Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey (2024)

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By Heather 6 Comments

I absolutely love cranberries! In fact I bought a few too many this year, since they are in season! I created this easy cranberry salad, that is so simple, yet bursting with flavor! This is not your grandmother’s cranberry salad!

Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey (1)

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Why is this easy cranberry salad so different? You take fresh cranberries and roast them! This makes them a touch sweeter and mixed with a little cinnamon and salt you get a super flavorful topping to your greens!

I added some sunflower seeds and celery for crunch and a basic homemade dressing! This is a perfect lunch to make ahead or a fresh, healthy side for dinner!

Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey (2)

This is also a great recipe to use leftover cranberries from holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always add a few extra bags of berries to my cart in the fall since cranberries freeze really well.

I think this recipe is a great substitute for the sugar filled dried cranberries that are popular on salads. You have the option of using honey or go totally sugar free with liquid unflavored stevia. I have directions for both in the recipe.

Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey (3)

Roasting Cranberries Tips

  • I line my baking sheets with either parchment paper or a slipmat. This makes clean up way easier and not berries stuck to the sheet pan.
  • Make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet, cranberries will roll all over the place.
  • Try different flavor combinations when roasting. Pumpkin pie spice would be delicious!

Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey (4)

Easy Cranberry Salad in Summery:

  • Roast the cranberries ahead or in bulk to save time!
  • The roasted cranberries are a great addition to oatmeal, or even cookies!
  • Use a simple dressing so the cranberry flavor can shine through!

Let’s get cooking!

Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey (5)

Take the slightly tart flavor of cranberries to the next level by roasting them! Turn a boring salad into a show stopper!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 cups spinach
  • 4 cups lettuce
  • 4 cups cranberries
  • Adrizzle of olive oil
  • 2 tbs honey ( optional, but it will be more tart)
  • OR 5-10 drops stevia
  • 1 tsp smoked or regular salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds - either raw or roasted salted your preferance
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • Dressing:
  • 2 tablespoons herb flavored olive oil ( sub in regular and add a pinch of Italian seasoning)
  • 1/2 tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbs vinegar- apple cider or red wine work well
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees
  2. On a parchment lined baking sheet- spread out the cranberries in one layer
  3. Give the berries a light drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and cinnamon, and finally the honey.
  4. If using stevia instead of honey, measure the olive oil into another dish you can pour from and mix the stevia into the olive oil so it is evenly distributed.
  5. Shake the roasting pan a bit to get the ingredients all over the cranberries.
  6. Roast at 400 degrees about 20 minutes.
  7. Add the spinach, lettuce, celery, sunflower seeds and roasted cranberries to your salad bowl.
  8. In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon, vinegar and salt, whisk together and drizzle on the salad.
  9. Serve! If you want to keep leftovers, do not dress the salad as once dressed it won't keep!

Notes

You can use any combination of lettuce and greens you like!

If you wanted to make extra cranberries, they go very well in oatmeal!

You could change out the olive oil to melted coconut oil, or avocado oil. if you prefer for the cranberries.

Honey is optional if you are avoiding sweeteners, but does make the berries a little less tart!See directions for how to use liquid stevia.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4th recipe

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191

I hope you’ve enjoyed this easy cranberry salad recipe!

Cheers,

Heather

P.S. if you are looking for another favorite way to cook with cranberries try my Spiced Apple and Pumpkin One Pan Dinner

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather says

    December 13, 2016 at 11:45 pm

    Love cranberries!

    Reply

  2. Jennifer says

    December 6, 2017 at 5:15 am

    We are cranberry farmers and I’ve used cranberries in just about every way conceivable, except roasting. What a great idea. I can’t wait to try this for Christmas dinner this year.

    Reply

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Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey (2024)

FAQs

Easy Cranberry Salad Recipe - A Real Food Journey? ›

For most people, it's quite difficult to tell lingonberries and cranberries apart. Not only do the berries look similar to the untrained eye, but they also share a tart flavour. Adding to the confusion, the evergreen shrubs that the berries come from look very much alike—both belong to the heath family.

What is cranberry salad made of? ›

Ingredients
  • 1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries.
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup.
  • ¼ cup water.
  • 2 cups chopped unpeeled Honeycrisp apples.
  • ¾ cup orange segments.
  • ¾ cup thinly sliced celery.
  • ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts.
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest or lemon zest. Kroger® Fresh Lemons. Great for Juicing, Zesting and Garnishing. ORDER NOW.
Apr 25, 2024

What is the closest berry to cranberry? ›

For most people, it's quite difficult to tell lingonberries and cranberries apart. Not only do the berries look similar to the untrained eye, but they also share a tart flavour. Adding to the confusion, the evergreen shrubs that the berries come from look very much alike—both belong to the heath family.

How to make a salad better? ›

How to Make a Salad You'll Actually Want to Eat
  1. 1: Think Beyond Lettuce and Greens.
  2. 2: Add Heft with Grains and Nuts.
  3. 3: Add Beans or Other Proteins.
  4. 4: Make Your Own Homemade Salad Dressing.
  5. 5: Make it a Flavor Party.
Jan 18, 2024

Why is my cranberry salad runny? ›

One possibility is that you may not have used enough sugar: Sugar helps the sauce firm up, so be sure to use the full amount called for in a recipe. Another possibility is that the cranberries need to boil for longer, releasing their pectin and ensuring a jelly consistency.

What are the main ingredients in cranberries? ›

Raw, unsweetened American cranberries contain mainly 87% water and 12% carbohydrates, with lesser amounts of protein, fats and fiber (Table 1) [11]. Small cranberries accrue 2.1–4.9% titrable acidity with citric acid contributing 1.8–2.6%.

Why are cranberries a holiday food? ›

Cranberries can actually be found from the Polar Regions to the tropics, in both hemispheres. Due to the importance of cranberries in the 1500s and their abundance, it is believed that the pilgrims and the American Indians would have eaten them at the first Thanksgiving.

What are the ingredients in cranberry twist? ›

Filtered water, Fruit juices from concentrate (filtered water, concentrated cranberry and pomegranate juices), Erythritol, Natural flavour, Citric acid, Fumaric acid, Pectin, Concentrated carrot and blueberry juices, Sucralose (36 mg/250mL), Acesulfame-potassium (19 mg/250 mL), Vitamin C.

Why do people eat cranberry jelly on Thanksgiving? ›

By the 1860s, cranberry sauce was so ingrained as an American dish, that General Ulysses S. Grant reportedly ordered that cranberries be served to soldiers as part of their Thanksgiving meal. Whichever cranberry recipe you end up eating on Thanksgiving, it just might be the most venerable dish on your menu.

Can you use craisins instead of cranberries? ›

Yes, Craisins® Sweetened Dried Cranberries work well in baked goods; however, there is a 1/4 cup (60 mL) difference in measurement. If a recipe calls for one cup of fresh cranberries you should use 3/4 cup (175 mL) of Craisins®.

What berries go well with cranberries? ›

We like to use fresh oranges for the juice, but store-bought orange juice works as well. Bring the cranberry sauce mixture to a boil, and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries or strawberries.

What 5 states grow cranberries? ›

Most cranberries come from Wisconsin and Massachusetts

Just five states grow almost all of the country's supply of the tart berries: Wisconsin produces more than half of all cranberries in the United States, Massachusetts harvests another third, and New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington produce much of the rest.

What seasoning to add to salad? ›

5 Unique Spices to Add to Your Salad
  1. Curry Powder. One interesting spice you can add to your salad to make it more flavorful is curry powder. ...
  2. Garlic. ...
  3. Ginger. ...
  4. Mint. ...
  5. Cumin.
Apr 15, 2023

Why do salads taste better in restaurants? ›

Restaurants salt their salads.

In the restaurant I worked in, I also noticed that cooks seasoned every element with a pinch of salt — even the lettuce. This resulted in every bite tasting vibrant and flavorful. "Season your salad just like you would anything else," Simpson said.

What can I put in a salad to make it more interesting? ›

Add spices and flavours such as paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, harissa or parmesan. Add acidity or sourness with vinegar, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses to transform your salad.

What are cranberries mostly made of? ›

Cranberries are primarily composed of carbs and fiber ( 1 ). These are mainly simple sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, and fructose ( 2 ). The rest is made up of insoluble fiber — such as pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose — which pass through your gut almost intact. Cranberries also contain soluble fiber.

Is cranberry a fruit or vegetable? ›

Cranberries are a native North American fruit and a Thanksgiving staple for many families. Cranberries are potent sources of antioxidants, specifically from a subclass of flavonoids called proanthocyanidins, which are unique to and abundant in cranberries.

Can you eat raw cranberries in a salad? ›

You can add them to smoothies or salads, or eat them whole. Eating raw cranberries is safe and easy, though their sharp, bitter flavor isn't for everyone. Be sure to clean and sort them thoroughly.

Is cranberry actually good for you? ›

Cranberries provide a good source of various vitamins and antioxidants. Historically, Native Americans used cranberries as a treatment for bladder and kidney diseases, while early settlers from England used them to treat poor appetite, stomach complaints, blood disorders, and scurvy.

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