Here is a healthy, easy cranberry vinaigrette for dressing up fall and winter salads. You’ll want to keep this recipe handy since it is a nice way to switch up your usual salad routine and it has tons of flavor. It is also special enough for Thanksgiving or your holiday table.

Cranberry Vinaigrette in a jar

Why We Love This Recipe For Cranberry Vinaigrette

If you’re new to the world of homemade vinaigrettes, welcome! For most salad dressings, like my recipe for Lemon Viniagrette, you can blend them or simply add all the ingredients into a jar and shake everything together until combined. But for this cranberry vinaigrette, you’ll need to add everything to a food processor because there are whole fresh cranberries in it!

This cranberry salad dressing pairs really well with spinach, toasted nuts, and sharp cheeses, and would be delicious on salad for Thanksgiving. And like I said, it’s super easy to make and tastes good with pretty much any fall dish.

Cranberry Vinaigrette in a jar

Key Ingredients for This Recipe

Fresh cranberries

Fresh cranberries make this salad dressing stand out and add a delicious tartness to the dressing. Because the cranberries are naturally very tart, you only need to add a little bit of vinegar to get the right balance. amazing on chicken

Walnut oil or flaxseed oil

Walnut oil can be found next to olive oils in any large grocery stores and health food stores. It adds a really nice depth to this recipe. I love using it in vinaigrettes. Once you buy a bottle of it, try my Balsamic Walnut Oil Viniagrette next!

Fresh thyme

I chopped some fresh thyme from my garden and added that to the dressing. Although it might be tempting to use dried thyme, I would highly recommend running to grab some fresh thyme. It makes all the difference and is so much more flavorful/fragrant!

Agave or honey

A touch of agave or honey is nice to balance the tartness out. You can use either in this recipe, but if you’re vegan, use agave. If not, then use whatever you have on hand or prefer.

Shallot

I always love a bit of allium in my dressings. In this case, I used shallot from the farmers’ market. If this vinaigrette ends up being too sharp for you, add a little more agave or honey, or scale back on the number of cranberries you use. You could also try adding a bit more olive oil, but don’t add too much!

How to Make This Cranberry Salad Dressing

Puree the shallot, cranberries, olive oil, vinegar, walnut or flax oil, thyme, agave or honey, salt and pepper in a mini prep, food processor or blender until as smooth as possible.

Store the dressing in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Cranberry Vinaigrette in jar next to serving board

FAQs and Expert Tips

How long does homemade dressing last?

Homemade dressing usually lasts in the fridge for up to 1 week.

How do you store homemade dressing?

Store any homemade dressing in an airtight container or sealable jar.

What to use instead of walnut or flaxseed oil?

If you can’t find either or prefer to use a different type of oil, opt for a good extra-virgin olive oil instead.

Cranberry Vinaigrette with a spoon

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Cranberry Vinagirette

Cranberry Vinaigrette


  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 scant cup 1x

Description

This vegan cranberry vinaigrette is made with fresh cranberries, chopped thyme, and shallot. It’s naturally tart, so you only need a little vinegar.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 shallot, peeled, cored and quartered
  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup walnut oil or flax seed oil
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon agave or honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Puree shallot, cranberries, olive oil, vinegar, walnut or flax oil, thyme, agave or honey, salt and pepper in a mini prep, food processor or blender until as smooth as possible. Store in a jar in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Notes

Cooking Tip:

If you can’t find either walnut or flaxseed oil, or just prefer to use a different type of oil, opt for a good extra-virgin olive oil instead.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: Mixed
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: about 2 tablespoons
  • Calories: 127
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Sodium: 143 mg
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 3 g
  • Fiber: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g

Keywords: cranberry vinaigrette, homemade vinaigrette

More Homemade Vinaigrette Recipes:

Raspberry Almond Vinaigrette 

Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette

Maple Sherry Vinaigrette 

Kalamata Olive and Basil Vinaigrette 

collage of cranberry vinaigrette photos with text overlay