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 rice salad is ideal for fall potlucks and holiday feasts.
Photo by Alexandria Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
To me, this wild rice salad just screams Thanksgiving potluck. 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 the one. Not only is it make-ahead and portable, it’s a welcome relief from all those other 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
Step-by-Step 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, add the orange zest, orange juice, oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
Whisk to combine.
Add the cooled rice.
Add the pecans, dried cranberries, parsley, celery, apples, pepitas, and scallions.
Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
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Wild Rice Salad with Dried Cranberries, Apples & Orange Vinaigrette
Brimming with tasty add-ins—like dried cranberries, apples, and nuts—this make-ahead rice salad is ideal for fall potlucks and holiday feasts.
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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Comments
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Delicious salad. I have made it several times for guests. It always gets rave reviews. I made it last evening and substituted farro for the wild rice and added arugula. It was great
This salad is fabulous! I did a trial run for next weekend’s Easter dinner and I can’t stop eating it. Soooo good!
I expected this to be really good since it is a recipe from Jen, but holy heck this was divine. This made for a satisfying side dish, way beyond a regular rice and potatoes addition.
So so good the next day and definitely a solid choice for guests.
One of my guests was allergic to nuts so I left the pecans and pepitas out. Still delicious!
Weird question: Would this orange vinaigrette be fine on a green salad (spinach, kale, etc.) as well?
Sure, Ku, if you like the dressing, it would work well on any greens. 😊
I was just about to ask that myself! Can’t wait to try it on a simple salad later today…
Oh my gosh. We had to force ourselves to stop making this. It was equally delicious the next day. We shredded 2oz of smoked salmon on each serving for some protein. The dressing was a terrific complement to the salmon and would probably work well with any cooked white fish . That would be cod or scallops for this New Englander! Great thanks Jenn.
This recipe sounds yummy. If made the day before, should I add the dressing or wait til serving to add the dressing
You can add the dressing prior to putting it in the fridge. Hope you enjoy!
Made this as a vegetarian dish for a Christmas buffet. It was a huge hit. Many requests for the recipe. Best thing it can be assembled the day before. Will make it again soon
Very good. I used blood oranges for the orange juice (tangier flavor compared to navel oranges). Served with Thanksgiving dinner and was well-received. Added chopped ham the next day and it made a substantial lunch salad, too.
Hi Jenn,
All the stores are out of wild rice. Anything else I could use?
Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Denise
Hi Denise, You can use a wild rice blend — are you able to find that?
I went to 2 stores and they didn’t have any kind of wild rice left. Was wondering if Wuinoa or another type of rice would work? Thanks so much for a quick response! You are the only site I use for recipes! I’ve made a zillion of your recipes and they are always amazing! I never use any other recipes but yours and I have both of your books. Thank you!
Denise
Thanks for your nice words about the recipes and support of the cookbooks! ❤️
Quinoa may work although it’s not as “sturdy” as wild rice. If you have brown rice, that would work well.