Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries is a colorful fall salad packed with chewy wild rice, sweet-tart cranberries, toasted nuts, and a bright cider-Dijon dressing ~ perfect for Thanksgiving, but just as good for lunches all season long.
A colorful and crunchy wild rice salad is one of my fall staples. It debuted on the site in 2014, and has been a reader favorite ever since.
Comment highlights
➡ “I made this salad for Thanksgiving and it has since become a regular rotation in my family’s dinners. Sooo good. Great textures and zing.“
➡ “It was a conversation piece… so colorful and just pretty. Everyone who tried it loved it.”
➡ “I’m always asked to bring this!”
Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to make a wild rice salad
If quinoa and farro are already in your rotation, add wild rice. It has that chewy, nutty texture that makes a fall salad feel substantial enough for lunch, dinner, or a holiday table.
- Naturally gluten-free ~ wild rice is actually an aquatic seed, not rice at all.
- Great texture ~ chewy, nutty, and sturdy enough to hold up to a punchy dressing.
- Made for fall flavors ~ cranberries, apples, pears, toasted nuts, squash, herbs, and sharp cheeses all work beautifully with it.
- A great make-ahead salad ~ the flavors settle in as it chills, so it’s especially handy for lunches and holiday cooking.
- More than a side dish ~ use wild rice in salads, grain bowls, soups, or as the base for a simple fall lunch.
Cider Dijon dressing pulls it all together
This is a sharp, slightly sweet cider-Dijon vinaigrette that cuts through the chewy rice and rich toasted nuts. Shallot gives it a little bite, while honey rounds out the vinegar. Use it on other fall salads, too!
- olive oil
- cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- shallot
- honey
tips for making wild rice salad with cranberries
- Cook it until pleasantly chewy. Wild rice should be tender but still have some bite; some of the kernels will split as they cook, and that’s perfectly normal.
- Salt the cooking water. Wild rice needs seasoning from the start or the finished salad can taste flat.
- Dress the rice while it’s warm. Toss the drained rice with some of the cider-Dijon dressing right away so it can soak up all that flavor.
- Toast the nuts. It makes a surprisingly big difference in both flavor and crunch. I do mine in a skillet or quickly in the microwave.
- Make it ahead. This salad is especially good after the flavors have had time to mingle. Refrigerate it, then give it a good toss and add a little extra dressing if it needs waking up.
I’m not gonna lie, this is a chewy salad. There’s texture upon texture in here; you know you’re eating real food and it’s wonderful. Some grain based salads can be mushy or heavy; this one is neither. I think you’ll love it for the holidays, but will find yourself making it over and over again.
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Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 1/4 cup pecan halves
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, rough chopped,, roasted and salted is fine
- 1/4 small red onion, finely minced
- several small inner stalks of celery, with leaves, minced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 tsp honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a quart of water and a teaspoon of salt to boil in a saucepan and add the rice. Return to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and cook for about 30-40 minutes, or just until the rice is tender but not mushy. Some of the grains will be splitting. Note: Wild rice will always have a little bite to it, so don't try to cook it until completely soft.
- While the rice is cooking, put the pecans in a large skillet and toast, over medium heat, until you smell them and they start to turn slightly brown. Take them off the heat and let them cool before giving them a rough chop. You can also do this in the microwave: spread out in a single layer, just 2 minutes on high.
- Whisk together the dressing or shake in a small jar. If you put the top on and shake it vigorously, it should emulsify. Taste it to adjust the amount of vinegar or seasonings.
- Drain the rice well and transfer to a large bowl.
- Toss the warm rice with some of the dressing, then add the rest of the ingredients.
- When ready to serve, add more dressing if needed, and toss well.
Notes
Nutrition
more wild rice recipes
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My beet and wild rice salad with spiced pecans goes from packable lunch to holiday table ~ this superfood salad is healthy and super delicious!!
Creamy Wild Rice Soup
A thick, creamy wild rice soup just like the kind you'd get at an old fashioned supper club in the midwest. My secret ingredients make it the best!
Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice and Mushrooms
Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice and Mushrooms ~ this earthy, stick-to-your-ribs skillet dinner is ideal for a chilly fall night!
How to Cook Wild Rice
Simple instructions for the best way to cook wild rice for delicious fall recipes.
I have been wanting to make this recipe for a long time. We had it for lunch today and it was delicious. The only change to recipe that I made was adding more pecans.
Thanks so much for the review Janelle. I’ll be making it for our Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks.
This is a flavorful, substantial dish. It looks beautiful and offers a flavor sensation!!
I agree Heidi, so healthy too!
My husband requests this often. We love it!
Hi, Sue, I have pinned this recipt ever since you posted it. I had never had a chance to really go for it until this summer, when I finally retired, I made it once, twice ….. my son loves it very much, he gives a high five to it. I made it to give to a very close friend, she and her daughter are now hugh fans of this salad. We are crazy about it. I just want to let you know that after all these years, your photos of this jar of wild rice salad are the ones are so sharp and beautiful who attracted my eyes, not only my appetite, that I pinned it, kept it, now it is our top favorite. Thank you, thank you.
Great salad. Lots of flavor and crunch and I’m always asked for the recipe. I attend an annual luncheon and am always asked to bring this. True wild rice can be hard to find in my supermarket so in desperation I substituted Black Japonica Rice. It was a huge hit and the black rice shows off all the beautiful colors in this salad. Whatever grain you use, keep this salad in your repertoire – it’s really good.
Thank you Nell, this is the season when I start to crave this salad.