Blackberry Salad is a show-stopper with juicy blackberries, candied pecans, crisp pears, salty feta, and creamy poppy seed dressing.
Blackberry Salad
I’m a salad girl through and through—but not just any salads. For me, lettuce is just the base for all the toppings I love, drizzled with the most delicious dressing. And this salad? It might just be all my favorites in one bowl.
If you’re not adding fruit to your salads, you’re missing out—blackberries take it to the next level, especially with the creamy poppy seed dressing. I love this salad on its own, but when I’m serving it to my family, I’ll often add grilled chicken or steak to make it heartier. It’s so delish!
Ingredients
- Spring Lettuce Mix: I love a spring mix but spinach or arugula will work as well.
- Blackberries: Look for firm, plump berries to avoid mushiness in the salad.
- Anjou Pears: Slice pears just before serving to avoid browning.
- Candied Pecans: You can buy candied pecans at the store or make your own.
- Goat Cheese or Feta: Crumble the cheese finely to get a little in every bite.
- Poppy Seed Dressing: A creamy and tangy dressing that ties all the flavors together.
Quick Tip
Use extra candied pecans to top a yogurt bowl, acai bowl, or to decorate a carrot cake.
How To Make Blackberry Salad
- Prep: Wash blackberries. Slice pears thinly, chop pecans, and crumble cheese.
- Dressing: Blend all dressing ingredients (except poppy seeds), adjust flavors, then stir in poppy seeds.
- Assemble: Toss the lettuce, blackberries, pears, pecans, and cheese in a bowl.
- Dress: Drizzle with dressing to taste, toss again, and serve!
Blackberry Salad Tips
- Make salad easier by prepping the candied pecans and dressing 1-2 days early.
- Pick a good mayo for the dressing—I like Hellman’s/Best Foods® (not sponsored) because it’s rich and not too sweet or tangy.
- No ripe pears? Use canned pears, drained and thinly sliced. To check if a pear is ripe, press near the stem—a little softness means it’s ready.
- Stop browning by adding fresh lemon juice to the sliced pears.
Storage
Leftovers?
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 dressing
- Olive Garden Salad with an Italian vinaigrette
- Chicken Taco Salad with a cilantro-lime dressing
- Cucumber Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
- Creamy Balsamic Dressing on a spring Cobb salad
Blackberry Salad
Equipment
- large sheet pan,
Ingredients
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The picture shows a triple berry salad the recipe is for a blackberry salad. Where can I find the triple berry recipe?
Where are you seeing the picture?
Looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try this with friends!
Yum! This looks so delicious and colorful! I can’t wait to make this!
This is such a dreamy salad! Perfect for the sweet & juicy blackberries I picked up earlier this week.
I’m trying to make your candied pecans, but I don’t see in the recipe how much water I’m supposed to use. It says to whisk the egg white, vanilla, and water, but it doesn’t indicate how much water.
Sorry about that Kristin; it’s been updated! 1/2 tablespoon water