Seize the holiday spirit with our favorite Cranberry Walnut Salad recipe! This dessert can also be served as an easy side dish on your festive table. Decorative cranberries are no more confined only to your Christmas tree or a centerpiece. It’s time to unlock the nutritious benefits of these vibrant berries by adding them to your holiday menu. Embrace the antioxidant-rich cranberries and learn how to make them a part of various dishes. Discover the secret behind the transformation of their bitter taste to sweet and relish the delicious flavor in every bite. One of our favorite recipes during the holidays is this Cranberry Walnut Salad. This Cranberry Ambrosia Salad variation is easy and versatile and it can be served as a side dish or on your dessert table.
Did you ever think that the cranberries you string around your tree during the holidays could become the star of your holiday meal? We have just the recipe for you – our Cranberry Ambrosia Salad – a quick fix that can double as a side dish or dessert! Who’s excited to give it a try?
For years we only used fresh cranberries as decorations, either stringing them for the tree or pilling them in a beautiful bowl. They are a gorgeous color and add a very festive cheer around the house during the holidays, but I think I missed an opportunity during all those years to add these berries to our menu since these berries are very nutritious.
This post may contain affiliate links which means if you purchase we might receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
When I was growing up the only way I ever ate any kind of cranberries was in that canned cranberry sauce around Thanksgiving. You know, that jellied stuff that your mom would cut out both ends of the cranberry sauce can and slide the entire contents out, then slice it to accompany your Thanksgiving turkey? I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that, I still love that stuff and our favorite way to serve it is on our chicken or turkey sandwiches.
How to enjoy the Health Benefits of Cranberries:
We have read that cranberries have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits and are a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber. And some consider it a a super food for it’s high nutrient and antioxidant content.
And in the last few years, we have expanded our horizons and we begin cooking with cranberries. Either in Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping or in Homemade Cranberry Sauce and we have even tried dehydrating them. It still amazes me that when cranberries are cooked or dehydrated the little berries totally change from bitter to sweet and delicious, you know one of the mysteries of nature. But as in most fruits or veggies, some of the nutrients are lost in the cooking process so it’s a trade-off.
Raw cranberries can be chopped and sparingly added in a variety of dishes such as in a spinach salad, in a chicken salad or topped over yogurt where the tart taste accents the dish but not overwhelms it.
But since raw cranberries are so bitter, the best option is to add some sweetness to them such as sugar or mixing them with sweeter fruits. This way the health benefits are not reduced and they are more pleasing to the palate.
How to Make Cranberry Ambrosia Salad:
This Cranberry Walnut Salad with Pineapples and Marshmallows is made with fresh cranberries which adds just the right touch to an otherwise too sweet fruit salad. And by mixing them with sugar and left standing overnight, it mitigates the bitter of the cranberries but leaves the health benefits. I think its the Mary Poppins theory we knew as children, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”. But the real reason I make this cranberry ambrosia salad is that it is delicious with just the right clash of bitter and sweet flavor plus it’s just gorgeous.
Place chopped cranberries, sugar and marshmallows in a covered food storage container and mix well, cover and let set in the fridge overnight
Whip the heavy cream
Remove from fridge and add the pineapple, and pecans and fold in the whipped cream
Store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Sweet, tart, and crunchy This Cranberry Ambrosia Salad is all the holiday magic you need! Serve it as a dessert or a side dish. It’s the recipe you never knew your holiday table was missing!
It’s so sad that we only make this Cranberry Walnut Salad during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. But that’s usually the only time one can find fresh cranberries in our local market. I do have cravings for it all year long and it’s always been a hit here on the Ranch. And of course, we think the best way to eat fresh cranberries is in the Cranberry Walnut Salad.
One of our favorite recipes during the holidays is this Cranberry Walnut Salad. This Cranberry Ambrosia Salad variation is easy and versatile and it can be served as a side dish or on your dessert table.
I make one similar, will try yours! You know you can freeze bags of cranberries to use year round!
Mackenzie
Saturday 7th of December 2013
I just had something VERY similar at our school Thanksgiving potluck and I LOVED IT! I can't wait to try this Evelyn; thanks for sharing! :)
Miz Helen
Sunday 1st of December 2013
Congratulations!Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your new Red Plate.Miz Helen
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes
Monday 25th of November 2013
I love these kinds of salads! Pinning :)
Michelle
Monday 25th of November 2013
You know southerners love their salads. And I don't mean the green leafy kind! This would be gobbled up in minutes around here. I can see why it's your favorite.Thank you for linking!
Marti
Friday 15th of March 2024
I make one similar, will try yours! You know you can freeze bags of cranberries to use year round!
Mackenzie
Saturday 7th of December 2013
I just had something VERY similar at our school Thanksgiving potluck and I LOVED IT! I can't wait to try this Evelyn; thanks for sharing! :)
Miz Helen
Sunday 1st of December 2013
Congratulations!Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your new Red Plate.Miz Helen
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes
Monday 25th of November 2013
I love these kinds of salads! Pinning :)
Michelle
Monday 25th of November 2013
You know southerners love their salads. And I don't mean the green leafy kind! This would be gobbled up in minutes around here. I can see why it's your favorite.Thank you for linking!