This Wild Rice Salad with delicata squash, roasted cranberries, shallots, fresh herbs, and maple dressing is a healthy vegan and gluten free side dish for the holidays.

This veggie-packed wild rice salad is infused with plenty of herby flavors and so many complex textures. If you’re looking for a vegetarian-friendly entree for Thanksgiving or another holiday gathering, look no further.

This wild rice salad has sweetness from carrots and delicata, savoriness from garlic, shallots, and soy sauce. Plus, pops of bright, acidity from roasted and dried cranberries.

Here’s what you need to know to make this centerpiece-worthy grain salad.

Ingredients

Use these ingredients to make the healthy and flavor-packed vegetarian wild rice salad:

• Long-grain brown rice. In a pinch, you can use short-grain brown rice or even white rice.
• Quinoa. You can use white or tri-colored quinoa for the salad.
• Wild rice. this is a gluten-free grass, not a kind of rice!
• Vegetable broth. Use store-bought low-sodium vegetable broth or make your own. In a pinch, water will also work.
• Delicata squash. I love the sweet, delicate flavor of delicata, but you could also use honey nut or acorn for this salad.
• Shallots. Swap with diced onion if you’re out of shallots.
• Celery
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Fresh herbs. I love the combination of sage, thyme, and rosemary.
• Soy sauce. Use gluten-free or tamari.
• Fresh cranberries. Look for these in the fridge or freezer section of the grocery store.
• Neutral oil. Use vegetable, grapeseed or avocado.
• Maple syrup. 
• Dried cranberries. You can also use dried cherries or raisins.
• Vegan butter. This is optional for added flavor.

How to Make Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash

You can roast the squash in the oven while you cook the grains on the stove.

Then saute the aromatics and combine everything in one pot before serving. You’ll need a few different pans for the recipe, but it’s well worth it when you taste the complex, layered flavors in the final dish.

Make-Ahead Wild Rice Salad

You can prepare the grains, roasted delicata squash, and roasted cranberries ahead of time. Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

You can serve the salad at room temperature if you like or reheat it in the microwave or on the stove until warm.

More Grain Salad Recipes to Try

• Holiday Harvest Rice (vegan, gluten free)
• Easy Quinoa Salad with Lemon Shallot Dressing (vegan, gluten free)
• Spiced Potato & Lentil Salad [vegan, gluten-free, oil-free]

If you make this wild rice salad with delicata and cranberries, let me know what you think with a comment below!

Wild Rice with Delicata Squash and Roasted Cranberries (vegan, gluten free)

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Remy Park

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Description

This healthy wild rice delicata squash with roasted cranberries, dried cranberries and fresh herbs is a must-have vegan and gluten free holiday side dish.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Grains

• 1/4 cup long grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup white or tri-colour quinoa
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 2 1/3 cups vegetable broth

Everything else

• 2 delicata squash
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, minced
• 2/3 cup carrots, minced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, stems removed
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 tsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional

• 1–2 tbsp vegan butter*

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Instructions

Grains

1. Begin by preparing your grains. Add all your grains and vegetable both to a pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cover until cooked, about 20-30 minutes. Take off the heat and fluff with a fork.

Roast your delicata squash

1. Slice your delicata squash into rings, then halve the rings and remove any seeds and pulp.
2. Place onto a lined baking sheet, toss with neutral oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 375F for about 15-20 minutes, until squash is fork tender and nice and golden brown.

Roast your cranberries

1. When you have about 10 minutes of roasting your squash remaining, toss fresh cranberries in neutral oil and maple syrup. Let roast until soft.

Everything else

1. In a large saucepan, sauté shallot, celery and carrots with a touch of neutral oil until tender. Add garlic, fresh herbs and gluten free soy sauce and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the cooked grains to the mix and gently fold to evenly combine all of your ingredients. Finally add roasted squash and dried cranberries and sauté again. If using vegan butter, toss into the rice until melted and nicely incorporated. Taste, and season your rice with salt and pepper as desired.
3. When ready to serve, toss dried cranberries into the rice and enjoy!

@veggiekins

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♬ original sound - Remy Morimoto Park