This Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Salad is a hearty side dish with a fresh orange-ginger dressing. It has the most satisfying combination of textures with the chewy wild rice, tender roasted squash, chewy dried cranberries and crunchy pecans. It has a fall-harvest vibe and is perfect for hosting, or the holidays.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Naturally vegan: This salad is vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, so it’s an catch-all for dietaries when you’re feeding a mixed crowd.
- Satisfying: The chewy wild rice paired with sweet roasted butternut is a delicious contrast.
- Great warm or cold: It tastes just as good fresh as it does the next day, so you can enjoy the leftovers.
- Everyday but special: Cozy enough for weeknights, but pretty and flavorful enough for holidays and gatherings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find the full measurements and details in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need:
- Wild rice
- Vegetable broth
- Butternut squash
- Olive oil
- Shallots
- Pecans
- Dried cranberries
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh orange juice
- Orange zest
- Fresh ginger
- Dijon mustard
- Salt
Instructions
Follow along with this step-by-step guide to make your Butternut Wild Rice Salad. You’ll find all the exact times, temperatures, and measurements in the recipe card below.
Step One: Cook the wild rice in vegetable broth until tender and chewy, then set aside to cool slightly.
Step Two: Roast the cubed butternut squash with olive oil until soft and lightly caramelized.
Step Three: While everything cooks, slice the shallots, mince the ginger, and chop the parsley.
Step Four: Whisk together the orange juice, zest, ginger, olive oil, mustard, and salt in a large bowl.
Step Five: Add the shallots and parsley to the dressing and toss gently.
Step Six: Add the warm wild rice and roasted butternut, then finish by folding in the pecans and cranberries.
Variations
I love this salad exactly as written, but it’s also really flexible depending on what you have on hand. Toasted walnuts work just as well as pecans if that’s what’s in your pantry, and if I’m turning this into more of a main, I’ll add a handful of crunchy roasted chickpeas for extra heft. You can follow the method for making crunchy chickpeas in my Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad.
One thing I don’t usually change is the orange and ginger dressing – it’s what brings everything together and arguably what makes this a salad rather than a rice dish!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The rice will absorb more of the dressing as it sits, so give it a quick toss before serving.
Expert Tips
Cook the wild rice in broth instead of water – it makes a HUGE difference in flavor and helps the salad taste seasoned all the way through, not just on the surface.
FAQ
Definitely. It’s delicious slightly warm, at room temperature, or straight from the fridge.
Wild rice gives the best texture, but a wild rice blend or red rice will also work if that’s easier to find. I haven’t tried it yet with brown rice, but that would be the next best bet if wild rice is not available.
Both. Leftovers holds up well, it feeds a crowd, and pairs nicely with a wide range of mains.
Serving Suggestions and More Recipes
I love serving this alongside roasted vegetables or a simple protein, but it’s also great as part of a bigger spread for holidays or gatherings.
If you loved this, you might also enjoy Mushroom Bourguignon for something rich and comforting, Creamy Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup for an easy cozy meal, or Brown Rice Salad for another crowd-pleasing dense salad option.
If you give this Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Salad a try, I’d love to hear what you think – leave a star rating and review in the comments section below the recipe card, or tag me on Instagram (I am @glowdiaries___) so I can see how you served it!
Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice uncooked / 160g
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth 825ml
- 600 g butternut squash small, peeled and cubed (3 cups cubed)
- 3 tbsps olive oil divided / 45ml
- 70 g shallots medium, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup pecans chopped and toasted / 120g
- ¾ cup dried cranberries 115g
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves chopped, 7g
- 3 tbsp fresh orange juice 45ml
- 2 tsp orange zest 4g
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced / 20g
- 1 tsp dijon mustard 5g
- ½ tsp salt 3g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200 C. Line a baking pan with parchment or aluminum foil.
- Rinse the wild rice.
- Bring the broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add the rice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is absorbed, about forty (40) minutes. Rice should be chewy but not hard, and still holding its shape. Allow to cool slightly before assembling salad.
- Peel and scoop the seeds out of the butternut. Cut it into 1″/2.5cm chunks.
- Place the butternut cubes on the baking pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp/15ml olive oil.
- Roast for twenty (20) minutes, until soft enough to pierce with a fork.
- While everything is cooking, prepare the dressing:
- Peel and thinly slice (1/8″/3mm or less) the shallots into rounds. Peel and mince the ginger. Wash, dry, and chopped the parsley.
- In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, ginger, 2 tbsp/30ml olive oil, mustard, and salt. Whisk to blend.
- Add the shallots and parsley. Toss gently.
- Once wild rice and butternut are slightly cool, add to the dressing and toss to coat.
- Add the toasted pecans and cranberries and toss.
- Can be served warm (not hot) or cold. Will store for up to two (2) days in the fridge. Rice will absorb more dressing as it sits.
Liz Douglas says
A delicious, hearty side dish that tastes great warm or cold!