Wild Rice Dressing with Cranberries, Cherries, and Pecans is a hearty Thanksgiving side dish packed with rich fall flavors. It makes a great, healthy alternative to stuffing!
Do you prefer Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing?
If you're confused about the difference between the two, you're not alone.
What makes this Wild Rice Dressing dish so special?
This Wild Rice Dressing with Cranberries, Cherries, and Pecans recipe has so many favorite flavors of fall packed into each bite. It makes enough to serve a crowd of approximately 18-20, if each person takes one heaping serving spoon.
And it's not stuffing. Stuffing is cooked inside the Thanksgiving turkey; dressing is cooked outside of the turkey.
That said, you still see the two used interchangeably these days.
I'm more of a fan of dressing versus stuffing. I think the Thanksgiving bird tastes better without stuffing, while a dish like Thanksgiving dressing is worthy of its own separate preparation and presentation.
Tools and Equipment
To make this Wild Rice Dressing recipe, you'll need:
Skillet or sauté pan - to cook the garlic, onion, celery, and other ingredients to be mixed into the dish before baking.
Ingredients
- Wild rice
- Bacon grease - I add this to boost the flavor and aromas of the dish.
- Dried cranberries and cherries - They add so much richness and depth to this wild rice dressing recipe.
- Pecans - for added texture and flavor depth.
- Bread - I use a hearty seeded wheat bread, which gives the dressing a richer, earthier taste.
- Vegetable broth - to infuse the rice with more flavor.
- Celery
- Onions
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Milk
How to make wild rice dressing
Many of my favorite dishes start with a tablespoon of preserved bacon fat. You don't need a lot; a little bacon fat goes a long way to adding delicious flavor and aromas to every bite of a dish.
If you don't save your bacon grease like I do (mason jar in the fridge), or if you want to keep this strictly a vegetarian recipe or vegan recipe, you can easily substitute olive oil or butter.
The wild rice cooks in a medium pan while you sauté together the celery, onions, and garlic.
Then you add the pecans, dried fruit, and slowly add the milk in to help soften the mixture while it bakes.
Finally, you add the cooked rice, sautéed fruit & nut mixture, and cubed bread all together in a large bowl. Spread the mixture out evenly into a large 9 x 13" baking dish, and bake according to directions below.
Recipe FAQs
When it comes to Thanksgiving side dishes, stuffing is cooked inside the turkey; dressing is cooked outside of the turkey.
You could use regular wheat bread or white bread, but make sure you use day-old bread.
You can also toast the bread in the oven for 5-7 minutes before mixing it in.
Or, you could use traditional croutons. Just know that your bread choice will affect the texture and taste of the dressing, so go with a bread you enjoy and you can't go wrong!
I use both dried cranberries and cherries but you could choose to use either if you prefer one over the other.
What to serve with Wild Rice Dressing
This satisfying side dish is great for the holidays or for almost any dinner. Here are some main dishes that will go well with wild rice dressing:
Leftover ideas for Wild Rice Dressing
If you're not cooking for a huge crowd, you will definitely have leftovers. This dressing is an awesome base for many leftover dishes!
Here are some ideas:
- Wild Rice Dressing Scramble - Add a warmed up spoonful on top of scrambled eggs in the morning.
- Wild Rice Dressing Quiche/Frittatas - Beat some eggs and pour over the dressing in a round baking dish or divide into muffin tins for frittatas. Bake until the eggs are fluffy and cooked.
- Wild Rice Dressing with Sausage - Cook Italian sausage, add to the dressing for a yummy leftover lunch.
- Wild Rice Dressing Burgers - Beat an egg or two (depending on how much you have leftover) and add to the wild rice dressing in a bowl. Form burger patties, and refrigerate for about 15 minutes, just to set in the shape. Cook over a skillet, about 2-3 minutes each side. Top each burger with a tower of mixed greens, or eat between hamburger buns and your choice of toppings.
I keep dried fruit in my pantry to use for cheese & charcuterie boards for holiday parties, to include in food gifts, and there are no shortage of holiday baking recipes that call for yummy dried fruits.
And of course, for main holiday dishes like this Thanksgiving dressing!
More side dish recipes
Wild Rice Dressing with Cranberries and Cherries
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice mix
- 2 cups 1 14.5 ounce can vegetable broth
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (about 2-3 cloves)
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 cup celery chopped into small pieces
- ½ tablespoon thyme leaves chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley leaves finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup dried craberries
- 1 cup milk
- 8 cups cubed hearty wheat bread about 9 slices
Instructions
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9" x 13" baking dish with butter. Set aside.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
- In a medium pot, bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Add wild rice mix, stir, lower heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes until rice is fluffy and liquid is absorbed.
- While rice is cooking, heat bacon fat or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic, onions, and celery to the skillet and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until the onions are softened.
- Add pecans to the skillet, stir, and toast ingredients for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
- Add dried cranberries and cherries, then slowly pour in the milk. Stir everything together for 1-2 minutes, just to heat up the milk and slightly soften the dried fruit.
- Combine bread cubes, skillet mixture, and cooked wild rice in a large bowl. Gently toss so all ingredients mingle nicely. Slowly pour into the baking dish into an even layer.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees farenheit for 30 minutes.
- Uncover, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Notes
* use olive oil instead of bacon fat
* use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock DAIRY-FREE OPTION:
* use almond milk or coconut milk instead of regular milk
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
Do you prefer stuffing or dressing? Will you be cooking for a crowd this Thanksgiving or bringing a dish to another celebration?
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This post is sponsored by Graceland Fruit, which is my favorite brand of dried fruits. All opinions, recipes, and photos are, as always, my own.
Kylie says
I love this recipe! We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in New Zealand but I think it would be a fabulous dish to try for our Christmas dinner. My daughter absolutely adores cranberries so she would be in heaven :-)
Joanna Clute says
This is a super pretty dish. I think I may just add this to my Thanksgiving dishes list!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
Thanks so much! If you do, let me know how you like it! :)
Eva says
What a great idea to incorporate wild rice! It's nice to offset the bread with a little something else.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
I like to mix things up! :) Thank you!
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
This dressing looks so divine Marlynn - I love your addition of wild rice!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
Thanks so much, Eric!:)
Joanie @ One Dish Kitchen says
I'm definitely a dressing fan. I love the addition of cranberries to your dressing and I bet the bacon fat adds an incredibly delicious flavor!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
It does! Love bacon fat. Thanks, Joanie!
Amanda Rosson says
Oh wow, this is amazing and so delicious!!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
Thanks so much, Amanda! :)
Mary says
The colors. The textures. The flavors! Everything looks so great in this gorgeous recipe. And I'm with you on stuffing vs. dressing. I'm a dressing girl by far, but I usually use the term "stuffing" because it's more familiar. Whatever you call it, I can't wait until next week. It's my favorite day of the year :)
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
I love Thanksgiving, too! Thanks so much for the nice comment, Mary :)
Becky S says
What's this? More cranberry ideas! Loving the change up for Thanksgiving.
Okay, I'm really digging the leftover quiche idea. I may have to just cut straight to that rather than just making the dressing.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
Lol. Do it! Quiche is never a bad idea :)
Create/Enjoy says
I love dried cranberries in savory dishes! Delicious and festive!
Also, we cook with bacon fat a ton--adds a great extra bit of savory flavor!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
It really is a great addition! Thanks for stopping by! :)
Willow says
Yum! Sweet and savory is one of my favorite flavor combinations!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
Mine too! :)