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Cranberry pecan sweet potato wild rice pilaf is a perfect fall side dish infused with incredible flavors and textures. Crunchy pecans, cranberries, sweet potato, wild rice, and herbs come together in this tasty dish!
Rice is the perfect side dish and can take on any flavors you add to it. I love how versatile of an ingredient it is! Next time you’re looking to use rice from your pantry, make this easy fried rice or this delicious Mexican rice to go with your tacos. And if you need something sweet for dessert make rice pudding!
Cranberry Pecan Sweet Potato Wild Rice Pilaf
This cranberry pecan sweet potato wild rice pilaf will be your new favorite Thanksgiving side dish. It’s bursting with flavors but isn’t too heavy. You’re going to love all the textures in this recipe. The crunchy pecans, chewy dried cranberries, and tender wild rice and sweet potatoes. Combined with herbs and seasonings, this recipe has the best savory fall flavors all in one bowl.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I just love this time of year because there is so much to be grateful for. Growing up we’d always have Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma’s house. My grandma was an excellent cook and nobody could make a turkey better than she could. It was always perfectly juicy and melted in your mouth. But my favorite memory from Thanksgiving dinners was my Grandma’s pumpkin pie and her homemade crust. To this day we still make her famous pumpkin pie.
Ingredients Needed
I included sweet potato, cranberries, and crunchy pecans. Use high-quality dried herbs to bring out the amazing flavor in this dish. Parsley, oregano, and thyme all come together to season the dish. This rice pilaf is a fun and unique dish that can be the star of the table.
- Chicken Broth: Adds flavor while cooking the wild rice.
- Wild Rice Blend: Use a blend or just wild rice, it’s up to you!
- Dried Parsley, Oregano, and Thyme: The best herbs to season this fall side dish.
- Olive Oil: For cooking the sweet potato and onion.
- Sweet Potato: Cook sweet potato is tender and perfect in this dish.
- Onion: Adds great flavor to the pilaf.
- Dried Cranberries: Dried cranberries are also known as craisins.
- Pecans: Toasting the pecans brings out the delicious nutty flavors.
- Fresh Parsley: Garnish with fresh parsley right before serving. It’s also pretty!
Cranberry Pecan Sweet Potato Wild Rice Pilaf Recipe
We love having a rice dish at our dinner table, and this includes all of the delicious fall flavors. My favorite thing about this recipe is that it can be made in advance. Having one less thing to make on Thanksgiving day is a game-changer!
- Prepare the Wild Rice: In a medium-sized saucepan bring the broth to a boil and add wild rice, parsley, oregano, and thyme. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Alternatively, you may follow the liquid/rice ratios and cooking directions according to your particular brand of wild rice blend for 1 cup of rice.
- Cook the Sweet Potato and Onion: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the sweet potato and saute until tender, about 15 minutes or so. Once the potatoes are nearly cooked through, add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent.
- Add Dried Cranberries and Pecans: Add the dried cranberries and chopped pecans and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Combine the Sweet Potato Mixture with the Wild Rice Mixture: Add the sweet potato mixture to the rice mixture and fluff with a fork.
- Garnish and Serve Warm: Season with salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm!
Make Ahead Tips
This cranberry pecan sweet potato wild rice pilaf is the perfect recipe to make ahead of time. Perfect for Thanksgiving day prep because you can make it a couple of days before you serve it. I’m all about cutting corners to make the big day run smoother. Here are my tips for making this side dish in advance.
- Use Premade Wild Rice: Cook the wild rice in advance or use premade wild rice. I love the microwavable packets because it’s fast and easy. Just warm it up and the rice is ready to go!
- Cook the Sweet Potatoes and Onions in Advance: Cook or roast the sweet potatoes and onions ahead of time. This way it’s done and ready when it’s time to assemble the cranberry sweet potato wild rice pilaf. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator then reheat them in the microwave.
- Chop and Measure Ingredients: Chop the pecans and measure out the pecans. I like to have them measured and ready to add to the recipe. It just makes it go fast when you’re ready to assemble the pilaf.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
It’s so easy to store this pilaf recipe for later. Just pop it in an airtight container, stick it in the fridge, then it’s ready for whenever you’re craving some fluffy, savory goodness! This recipe is also great for meal prep.
- In the Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Reheating: Reheating leftovers is a breeze! Simply place it in a microwave-safe dish then microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until warmed through.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Looking to switch up your Thanksgiving recipes and try some new ones? These are some of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving recipes because they never let me down! I know they’ll be a hit with your friends and family just like they have with mine. Give these favorites a try because they are the best!
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Cranberry Pecan Sweet Potato Wild Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup sweet potato, diced small
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan bring the broth to a boil and add wild rice, parsley, oregano, and thyme. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Alternatively, you may follow the liquid/rice ratios and cooking directions according to your particular brand of wild rice blend for 1 cup of rice.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the sweet potato and saute until tender, about 15 minutes or so. Once the potatoes are nearly cooked through, add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent.
- Add the dried cranberries and chopped pecans to the sweet potato mixture then cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sweet potato mixture to the rice mixture and fluff with a fork.
- Garnish with fresh parsely and serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can’t wait to try this for Thanksgiving! We are Plant Based Vegan in my home and this is easily adaptable to our needs with just a simple broth change! Thank you so much for sharing!
This is very similar to a dish I make with butternut squash. The mixture of flavors is awesome!
Have you ever added roasted brussels sprouts? Thanks!
That sounds delicious. Great idea! Let me know how it turns out.
This recipe is amazing!! I’m currently making it for the second time with brown rice (I keep forgetting to buy wild rice). I also wanted this recipe to be a bit more filling so I added cubed chicken breast to the recipe. My picky kids even love this! I can’t wait to try it with the wild rice.
How did you get on using Brown Rice? Did you cook it for the same amount time?
As I will probably use Brown Rice too!
Delicious and easy!!!!! I used black rice as I could not find wild rice – it worked well.
My daughter-in-law only eats plant-based foods. This recipe would work except for the chicken broth. Do you think I could substitute vegetable broth? How badly would it change the flavor?
It wouldn’t change the flavoring too much. It will still taste delicious.
Do you precook the sweet potatoes being adding to the mix? I can’t imagine they would get cooked just by sautéing them.
You can but you do not need to. As you saute them together they will cook up quickly.
This looks delicious. In the description it says wild rice and in the recipe list it says wild rice blend. Is it just wild rice or a Uncle Ben’s-style wild rice?
I prefer uncle Ben’s wild rice but either one will work well with this sweet potato wild rice pilaf.
Looks so good! Could you make it the night before and then put in crock pot on warm for potluck at work?
Yes, this is great made the night before and warmed up. Enjoy your potluck!
Sounds delicious! How long will this dish keep? Are usually like to have all of my Thanksgiving dishes made the night before so I can enjoy the day. Is that possible with this lovely rice dish?
That is a great idea. You can make this ahead of time and it will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Hope that helps!
Do you use whole fresh cranberries or dried cranberries?
I used whole cranberries but either will be great for this recipe! Enjoy! XOXO
I decided to replace my usual sweet potato casserole with this yesterday (Thanksgiving). Though I too was suspect of the water to rice ratio I proceeded as directed. After 45 minutes I still had an additional cup of broth left after draining it from the rice though rice was cooked. Before adding the vegetable mixture, I drizzled a small amount of pure maple syrup on them. Was a very tasty, and I’m sure healthier alternative to the standard sweet potato casserole.
I am so glad that you made it your own! It sounds delicious! XOXO
Do you serve this dish hot or cold?
This looks so good!
I’m going to bypass my sweet potato casserole for Christmas and make this.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Can the sweet potato, pecan, wild rice salad be made ahead and frozen for Thanksgiving? It looks wonderful!
This looks delicious! I have two questions:
1. I usually double my water to rice, 3 cups doesn’t make it too mushy?
2. I’ve never cooked sweet potato on the stove. Are you just like sautéing it until it’s soft? Does it take long?
My rice got mushy and had to cook for an hour before the water was absorbed. Would follow the instructions on the rice bag next time.