Layered blueberry salad is an impressive meal, especially when served in a tall, glass trifle bowl. When I'm having a summer get together, this easy to assemble salad can be prepared in advance, and truly impresses guests.

Berry salad featuring blueberries, strawberries and pecans is one of my go to summer recipes. Layer after layer of delicious, fresh ingredients, make this presentation truly eye appealing.

Trifle layered blueberry salad with text banner

Blueberries in Summer Salads
What Do You Need to Make Layered Blueberry Salad?
Directions for Blueberry Layered Salad
Recipe Card for Layered Blueberry Salad

Blueberries in Summer Salads

Some blueberry salads are more dessert-like, such as blueberry jello salad, made with crushed pineapple, vanilla extract and gelatin or jello. In contrast, this is a lettuce and fresh fruit blueberry salad.

You have many choices when it comes to salad ingredient combinations. I hope you'll love these combo choices of crunchy romaine lettuce, sweet strawberries and blueberries, plus a rich and creamy buttermilk dressing, made from scratch.

Blueberry salad on a plate — Blueberry salad with buttermilk dressing

Plus I love summer cooking, when no saucepan or pan of any kind is required - no hot stove or oven to switch on and overheat my kitchen.

This salad dish is a delicious side for burgers, grilled meats and fish. You can even serve it as a meal in and of itself. There's plenty protein in the nuts and cheese.

What Do You Need to Make Layered Blueberry Salad?

Fresh ingredients are key to salad making success. Here's a quick ingredient list for my version of this delectable salad.

You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post, together with some nutritional information.

Salad and fruit ingredients in bowls — Ingredients for blueberry salad

For the Salad

romaine lettuce washed and chopped
strawberries washed and sliced
blueberries
toasted pecans
red onion peeled and sliced
blue cheese crumbles

For the Buttermilk Dressing

buttermilk
mayonnaise
sour cream
white vinegar
sugar
garlic powder
salt, to taste
black pepper, freshly ground (optional)

Substitution and Ingredient Notes

Use fresh blueberries and strawberries, not frozen. The frozen varieties add too much liquid and create a soggy salad.

You could substitute raspberries for the strawberries if you have them on hand.

If you find blue cheese to be too strong in flavor, then substitute another cheese of your choice. Small cubes of Emmenthal or Swiss cheese work great.

Being Irish, I always like shredded cheddar cheese, and it works great instead of blue cheese. I recommend a white cheddar cheese rather than an orange one. The colors of the layers match better when a white cheese is used.

Layered salad in a trifle bowl — Fresh fruit and pecan layered salad with blue cheese crumbles

Buttermilk dressing is not for everyone, so feel free to substitute the dressing of your choice.

For picnics it's best to choose a dressing that's not mayonnaise and dairy based.

If pecans are not your thing, then try another nut such as walnuts or cashews.

If you cannot eat nuts, then substitute another crunchy ingredient such as nacho chips or pretzels. Be sure to crush them a little.

Directions for Blueberry Layered Salad

The main preparation work for this salad involves washing and chopping.

Wash and shred the romaine lettuce.

Rinse, dry and slice the strawberries.

Remove any stalks on your blueberries and rinse and dry them.

Create layers of ingredients in a large trifle bowl in the following order.

lettuce
strawberries
blueberries
red onion
pecans
blue cheese

Repeat the layers, finishing with a decorative layer of nuts and cheese crumbles.

Pecans and blue cheese topping for a salad

You can make the buttermilk dressing in a small bowl with a balloon whisk to stir it together.

However, my favorite method is to shake the dressing in a mason jar.

Simply add all of the ingredients to the jar, cover with the lid, and shake to combine everything.

Do not add the dressing to the salad in the trifle bowl. Serve it with individual servings.

If you make this salad in advance, cover the top of the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Chill the salad in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Keep the dressing in the fridge too until ready to serve.

Simply shake the dressing well before serving your guests.

Recipe Card for Layered Blueberry Salad

Here's the recipe card which you can save and print for your kitchen recipe files.

You'll also find nutritional information here, and can toggle between US and Metric ingredient quantities.

Layered Blueberry Salad

Blueberries and strawberries are layered with lettuce, onions, pecans and blue cheese crumble for a trifle style salad. Served with a tangy buttermilk dressing this salad is summer on a plate.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Blue Cheese Salad, Fruit and Lettuce Salad, Layered Blueberry Salad

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 526kcal

Equipment

1 Trifle Bowl

Ingredients

For the Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce washed, chopped and hard stalks removed
2 pounds strawberries washed and sliced
18 ounces blueberries
1½ cups pecans toasted
¾ cups red onion peeled and sliced
6 ounces blue cheese crumbled

For the Buttermilk Dressing

3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons white vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare all the vegetables. Wash and chop the lettuce. Wash and slice the strawberries. Rinse the blueberries. Peel and slice the onion.
Use a large trifle bowl to build your salad. Start with a layer of lettuce. Use half of of all ingredients for the first layers.
Next add half the strawberries, followed by the blueberries.
Add half of the red onion followed by half of the pecans and blue cheese crumbles. Press the ingredients down to make room for additional layers.
Repeat the salad layers. Use the blue cheese crumbles and pecans to create a decorative finish to your salad.
Add all of the ingredients for the salad dressing to a mason jar. Cover the jar and shake to blend the salad dressing.
Chill the salad in the refrigerator if made in advance. Serve on plates and pour the dressing over each individual serving.

Nutrition Facts

Layered Blueberry Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 526 Calories from Fat 387

% Daily Value*

Fat 43g66%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 17g

Monounsaturated Fat 14g

Cholesterol 31mg10%

Sodium 487mg21%

Potassium 975mg28%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 11g46%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 20723IU414%

Vitamin C 84mg102%

Calcium 242mg24%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.

Tried this recipe?Mention @IrishAmericanMomBlog or tag #irishamericanmom!

I hope you enjoy this perfect side dish for summer dining. If you like this salad don't forget to share it on Facebook and Pinterest.

Here are some other summer salads in my recipe files...

Tabbouleh Salad With Bulgur Wheat and Parsley

Ham and Pea Salad Recipe

Apple Blue Cheese and Spinach Salad

Beetroot and Goat Cheese Salad

Irish Style Coleslaw

Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.