Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans

4 servings
This salad will take you from lunch to a holiday table. It's savory, a touch sweet, a touch tangy, has a little bit of crunch and is addictively delicious! Serve cold or room temperature. Stays well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week. NOTE: this is a cold salad but total time includes cooking the rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups wild rice or wild rice blend)

    we used Lundberg wild rice blend (This translates to 5 cups cooked

  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots

    cut into bite size pieces

  • 1/2 cup pecan halves

    broken into pieces

  • 1/2 cup roasted and salted pistachios
  • 1/2 cup celery

    diced

  • 1/4 cup red onion

    diced

  • 1/4 cup green part of green onions

    sliced thin

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 clove garlic

    minced

  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
    or more to taste -- NOTE: the pistachios we used were salted; use more salt if unsalted pistachios
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper or more to taste

Directions

  1. 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

  2. 2

    Whisk all ingredient together until well combined.

  3. 3

    Add all ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. PRO Tip: When making as part of meal prep, I sometimes like to keep the dressing separate until serving so that it stays fresher. And when you add dressing, a little goes a long way!

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans

55 min4 servings

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About this Recipe

Craving a salad that's both hearty enough for a meal and elegant enough for a holiday gathering? This Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans delivers an irresistibly delicious blend of savory, sweet, and tangy flavors with a satisfying crunch in every bite. It's the perfect make-ahead dish that effortlessly transitions from a light lunch to a festive side.

Why This Recipe Works

What makes this wild rice salad truly stand out is its masterful interplay of textures and tastes. The robust chew of wild rice perfectly complements the bright burst of dried cranberries and sweet apricots, while crunchy pecans and roasted pistachios add a delightful nuttiness. A vibrant dressing, brightened by red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice, ties all these components together, ensuring every forkful is perfectly balanced and utterly addictive.

What to Expect

Get ready for a mosaic of flavors and textures that dance on your palate. You'll experience the earthy depth of wild rice alongside the juicy tartness of cranberries and the mellow sweetness of apricots. Each spoonful is punctuated by the satisfying crunch of pecans and pistachios, balanced by the crisp freshness of celery and a subtle oniony bite from red and green onions. This is a cold salad, designed to be served chilled or at room temperature, making it wonderfully refreshing and easy to enjoy. While it takes about 55 minutes from start to finish, much of that is passive cooking time for the rice, with just 25 minutes of active preparation.

Customization & Variations

This versatile wild rice salad offers a few ways to tailor it to your pantry or preferences. You can easily swap out the specific wild rice blend for a pure wild rice variety, or even another favorite grain blend. While the recipe features dried cranberries and apricots, you might experiment with other dried fruits like tart cherries or golden raisins for a different sweet-tart profile. For the nuts, feel free to substitute the pecans and pistachios with walnuts or almonds to match what you have on hand or to explore new flavor combinations.

Serving & Context

This Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans is an ideal dish for nearly any occasion. Serve it as a vibrant main course for a light lunch, a sophisticated side for a weeknight dinner, or a stunning addition to your holiday spread. Its appealing colors and complex flavors make it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, wonderful served alongside roasted poultry or grilled fish.

Frequently Asked Questions