This bright and vibrant Cranberry Mandarin Orange Salad is a quick recipe that’s perfect for the holidays. It has just the right balance of sweet and savory, plus a satisfying crunch from candied pecans!
Pair this cranberry mandarin orange salad with my honey garlic shrimp and broccoli for a colorful meal everyone will love.
This Cranberry Mandarin Orange Salad is a favorite in our family. We would always have this salad around the holidays. One, because it’s so pretty and looks festive with the oranges, greens, and reds. But also, with all the heaviness of the holidays, you gotta have a little balance with some lighter dishes, right? The mandarin oranges are definitely the star—in fact, we usually add a little more so that everyone can be sure to have 4-5 on their plate. Add in the sweetness from the dried cranberry, crunch from the Candied Nuts, and the sweet, tangy dressing and you got yourself a winning salad.
Why This Mandarin Orange Salad Is Our Holiday Tradition
I’m pretty sure that I was addicted to this salad growing up and may have had my fair share of fork wars with family members to get that last bite. You will understand what I’m talking about when you try it.
- The perfect balance of flavors. I love how the sweet, acidic mandarin oranges play off of the sweet-tart cranberries and tangy dressing. (Also, you’ve gotta try this creamy Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad, which has similar vibes.)
- Amazing textures. You’ve got crisp greens, chewy cranberries, tender mandarin oranges, crunchy pecans, and creamy goat cheese.
- Easy to make. This is not a salad that requires a ton of prep and chopping, which makes it great for holidays when you want to add some easy sides to the menu to balance the more labor-intensive dishes.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this mandarin orange salad. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
Dressing:
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Honey – You could use maple syrup instead if you’d like for a slightly different flavor.
- Dried herbs – A combination of thyme and rosemary adds herbal notes to the dressing.
- Salt & pepper – I like to use freshly cracked black pepper, which has more flavor.
Mandarin Orange Salad:
- Spring mix – You can use another variety of greens if you’d like (kale would work well!), but we always go for spring mix, which has a nice blend of colors and textures.
- Mandarin oranges – The kind that comes in a can!
- Candied pecans – Candied walnuts or almonds would also work, or use toasted pepitas or sunflower seeds for a nut-free option.
- Dried cranberries – Because the mandarins are plenty sweet, I like to use low-sugar dried cranberries.
- Green onion
- Goat cheese – If you’re not a fan, feta or shaved Parmesan can be substituted.
How to Make Cranberry Mandarin Orange Salad
Since this salad requires minimal veggie prep, it comes together in a snap! Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Make the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until it emulsifies. (You can also add the ingredients to a jar, seal, and shake until emulsified.)
- Assemble. Add all of the salad ingredients to a large serving bowl.
- Serve. I like to serve the dressing on the side so everyone can add their desired amount and the greens remain crisp, or you can toss the salad and dressing together before serving.
Variations
There are so many ways to make this mandarin orange salad your own! Here are a few ways to switch things up.
- Make it spicy. This is actually my family’s favorite way to make this salad! Add a few dashes of Tabasco to the dressing for some heat, which pairs so well with the sweet cranberries and mandarins.
- Use fresh citrus. You can use fresh mandarin oranges, satsumas, or clementines.
- Swap the green onions for red onion. Thinly sliced shallots would also work. Either of these options will give you a stronger onion flavor.
- Turn it into a meal bowl. Add cooked quinoa, farro, wheat berries, or wild rice to turn this salad into a heartier vegetarian main dish.
What to Serve With Mandarin Orange Salad
We serve this salad as part of our Thanksgiving celebration, so naturally, it pairs well with dishes like Dry Brine Turkey and Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel. But it’s also just as good for a weeknight with Smoky Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast!
How to Store Leftovers
Store the salad and dressing in separate containers in the refrigerator. The salad will last for 2 to 3 days (depending on the freshness of the greens) and the dressing will last for up to 2 weeks.
More Festive Salad Recipes
Mandarin Orange Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Bowl
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Mandarin Orange Cranberry Salad is a quick recipe with the perfect balance of sweet and savory, plus a satisfying crunch from pecans!
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dry rosemary
- salt & pepper to taste
Mandarin Orange Salad:
- 6 oz. of spring mix
- 11oz. can of mandarin orange in orange juice, drained
- 1/2 cup of candied pecans
- 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup diced green onion
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Whisk until completely combined and emulsified. (oil and vinegar no longer separate)
- Assemble the Salad: To a large bowl add spring mix, mandarin oranges, cranberries, green onions, candied pecans and goat cheese.
- Serve with dressing on the side.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 295
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 118 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 5 g
30 comments on “Cranberry Mandarin Orange Salad”
I am a bit confused about the dressing ingredients. The description says to use Tabasco sauce for spice and canola oil, but the other part of the description says olive oil and doesn’t mention Tabasco.
Hi Lupe! Sorry for the confusion — the dressing uses olive oil, and the Tabasco is optional for a little kick. I’ll get that cleaned up in the post. Thanks for catching it!
I love the citrus pops from the orange and tart from the cranberries. Thanks so much for sharing your links at our “Best Of The Weekend party”! I have pinned this to our party board and to another big board too. We hope to see you again at the next party! Have a great week!!
awesome! Thank you so much!
This salad sounds fabulous! I love the citrus pops from the orange and tart from the cranberries. Thanks so much for sharing your links at our “Best Of The Weekend party”! I have pinned this to our party board and to another big board too. We hope to see you again at the next party! Have a great week!!
Thanks for sharing Lisa! Always love coming to your party, first off lots of great inspiration and you girls make it worth the while. 🙂
I love fruity salads! Love the addition of pecans too!
They are the best part of this salad Theresa… adds a nice crunchy to the dish. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I love this idea! It looks SOOO good!! I would love for you to stop by and share it on this weeks Heavenly Achievements!
Thanks so much Krista {love the name by the way…hehe} Thanks for stopping by and for the invite!
This salad is gorgeous and looks delicious, Krista! I love green salads featuring fruit and nuts. I actually threw together a salad the other day with cutie oranges and almonds, but I made up my own dressing without measuring anything and it was only so-so. So I’m really excited your dressing, and the candied pecans look amazing! Thanks for sharing this!
Oh that sounds good, sounds like we are on the same wave length. 🙂 The dressing to this is awesome, the dash of hot sauce gives it a nice mild kick. 🙂 Hope you like it girl! Hope you have an awesome day!
I love mandarin oranges in salads! I wish more salads came with them. This is totally a meal I’d eat for lunch and dinner!
I know.. it is the perfect fruit to add into a salad and definitely one of my favorites. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Meghan!
What a pretty salad! Loving all those pecans!
Thanks Jamie! It was as good as it looks and the pecans gave it a great crunch. 🙂
Good heavens, this looks amazing! I have such a soft spot for mandarin oranges and I bet they make this salad just sing with goodness 🙂
hahaa.. Me too! But I bet you guessed that after looking at the salad. 🙂 They definitely make any salad that much better.
I will be trying this! I’ve been trying to eat a lot more salads lately. This looks delicious!
I have been trying to do that too, good for your body and colon. 🙂 I hope you like it Kathy, thanks so much for stopping by!
Oooh, this looks fabulous!
Thanks Danelle, it was definitely delicious! Had it for lunch again today. 🙂
Bring on the cranberries and candied pecans! Love this seasonal salad, and your pecan recipe too. Super simple and sounds so delish!
Right?! Maybe I should have skipped the lettuce part and just gone with the cranberries and pecans. 🙂 hehe…
This looks delicious, Krista! I love salads that are sweet and savory like this. Pinning!
Thanks Marcie, love seeing your comments. Sounds like we like the same stuff chica! Thanks for the pin love. 🙂
Looks fantastic – the salad and our photo!! Pinned!
Thanks Paula, had it for lunch again today. Told you I was addicted. 🙂
That is a beautiful salad Krista. Definitely want to give this a try 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Thanks Eric, I hope you like it. 🙂 Let me know what you think!