Finding easy cranberry salad recipes for Thanksgiving is simple when you have access to the most incredible food bloggers!
Indeed, when you think of Thanksgiving you think of turkey, stuffing AND cranberries!
The tradition of eating cranberries for Thanksgiving started way back in the 17th century when Native Americans introduced this fruit to the early American settlers.
As a matter of fact, the cranberry is only one of 3 commercially grown fruits native to North America.
Mmm Hmm! The other 2 are concord grapes and blueberries.
Without a doubt, cranberries have long earned their place on our Thanksgiving tables.
As a matter of fact, why only use them for Thanksgiving?
Cranberries are so festive, you can make these recipes for other holiday dinners as well.
Cranberry Salad Recipes
Growing up, whenever I had cranberries it was either in the form of cranberry juice or traditional cranberry sauce.
Sadly, that was the extent of my history with cranberries.
As we all know, canned cranberry sauce is not the most aesthetically pleasing side dish in the world.
So I decided to reach out to my fellow food bloggers for as many easy cranberry salad recipes for Thanksgiving that I could get!
1. Kale Salad with Cranberry, Walnut & Feta
From Sandra with She’s Not Cookin’ this salad is ready in ten minutes.
It features fresh kale, dried cranberries, walnuts and feta combined together in this delicious Thanksgiving cranberry salad!
2. Harvest Salad with Quinoa & Arugula
Kat and Alec from The Heirloom Pantry are the developers of this incredible, healthy, delicious side dish.
Complete with fall flavors, including dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and sharp goat cheese.
AND it only takes 25 minutes to prepare and cook.
3. Apple Cranberry Salad
Next up is this gorgeous Green Apple Cranberry Salad by Lana from Lana’s Cooking.
This refreshing salad highlights beautiful autumnal flavors with a counterpoint of blue cheese and drizzled with a delicious balsamic dressing.
4. Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad
Here’s another take on the apple cranberry salad but this one includes red onions and feta cheese.
Liz & Tyler with The Clean Eating Couple stress that this salad is healthy, fresh and great for meal prep!
5. Cranberry Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash
You guys! Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!
Chihyu with I Heart Umami roasts Delicata squash with cranberry, cinnamon and arugula for this perfect winter salad.
6. Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad
I’m seeing a trend here that cranberries go great with apples and quinoa.
Yet, each recipe has it’s own flair to it!
Made by Olivia with Primavera Kitchen, this fall flavor Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad has a ton of protein.
The quinoa and the chickpeas make it a complete, delicious, and healthy vegetarian dish.
7. Easy Cranberry Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
If I could reach through my screen and grab this bowl of goodness I would!
Michelle with Blackberry Babe created this gorgeous side dish, with fresh ingredients like leafy greens, onion, apples, sweet potato, cranberries and easy vinaigrette!
It’s a great recipe that uses ingredients you probably already have on hand for your holiday meal!
8. Cranberry Jello Salad
Salads aren’t just made for side dishes!
On the contrary, this cranberry salad could be eaten for dessert! Yum!
Needless to say, ANY Jello salad is a Thanksgiving favorite in our household.
This delightfully festive Jello salad made by Alicia with Balancing Motherhood, is a super easy recipe, using raspberry gelatin, whole cranberry sauce, pineapple, and crunchy pecans.
9. Cranberry Fluff
Next up is this bowl of creamy goodness, Cranberry Fluff, by Sheila with Life Love and Good Food.
Fold in fresh cranberries and oranges into a cloud of cream cheese and whipped cream and combine to create the most delicious Cranberry Fluff.
In my opinion, this simple dessert salad is one of the best Thanksgiving recipes.
10. Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries
Okay, back to the hearty cranberry salads.
Created by Kate with Nibble and Dine, this salad is made with cranberries, almonds, and goat cheese, tossed in a tangy honey and apple cider vinegar dressing.
You can make this dish a few hours ahead of time.
Clearly, it is a great option for fall and winter entertaining!
11. Persimmon Salad
According to Kileigh with Barley & Sage, persimmons are her absolute favorite fall fruit!
This hearty persimmon salad has farro, cranberries, shallots, pecans, goat cheese and a homemade vinaigrette.
It’s the perfect cranberry salad with other fresh fruits to add to your Thanksgiving spread!
12. Christmas Tree Salad
I can’t think of a better way to jump into the holiday season than to make this festive Christmas Tree Salad!
Made by Lisa with Delicious Table, you’ll shape fresh spinach like a Christmas tree and decorate it with bell pepper, pomegranate seeds, pistachios, feta cheese, and apple cut into star shapes.
Then you’ll drizzle on your homemade cranberry vinaigrette dressing.
Love this idea for both Thanksgiving AND Christmas dinner!
13. Quinoa Butternut Squash & Cranberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Can you say healthy AND delicious?
Jessica with The Forked Spoon makes this Quinoa Salad with butternut squash and cranberries, and finishes it with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
14. Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans, Dried Cranberries, Avocado, Feta and Oranges!
The title says it all, oh my!
Melanie with Melanie Cooks says, “The salad bowl always ends up completely empty. Not a crumb, candied pecan, cranberry, orange segment, avocado chunk or spinach leaf leftover.”
15. Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Bintu with Recipes From A Pantry loads this salad with smoky bacon, sweet cranberries, and crunchy walnuts
A simple broccoli salad that is perfect for making ahead of time.
16. Jello Fruit Salad
Here’s another take on the Jello salad. Absolutely, you can serve this with Thanksgiving dinner as a side dish.
Alisa with The Delicious Spoon combines cranberries, apples, canned or fresh pineapple, and mandarin oranges all held together with raspberry Jello.
“Part salad, part side dish, part dessert all wrapped into holiday tradition!”
17. Lentil Apple Salad
Amy with Plant Based with Amy created this super healthy salad using lentils, apples, peaches, red onion, cranberries, and pecans.
“This lentil apple salad is ready in 10 minutes and pairs perfectly with any side dish! Get a dose of plant-based protein and veggies.”
18. Broccoli Slaw Salad
This is one of those easy cranberry salad recipes that can be thrown together in mere minutes.
My sister-in-law makes this for us when we visit her in Cape Cod.
And now it’s on my blog, Housewives of Frederick County!
As we all know, cranberry bogs are aplenty up that way, with peak cranberry season being September through November.
Anyway, it’s perfect for a large crowd!
Just toss together broccoli slaw, cranberries, candied nuts, vidalia onion dressing and fresh cilantro in a large bowl and it’s ready to serve!
19. Keto Broccoli Slaw
Here’s a keto version of broccoli slaw salad created by Taryn with Joy Filled Eats.
With broccoli slaw, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, green onions, and a delicious homemade dressing, it’s a side dish must-have for Thanksgiving.
20. Carrot Cranberry Salad
This 15-minute Carrot Cranberry Salad, from Lana with Lana’s Cooking, will please even the pickiest eaters. It’s packed with a healthy crunch from carrots and toasted pecans.
21. Classic Christmastime Cranberry Fluff Salad Recipe
This cranberry fluff recipe comes to us from Kimberly with The Savvy Mama Lifestyle.
Fresh cranberries are marinated with crushed pineapple and blended with mini marshmallows, heavy whipping cream and cream cheese. It’s light, fluffy and sweet. It’s a colorful Christmas side dish recipe that everyone loves.
22. Cranberry Salad
Here’s another take on the Cranberry Fluff, but with extra ingredients.
Sara with Dinner at the Zoo blends fresh cranberries (chopped in a food processor), pineapple, marshmallows, pecans, coconut and apples, and tosses it all in a creamy dressing.
A unique and colorful salad that’s perfect for the holidays!
23. Winter Broccoli Salad
Kristen with Make the Best of Everything says “This broccoli salad is the perfect side dish for all of your holiday get-togethers. It is just as wonderful as traditional broccoli salad, but it features winter fruits.”
It will add brightness to any holiday spread!
24. Fall Harvest Salad
The perfect fall harvest salad.
Carol with Ditch the Wheat makes this salad full of cranberries, clementines, pecans and bacon! It’s a sweet, hearty salad.
25. Lentil Rice Bowl with Tahini Miso Dressing
Created by Margaret with Kitchen Frau, this is a hearty lentil rice bowl, with spinach, cranberries, and candied pecans, then drizzled with a deliciously flavorful tahini miso dressing.
26. Cranberry Jello Salad
This Cranberry Jello Salad by Debi with Quiche My Grits (love it!) has cherry Jello, whole cranberries, pecans, and crushed pineapple.
Mmmm!
You can also make this in a Jello mold to fancy it up!
27. Fall Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing
From Kim with Pretty Delicious Life, “This Fall Kale Salad is bursting with flavor and packed with nutritious ingredients like apples + sweet potato. Balancing the sweetness with a little saltiness thanks to crispy prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese and topped with maple pumpkin spice pepitas, you’ll be enjoying this crunchy kale salad all season long. Don’t forget to whip up the homemade apple cider vinaigrette dressing for the most delicious finishing touch!”
28. Kale Salad with Cranberries & Pine Nuts
She had me at pine nuts!
Melanie with Melanie Cooks says “Dried cranberries and pine nuts together taste amazing, and when you add kale, it makes an absolutely awesome combo! Sweet and crunchy, colorful and festive and so delicious! Kale, pine nuts and cranberries are dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, making a very elegant, tasty and healthy salad!”
29. Christmas Salad
Made by Sheila with Life Love and Good Food, “this beautiful Christmas Salad is speckled with pear slices, pomegranate arils (seeds), pistachios, and dried cranberries for crunch in every bite.
Dressed with a tangy cranberry maple vinaigrette”, this is another one of those easy cranberry salad recipes that belongs on every holiday table!
30. Warm Winter Salad
This colorful, healthy Warm Winter Salad is by Elena with Happy Kitchen.Rocks.
With pumpkin, goat cheese, cranberries and avocado dressing, this is a comforting, delicious and easy holiday meal ready in 30 minutes!
31. Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad & Honey Dijon Dressing
Jamielyn with I Heart Naptime makes this apple cranberry spinach salad with greens, crisp apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, feta cheese and a delicious honey dijon dressing.
An easy salad recipe that’s full of flavor!
These next few salad recipes have chicken in them.
Of course, we’re talking about cranberry salads for Thanksgiving dinner, but I’m including these because you can easily swap leftover Thanksgiving turkey for the chicken in these recipes!
32. Chicken Cranberry Salad Recipe
From Cathy with Cathy’s Gluten Free, “Chicken Cranberry Salad is a beautifully simple, fresh green salad to toss together for a light lunch. Make it with either cooked chicken or leftover turkey. It’s one of those things that you can look forward to as a treat the day after a big holiday meal!”
33. Cranberry Chicken Salad
Julie with The Healthy Epicurean features chicken breast (or turkey), pears, grapes, dried cranberries, celery, pecans and green onion tossed in a maple balsamic yogurt dressing that is loaded with flavor.
Yet another one of several easy cranberry salad recipes you can whip up in no time!
34. Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad
Julie with Julie’s Eats & Treats loads this salad with cashews, grapes, chicken (or turkey), pasta and dried cranberries.
It’s covered in a ranch dressing and is packed with flavor.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
For more Thanksgiving recipe inspiration, click on over to:
Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe
- 30 of the Most Iconic Maryland Food and Drink - March 9, 2024
- Baked Crab Casserole Recipe - February 6, 2024
- 44 Epic Summer Camps in Frederick MD (2024) - January 27, 2024