Make this flavorful cranberry vinaigrette dressing in less than five minutes in your blender. Pour it on all of the salads!
I originally made this cranberry vinaigrette to top a kale apple walnut salad, but it's incredibly versatile. And since it's so quick to make, you can whip it up any old time you want a tart, warming salad dressing.
Because you use whole cranberries and fresh ginger to make this dressing, it ends up rich and creamy, but there is no dairy in it at all.
And I'm in love with that vibrant, pink color from the cranberries!
Table of Contents
Recipe notes
This recipe is so simple to make! Just toss fresh cranberries, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, ginger, and maple syrup into your blender. Blend until totally smooth.
Make especially sure that there are no large chunks of ginger left in the blender before serving.
Substitutions
You can use thawed-from-frozen cranberries instead of fresh to make this recipe. Just don't use them still frozen, or you'll end up with a vinaigrette smoothie.
If you don't have maple syrup, agave nectar will also work in this vinaigrette.
Instead of balsamic vinegar, you can use red wine vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
Serving suggestions
This tart and tangy cranberry vinaigrette is stellar on a kale salad, but it's also good on...everything. Here is how I've been eating it during recipe testing:
- on a kale salad
- on a green salad with walnuts or pecans, diced green onion, dried cranberries, and air fryer tofu
- with bread for dunking
- in place of pizza sauce on a flatbread pizza
- on a spoon
If you've never used vinaigrette as a pizza sauce, you are in for a treat. The rich, tangy, slightly-sweet flavors are delicious. I hope that this ginger cranberry dressing is just the start of your vinaigrette-on-pizza adventures!
Storage directions
If you aren't going to use this dressing right away, I recommend storing it in a jar for easy pouring. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
You can also freeze this dressing in a freezer safe jar for up to three months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then pour it back into the blender to recombine everything, since it tends to separate when it thaws.
More homemade salad dressings
Hungry for more salad? I have lots of delicious, easy dressings!
- 5-minute blender citrus dressing
- nut-free vegan ranch
- 5-minute tahini miso dressing
- vegan Russian dressing
- easy vegan Caesar salad dressing
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Vinaigrette Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger no need to peel
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in your blender, and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and pour it onto all of the salads!
Video
📝 Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Vinaigrette is an oil and vinegar-based dressing. Usually, you do a 3:1 oil to vinegar ratio. Since cranberries are quite tart, though, this recipe uses a bit less vinegar.
This varies quite a bit depending on the type of dressing. This one keeps for up to a week in the fridge.
Homemade dressing keeps best in a covered container. I like to use a mason jar, since I always have some handy, and they make for easy spooning or pouring. You can use a salad dressing decanter, though, if you're fancy.
You sure can! Store in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to use it, then give it a good shake or stir before pouring onto your salad.
JoAnne
I tried this recipe and it was delicious. I made a change by adding 1/2 a lime and wowzer. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Becky Striepe
Thank you for coming back to comment, JoAnne! I appreciate it. Lime juice sounds like a lovely addition!
Amanda
This dressing sounds amazing! Out of curiosity, do you think frozen cranberries would work? I have so many of them in my freezer and need to find new uses for them!
Becky Striepe
I don't see why they wouldn't! You might want to let them thaw, just so you can get a smooth mix in the blender, but you can always try with them still frozen, and just blend again later, if it turns out too chunky that way. Let me know how it goes, for sure!
Melissa
I always make my own dressings. This one is delicious and fresh. I subbed fresh avocado for the oil and raw unfiltered honey for the maple syrup as well as apple cider vinegar for the rice wine vinegar. Love options!
Valerie
I don't own a high speed blender and the blender I do have is not very good. I've never used raw cranberries and I'm just wondering if cooking them first to soften them might yield better results in my situation. What do you think?
Becky Striepe
I think you'll be fine. If your blender can do a smoothie, it can handle this!
Valerie
Thank you!