Easy Cranberry Vinaigrette for Salads
Tart, sweet, and guaranteed to make any salad better, it’s time to drizzle this cranberry vinaigrette all over your greens. Its beautiful red color is all cranberry juice, and it’s lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Tart, flavorful, and delicious, this dressing is sure to bring a great winter and fall flavor to anything it touches!
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Why I Love Salad Dressing
From salads, to pizza crust, fries, and both roasted and raw vegetables, I love salad dressing as a great way to take a meal to the next level. And when I say salad dressing, I’m talking about more than just ranch. I love an Italian style dressing, or a vinaigrette for dipping purposes- they just add that amazing bit of acidity, as well as flavor to foods. Here are a few other great salad dressing ideas that could work with this vegan cranberry vinaigrette, or other dressings. Try using it as a marinade for roasted tofu, or as a mayonnaise-free alternative to your favorite pasta salad. You can also use it to boost your potato salad! Ditch the ketchup on your next veggie burger, and go for a drizzle of dressing instead- you can also use it in your favorite sandwiches and wraps. Some dressings also work really well in a stir-fry (probably not a creamy dressing, but something like a sesame ginger dressing would be AMAZING). Grain bowls or Buddha bowls are another fantastic salad dressing application. You can even try mixing it with greens in your food processor for a quick, pesto-style sauce! Long story short, salad dressing really is a great way to add a lot of flavor, with minimal effort.
Also one last note- why did the tomato blush? Because it saw the salad dressing.
I’m sorry. I just had to.
Looking for Vegan Cranberry Recipes? Try one of these!
- Rosehip Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce
- Vegan Cranberry Shortbread Bars
- Vegan Cranberry Banana Bread
- Chocolate Coated Cranberry Wood Ear Mushrooms
- Cranberry Lima Bean Thanksgiving Salad
Looking for Vegan Salad Dressings? Try one of these!
- Creamy Pink Hibiscus Salad Dressing
- Next-Level AMAZING Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Homemade Ranch Dressing (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, No Mayo)
- Papaya Seed Salsa/Papaya Seed Dressing
- 25 Amazing Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes (GF)
- Hearty Bean Dinner Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Dressing
- Pea Tendril Vegan Pasta Salad with Orange Dressing
How to Make Easy Cranberry Vinaigrette
Homemade salad dressing really is easy. At the most basic level, you can combine oil and vinegar in a bottle and shake- this is a little more work than that, but not too much. Start by combining the cranberry juice, maple syrup, garlic and cinnamon in a saucepan. We’re going to slightly cook the garlic, while at the same time reducing the cranberry juice to make it more concentrated for a thicker dressing. Let the dressing simmer away, uncovered, until it has reduced by half. There are a few ways to do this simply. You can use a disposable chopstick or skewer, and make a mark on it to show the initial juice level. Then when you test, you just boil until that level has reached halfway to the end of the stick. I usually just occasionally pour the liquid into my glass Pyrex measuring cup, and measure how much the liquid has reduced. Then I pour it right back into the saucepan, and repeat until it’s reached the desired level. Once your cranberry juice has reduced, combine it in a jar with your olive oil, and some salt and pepper, and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth and creamy. Store the dressing in the fridge, and, like all homemade dressings, make sure to give it a good shake before pouring.
Easy Cranberry Vinaigrette for Salads
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup (or a little more, if desired)
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the cranberry juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, and garlic in a small saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil, and allow to reduce until it’s about half the volume you started with (around ½ a cup- a little more or less is perfectly fine).
- Take off the heat and transfer to a container, along with the olive oil. Use an immersion blender to blend until totally smooth and creamy. Add the salt and pepper to taste. You can add a little more maple syrup too, if it’s too tart for your tastes. Give it a final blend, and store in a sealed jar or container in the fridge. Give it a good shake before using.
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