Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Salad

Tasty Fall Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Salad with red onions, crunchy pecans, tart cranberries, and a sweet dressing! 

I cannot get my brain off of Thanksgiving. Which is strange, because even though I love Thanksgiving – HELLO, the food?? – I usually don’t think about it that much til the week of. But this year it’s been on my mind since before Halloween and it’s not because the stores started putting Christmas decor out half way through October.

Side note: I blame Walmart for the rush of seasons and holidays. They always jump the gun and everybody follows suit.

Side side note. I totally still shop at Walmart.

Annnnyways, I’ve been in the mood for all things Thanksgiving and I’m already planning what I’m going to bring to our three rounds of Thanksgiving dinner. Three, people. Three. My in laws are hosting round one about half way through the month because they’ll be out of town for real Thanksgiving. My parents are hosting round two on Thanksgiving Day. And somewhere in the middle of all of that we’re going to have one at our house. For the four of us. Because I’m pretty giddy about the idea that we are about to celebrate our first Thanksgiving as a family of more than two.

And I have too much to be thankful for to pass up the chance to celebrate it with my people.

So this salad! You could make it anytime, and trust me you will want to make it all the time. But I made it with Thanksgiving in mind. With tart cranberries and crunchy glazed Diamond pecans, and fluffy wild rice, all tossed in a sweet and tangy dressing. SO GOOD. And incredibly easy. So if you’re in charge of the salad this year, think past your typical leafy greens and go with this tasty wild rice salad instead. Your fellow turkey eaters will beg you for the recipe!

Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Salad

Tasty Fall Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Salad with red onions, crunchy pecans, tart cranberries, and a sweet dressing! 

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 package wild rice blend
• ▢ ½ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ ⅓ cup pecans
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 green onion - chopped
• ▢ 1 stalk celery - chopped
• ▢ ¼ red onion - chopped

Dressing

• ▢ 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar - OR red wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ ⅔ cup oil - (vegetable or olive)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Cook wild rice according to package’s instructions. Allow to cool.
• In a large bowl toss together rice, cranberries, green onion, celery, red onion.
• Add pecans to a pan and stir over medium-high heat 2-3 minute until toasted. Add the 3 tablespoons of sugar and continue to stir until sugar is dissolved and nuts are coated. Transfer to a metal baking sheet or glass plate to cool. Break apart and add to salad bowl.
• Toss salad with half of the salad dressing. (see note) Cover and chill until ready to serve or serve immediately.

Notes

*This dressing recipe makes quite a bit of dressing, I like to keep the leftovers in the fridge for a week and use it on other salads. If you don’t want any leftover, you can half the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 327 kcal, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 29 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 21 mg, Potassium: 64 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 15 g, Vitamin A: 30 IU, Vitamin C: 3 mg, Calcium: 13 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Author: Tiffany

Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @cremedelacrumb1 on Instagram and hashtag it #cremedelacrumb!

This tasty salad recipe has been sponsored by Diamond Nuts – thanks for letting me work with the brands I love!