Thanksgiving Fruit Salad with Wild Rice & Pecans
This easy Thanksgiving Fruit Salad with Wild Rice & Pecans is bright, sweet, warm, nutty, and crunchy! With the perfect blend of textures and flavors, it is sure to be a favorite at your holiday table.
Servings: 8
Calories: 259kcal
Cost: $10
Ingredients
Fruit Salad
- 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup Raw Pecan Halves chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Wild Rice pre-cooked
- 1 cup Red Grapes
- 1 cup Pomegranate Seeds
- 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1 large Apple, variety of choice or two small
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Citrus Dressing
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Orange Juice
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 pinch Cinnamon
Instructions
Fruit Salad
- Heat a small skillet on the stove top to medium heat and add the maple syrup. Add your chopped pecans, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the maple syrup is no longer liquid in the pan and is coating all of the pecans in a sticky glaze. Remove from heat, pour onto parchment paper, and cool.2 tablespoon Maple Syrup, 1/2 cup Raw Pecan Halves, 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- Into a medium sized or larger bowl, add the cooked & cooled wild rice. Cut your grapes in half and add them to the bowl, followed by the pomegranate seeds, and dried cranberries.1 cup Wild Rice, 1 cup Red Grapes, 1 cup Pomegranate Seeds, 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
- Cut your apple into bite size pieces. Add to your bowl and drizzle with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Use a big spoon to toss the fruit salad.1 large Apple, variety of choice, 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Citrus Dressing
- To small bowl or jar, add the olive oil, orange juice, honey, and pinch of cinnamon. Whisk or shake to combine.3 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1/4 cup Orange Juice, 1 tablespoon Honey, 1 pinch Cinnamon
- Pour dressing over salad. Add the candied pecans and stir to thoroughly mix.
Chill
- Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
Play around with different fruit combinations to suit your tastes. Try to incorporate a variety of textures and flavors to give the salad depth. Some swaps to try:
Instead of pomegranate arils, try fresh cherries.
Instead of diced apples, use diced pears.
Instead of grapes, use mandarin oranges. For flavor & spice, I use cinnamon, but the warm spices in a pumpkin pie spice blend or apple pie spice blend would also be great. Use the same amount of apple pie spice as you would for the cinnamon. For best taste, texture, and recipe presentation, serve fruit salad within 1 day of making it. However, leftovers will last up to 4 days in the fridge. If making this fruit salad ahead of time, store the glazed pecans in an airtight container. Wait to incorporate them into the salad until right before serving to keep them crisp. You can use canned wild rice ("Canoe" is one such brand) for a short cut. For a simple, fool proof way to prep wild rice, you can make it in the instant pot. Combine 16 ounces of wild rice with 5 cups water in the pressure cooker, cook for 30 minutes on high pressure, then let the pot release pressure naturally.
Instead of diced apples, use diced pears.
Instead of grapes, use mandarin oranges. For flavor & spice, I use cinnamon, but the warm spices in a pumpkin pie spice blend or apple pie spice blend would also be great. Use the same amount of apple pie spice as you would for the cinnamon. For best taste, texture, and recipe presentation, serve fruit salad within 1 day of making it. However, leftovers will last up to 4 days in the fridge. If making this fruit salad ahead of time, store the glazed pecans in an airtight container. Wait to incorporate them into the salad until right before serving to keep them crisp. You can use canned wild rice ("Canoe" is one such brand) for a short cut. For a simple, fool proof way to prep wild rice, you can make it in the instant pot. Combine 16 ounces of wild rice with 5 cups water in the pressure cooker, cook for 30 minutes on high pressure, then let the pot release pressure naturally.
Nutrition
Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 51IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
