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Big pot of brown rice salad on marble benchtop.
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Brown Rice Salad

A vibrant brown rice salad with currants, crunchy sunflower seeds, cashews, bell peppers, and tangy garlic-soy dressing—perfect as a nutritious side or light meal.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 serves
Calories 469kcal

Ingredients

Salad

  • 3 cups cooked brown rice (approx. 510 g)
  • ¼ cup currants (approx. 35 g)
  • 5 green onions sliced
  • 1 small green bell pepper diced (approx. 120 g)
  • 1 small red bell pepper diced (approx. 120 g)
  • 1 ⅓ cups sunflower seeds (200 g)
  • 1 ¾ cups raw cashews or almonds (200 g total)

Dressing

  • 4 tbsp sunflower oil or mild olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced (approx. 9 g)
  • 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley minced (approx. 3 g)
  • 6 tbsp soy sauce (approx. 90 mL)

Instructions

  • Heat a dry skillet over low heat and add the sunflower seeds, stirring constantly until they turn golden, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer them to a large bowl.
  • In the same skillet over low–medium heat, toast the cashews (or almonds), stirring until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add them to the bowl with the seeds.
  • Add the cooked brown rice, currants, green onions, and diced bell peppers to the bowl and gently toss to combine.
  • In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine sunflower oil, minced garlic, minced parsley, and soy sauce, then shake until the dressing is emulsified.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated. For maximum crunch, keep the toasted nuts and seeds separate until just before serving.

Notes

Keep nuts and the dressing separate until ready to serve (otherwise nuts will soften).

Nutrition

Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 766mg | Potassium: 556mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 656IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 4mg