Harvest Wild Rice Salad

This Harvest Wild Rice Salad recipe is vegan and healthy. It's made with roasted butternut squash and cranberries in a maple Dijon dressing.

I enjoy recipes and ingredients that celebrate a particular season and this wild rice Harvest Salad exemplifies everything there is to love about autumn.

This salad is basically fall on a plate. It's prepared with seasonal ingredients like roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, and almonds. It's tossed in a homemade maple syrup Dijon mustard dressing.

It's super healthy, vegan, and gluten free yet hearty and filling at the same time. This salad is the perfect blend of sweet, savory, tangy, and earthy. It's got a nice blend of textures and flavors.

This wild rice salad makes a great side dish served with roasted meats or as a lunch or light weeknight dinner recipe.

You can even serve it on a Thanksgiving menu as a counter-balance to all the decadent classics like buttermilk mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.

Jump to:

• Do I Need To Peel Butternut Squash Before Roasting It?
• How To Peel Butternut Squash
• Ingredients For Harvest Wild Rice Salad
• How To Roast Butternut Squash In The Oven
• How Long Does Wild Rice Take To Cook?
• Do I Need To Soak The Wild Rice Before Cooking?
• How To Tell When Wild Rice Is Done Cooking
• How To Make Maple Mustard Dressing
• How To Make Fall Harvest Salad
• What Does Wild Rice Taste Like?
• What To Serve With Wild Rice Salad
• How Long Does Wild Rice Salad Last In The Fridge?
• Can It Be Made Ahead Of Time?
• Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Do I Need To Peel Butternut Squash Before Roasting It?

Wild rice is the star of this dish but its got a great cast of supporting characters. All of the ingredients in this recipe are ones that I associate with fall and look forward to enjoying every year.

Butternut squash is a quintessential autumn ingredient. I love to use it to make everything from Butternut Squash Soup to Butternut Squash Parmesan Dip to Butternut Squash Fries.

The skin of butternut squash is quite tough and peeling it before roasting is essential.

How To Peel Butternut Squash

Peeling a butternut squash can seem intimidating but following a few simple steps will help you streamline the process.

1. To peel the butternut squash simply remove the top and bottom of the squash with a sharp knife. This will give you a flat surface on both the top and bottom portion of the fruit and make it easier to peel and cut.
2. Place the flat bottom surface of the squash on a cutting board. Carefully remove the skin with a knife or a good quality vegetable peeler.
3. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds from the bottom portion with a large spoon. Feel free to discard the seeds and membranes.
4. Cut each half of the squash into rounds and then cut the rounds into chunks. It’s important that the chunks are relatively the same size to ensure even cooking.

This recipe uses 4-5 cups of cubed butternut squash.

Ingredients For Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 1 cup Wild Rice
• 3 cups Water
• 4-5 cups Butternut Squash
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil (split)
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp. each Kosher Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 4 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• ¾ cup Dried Cranberries
• ¾ cup Sliced Almonds

One of the best ways to prepare butternut squash is to roast it. Butternut squash is naturally sweet and roasting it with some savory spices creates some great balanced flavors.

How To Roast Butternut Squash In The Oven

1. Once the butternut squash is cubed place it on a large baking sheet.
2. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. olive oil over the squash and toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle 1 tsp. each of garlic power, onion powder, and smoked paprika over the squash in addition to ½ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Toss until completely coated.
4. Place the baking sheet in an oven that has been heated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast the squash for 25-28 minutes. The squash should be easily pierced with a fork or knife when done.
5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside.

Roasting times may vary slightly depending on the size of the butternut squash cubes. Typically roasting times fall between 25-30 minutes.

How Long Does Wild Rice Take To Cook?

Wild rice takes awhile to cook on the stove top. Cooking times usually fall between 50-60 minutes.

The great thing about this recipe is that all of the other elements can be prepared as the wild rice is cooking.

The other nice thing about wild rice is that it is low-maintenance. There is nothing fancy about the cooking process.

1. To make the wild rice add 3 cups of water to a medium sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling add 1 cup of wild rice.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 55-60 minutes.
4. Once the wild rice is finished cooking place it in a strainer to drain any excess water and allow it to cool.

You can also make wild rice in the Instant Pot. Check out this Instant Pot Wild Rice recipe for instructions on how to cook it using an electric pressure cooker!

Do I Need To Soak The Wild Rice Before Cooking?

It is not necessary to soak the wild rice before cooking but you can rinse it under cold water first if you like.

How To Tell When Wild Rice Is Done Cooking

The wild rice will soften and plump up as it cooks but will still retain a little bite. You don't want it to be mushy but softened and slightly chewy.

How To Make Maple Mustard Dressing

The maple mustard dressing is what ties this whole Harvest Wild Rice Salad together. This is the dressing I use to top these Sheet Pan Sausage and Potatoes and it's always a hit.

The dressing can be made while the wild rice is cooking and the butternut squash is roasting in the oven.

1. To make the dressing combine 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 3 Tbsp. maple syrup, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 4 tsp. red wine vinegar, and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Stir all of these ingredients until completely combined using a fork or small whisk.

This dressing is great because it's sweet and tangy. It tastes a lot like a honey mustard dressing.

A Few Tips

• I recommend using real maple syrup and not syrup with any artificial sugars or flavors. Artificial maple syrup would alter the flavor of the dressing.
• You can substitute white wine vinegar or any kind of vinegar you like for red wine vinegar. Avoid using malt vinegar if you are gluten free as it may contain gluten.
• I recommend using Dijon mustard or a smooth mustard versus a grainy mustard as this creates a nice, smooth consistency in the dressing.

How To Make Fall Harvest Salad

Once the wild rice, butternut squash, and dressing are finished all that's left is to assemble the salad.

Any kind of large bowl works great for tossing the salad.

1. Place the cooked wild rice (yields 4 cups) and cooked butternut squash in a large bowl along with ¾ cup dried cranberries and ¾ cup sliced almonds.
2. Pour half of the dressing over the ingredients, toss, and repeat with the second half of the dressing. Toss until completely coated.

Can I Substitute Any Of These Ingredients?

Yes! This Harvest Wild Rice Salad is super versatile and you can customize it to your tastes.

• The dried cranberries can be substituted with dried cherries, figs, apricots, prunes or any kind of dried fruit. You can even use pomegranate seeds in place of the cranberries.
• Feel free to swap out the almonds for any kind of nuts. Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts are all great choices. Seeds such as pepitas or sunflower seeds may be used if you have a nut allergy.
• You can add feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, or any kind of dry, salty cheese if you'd like to add some richness.

What Does Wild Rice Taste Like?

It should be noted that wild rice is not actually 'rice'. It’s classified as a ‘water grass seed’. It consists of a grain that is harvested from 1 of 4 species of grasses. Historically it was eaten in North America, China, and India.

Wild rice is commonly found in Minnesota and the Great Lakes States. You'll find it everywhere if you ever take a trip to northern Minnesota.

It's also incredibly healthy. Wild rice contains a high amount of protein and it’s low in fat and high in antioxidants. It’s a good source of minerals and vitamins.

I love to make a batch of it early in the week an enjoy it with roasted vegetables, in grain bowls, and even with scrambled eggs.

It's nutty and earthy in flavor. I think that it tastes like the earth and the environment in which its grown. Wild rice has a nice, clean taste.

What To Serve With Wild Rice Salad

This Harvest Salad is great because it's so versatile. It's delicious with roasted or smoked meats as well as sausages.

A hearty dish like red wine pot roast or Instant Pot pot roast would pair well.

This salad makes a great addition to a Thanksgiving or holiday menu served alongside these au gratin potatoes, savory mashed sweet potatoes, fennel stuffing, or spiced butternut squash salad.

If you like this wild rice salad I think you'll love this Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing.

And if you'd like to learn more don't miss these 25 Amazing Wild Rice Recipes!

How Long Does Wild Rice Salad Last In The Fridge?

It should last 3-4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure all of the ingredients are completely cooled before assembling and moving to the fridge for storage.

Can It Be Made Ahead Of Time?

This Harvest Salad can definitely be made the day before you plan to serve it. The flavors actually meld together after sitting for a few hours.

Be sure to store it in the fridge if you decide to make it ahead of time.

Love the flavors of fall? Don't miss these recipes:

• Crockpot Butternut Squash Sausage Soup
• Sweet Potato Kale Soup
• Roasted Carrot Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad
• Roasted Pumpkin Chickpea Salad

Looking For More Wild Rice Recipes? Don't Miss These!

Wild Rice Stuffing with Mushrooms

Wild Rice Soup with Leftover Turkey

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Wild Rice Pilaf