Berry Walnut Salad {Gluten-Free, No Refined Sugar}

Salad for me used to mean lettuce and a bottle of msg-laden ranch dressing. With delicious and healthy options like this berry walnut salad, I don’t even miss the bottled ranch dressing and watery lettuce. Instead, this berry walnut salad is made with spring mix lettuce and topped with fresh berries, red onion, homemade candied walnuts, and a strawberry lemon dressing. It’s simple and pulls together quickly for the perfect side dish any time of year.

Berry Walnut Salad Recipe

This salad is good on its own, but I like to add some protein to make it a full meal. My favorite is shredded chicken breast, but turkey or a mild-tasting fish (like flounder or salmon) are also great options. I’ll often use leftover chicken from the night before in a salad like this. We eat a lot of salads for lunch since they’re simple and an easy way to pack more veggies in the day.

Sometimes salads aren’t the most nutritious choices when they’re loaded with sugar. This berry salad is completely free of refined sugars. I used a few different sweetener options in this salad to make it taste as delicious as it looks!

The candied nuts use Wildly Organic Raw Agave, but you could easily use Wildly Organic Coconut Sugar as well. I chose Wildly Organic Coco Monkey Sweetener for the salad dressing though to help reduce the sugar load in the salad. While I don’t avoid natural sugars entirely, I always feel better when I choose a low-glycemic option. The Coco Monkey sweetener tastes great in the dressing and doesn’t leave a funny after taste like artificial sweeteners. Coco Monkey is low carb and made from natural ingredients, like organic inulin.

How to Make Candied Walnuts

If you’ve never made candied nuts before it may seem a little intimidating, but I promise it’s really simple. There’s just three ingredients and some stirring involved. I used Wildly Organic Walnuts in this salad because I like their slight bitter edge combined with the sweetness from the agave. However, pecans or even almonds would also taste good. Be sure to chop the almonds before candying them though, or you might risk breaking a molar!

Although the process is simple, I’ve found there are a few tricks to the perfect batch of candied nuts. The syrup will start to bubble but can quickly burn if the heat is too high, it’s cooked too long, or the nuts aren’t stirred constantly. You want to cook the nuts just until the sweetener has coated them and there’s oily residue left in the pan.

Once the candied nuts are finished the sugar hardens quickly so it’s necessary to work fast. I always have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready to go. You don’t want to be fussing with getting this set up while your nuts are hardening on the skillet! After the nuts are on the tray I immediately pour some water into the skillet so the syrup can soak for easier cleanup.

The nuts can be cooled at room temperature or the fridge, but my favorite way is to pop them in the freezer for a bit. It only takes a few minutes though and they’ll be rock hard if they’re accidentally left in there. … I may or may not have made that mistake a few times.

Need more salad inspiration? Try these recipes!

• Mixed Greens Salad with Roasted Red Peppers {Paleo, Vegan, Low Carb}
• Greek-Style Salad with Olive Oil Dressing {10 minute recipe!}
• Greek-Style Salad with Olive Oil Dressing {10 minute recipe!}
• Cucumber & Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette {gluten-free, vegan}
• Strawberry & Spinach Salad with Naturally Sweetened Balsamic Dressing

Will you add chicken or salmon to this Berry Walnut Salad?

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