Pineapple Wheat Berry Salad

Chewy, nutty wheat berries mix with creamy pineapple fluff to make a this delicious Pineapple Wheat Berry Salad. Keep it simple, or add one (or more) of the optional mix-ins. Easy to make and freezer-friendly, it's perfect for potlucks too! 

Jump to:

• What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
• What Goes into this Recipe 
• How to Make "Apocalypse Salad"
• FAQs & Expert Tips
• Potluck Favorites
• Pineapple Wheat Berry Salad (With Optional Mix-ins)

What's the Story Behind this Recipe?

A couple of decades ago, everyone's cousin was losing their mind over an impeding world-wide "Y2K" tech meltdown. As far as I'm concerned, this wheat berry salad recipe is the only good thing to come out of the whole brouhaha. 

During this insanity, all sorts of emergency preparedness events and products popped up around the country. In the fall of 1999, I attended a preparedness conference - mostly on a lark, but I have to admit; it was an interesting experience. We were avid campers, and it was fun to see the staggering number of solar ovens and other next-level camping gadgets and gizmos.

Over the course of a few hours, we must have sampled at least a hundred different "food storage-friendly" products. Just when I thought I couldn't look at even one more dehydrated chili sample, we were greeted by a Montana hard red wheat vendor who offered us each a little paper cup full of a creamy, sweet wheat berry salad. Not a freeze-dried lentil in sight! It was heaven! 

We walked out of the conference with two things: a fancy new grain mill and a recipe for wheat berry salad (which I immediately dubbed "Apocalypse Salad") printed on a small slip of paper. 

What Goes into this Recipe 

Admittedly, this tasty little concoction has more processed foods on its Ingredient List than I usually like to use, but the end of the millennium only comes around once in a lifetime, so there you are. 

No real ingredient prep is needed for this recipe outside of cooking the wheat berries. 

Ingredient Notes

• Whole wheat berries: Wheat berries are the edible part of the wheat kernel; including the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. This chewy, nutty, whole grain can be used like any other whole grain.

The cooking times for wheat berries in this recipe are based on cooking hard red winter wheat berries. The specific kind of wheat berry you buy, as well as product age, will influence the cooking time.
• Cream cheese: This recipe has been tested using both full fat and neufchâtel cheese with good results. 
• Crushed pineapple: Use canned pineapple for this recipe. Do not use fresh. 

How to Make "Apocalypse Salad"

Prepare the Wheat Berries

Toast the wheat berries. (Optional) Toasting enhances the nutty flavor of the wheat berries, and takes just a few minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F | 190°C. Spread the wheat berries evenly on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and aromatic.

Soak wheat berries overnight. (Also optional) Soaking shortens the cooking time, but is not critical to cooking.

Place 1 ½ cups of wheat berries in a medium bowl. Cover with enough boiling water so that there is about an inch of water above the wheat berries. Soak overnight.

Three Ways to Cook Wheat Berries

Wheat berries are done when they are tender and chewy. Test for doneness as you cook them.

Slow Cooker Method (Recommended)
Put presoaked wheat berries in slow cooker and add enough water so that it comes to at least one inch above the wheat berries. Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, or until chewy and tender.
When done, drain excess liquid. Set aside.

Instant Pot Method
Combine 1 ½ cups wheat berries, 4½ cups water, and a pinch of salt in the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and seal the valve. Set the manual timer for 35 minutes.

When done, do quick release by moving the valve to vent the steam. Let all the steam release. Drain excess liquid. Set aside.

Stovetop Method
In a medium saucepan, combine presoaked wheat berries, a pinch of salt, and enough water so that there is at least 1 inch of water on top of the wheat berries.
Bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat to medium; cook until tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let steam, covered, 15 minutes. Test for doneness. Wheat berries should be tender yet chewy. (If they aren't done, just return them to the heat for a little while.) When done, drain excess liquid.

Mix the Salad

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to thoroughly combine pineapple and cream cheese. It does not need to be perfectly creamy; however, any remaining chunks of cream cheese in the mixture should be about the consistency of cottage cheese.

Sprinkle dry vanilla pudding mix over pineapple-cream cheese mixture and stir until smooth. (It will be the consistency of thick school paste.) 

Fold in whipped topping.

Stir in cooked wheat berries, mixing until until evenly coated. Fold in any mix-ins.

Salad Mix-ins (Optional)

As if it weren't already delicious enough, if you want to add some additional texture and flavor to your wheat berry salad, you can stir in a cup or so of any one (or more) of these tasty mix-ins.

Use any one or a combination of the following mix-ins, or come up with your own idea! 

Use 1 cup TOTAL per batch of Wheat Berry Salad*

• maraschino cherries (drained and sliced) 
• grated coconut
• chocolate chips
• toasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds
• pepitos
• mini marshmallows

*Obviously, you can add as much of any mix-in as you want. This amount is offered only as a guideline, based on personal preferences. 

Serve this salad cold.

FAQs & Expert Tips

Pineapple Wheat Berry Salad makes an excellent potluck dish! The recipe makes a large amount and can be made well ahead of time. It lasts for over a week in the fridge, and you can even freeze it! 

Potluck Favorites

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