Wild Rice Salad with Dried Cranberries, Apples & Orange Vinaigrette
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Brimming with tasty add-ins—like dried cranberries, apples, and nuts—this make-ahead wild rice salad is ideal for fall potlucks and holiday feasts.
Photo by Alexandria Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
To me, this wild rice salad recipe just screams Thanksgiving. It’s a bit time-intensive to make as part of a whole meal, but if you’re asked to bring just one special dish to a holiday party, this is it—it’s portable, keeps beautifully in the fridge, and offers a welcome break from all those other side dishes that have everyone unbuttoning their pants and slipping into carb-induced food comas. Plus, it makes fabulous leftovers; just add chopped roast turkey.
“Amazing! This salad contains all the wonderful autumn flavors. I’ve made it twice this week…We will be replacing our thanksgiving stuffing with this salad!”
What You’ll Need To Make Wild Rice Salad
- Wild rice: The hearty base of the salad. It has a toasty, nutty flavor and chewy texture that holds up well to the dressing and mix-ins. A wild rice blend (pictured) works well.
- Orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper: These come together to make a bright vinaigrette that’s citrusy and tangy, with just enough sweetness to balance it out.
- Pecans, dried cranberries, celery, apples & pepitas: This mix of nuts, fruit, and veggies gives the salad varied textures, crunch, and pops of tart-sweet flavor.
- Parsley & scallions: Fresh herbs that finish the salad with color and a burst of brightness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Cook the rice. In a medium pot, combine the rice, ¾ teaspoon of the salt, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and many grains have split open, 50 to 60 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer and let cool.
Pro Tip: Wild rice can vary a lot by brand, and all stoves are a bit different, so to be safe, start checking the rice at the 45-minute mark, and remember that “bursting grains” are a sign the rice is tender and ready.
Step 2. Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
Step 3. Add the rice. Stir the cooled rice into the dressing until well coated.
Pro Tip: Make sure the rice has cooled sufficiently before adding it to the dressing; otherwise, the warm rice can soak it up too quickly and make the salad heavy instead of bright and balanced.
Step 4. Finish the salad. Add the pecans, dried cranberries, parsley, celery, apples, pepitas, and scallions. Toss well and taste for seasoning, then serve and enjoy!
Wild Rice Salad Flavor Swaps & Leftover Ideas
- Go ahead and swap: This salad is endlessly customizable, so feel free to get creative. Pecans are classic, but walnuts, pistachios, or almonds all work nicely. For dried fruit, go with cherries, golden raisins, chopped apricots, or even pomegranate seeds. And if you’re out of apples, swap in firm pears for a sweet-crisp twist.
- Leftover love: The salad holds up nicely all week. Add arugula or chickpeas for lunch, or turn it into dinner with turkey, chicken, or pork tenderloin.
More Hearty Salads Packed with Flavor
Wild Rice Salad with Dried Cranberries, Apples & Orange Vinaigrette
This wild rice salad is nutty, chewy, and full of texture, with just the right balance of sweet and tangy flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 1¼ teaspoons salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, from 1 orange
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (see note)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 tart yet sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp or Fuji), peeled, cored, and diced
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
- 2 scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a medium pot, combine the rice, ¾ teaspoon of the salt and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low; cover and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the grains have split open, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the rice to a fine mesh strainer to drain any excess water. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Add the cooled rice, pecans, dried cranberries, parsley, celery, apples, pepitas, and scallions. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Serve cold or at room temperature.
- Note: To toast the pecans, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until toasted and fragrant.
- Make Ahead: This salad can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 409
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Sugar: 21 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 349 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I made this salad in the early Fall, and, yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but don’t let that stop you from making it. It’s one of the most memorable salads I’ve made in a long time, and so good that my husband and I couldn’t help going back for seconds….and thirds!
I used 50% Less Sugar Dried Cranberries….didn’t miss the extra sugar as the orange vinaigrette adds plenty of “sweetness.”
Deeeeeelicious, unique and a big hit at Thanksgiving. I just made it using quinoa instead of wild rice, and it’s pretty fabulous!
Forgot to mention that I used unsalted pepitas and sunflower seeds to make up the full 1/4 cup (to lower sodium content). Still delicious!