Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Stuffing

Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Stuffing is a festive addition to your Thanksgiving celebration. Loaded with tart cranberries, toasted pecans, and orange zest, it makes a fantastic side dish or turkey stuffing.

Looking for a special dish to complete your Thanksgiving feast? This cranberry pecan wild rice stuffing deserves a place on the dinner table alongside your holiday roasts. It makes for an amazing side dish as well as a flavorful turkey stuffing.

A delicious medley of wild and long grain rice, tart cranberries, crunchy pecans, and delicious hints of orange and cinnamon, it’s brimming with festive colors and Fall flavors your guests will beeline for!

Cranberry and pecan wild rice casserole is not only a tasty addition to your Thanksgiving celebration, but it’s also a fuss-free side dish with easy prep and a short list of ingredients.

Just combine the wild and long grain rice, broth, orange juice and zest in a baking dish, bake in the oven until tender and fluffy, and stir in the cranberries and toasted pecans at the last 10 minutes of cooking. Exactly what you need for a busy holiday dinner!

I usually make my wild rice stuffing with cranberries and pecans but feel to swap or add your choice of nuts and dried fruits. This wild rice bake is a great canvas for your favorite add-ins!

Make sure to check out my suggestions below on how to make it your very own special side dish.

Tips for Making Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Stuffing:

• Don’t like pecans? Swap with walnuts or almond slivers.
• Kick up the festive color with chopped dried apricots or golden raisins.
• Add diced apples and celery for extra crunch. Just saute in a tablespoon or so of butter until tender-crisp and toss in with the cranberries and pecans at the last 10 minutes or cooking.
• Cremini mushrooms are delicious additions, too! Sweat the mushrooms in butter (make sure the liquid they release is completely absorbed or it will affect the consistency of the rice) and combine with the rice to bake.
• Amp up Fall flavors and stir in roasted butternut squash cubes when the rice is ready to serve.
• Make it more hearty with bacon or turkey sausage crumbles. Brown the bacon or sausage, drain excess fat and add to the rice casserole.
• Want a more nutty flavor? Replace long grain white rice with brown rice and add an additional cup of broth.
• Turn it into a scrumptious vegan side dish by substituting vegetable for the chicken broth.

Want more meal ideas for your holiday menu? These green beans with bacon and tomatoes are a delicious switch up from the traditional green bean casserole and this slow cooker version is an easy option if you have to have green bean casserole. 🙂

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @OnionRingsAndThings on Facebook and Instagram!

3.47 from 52 votes

Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Stuffing

Cranberry Pecan Wild Rice Stuffing is a festive addition to your Thanksgiving celebration. Loaded with tart cranberries, toasted pecans, and orange zest, it makes a fantastic side dish or turkey stuffing.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Author: Lalaine

Course: Side Dish

Print Pin It Email Recipe

8 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups wild rice and long grain blend
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Instructions

• In a 9 x 12 baking dish, combine wild rice, long grain rice, broth, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. 
• Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350 F oven for about 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy and tender. 
• Gently stir in pecans and cranberries at the last 10 minutes of cooking and return baking pan to oven.
• Remove from the oven and allow to stand for about 8 to 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Sodium: 562mg, Potassium: 227mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 30IU, Vitamin C: 13.9mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”