• Salt: I use fine grain salt for this recipe. You can also include black pepper to taste if desired.

Customizing

Grains: Substitute the wild rice with black rice, brown rice, quinoa, a wild rice blend, or other grain of choice.

Protein: For an extra protein boost, toss in some hemp hearts, garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or other white beans, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, slivered almonds, etc.

Herbs: Fresh herbs are a great addition because they add so much flavor. Try fresh basil, parsley, cilantro, fresh chives, or dill.

Dressing: Change up the lemon-garlic vinaigrette as you see fit. Instead of lemon juice, you can pour in lime juice, orange juice and orange zest, or a vinegar. You can also whisk in a teaspoon Dijon mustard or a sweetener like pure maple syrup.

Serving

You can serve this dish immediately, or refrigerate first to let flavors combine.

Vegan cheese: Feel free to stir in dairy-free goat cheese or vegan crumbled feta cheese before serving for extra flavor.

Storing

Simply store in an airtight container in the fridge. We find it keeps for about 3-4 days.

For more inspiration, also browse all salad recipes.

Wild Rice Spinach Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing

A wild rice spinach salad made with crisp veggies and tossed in a light lemon-garlic dressing.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Author: Kaitlin - The Garden Grazer

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Option, Vegan

Servings: 8 side servings

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

• 1 cup wild rice (uncooked)
• 3 oz. fresh spinach
• 8 oz. grape/cherry tomatoes
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 cup sweet corn, cooked (thawed, if frozen)
• 3-4 green onions
• Optional: white beans, fresh herbs

For the lemon-garlic dressing:

• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon*)
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. salt (more/less to taste)

Instructions

• Rinse and cook rice according to package directions. (I use a ratio of 1 cup wild rice to 4 cups water.)
• Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients and set aside. (Add some dried or fresh herbs if you'd like.)
• Prepare the veggies: Dice bell pepper, slice green onions, halve/quarter the tomatoes, and roughly chop spinach. Place all veggies in a large bowl.
• When rice is done cooking, drain any excess water and immediately add to the large veggie bowl. Toss to combine. (The heat from the rice will slightly wilt the spinach.)
• Whisk the dressing again and pour over the salad. Toss to combine.
• Serve immediately, or chill covered in the fridge for an hour or more to further develop flavors.

Notes

*Lemon: You can also include lemon zest in the dressing for added flavor as well.

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Nutrition Facts

Wild Rice Spinach Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing

Amount per Serving

Calories

137

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

4

g

6

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Potassium

 

301

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

22

g

7

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

3

g

3

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

1702

IU

34

%

Vitamin C

 

33

mg

40

%

Calcium

 

25

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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If you are enjoying this Wild Rice Salad recipe with spinach, also check out:

• Blueberry Basil Salad Dressing
• Cucumber Salad
• Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

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