5-Minute Cranberry Maple Vinaigrette
This cranberry vinaigrette is a bright and zippy homemade salad dressing. It takes just 5 minutes to blend up in your food processor! It pairs perfectly with your favorite salads, roasted vegetables, and more.
When the holiday season rolls around, do you ever wonder “what can I make with fresh cranberries” besides cranberry sauce? Enter this vibrant cranberry vinaigrette! This homemade salad dressing packs a ton of flavor, and as a Registered Dietitian, I appreciate that it features nutritious ingredients like extra virgin olive oil and fresh cranberries.
A touch of real maple syrup rounds out the tartness of the cranberries and makes this the perfect fall salad dressing. I love to use this cranberry salad dressing for salads, but also drizzled on top of roasted vegetables. Super yummy!
More homemade healthy salad dressings to try: white balsamic vinaigrette, Greek yogurt salad dressing, feta dill dressing, and tahini goddess dressing.
Step-by-step video
Ingredients in cranberry maple vinaigrette
Here is everything you need to make this fall salad dressing:
- Fresh cranberries
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Shallot
- Maple syrup
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Salt
- Dried rosemary
This salad dressing is vegan, gluten free, nut free, and soy free.
Kitchen tools needed
The main tool you need for cranberry vinaigrette is a food processor. You should also have success making this dressing in a blender, however I have not tried this myself.
How to make cranberry vinaigrette
This recipe is so simple – just add all the ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth and creamy!
Storage
Store cranberry vinaigrette in a glass jar or small, airtight container. Keep it in the fridge and use within one week. Give the dressing a stir when you take it out of the fridge if you see any separation.
What to serve with cranberry vinaigrette
This creamy salad dressing is perfect for any fall inspired salad. Here are a few salads it would pair well with:
- Fall farro salad with butternut squash
- Fall kale salad with apples and Brussels sprouts
- Apple cranberry walnut salad with goat cheese
- Beet quinoa salad
- Asian pear arugula salad with goat cheese
- Arugula and burrata salad with butternut squash
You can also drizzle this dressing over roasted vegetables. I love it with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, delicata squash, or acorn squash.
Where to buy fresh cranberries
Fresh cranberries are harvested only in the fall. Therefore, they are available seasonally from October – December. You can buy fresh cranberries at most major grocery stores during these fall and winter months.
Can I use frozen cranberries or dried cranberries?
Frozen: Yes, you can use frozen cranberries to make this salad dressing. Just measure out and defrost the cranberries fully before making the dressing. Frozen cranberries are more widely available year round, so you can make this dressing any time of year.
Dried: Unfortunately, I do not think dried cranberries would work in this recipe.
Cranberries nutrition & health benefits
Fresh cranberries deserve a spot on your plate besides in cranberry sauce because they are very nutritious! One cup of raw fresh cranberries provides:
- 3.6 grams of dietary fiber (13% of your daily needs)
- 14 mg Vitamin C (16% of your daily needs)
- 0.267 mg manganese (12 percent of your daily needs)
Raw cranberries have small amounts of many other micronutrients, including B-vitamins, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K.
Cranberries have plant compounds called flavanols and anthocyanins. These compounds have potent antioxidant effects, which help fight inflammation and can fight off certain diseases. They also have proanthocyanidins, another plant compound that may help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) (1).
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Print
5-Minute Cranberry Maple Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: about 1 cup 1x
- Category: dressing
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This cranberry vinaigrette is a bright and zippy homemade salad dressing. It takes just 5 minutes to blend up in your food processor! It pairs perfectly with your favorite salads, roasted vegetables, and more.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp shallot, chopped
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a food processor fitted with an S blade.
- Blend together for 30 seconds to a minute in the food processor until smooth and creamy with minimal lumps remaining. You may need to scrape down the bowl a few times.
- Serve with your favorite salad or over roasted vegetables.
Notes
Can I use frozen cranberries or dried cranberries?
Frozen: Yes, you can use frozen cranberries to make this salad dressing. Just measure out and defrost the cranberries fully before making the dressing. Frozen cranberries are more widely available year round, so you can make this dressing any time of year.
Dried: Unfortunately, I do not think dried cranberries would work in this recipe.
Storage
Store cranberry vinaigrette in a glass jar or small, airtight container. Keep it in the fridge and use within one week. Give the dressing a stir when you take it out of the fridge if you see any separation.
Keywords: cranberry vinaigrette, cranberry maple vinaigrette, fall salad dressing, cranberries nutrition