Homemade Cranberry Vinaigrette
Got leftover cranberry sauce? Or did you stock up on fresh cranberries when they were on sale? Make this homemade cranberry vinaigrette and drizzle it over a big bowl of greens topped with fresh apples, pears, walnuts, and all of the fall flavors.
This easy salad dressing comes together in seconds with cranberry sauce, cider vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard. It’s much lower in sugar than bottled dressing, and it’s full of fresh, tangy cranberry flavor.
Homemade salad dressing is SO easy! Try my easy blue cheese vinaigrette dressing and my lemon herb kefir dressing, too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients needed to make this dressing. Substitutions and variations are in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Cranberry sauce. I always recommend making homemade whole-berry cranberry sauce because it takes about 10 minutes, and you control the ingredients. See below for an easy, reduced-sugar recipe. As much as I love my low-sugar fresh cranberry relish, it doesn’t work as well in this recipe. Cooked cranberries will blend smoother.
To make homemade whole-berry cranberry sauce, combine one 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries (about three cups) with ¾ cup of sugar and ¾ cup of water. Bring this to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Refrigerate the cooked sauce. It will thicken once the sauce cools. This will make about 2 cups of sauce, but you can freeze leftovers.
Olive oil. This keeps the salad dressing heart-healthy. Most brands of bottled dressing have vegetable oil or soybean oil.
Apple cider vinegar. It has a natural sweetness that complements the flavors in this recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t have fresh cranberries, use organic canned cranberry sauce. Regular canned cranberry sauce usually contains high fructose corn syrup.
- Substitute white wine or champagne vinegar for apple cider vinegar.
- Add a teaspoon of fresh grated orange zest to the dressing before blending it for a bright pop of orange flavor.
- Add some fresh-squeezed orange juice to thin the dressing instead of water.
- If you like your dressing sweeter, add a drizzle of maple syrup.
Instructions
1. Combine the ingredients in a bullet blender and blend for about 10 seconds or until smooth.
2. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Add water or a splash of orange juice if the dressing seems too thick.
Expert Tips
Cranberries are a super-seasonal fruit, so grab them in November, especially when they’re on sale. Keep a few bags in the freezer to make this homemade salad dressing, low sugar fresh cranberry relish, or to add to a pan of roasted fall vegetables.
To freeze fresh cranberries, don’t wash them. Freeze them in their bag. Once frozen, cranberries will last at least a year.
Cranberries are naturally tart, so you don’t need much vinegar for this dressing. Start with two tablespoons and more if needed after you taste it.
Make a double or triple batch of this cranberry vinaigrette. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
What Goes With Cranberry Vinaigrette Dressing?
Drizzle this bright, flavorful dressing over:
- Kale apple salad
- Fall harvest salad
- Fennel and orange salad
- A shaved Brussels sprouts salad
- A peach salad with greens
- Roasted apples or pears with blue cheese and toasted pecans
Related Cranberry Recipes
Stock up on fresh cranberries when they’re in season and use them in these cranberry recipes.
Homemade Cranberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup homemade cranberry sauce organic whole berry cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine the cranberry sauce, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, and water in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Taste the dressing and extra salt if needed. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add one to two more tablespoons of water.
- Store extra dressing in a covered jar in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
If you print this recipe, you can scan the QR code below to see updates and tips or leave a comment.
Delicious!! Made a half-recipe with the last of my mom’s homemade cranberry sauce – we make a dozen jars when fresh cranberries come out around thanksgiving and eat it year ’round! Served over a big salad of romaine, spring mix, apples, mandarin oranges, feta, slivered almonds, pecans and crunchy homemade croutons. Thanks for a great recipe, and would usually be excited to explore the rest of your site BUT the horrendous ads all over the screen, many moving, all popping back up IMMEDIATELY upon closing them, is awful!!!! Can’t deal with all the distractions, and can’t believe I actually made it through this review….. 🙁
Thanks for your nice review and I’m so sorry about your ad experience! I try hard to limit them and keep them only between major chunks of content. Unfortunately they’re a necessary evil that pays for my website costs. 🙁
Delicious and easy. I just made the cranberry sauce, cooled it, and threw the rest in. My only change was adding a tablespoon of honey to my double batch. Can I freeze some?
So glad you liked it! I’ve never tried to freeze it but I don’t see why you can’t. Run it through the blender when thawed to recombine everything.
I love cranberry everything, this sounds awesome!
Thanks Lauren!