This fall harvest rice salad is loaded with pumpkin, apples, raisins, dried cranberries and walnuts for a delicious fall side dish! (It's also vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.)
I am completely obsessed with today's recipe.
We regularly have basic steamed brown rice at our house. It’s so easy, so healthy, so filling. But, I get it, it’s kinda plain.
And maybe having the same thing the same way gets old after a while. (Not to me, I’m weird that way, but I could understand that it would get old to some people.)
So I added in ALL the good stuff and made this fabulous fall harvest rice salad!
We've got serious fall vibes:
Pumpkin ✅
Apples ✅
Dried fruits ✅
Nuts ✅
Oh and let’s not forget some maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and a few spices to really bring the flavor over the top.
It's also vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.
I could eat this rice salad every day all fall. Time of day is of no concern to me, either.
We of course eat it for dinner, served warm.
But I have a serious love for the leftovers, cold and straight from the fridge. I definitely had several large forkfuls of this for a mini “third breakfast” a couple of days ago.
Please, no judging. Especially when I tell you I also ate a bowlful for my lunch that day and then polished off the rest at dinnertime.
Back to that not getting tired of things quality… not sure if it's a blessing or a curse...
OK, a few quick notes, tips and substitutions on how to make this harvest rice salad.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
- Rice: I use brown rice - we're a whole grain family - but you could substitute long-grain white rice. Just reduce the cooking time to about 15 minutes.
- Apples: Honey crisp apples are my fall favorite and have a great sweetness and crunch here. You could also use a Fuji, Pink Lady or Gala apple if you prefer.
- Nuts: I use walnuts here but pecans would work too.
- Dried fruit: The mix of raisins and dried cranberries is yummy but you can use all of one or the other, depending on what you have.
This salad will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
And like I said, I enjoy it just as much cold as I do warm!
And I think you'll love it too. This salad has major flavor and major texture.
The soft, creamy pumpkin rice with the crunchy nuts and apple pieces, the savory with the sweet, the zin with the zang. Mmm, mmm, mmm. ❤️
Break out of your rice rut and try this salad soon.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Fall Harvest Rice Salad
Ingredients
For the rice:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ small sweet onion, chopped
- ¾ cup uncooked brown rice
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the salad:
- 1 small to medium apple, cored and diced (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons raisins (golden or regular)
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries (or you can sub more raisins)
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped (or pecans)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Saute the onion in olive oil until tender, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the brown rice and toss to get it coated in the oils and let it toast for 30 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, cover the pan, lower temperature to medium-low to maintain a low simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep the remaining salad ingredients and add to a large bowl. Once the rice is cooked, add it to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
Deana
This sounds just wonderful! Full of all kinds of goodness!
Kathryn
Thanks so much, Deana! I'm seriously smitten with this rice salad... can't stop eating it!
Rachel @ Delicious Balance
I need to make this ASAP! It really does sound perfect for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...sweet and savory and super healthy! I love it!
Kathryn
Yay Rachel! I'm glad you're up for eating this ALL DAY LONG too! Always nice to have a partner in crime 😉
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Okay, you are totally not strange at all for eating the same thing often (I do it too), especially when it is something this delicious! I LOVE all the flavors and textures going on in this harvest rice salad! So perfect for fall! Plus I adore that this is good cold too.. because sometimes a girl just needs a third mini breakfast (straight from the fridge with a spoon) 😉 pinned! Cheers, Kathryn! I'd say I hope you are having a weekend as fabulous as this salad, but I know you are! Xo
Kathryn
I knew you'd get me on this one, Chey! Weekend continues to be fabulous. Was brave and brought the dog along with the kids to the pond this afternoon to feed the ducks. A good time was had by all 😉 XXOO
Jean
This sounds so comforting and filling! What a great combination of Fall flavors.
Kathryn
Thanks Jean! It's a serious favorite around here 🙂
Adina
This sounds really great! And I always seem to have some leftover pumpkin puree in my fridge lately, so I will probably get to eat this soon.
Kathryn
I love always having some extra pumpkin around - so many great ways to use it up! Top of my list: THIS! Hope you try it and enjoy, Adina 🙂
Alli @ Tornadough Alli
Mmmm Kathryn this sounds great! I haven't ever tried a salad like this! I need to put this on my list for fall cooking for sure. Thank you for linking up with us at Throwback Thursdays.
Kathryn
You will love this, Alli! It's so addictive (in the really good way)! Thanks for hosting - so many yummy recipes this week 🙂 XO
Jenny Rice
Kathryn, do you think this would work with acorn squash? I have some I'd like to use.... Also, one of my guests has a celery allergy so I can't use broth. Should I increase the salt? Anything else you'd recommend to replace the flavors from the broth? Thanks!!
Kathryn
Hi Jenny! Do you mean adding roasted, diced acorn squash to the recipe? If so, I think that should be fine! If you are looking to replace the pumpkin with the acorn squash, you'll need to cook it until very tender and then puree it, so it has the same smooth consistency as pumpkin puree. You should be fine to cook the rice in water instead of broth, but yes, just adjust the seasonings at the end. I hope that helps!
Jenny
This turned out really well with the acorn squash. I'll definitely try again when I have pumpkin:). I used a brown rice blend that has wild rice and rye berries which was fun. I mixed chicken sausage into the leftovers to stretch it and make it a main dish. My kids will eat anything with sausage. It was a great combination and way to change it up. Thanks!!
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Jenny! And I love the idea of adding some sausage to make it a full meal - yum!