Blueberry goat cheese salad is a simple recipe combining fresh greens and herbs with ripe blueberries and creamy goat cheese tossed in homemade honey ginger dressing.
Key Ingredients
- Honey Ginger Dressing: Make homemade salad dressing using honey, fresh lemon juice from two lemons, Dijon mustard, ginger, garlic cloves, kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil.
- Olive Oil: Toast the pecans and pumpkin seeds in olive oil to pronounce the flavor.
- Nuts and Seeds: The honey-tossed pumpkin seeds (or hulled sunflower seeds) and chopped pecans add a delicious crunch. Walnuts or sliced almonds also work.
- Honey: Caramelize the nuts and seeds with honey, and add a dash of cayenne pepper to balance the sweetness of the salad.
- Shallot: I prefer the subtle flavor of shallots, but you can substitute with red onion.
- Cucumber: I recommend using crispy English or Persian cucumbers.
- Greens: Combine a mix of baby spinach, chopped romaine, and fresh mint leaves.
- Blueberries: Include fresh blueberries for the best flavor. Blueberries are in season from early spring to summer, so be on the lookout for local blueberries. Better yet, grab some friends and go berry picking!
- Goat Cheese: Salty and tangy goat cheese (chèvre) is my favorite part of this blueberry salad. Look for young goat cheese with a creamy, not crumbly, texture. You can also swap for gorgonzola cheese or feta.
Additions and Substitutions
- Mix up the fruit. I enjoy the sweet addition of fresh blueberries, but strawberries, blackberries, pears, watermelon, peaches, and cherries are a tasty option.
- Get your veggies in. Include creamy avocado cubes, bell peppers, or fresh basil leaves.
- Replace the greens. Try mixed greens like spring mix and baby greens, arugula, or Organic Girl’s protein greens with fresh sweet pea leaves.
- Dress the salad. Save time and use your favorite store-bought salad dressing, or try one of these instead—balsamic citrus vinaigrette, fig balsamic dressing, miso vinaigrette, sherry shallot dressing, or basil balsamic vinaigrette.
- Add protein. Top the blueberry goat cheese salad with crispy bacon, thin-cut chicken breast, halloumi, baked shrimp skewers, fried salmon bites, or baked tofu.
How to Make Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the honey, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper with an immersion blender, food processor, or blender. Pour the olive oil into a tall cup or blender in a slow, steady stream while blending the ingredients. Set it aside.
Step 2: Warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pecans, pumpkin seeds, honey, and cayenne pepper. Toast for 3-5 minutes until caramelized. Set them aside to cool.
Step 3: Meanwhile, slice shallots, cucumbers, and radishes and chop the romaine lettuce. Arrange the salad greens, blueberries, vegetables, and goat cheese crumbles into a serving bowl.
Step 4: Top it with the toasted pecans and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle honey ginger dressing over the top and toss to combine.
Expert Tips
- Prioritize fresh fruit. Use fresh, in-season blueberries for the salad and save frozen blueberries for a raspberry blueberry smoothie or blueberry peach sorbet.
- How do you cut goat cheese for salad? The recipe calls for soft goat cheese, which you can easily crumble, pinch off by hand, or gently scrape with a fork to sprinkle over the salad.
Whip up a fresh blueberry salad and serve it with one of these chicken recipes!
What to Serve with the Salad?
Fresh blueberry goat cheese salad pairs well with chicken, shrimp, and salmon recipes. Try it with Cajun honey butter salmon and Sriracha salmon.
You can also serve it alongside Dutch oven sourdough bread, a light pasta dish, or a warm bowl of soup like tomato basil or my creamy Instant Pot butternut squash soup.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftovers in an airtight container. If the blueberry goat cheese salad is already dressed, it will stay fresh for one day. However, storing the dressing separately will extend the salad’s freshness for 2-3 days. Pour any leftover honey ginger dressing into a mason jar for one week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this dressing ahead of time?
You can prepare the blueberry goat cheese salad three days ahead if you store the dressing and salad ingredients in separate containers.
Should I peel the cucumbers?
Peeling the cucumbers is entirely up to you. The peel is edible, but some people dislike the texture. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin if you prefer peeled cucumbers.
What is the best goat cheese substitute?
The best goat cheese substitute is feta cheese because it has a similar flavor and crumbly texture; I recommend using feta cheese in brine and not the dry crumbles.
What fruit goes best with goat cheese?
Goat cheese pairs beautifully with fruits like figs, pears, apples, berries, peaches, and grapes. Their natural sweetness balances the tanginess of the cheese.
Other Salad Recipes:
Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad
- ¼ cup honey
- lemon juice, 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2-inch knob of ginger, minced or grated (1 tablespoon ginger paste)
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- salt
- black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup hulled pumpkin seeds
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- ½ medium English cucumber, sliced and halved
- 4-5 medium radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- 1 pint blueberries
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup honey ginger dressing
- Combine the honey, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper with an immersion blender, food processor, or blender. Pour the olive oil into a tall cup or blender in a slow, steady stream while blending the ingredients. Set it aside.
- Warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pecans, pumpkin seeds, honey, and cayenne pepper. Toast for 3-5 minutes until caramelized. Set them aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, slice shallots, cucumbers, and radishes and chop the romaine lettuce. Then, arrange the salad greens, blueberries, vegetables, and goat cheese crumbles into a serving bowl.
- Prioritize fresh fruit. Use fresh, in-season blueberries for the salad and save frozen blueberries for a raspberry blueberry smoothie or blueberry peach sorbet.
- How do you cut goat cheese for salad? The recipe calls for soft goat cheese, which you can easily crumble, pinch off by hand, or gently scrape with a fork to sprinkle over the salad.