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    Home » Condiment Recipes

    Cranberry Salad Dressing

    LAST UPDATED: November 17, 2022 PUBLISHED: November 21, 2022 By Pam Greer 4 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This sweet tart Cranberry Salad Dressing turns every salad into a restaurant worthy salad!

    Perfect to add a festive touch during the holidays to any salad, it's also great year round!

    Cranberry salad dressing being drizzled over a salad.

    Salads may not get all the respect they deserve, but when you drizzle this with this Cranberry Vinaigrette, people will notice!

    It's sweet, it's tart and it has that gorgeous cranberry color. Even better is it's so easy!

    I keep bags of cranberries in my freezer, so I make this tangy vinaigrette year round. It's perfect for a festive touch at the holidays, but it's amazing drizzled on summer salads, especially nice on fruit salads!

    Ingredients.

    • Cranberry juice - so good for you!
    • Cranberries - fresh or frozen. I just pop the whole bag of cranberries in the freezer (I think I have 7 bags in there right now!)
    • Olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
    • Chives - I add chives when I have them, but if I don't have any I sometimes use the top of green onions or omit them completely. It's great with or without them.

    Step by step instructions.

    Cranberry juice and cranberries simmering in a pot.

    Chop the cranberries.

    Combine the cranberry juice and cranberries in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until it's reduced to about ¼ cup. This could take about 5 minutes.

    In a small bowl whisk together the cranberry juice mixture and the honey. The heat from the cranberry juice mixture will help thin the honey. Then whisk in the rest of the ingredients.

    Serve drizzled over your favorite salad.

    Carafe of cranberry vinaigrette with salad in the background.

    This is so good. It's sweet and tart, perfectly tangy. It really does elevate any salad you drizzle it on.

    I made a ridiculously simple salad of baby spinach and mandarin orange and drizzled this dressing over it and people raved about it!

    It's perfect as a holiday salad dressing, but please make it more than just the holidays. Drizzled on fall salads with apples and pears or summer salads with peaches, it goes with everything. I've even sautéed a chicken breast and drizzled a little over it.

    Everyone will love this cranberry vinaigrette! It's an old (2007) Cooking Light recipe that I've been making for years.

    More cranberry recipes.

    Homemade Cranberry Liqueur
    Homemade Cranberry Liqueur
    Time does all the work in this delicious Homemade Cranberry Liqueur
    Click here to see the recipe
    Bright pink cocktail in a martini glass.
    Double Cranberry Cosmopolitan
    Using homemade cranberry liqueur gives this an extra dose of cranberry flavor, though you can use just vodka too! 
    Click here to see the recipe
    Mulled Cranberry Sauce
    Mulled Cranberry Sauce
    This Mulled Cranberry Sauce with red wine, candied ginger, orange zest and other spices is sure to become a family favorite. 
    Click here to see the recipe

    Recipe.

    **As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Cranberry salad dressing drizzled on a salad.
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    4.97 from 62 votes

    Cranberry Salad Dressing

    A sweet tart dressing that makes every salad special!
    Course Condiment
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 15 minutes minutes
    Servings 6
    Calories 55kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup cranberry juice
    • ½ cup cranberries chopped
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 2 teaspoons chives minced, optional
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    • Bring the juice and cranberries to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Let them simmer until reduced to about ¼ cup. This may take about 5 minutes.
    • In a small bowl whisk together the honey and the cranberry mixture. Then whisk in the rest of the ingredients.

    Notes

    Chives - optional.  I've also used a bit of finely minced rosemary. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kayce says

      November 14, 2023 at 9:45 am

      This sound yummy! But Should I use cranberry juice cocktail like ocean spray of unsweetened pure cranberry juice?

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        November 14, 2023 at 11:17 am

        I used unsweetened pure cranberry juice. If you used a juice cocktail, you would probably want to decrease the honey or omit altogether.

        Reply
    2. Barb says

      September 15, 2023 at 1:51 pm

      I will try this recipe. Do you or can you put it in the refrigerator before adding to salad?

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        September 15, 2023 at 2:43 pm

        Sure, store it in the fridge. I like to take it out about an hour before serving so it's not too thick.

        Reply
    4.97 from 62 votes (62 ratings without comment)

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    Pam Greer from Sidewalk Shoes

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