Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Maple Vinaigrette is a hearty wild rice salad with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, hazelnuts and goat cheese! {GF, Vegan option}
**This post was originally published in October 2014. I’ve updated the photos and recipe, but most of the text remains the same.
Warning! I’m going to complain about the intense heat here in the San Francisco Bay Area once again, so skip over it if you don’t want to hear me whine.
We’re having record breaking heat for October…I mean temperatures in the 90’s? It wasn’t even that hot very often here over the summer.
The heat is messing with my need for fall comfort foods because it’s too hot to really enjoy them! Luckily, this Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Maple Vinaigrette was cool enough to enjoy and it gave me a huge dose of fall.
Huge. 🙂
I made a wild rice salad similar to this one towards the end of my cooking school program. It was late February when I made it, and I was on a big winter squash kick.
Kind of like the one I’m on right now. 🙂
In school I served the wild rice salad stuffed in roasted dumpling squash topped with a spiced Greek yogurt dressing and pumpkin seeds.
Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
My cooking school version was meant to be a vegetarian main dish, which is why it had more going on.
This particular wild rice salad is certainly satisfying enough to be a meal, but I served it as a side dish with roast chicken.
And was it ever good with roast chicken!
This would be such a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table or fall entertaining. The colors are gorgeous and just scream fall, don’t they?
Now I love hazelnuts, but for some reason I don’t use them very often. They added so much to this salad and made it very special indeed. 🙂
If you follow along here, you know I put maple syrup in almost everything. I love adding it to my vinaigrettes as a sweetener, and when it’s fall, it’s especially warranted.
The combination of maple syrup with dijon and apple cider vinegar is simply amazing, and it was the perfect dressing to toss this harvest wild rice salad with.
If you don’t care for butternut squash, any type of winter squash would be delicious here as well as sweet potato.
Pomegranate would be a festive substitution for the dried cranberries, especially if you’re watching your sugar intake.
The options of this Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Maple Vinaigrette are endless, but the end result will be a fabulous fall side dish, lunch, main dish or however you decide to serve it.
This dish is the epitome of fall, and everyone will love it. 🙂
More fall recipes you’ll love!
Wild Rice Casserole by Taste of Home
Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the wild rice:
- 1 cup wild rice blend cooked according to package instructions and set aside to cool slightly.
For the butternut squash:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup cubed butternut squash 1" cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Assemble the salad:
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 1 large green onion white and green parts, sliced thinly on the bias or a handful of chives, chopped
- ⅓ cup goat or feta cheese crumbled (love honey goat cheese here!)
- chopped toasted hazelnuts for garnish*
Instructions
Prepare the butternut squash:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the butternut squash with the olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Prepare the vinaigrette:
- Place the vinegar, dijon, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the olive oil in a steady stream while whisking constantly to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Assemble the salad:
- When the rice and squash have cooled slightly, place in a large serving bowl.
- Add the cranberries, green onion, and feta or goat cheese, then toss with the desired amount of dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Top the rice with the chopped hazelnuts and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- Total time above includes about 10 minutes to cube your own butternut squash. You can buy pre-cubed butternut squash to save some time.
- The rice will absorb the dressing as it sits, so add more to leftovers as necessary.
- I used pre-toasted hazelnuts from Trader Joe's which saved a significant amount of time. You can toast your own whole hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, then wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove some of the skins.
- Omit the cheese for a vegan option!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
60 Comments on “Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Maple Vinaigrette”
I am so jealous that it’s in the 90s by you, Marcie! I live in Chicago, and it was in the 40s yesterday, so crazy! I need my cool, not cold, fall weather back! 🙂 This wild rice salad looks like the perfect dish to ring in the hot weather for you, or the cold weather for me! I love using rice in salads, and this one looks like a winner. And that maple vinaigrette is so perfect for the fall! Pinned!
Those are the cutest little baked pumpkins!!! This salad looks delicious and healthy! I don’t use wild rice nearly enough!
The little pumpkins taste so good, too! I made soup out of them last year. This is healthy, and I see a lot more wild rice in my future!
Ok those pumpkins are ridiculously cute!! Wouldn’t they be a great plate starter for thanksgiving? Love your maple syrup addiction because I have one too! Just had to stop myself from buying too much this weekend in Canada! This salad is fall perfect.
Those pumpkins would be great as a plate starter for Thanksgiving! They’re so festive and they taste really good too roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper, and you guessed it — maple syrup! Maple syrup in Canada must be the best — one day I will go and get some!
Love everything about this salad! Sorry you are stuck in 90 degree weather. That sounds awful. I lived in California for 4 years and that was something that always made me crazy. It should be cool in October! Ahhhh! Hope you guys get a cool down soon.
Thank you, Liz! We are expecting a slight cool down, but I will take 80s over 90s any day. I’m tired of running the A/C!
Ooh hope you get to experience some fall-like weather soon, Marcie! It was in the forties here recently and while I love it, I realized I seriously need to update my winter wardrobe. I haven’t had to think about cold weather clothes living in San Diego the past few years! This wild rice salad looks like a fab fall side dish, and so satisfying too. That maple vinaigrette! 🙂
Yeah, San Diego doesn’t get much cool weather! I think it will be a bit more fall-like — at least the mornings and evenings will be, and that’s a start.
DROOLING. I love hazelnuts. and maple syrup. and feta. and green onions. This list might get long. I also just realized that even though I loooove wild rice, I’ve never made it at home. What?! This recipe is on its way to becoming lunch sometime this week!
I made my dish last year and never made it at home. What’s wrong with me? It never left my mind, and I finally got around to it! Wild rice is so much more interesting and it needs more love.
What a gorgeous looking salad Marcie! It does scream fall 🙂 I can hear it. Hahaha! We’ve had record warm temperatures too – it hardly feels like fall!
Thank you, Kristi! Even Seattle is staying warm, huh? That’s rare! We are expecting a cool down this week, thank goodness! Hope you get your fall weather soon.
love this salad!!! and yes, love the colors .. put roasted butternut squash in anything and I am sold! Seriously love this wild rice blend and love the feta and hazelnuts . . can’t wait to try this one! delicious!!
Thank you, Alice! I will eat anything with butternut squash too — you just can’t go wrong! And I have no idea why I haven’t made wild rice more…that’s definitely changing!
Hope the weather cools down a bit for you soon Marcie. This wild rice salad looks incredible! I love everything in here from the butternut squash to the toasted hazelnuts! Such a gorgeous fall salad and feel free to keep adding maple syrup to everything cuz I can never get enough too 🙂
Thank you, Kelly, and I’m glad to hear you’re obsessed with maple syrup, too because I just can’t stop!
What a beautiful salad! Love the maple vinaigrette!
Thank you, Jessica!
I am loving the sound of that dressing, and the salad looks SO good. I love winter salads.
Thank you, Danii, and I’m with you — winter salads are some of the best!
You have me craving a big bowl of wild rice right now! This is totally in the works for dinner this week.
This salad is addicting and I need more! I sure hope you get to try it!
I wish it wasn’t so cold here…but 90 degrees is a bit much! This wild rice salad seriously looks like the perfect fall side dish!
I figure there has to be a happy medium weather-wise! I’m so excited for fall weather.
This is great! It’s like fall harvest all in one dish! Beautiful!
Thank you, Chris! If the weather isn’t going to me put me in the fall mood, this salad will!
Beautiful salad! and stunning pictures! Pinned 🙂
Thank you, Manali!
I love your bowl! I’ve never had wild rice, but I really want to try it. This looks great 🙂
Thank you, Medha, and I hope you get to try wild rice!
Wow in the 90’s?! We went to the game yesterday and it was so cold I thought I would freeze to death. Lucky 🙂 Marcie would this keep well in the fridge if I made a batch on Sunday and spread it though out the week for lunches?
I’d rather have the heat over bitter cold, but there has to be a happy medium! I ate some the next day and it was in great shape, and I think it would definitely keep in the fridge for lunches. You’ll have dressing leftover, so you can add more if need be. I’m making double next time!
This looks great! I have a go-to wild rice salad, but I love this fall harvest version with the roasted butternut squash and those hazelnuts! And maple vinaigrette sounds just perfect. Enjoy the warmth while you’ve got it! I’m in Sweden and we are plunging right into winter.
Thank you, Katie! I know I should enjoy the warmth, but we do really need rain here in CA. Perhaps it’s the calm before the storm! 🙂
Totally loving this salad, Marcie! Now I’m wishing I’d thought to add a maple dressing to mine—sounds fantastic!
Thank you, Sarah, and I’m sure yours is not lacking anything! Can’t wait to check it out. 🙂
This is just beautiful!! We have wild rice a lot but I hardly ever think to turn it into a salad! This is like the ultimate fall side dish!
Thank you, Annie! This looks and tastes like fall in a bowl. I really need to make wild rice more often! 🙂
Maple vinaigrette??? Now this I have to try Marcie!
I swear, I’m putting maple syrup in everything these days! 🙂
I am so sorry that your weather is too hot to enjoy yummy fall comfort food. I am happy that Chicago weather has finally cooled down!! This rice looks fantasitic with the butternut squash! I am in love with that photo of it all being served in the gorgeous pumpkins!!
I’m doing my best to enjoy it, and luckily it’s cooled down slightly today. I better make some soup! haha Thank you, Renee! 🙂
This looks so good! It sure uses all the “harvest vegetables!” We made something really similar for dinner tonight and it was soo good! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 Happy Fall!
Thanks, Kloe! Wild rice is so pretty all on its own! 🙂
I love this recipe Marcie – wild rice is a staple here in MN and I’m always looking for ways to use it – pinned!
I need to use it more — it’s so versatile and it’s darn pretty, too! Thanks for the pin, and have a great day! 🙂
This wild rice salad looks absolutely perfect for my dinner tonight – good thing I have all the ingredients on hand! Thanks for the recipe and idea Marcie!
This salad was so nice as a side or a meal! Thanks for stopping by, Thalia! 🙂
I saw these on Food Gawker and they’re gorgeous and look SOOOO delicious! I can’t wait to try them!
Thank you so much, Erin! It was so tasty I can’t wait to make it again. 🙂
What a delicious looking salad Marcie! It does scream Fall, which we definitely have here in Iowa. It’s actually quite cold for early October. Mother Nature must still be on her rampage, lol
Mother Nature has certainly been on you guys with the cold, and we here in CA get no rain! What’s the deal? I will continue to make and eat fall food whether it feels like it or not! 🙂
I’m definitely pinning this one to make sometime soon. I love the combo of rice and squash, and of course, dried cranberries and goat cheese are a must on salads. But the show stopper is that vinaigrette. Love homemade and I’m always on the look out for new ones to try!
We definitely have the same taste don’t we? 🙂 Thanks Leanne!
This salad is so hearty looking! Your updated pictures have really done it justice 🙂 Can’t wait to make a big batch of this for my weekday lunches!
Thank you so much Katherine! Cleaning up old photos is a mission of mine. 🙂
I had to smile when I saw this post. I just took a harvest wild rice dish to a pot luck dinner. I’ll definitely have to try your version soon.
Great minds think alike! 🙂
works of art.