This Butternut Squash Salad with wild rice, toasted almonds, cranberries, and feta is a wholesome, feel-good salad that’s as beautiful as it is nourishing. Roasted cubes of sweet butternut squash meet nutty wild rice and a tangy maple-Dijon dressing for the perfect blend of flavour and texture. It’s simple, vibrant, and ideal for autumn dinners, festive gatherings, or a make-ahead lunch that tastes even better the next day.
What’s in this Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Salad
This roasted butternut squash salad celebrates the best of seasonal produce and pantry staples — colourful, hearty, and full of contrast.
- Butternut squash – roasted until golden and caramelised at the edges.
- Wild and brown rice blend – adds wholesome chewiness and nutty depth.
- Dried cranberries – organic and naturally sweetened, bring a sweet-tart pop of flavour.
- Red onion & fresh parsley – add freshness and brightness.
- Toasted almonds – for extra crunch and nuttiness.
- Feta cheese – salty and creamy (optional for a vegan version).
- Apple cider vinegar dressing – light, tangy, and gently sweetened with maple syrup.
Tip for Ingredient Swap: Red kuri / hokkaido pumpkin or sweet potato make excellent swaps for the butternut squash.
How to Make Butternut Squash Salad with Wild Rice
This wild rice salad with roasted butternut squash comes together in just a few easy steps — simple, vibrant, and full of flavour.
- Cook the rice and roast the squash. Start by simmering the wild rice until tender and fluffy. While it cooks, roast the butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper until golden and caramelised.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, and a pinch of ground coriander until smooth and tangy.
- Assemble and finish. In a large bowl, toss together the rice, roasted squash, cranberries, parsley, red onion, and half the almonds. Pour over the dressing, toss gently, then top with the remaining almonds and crumbled feta. Serve warm or cold as it’s equally delicious either way! Which also means, it makes great leftovers for meal prep lunches!
Find the full recipe with exact quantities and instructions below in the printable card.
Five Reasons You’ll Love This Butternut Squash Salad
This wild rice salad with roasted butternut squash is everything we want in a good autumn salad — colourful, easy, and full of flavour.
- Healthy: Packed with fibre, grains, and veggies that nourish and satisfy.
- Colourful and flavourful: A feast for the eyes with golden squash, bright herbs, and ruby cranberries. And it’s the perfect, super delicious mix of sweet, savoury, tangy, and crunchy.
- Quick: Just 20 minutes of hands-on prep while the rice and squash cook.
- Simple: Made with everyday ingredients you can find anywhere.
- Guest-worthy: Beautiful, flavourful, and perfect as a holiday side or cosy autumn meal.
If you love this wild rice salad with roasted butternut squash, you’ll definitely want to try a few more of my favourite hearty autumn salads:
- Wild Rice Salad with Sweet Potato: A vibrant mix of nutty rice, roasted sweet potato, cranberries, pecans, and Tuscan kale.
- Red Camargue & Wild Rice Lentil Salad: Earthy, elegant, and packed with texture and flavour.
- Sweet Dumpling Squash Salad: Sweet roasted squash paired with crisp greens, pomegranate and feta, plus a middle eastern twist with toasted seeds and spices.
- Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad: A wholesome, protein-packed hokkaido salad that’s bursting with flavour.
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Wild Rice
This Butternut Squash Salad with Wild Rice combines a rice blend, oven-roasted squash, cranberries, almonds, and feta in a maple-Dijon dressing. An easy autumn salad that’s delicious warm or cold.
I’d love your feedback – just click on the stars to rate this recipe! ⭐
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 cup uncooked wild and brown rice blend, rinsed (200 g)
- 1 small butternut squash (up to 1 kg), peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 35 g organic dried cranberries, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 35 g slivered almonds, lightly toasted (about 1/4 cup)
- 50 g feta, crumbled (optional, or more to taste)
For the dressing:
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (or ground cumin)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (organic unfiltered)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- sea salt, to taste
Method
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Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°F (180°C fan-assisted) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Cook the rice: Bring 625 ml of water (2½ times the volume of rice) to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 40–45 minutes, or until the rice is tender but still slightly firm (or according to package instructions, as varies depending on blend used). Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then transfer to a large serving bowl to cool slightly.
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Roast the butternut squash: Place the cubed squash on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer and roast for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway, until tender and edges lightly caramelised.
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Prepare the dressing: In small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients (ground coriander, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt) until well-combined.
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Assemble: In a large bowl, combine rice, dried cranberries, parsley, half the almonds and red onions. Pour over the dressing and toss gently. Fold in the roasted squash.
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Finish: Sprinkle over the remaining almonds and crumble the feta on top (if using). Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- For this wild rice salad recipe, I use rice mix from Rapunzel (unpaid mention) which includes Italian brown long grain rice, French red Camargue rice, and Canadian wild rice. Cooking times vary slightly by blend, so check the package instructions!
- The salad is naturally gluten-free and can easily be made vegan by omitting the feta or substituting with a vegan alternative.
- For extra colour and flavour, add a handful of pomegranate seeds or top with a handful of young arugula leaves before serving.
- This portion size pairs beautifully with mains such as roast chicken, grilled fish, or baked halloumi.
For a relaxing atmosphere in the kitchen I recommend my personal Elle Republic: Chilled Out Kitchen Tunes Playlist on Spotify.
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