Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Sweet combines with savory to create this colorful mandarin orange salad. You’ll love the mixture of textures and flavors, and this recipe is easy to scale up for a party—which is good because it’s definitely a crowd-pleaser!
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large mixing bowl
Servings: 4
Most canned fruit is kind of a disappointment—I mean, would anyone choose canned peaches over fresh? Or mealy canned pears over the real deal? Mandarin oranges are one of the few exceptions. They’re juicy and bright and they almost pop in your mouth when you bite into them. Canned mandarin oranges are an absolute delight in this mandarin orange salad!
If you’re looking for a kid-friendly salad, this is it. In addition to the mandarin oranges, this salad boasts chewy sweet dried cranberries and a honey-sweetened dressing. The vibrant colors make it appealing to kids, too. Of course, this salad is also a hit with adults, making it great for potlucks or as a side dish for backyard get-togethers.
Reasons to Love Mandarin Orange Salad
It’s a breeze to make. This mandarin orange salad comes together in minutes and there’s not a whole lot of prep work involved compared to other salads. Using canned fruit makes it really easy. Win!
The perfect side salad. Some side salads are nothing more than a handful of greens and dry shredded carrots with maaaaybe a single olive or cucumber slice if you’re lucky. Womp womp. This mandarin orange salad is light enough to be a side salad, but delicious enough that it’s not just an afterthought.
A salad for salad haters. This is the kind of salad that people who normally object to salads will happily eat. With juicy mandarin oranges, sweet cranberries, mild baby spinach, and a light, zippy dressing, there’s nothing objectionable here!
Ingredient Notes
I’ll run through the basics of making this salad here and give you a few helpful tips. Be sure to refer to the recipe card below for measurements, instructions, and nutrition information.
For the Salad:
- Baby Spinach or Mixed Greens: Make sure they’re thoroughly dried so your salad doesn’t get soggy or too juicy. A salad spinner is nice to have for making salads!
- Mandarin Oranges: Drain the oranges well. By the way, if you like the idea of mandarin oranges in a salad, be sure to try my cabbage salad with honey lime dressing, too!
- Dried Cranberries: Chewy dried cranberries add texture, sweetness and a little bit of tartness, too. If you prefer, dried cherries or golden raisins can be substituted.
- Red Onions: For salads, be sure to slice the onions thinly so that the dressing will mellow their pungent flavor. If you’re worried that the onions will be too strongly flavored, soak the cut onions in ice water for ten minutes or so. Drain well and pat dry before adding them to the salad.
- Something Crunchy: Choose your favorite: sliced almonds, chopped toasted walnuts, or toasted sunflower seeds for a nut-free option.
- Feta Cheese: If a salad isn’t a salad to you without cheese, feta cheese is an optional addition to this mandarin orange salad. It brings a little briny flavor to the table.
For the Dressing:
- Olive Oil: A fruity, high-quality EVOO is fantastic here.
- Red Wine Vinegar: The sweet/tart vinegar is the perfect complement to the mandarine oranges.
- Orange: You’ll need the juice and the zest; zest the orange first because it’s so much easier to remove the zest from a whole orange than a cut and juiced orange.
- Honey: Any sweetener will work. If you’re looking for a vegan option, use maple syrup.
- Dijon Mustard: Mustard adds subtle flavor but also helps emulsify the dressing.
- Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper: These simple seasonings are always a must for any salad dressing!
How To Make Mandarin Orange Salad
Combine salad ingredients. Gently toss together the greens, dried cranberries, red onions, and crumbled feta (if using) in a large bowl. If you’d like to do this step ahead, you can cover and refrigerate the salad (without the dressing, oranges, and nuts) for a few hours.
Make dressing. Whisk all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. The dressing can be prepped ahead and refrigerated, too.
Add oranges and nuts. Add the mandarin oranges and toasted nuts to the salad just before serving.
Dress the salad. When you’re ready to serve the salad, drizzle the dressing over the salad, then gently toss to coat.
Tips and Variations
- Adjust the dressing to your taste. If you taste the dressing and it seems too tart, you can add more honey; if it’s sweeter than you like, add a splash of extra vinegar. Keep in mind that the mandarin oranges and cranberries also add sweetness to the salad.
- Make it a meal. Add grilled chicken, zippy garlic shrimp, or crispy tofu for protein.
- Toast the nuts. It brings out the best of their flavor! Here’s how to toast walnuts and how to toast almonds.
- Additions and substitutions. Avocado adds creaminess to this mandarin orange salad, while celery adds crunch. Swap in green onions for red onions if you’d like a milder flavor, or go for goat cheese instead of feta.
Serving Suggestions
- Chicken. Air fryer chicken breasts, honey balsamic chicken thighs, or pretty much any chicken recipe will pair well with this salad. If you love mandarin oranges, serve this salad alongside orange chicken thighs with bok choy, a delightful one pan dinner.
- Pork. Instant Pot pork chops and spice rubbed pork tenderloin are both fabulous with mandarin orange salad on the side.
- Soup. You can’t beat a soup-and-salad lunch! Try this vegan butternut squash soup.
- Sandwiches. For another lunch option, pair this salad with a chickpea salad sandwich or turkey wrap.
If you’re not planning on serving this mandarin orange salad right away, store the dressing, mandarin oranges, and nuts separately and add them just before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Once dressed, the salad will only last about a day in the refrigerator, as the greens will wilt.
More Salad Recipes
Mandarin Orange Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 6 cups (5 oz. container) baby spinach or mixed greens
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onions
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, optional
- 1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained well
- ½ cup sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or ¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted and cooled
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice (zest first!)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, combine salad greens, dried cranberries, red onions, and crumbled feta cheese (if using).6 cups (5 oz. container) baby spinach or mixed greens, ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup thinly sliced red onions, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, optional
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, orange juice, honey, Dijon mustard, orange zest, salt, and pepper. Taste, and adjust to your preference (see note).¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon orange zest, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Immediately before serving, add the mandarin oranges and toasted nuts to the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, tossing gently to coat the ingredients evenly with the dressing. If you’re not planning on serving the salad right away, refrigerate the dressing, mandarin oranges, and nuts separately from the salad and add them right before serving.1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained well, ½ cup sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or ¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted and cooled
Notes
- Dressing notes: If the dressing seems too tart, add more honey; if it seems too sweet, add a bit more vinegar. Remember that the mandarin oranges add sweetness to the salad, too,
- Add protein. For a main course salad, add grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, or tofu.
- Variations: Add avocado slices for a creamy texture. Add sliced celery for more crunch. Sliced green onions can be substituted for red onions. Substitute goat cheese for the feta for a tangy twist.
- How to toast nuts/seeds: almonds, walnuts.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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