Because fresh cranberries have a limited window of availability, we encourage you to use them any which way you can. Add them to smoothies, salads, roasted vegetable medleys, sauces, or this vinaigrette recipe. This dressing is highly versatile and works great with savory, sweet, and tangy flavors because it exhibits a tart, warming flavor profile.

This dressing calls for whole, fresh cranberries and ginger root, making it rich, creamy, and a little tart and spicy. Not to mention, the vibrant pink color is enchanting to look at. It really pops when you drizzle it over a kale, pomegranate, and apple salad. The dark green of the kale leaves and this reddish-pink dressing is like Christmas in a bowl, only with less pumpkin spice and fattening ingredients! And we know that fresh cranberries are naturally tart, but the maple syrup helps to tame that tang. If you don’t have grade A maple syrup, you can use raw agave nectar.

This cranberry vinaigrette has a slightly grainy texture, due to the blending of fresh ingredients. If you prefer a dressing with a less grainy consistency, you can pour this dressing through a fine mesh sieve or strainer to strain some of the pulp. That extra step will yield a smoother dressing, but this is based on preference. This vinaigrette is truly great on everything, but it complements bolder leafy greens like kale, arugula, red leaf lettuce, and butter lettuce.