Cranberry vinaigrette is an easy, bright and bold salad dressing that’s perfect for the holidays! And it’s just a few ingredients and 5 minutes to make!
I’m very much partial to homemade salad dressings.
It started with homemade Italian dressing and I’ve never looked back.
They are really easy to make and I love knowing what’s going into them. (Some of those ingredient labels on store-bought dressings are a little scary.)
Today’s cranberry vinaigrette is bright, bold and absolutely beautiful. That gorgeous color is all natural and perfectly festive for the holiday season. ❤️
And this is really simple to make. The fresh, tart cranberries are blended down with the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and it’s ready to go.
Depending on how fast you measure, this can be done in just 5 minutes.
(And during the busy holiday season, that can be about all the time we have, right?!)
Plus, blender dressings like this one tend to be incredibly easy to make. It just requires dumping all of your ingredients in the blender. And turning it on.
Seriously though, that’s all. No chopping needed here. Just measure, pour and blend.
(Bonus, we’re only using 3 ingredients if you don’t count olive oil, salt and pepper. I kinda think those are kitchen staples so I don’t count those.)
And be ready to get some “ooohs” and “ahhhs” from friends and family when you serve this beauty up. It’ll take your holiday side salad from just fine to something special. ❤️
Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make cranberry vinaigrette. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making cranberry vinaigrette:
- You need ½ cup of fresh cranberries for this recipe. If yours are frozen, you can either thaw overnight in the fridge or run under cold water for a few minutes. Be sure to pat them dry so you don’t add too much water to the dressing.
- You’ll want to use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe, since that’s adding a big part of the flavor.
- One to two teaspoons of honey should do it here, but it’ll depend on the tartness of your cranberries. You can dip a piece of lettuce in the dressing to test as you blend.
A few other question I regularly get about making salad dressings at home.
How do you store homemade dressing?
- Homemade vinaigrettes will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Keep them in a covered container or jar. (I love these 8 oz. mason jars for small batch dressings.)
- You may need to rewhisk or re-shake your dressing before using to get it well mixed again. They tend to settle over time.
If you’re making this for a crowd at the holidays, I definitely recommend prepping it a day or two ahead and keeping it in the fridge. Less stress.
As for serving, if you are eyeing the salad I made here, it was a simple one to whip up.
Salad idea for cranberry vinaigrette:
* Start with a 6-ounce bag of mixed greens (such as a spring mix, or half spring mix and half baby spinach or mixed baby greens)
* Add some sliced apples (I used Fuji but Gala, Honey Crisp or even a tart green apple would be great too)
* Toss on ¼ to ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (toasted for extra flavor!)
* Finish with some crumbled feta or goat cheese
So many pretty colors and flavors and textures all combined!
I hope you give this easy cranberry vinaigrette a try for some festive and seasonal salads.
Enjoy and happy holidays!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Check out these other homemade salad dressings:
- Creamy cilantro lime dressing - so creamy and dreamy
- Homemade soy ginger dressing - seriously addictive
- Easy Caesar salad dressing - tons of ways to use it beyond salads
- Balsamic blueberry vinaigrette - a summer favorite
Cranberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender. (I don’t recommend a hand blender for this recipe.)
- Process on low until the cranberries are completely broken down and the vinaigrette is smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Serve immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week. (You will need to remix/reshake the dressing before using.)
Notes
Nutrition
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