Fresh, vibrant and full of contrast, this blackberry and goat cheese salad, with a fresh raspberry vinaigrette dressing, makes a great light lunch for two or a side salad for four. Juicy blackberries bring a natural sweetness which pairs well with the rich, creamy, salty goat cheese, the crunch vegetables creating the perfect crisp salad base.
This is a healthy salad that feels satisfying thanks to the balance of flavours and textures. I like to finish with toasted almonds for added crunch, they're a great way of elevating a salad into something a little more special.
As a salad main, serve this goat cheese salad alongside grilled meats or seafood, or some roasted vegetables. It brings freshness and colour to any dinner table.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The perfect balance of flavours the salty goat cheese pairs beautifully with the sweet blackberries.
- Feeding a crowd, no problem, this salad recipe can be easily doubled up depending on numbers.
- This versatile salad can feed 2 as a salad main or 4 as a salad starter or side dish.
- Gluten free and low carb making this a great healthy meal option.
Recipe ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
- Salad leaves - use any bag of mixed salad leaves in this recipe.
- Blackberries - I use fresh blackberries in this recipe, halving them to make the salad easier to eat.
- Pickled red onions - you can either buy a jar or make your own quick pickle. Add 1 teaspoon of caster sugar to a bowl, along with ½ red onion thinly sliced and then add just enough red or white wine vinegar to cover the onion. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve. The longer it sits the stronger the pickle.
- Vegetables - I also add cucumber, cherry tomatoes, radishes and sugar snap peas to the salad, but you can use any combination of vegetables.
- Cheese - I've opted to use a soft and creamy goat cheese which pairs beautifully with the blackberries.
- Almonds - I like to finish the salad with some toasted flaked almonds which add great flavour and crunch.
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients
- Raspberries - for the best flavour I always use fresh raspberries in this dressing.
- Oil - I like to use extra virgin olive oil which has a great nutty flavour.
- Vinegar - I use red wine vinegar in the dressing.
- Shallot - I like to add shallot to this dressing as it adds a savoury note, but balances out the sweet, tart berries.
- Mustard - I add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to this salad dressing which helps emulsify all the ingredients together.
- Seasoning - I keep the seasoning simple with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to make Blackberry & Goat Cheese Salad
- Divide and layer all the salad vegetable ingredients between two bowls.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium high heat and add the flaked almonds. Keep the almonds moving around the pan to gently toast them, taking care not to burn the nuts. Once toasted, remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
- Using a teaspoon, crumble the goat cheese into small pieces and scatter it over the salad, dividing it evenly between the two bowls.
- Place all the ingredients for the raspberry vinaigrette into a food processor or high speed blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a small jug or jam jar for serving.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, and finish with a sprinkle of the toasted almonds. Serve immediately.
Recipe variations
- Salad vegetables - use any combination of salad vegetables that you enjoy eating.
- Blackberries - swap for raspberries in the salad.
- Cheese - swap the coats cheese for a creamy blue cheese or garlic and herb cream cheese.
- Fresh herbs - Add some freshly chopped herbs, try basil, parsley, chives or mint.
- Berries - swap the raspberries for blackberries in the vinaigrette.
- Mustard - I've used Dijon mustard but you could also use wholegrain mustard in the dressing. Don't use English or yellow mustard as it has too strong a flavour which will overpower the other ingredients in the dressing.
- Vinegar - swap red wine vinegar for white wine, sherry or cider vinegar.
Serving suggestions
This salad serves 4 as a starter or generous side salad, and 2 as a main course. I like to serve salads as a simple starter when I am planning to serve a heavier main course.
Served as a side salad, salad works great with a simple steak or pan fried chicken dish.
Useful hints and tips
- Always check salad dressing for seasoning before you dress the salad, and adjust with vinegar, salt and pepper, if required. Remember the dressing might taste a little salty but that's ok as you will be using it to season your salad.
- I recommend using a jam jar when making salad dressing as it makes it really easy to mix the dressing, place the lid on and give it a good shake. The lidded jar also keeps the salad dressing fresh when being stored in the fridge
- For nut allergies leave the flaked almonds off the salad.
- Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
Fruits pair well with cheese as their natural sweetness balances the salty cheese. I've opted for blackberries in this salad, which pair really well with goat cheese. However, you could also use other berries like raspberries or cherries, figs and grapes are great options too, as are stone fruits like peaches, apricots and nectarines.
Yes, goat cheese is considered to be much gentler on the digestive system and less likely to cause inflammation than cheese made from cow's milk.
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Additional recipe suggestions
If you like this recipe then try some of my favourite salad recipes:
- Pear, Walnut & Blue Cheese Salad
- Peach & Burrata Salad with Candied Pecans
- Healthy Tuna & Chickpea Salad
- Smoked Mackerel & Beetroot Salad
- Grilled Vegetables with Halloumi & Herb Dressing
- Ham, Fig & Blue Cheese Salad
Love salad? Then head to my Best Salad Recipes post where you will find links to all our favourite salads in one place.
Blackberry & Goat Cheese Salad Recipe
Equipment
- chopping board
- Kitchen knife
- measuring spoons
- Kitchen scales
- food processor or high speed blender
- jam jar or serving dish with lid
Ingredients
- 100 g bag mixed salad leaves (washed and drained)
- 100 g blackberries (halved)
- 2 tablespoon pickled red onions (see notes below)
- ¼ cucumber (chopped)
- 10 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 5 radishes (thinly sliced)
- 10 sugar snap peas (halved)
- 100 g soft goat cheese
- 2 tablespoon flaked almonds
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
- 150 g fresh raspberries
- 1.5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- sea salt & black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Divide and layer all the salad vegetable ingredients between two bowls.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium high heat and add the flaked almonds. Keep the almonds moving around the pan to gently toast them, taking care not to burn the nuts. Once toasted, remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
- Using a teaspoon, crumble the goat cheese into small pieces and scatter it over the salad, dividing it evenly between the two bowls.
- Place all the ingredients for the raspberry vinaigrette into a food processor or high speed blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a small jug or jam jar for serving.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, and finish with a sprinkle of the toasted almonds. Serve immediately.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
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