Easy Cranberry Salad Dressing Recipe {with Cranberry Sauce}
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Friends, don’t wait for the holiday season to whip out the cranberries. This cranberry salad dressing is bright, colorful, and full of flavor. Made with canned cranberry sauce, it’s easy to make year-round!
You’ve probably had dried cranberries on your salads, but have you ever tried cranberry sauce? It’s an easy way to turn that homemade cranberry sauce into a delicious fruity dressing.
It’s also a great way to use up your leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and give it new life in your winter salads.
Love the tart flavor of cranberries? Try this creamy cranberry mayonnaise or cranberry honey mustard to take your leftover turkey sandwiches to the next level!
Ingredients
- Cranberry sauce – I like to can my own cranberry sauce, which can be used any time of year! Storebought sauce works well, too. Jellied or whole berry…both are fine!
- Extra virgin olive oil – Go for the good quality stuff.
- Dijon mustard – Acts as an emulsifying agent, helping the oil and vinegar blend together.
- Apple cider vinegar – For a bright tang.
- Seasonings – Salt, black pepper, and dried onion to balance the sweetness.
Equipment
You’ll need a food processor or an immersion blender and some sort of container for storage. A half pint jar is the perfect size for a single batch!
How to Make Cranberry Salad Dressing
- Combine all of the ingredients into your blender or food processor.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- Serve over leafy greens and enjoy!
Storing Suggestions
Store your cranberry sauce vinaigrette in mason jars in the fridge and use within one week.
Tips & Variations
- Adjust the consistency. If you prefer a thinner vinaigrette, simply add a splash of water, orange juice, or cranberry juice to reach your desired consistency.
How to Serve
Drizzle this tangy cranberry vinaigrette over baby greens for a bright, refreshing kick that pairs well with a chunky cheese like feta, goat, gorgonzola, or blue cheese, fresh fruit like sliced apples, oranges, or berries, and a bit of crunch like walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
- Apple walnut salad with feta cheese and spring mix
- Chopped kale salad with toasted pecans and avocado
- Summer berry salad with baby spinach and goat cheese
- Holiday salad with your Thanksgiving leftovers like roast turkey or roasted delicata squash
FAQs
Yep! In fact, it’s a really easy way to make a quick dressing. Just blend the cranberry sauce with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, and some seasonings and serve. Super simple!
If you don’t want to use canned cranberry sauce, you can cook down fresh or frozen cranberries on the stove with a small amount of water. Either add sugar (at least half as much as the amount of cranberries) or maple syrup to taste and cook down until the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens. Let it cool to room temperature then prepare the dressing like normal.
More Homemade Vinaigrettes
- Creamy Gorgonzola Vinaigrette
- Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette
- Balsamic Cherry Vinaigrette
- Creamy Parmesan Vinaigrette
- Blackberry Vinaigrette
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Cranberry Salad Dressing Recipe
Equipment
- mason jar for storage
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated onion
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients into your blender or food processor.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- Serve over leafy greens for a simple winter or fall salad.
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