Blackberry Salad

Show-stopping Blackberry Salad is brimming with juicy blackberries(of course!), sweet candied pecans, crisp pears, salty feta cheese, and a homemade creamy poppy seed dressing.

Blackberry Salad

Blackberry Salad is a stunning dish that tastes every bit as amazing as it looks! It’s got all the right flavors, textures, and the perfect creamy dressing to finish it all off. 

We enjoy this salad as a side dish, but it can be made into a main course meal by adding in some protein. Grilled and chopped chicken, thinly sliced steak, or even some lentils or quinoa would add plenty of protein and make it filling enough for a full meal. In fact, one of our favorite ways to enjoy Blackberry Salad is with some shredded rotisserie chicken added in.

Blackberry Salad tips

• When serving Blackberry Salad for a party, event, or holiday meal, I recommend making the candied pecans and dressing a day or two in advance. This makes the final assembly a breeze! It’s also a good idea so the pecans have sufficient time to harden and the dressing has a chance to thoroughly chill and for the flavors to intensify.
• Use a good mayonnaise for the dressing– the better the mayo, the better the dressing will taste. I love Hellman’s/Best Foods® (not sponsored) since it has a rich flavor without being too sweet or tangy.
• If you aren’t able to find fresh or ripe pears at the store, use whole canned pears and drain them. Thinly slice and use in the salad.
• Speaking of ripe pears, you can test a pear for ripeness by applying gentle pressure near the stem end. If there is a slight give, it is most likely ready to be sliced and added to the salad. And if you can’t smell any sweet pear-ness, it probably isn’t ready to use.
• If you have a fresh lemon on hand, squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the pear to keep it from browning too quickly. Here are a few more tips for preparing the pears.

How to use leftover candied pecans

Since it’s a bit impractical to make a tiny batch of candied pecans for this salad, I include the directions for making about one pound of them. You can certainly halve the recipe or purchase pecans that have already been candied (or sugar roasted) at the store.

Here are some of our favorite ways to use up leftover pecans from this Blackberry Salad:

• As a snack/dessert: Enjoy them plain or coarsely chopped as a topping for a Yogurt Bowl or an Acai Bowl
• In these sweet recipes: Carrot Cake or Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• In these savory recipes: Pear Salad, Butternut Squash Salad, our favorite Berry Salad, or this Fall Spinach Salad. 
• By replacing the regular pecans for candied pecans in these recipes: Chicken Salad, Mexican Wedding Cookies, or these Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

You can store leftover pecans in the freezer (in an airtight container) for up to 2 months. They only need 10-15 minutes at room temperature to thaw enough to eat. (At room temperature, candied pecans last for up to 2 weeks stored in a cool and dry space.)

Blackberry Salad storage

Blackberry Salad doesn’t sit or store well once dressed. Once you assemble it, plan to eat it soon; otherwise, the dressing wilts the lettuce, the pears begin to brown, and the pecans soften.

If you make Blackberry Salad in advance, store all the components separately. Slice the pear and assemble the salad right before eating.

More salad recipes

• Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with an orange-honey vinaigrette
• Olive Garden Salad with an Italian vinaigrette
• Chicken Taco Salad with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette
• Cucumber Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
• Creamy Balsamic Dressing on a spring Cobb salad

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5 from 2 votes

Blackberry Salad

By Chelsea Lords

This show-stopping Blackberry Salad is packed with juicy blackberries, sweet candied pecans, crisp pears, and salty feta, all tossed in a creamy poppy seed dressing.

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 as a side

Equipment

• large sheet pan,

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Salad

• ▢ 8 cups (5 ounces) spring lettuce mix 8 cups is loosely measured
• ▢ 1 (6-ounce) package fresh blackberries
• ▢ 2 Anjou pears thinly sliced
• ▢ 1/3 cup chopped candied pecans recipe for 1-pound batch below
• ▢ 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

Poppy Seed Dressing

• ▢ 1/3 cup mayo I recommend Best Foods/Hellman’s
• ▢ 2 tablespoons whole milk
• ▢ 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Candied Pecans (see note 1)

• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 large egg white
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon water
• ▢ 1 pound pecan halves

Instructions 

Poppy Seed Dressing

• Combine all dressing ingredients, except the poppy seeds, in a blender and process until combined. Taste and adjust any flavors to personal preference. If you’d like a sweeter dressing, add an additional 1–2 teaspoons sugar. Stir in poppy seeds. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.

Candied Pecans

• Preheat oven to 250℉. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.
• In another bowl, whisk egg whites, vanilla, and water until frothy. Toss pecans into this mixture, then remove, using a slotted spoon. Put nuts into sugar mixture and toss until well coated. Spread coated pecans onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly browned. This takes about 45–60 minutes total. Let stand 30–45 minutes to allow pecans to fully cool and solidify. Coarsely chop them for the salad.

For the Salad

• In a large bowl, toss together the spring lettuce mix and fresh (washed and completely dried) blackberries. Thinly slice pears and add to salad.
• Add chopped candied pecans, goat or feta cheese, and the dressing. (You may not want all the dressing on the salad, so add to personal preference.) Toss and enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Prep/cook time doesn’t include the preparation of the candied pecans.

Since it’s a bit impractical to make a tiny batch of candied pecans for this salad, I include the directions for making about one pound of them. You can certainly half the recipe or purchase pecans that have already been candied (or sugar roasted) at the store.

Storage: Dressing stays good for 1 week stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Blackberry Salad doesn’t sit or store well once dressed. Once assembled, plan to eat it soon; otherwise, the dressing wilts the lettuce, the pears begin to brown, and the pecans soften. If you make it in advance, store all components separately. Slice the pear and assemble the salad right before eating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.7g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 12.1mg | Sodium: 134.8mg | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 12.4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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