This wild rice lentil salad with apples and cranberries is a tasty Thanksgiving side dish that’s full of fresh flavors. Enjoy this gluten free side for the holidays or at anytime as a light lunch option.
Here we are in mid-November, and it feels like time is flying by.
I know that the stores are stocking more and more seasonal produce in preparation for Thanksgiving. I’m always so tempted by the bags of fresh cranberries. This salad is a great way to use them!
This wild rice lentil salad is a dish that you can make ahead of time, and it’s perfect for those with special dietary needs, because it’s not only gluten free and vegan, but it’s free of the top 8 allergens. This salad is packed with color and flavor – crispy apples, tart cranberries, wild rice, black lentils, onions, and celery, all topped with a citrus dressing.
It’s a nice, light, tasty dish that perfectly complements bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and all the heavier holiday dishes.
Ingredient Notes
- Lentils – Now if you aren’t a lentil fan, you can leave those out, but I do think that they add some nice texture and flavor. You can use green lentils if you wish, but the black lentils are a little bit firmer and hold up better in salads. Don’t use red lentils – they are too mushy for salad.
- Wild Rice – I love wild rice – it adds some nice texture to this salad. If you can’t find it, you can just use more brown rice instead.
- Cranberries – Fresh cranberries add a vivid color and some tartness to this salad. If they aren’t in season, feel free to use dried cranberries or dried cherries.
- Apple – I like to use Fuji apples, but other good choices would be Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp. The sweetness of these varieties is a good contrast to the tart cranberries.
Substitutions
- If you don’t have lentils, try adding some black beans. If you can’t have legumes, you can add a different vegetable, like finely chopped broccoli, red peppers, or shredded carrots.
- This salad could be made with fresh pears, or even oranges if you wish. That’s the nice thing about salads – you can be creative and make them your own.
Make Ahead Instructions
This salad can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator.
If you do make this the night before you’re going to serve it, be sure to keep the dressing separate. I find that rice just soaks up the dressing and then a lot of the flavor is lost if you mix it all together too early.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Wild Rice Lentil Salad with Apples and Cranberries.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain brown rice
- ½ cup wild rice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- â…“ cup black lentils picked over and rinsed
- ½ cup sweet onion chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- 1 large apple diced
- fresh parsley
For the dressing:
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup organic canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- â…“ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
- Place the brown rice and the wild rice in a large pot and add 3 ¼ cups of water and a teaspoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover pan. Cook for about 40-45 minutes, or until both varieties are tender.
- While the rice cooks, cook the lentils. Place them in a pot with enough water to cover by one inch. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until lentils are tender but still firm, about 25 minutes. Drain out excess water.
- Place the rice and lentils in a large bowl and let them cool before proceeding.
- Put the cranberries in a food processor and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.
- Add the cranberries, apples, onion, and celery to the bowl. Stir well.
- Make the dressing: Put the orange juice, organic canola oil, salt, pepper, and sugar in a jar with a lid. Shake well. If you are serving the salad right away, pour the dressing on top and toss to coat. If you are not serving immediately, refrigerate the salad and the dressing and combine just before serving.
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Chessie
Pretty Bee, thank you for this pretty salad! If my phone weren’t very far from smart, I would post an image so you could see it.
This was on my food plan for today, and on my way home on this gray and wintry day, I was not feeling psyched about a salad. Now that it’s prepared, though, I am totally there for it. Delicious and beautiful — thank you so much!
(BTW, I tried to rate it five stars, but your website seems not to like me.)
Kelly Roenicke
Thanks for letting me know about the ratings, they are working again! I’m happy that you love this salad! :)
Chessie
Yay! Here’s my rating, then.
Kelly Roenicke
Thank you! :)
Jessica Levinson (@jlevinsonrd)
I would eat this salad for lunch every day if it was in my fridge! love everything about it! I’m not hosting this year, but bringing my signature roasted butternut squash and sweet potato soup to my mom’s! happy Thanksgiving !
whiskandshout
This looks amazing! Such bright and delicious colors :)
Kelly
THank you!
Aggie @ Aggie's Kitchen
This is soooo my kind of dish. I love rice salads!
Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen
Happy Birthday to your little guy! This salad is so pretty! I love all of the crunch and flavor in it, too!
Kelly
Thanks, Kristine!
Selena @ The Nutritious Kitchen
This looks like such a hearty and healthy lunch. The kind of meal you feel good about eating after you know? Definitely pinning and packing as lunches week after Thanksgiving!
Kelly
Thanks for pinning!
Rachel @ Bakerita
This salad looks incredible!! Love all the delicious fall flavors. I want to grab a spoon!
Kelly
Thank you!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
The countdown IS on and I am freaking out! LOL. I need more easy sides in my life and this salad is definitely gonna have to happen! Love the apples and cranberries you threw in there!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
This salad is gorgeous, Kelly! I love the pretty colors and flavors. This definitely screams fall and deliciousness!