This Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad is a delicious cold rice salad recipe with a tangy citrus vinaigrette. Watch the video showing you how to make this recipe, then scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad
This salad happens to be one of my all-time favorite salad recipes. Oddly enough, I started making this recipe way back when I was in college. Even then, I was an avid collector of recipes. This Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad recipe was part of that collection.
I remember making it and bringing it to a party- a college potluck party. Most people brought chips and dip and store bought goodies. I brought Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad! It was a big hit back then. And it’s still a hit today.
I love the addition of dried cranberries and raisins. Toasted pine nuts are wonderful in this too. And the apple cider vinaigrette has plenty of orange zest in it, which makes it pretty delicious.
After assembling this Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad and tossing it with the dressing, it’s a good idea to let it marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator. This gives the rice a chance to soak up that tangy dressing. It’s so good!
If you’re looking for more great salad recipes, you might like to try my Broccoli Salad or this Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Apple. Roasted Sweet Potato Rainbow Salad, Apple Brie Salad and Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Salad are delicious salad recipes too!
Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
- 3¼ cups water
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1¼ cups wild rice
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or Craisins
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (see Recipe Notes)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring water and broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender but still slightly firm to bite, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Drain rice and transfer to a large bowl and cool.
- Mix cranberries, raisins, onions, pine nuts, parsley, and orange peel into rice. Whisk orange juice and vinegar together. Gradually whisk in oil. Add enough dressing to rice salad to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Let marinate for several hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- To toast pine nuts, just heat a small pan and add the pine nuts. Dry toast them, stirring constantly, until they are lightly browned.
- This may be prepared one day ahead. Keep refrigerated.
- If you are preparing this as gluten-free, make sure that you are using a wild rice blend that is gluten-free. Also be sure to use a brands of chicken broth and cranberries that are known to be GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe last night and it’s the perfect dish to take to a party. I used toasted pecans instead of pinenuts because it seemed Christmassy. Thanks!
There is a recipe from my old cookbook, Loaves and Fishes by Anna Pump, that has a very similar recipe, which I have been making since the 1980’s! It has always been one of my favorites, and I’ve made it for company in the summer and brought it to dinners at other people’s homes. The differences are tiny, but she used toasted hazelnuts for the pine nuts. The taste of those went perfectly with the rice salad. And she used red grapes halved in place of the dried fruits. I combined your recipe and hers, and it’s perfect! I’m bringing it to a Memorial Day barbecue. Thank you. I recommend this recipe to everyone!
Looks like you are using a combination of long grain and wild rice. Wild rice is black. Did you use a boxed combination?
Probably!