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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.
How much rice if I use premade? I don’t remember if wild rice increases in volume during cooking as it has been a long time since I cooked it.
Did you use a boxed uncle bens rice or something else? Can’t wait to try this
Thanks
Sharon
The recipe calls for 2 cups of chicken broth but your directions say 3 cups of chicken broth. Which is it?
It should be 2 cups, thanks for catching that! I’ll update the post.
Do you use boxed Uncle bens wild rice mix?
I’ve been looking for a Thanksgiving stuffing alternative (I’ve eaten too many bad, unhealthy stuffings). I adore stuffed acorn squash. Thinking about stuffing mini pumpkins with this recipe sans the sweet potatoes because we’ll eat the squash. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you for the recipe!
This was a big crowd pleaser. I made it twice. If you make this with low-sodium broth you will need to add salt. When I made this the other day I discovered that I was out of pecans so I subbed pine nuts and it was wonderful.
Incredibly delicious. I nuked the sweet potatoes first so I wouldnt have to fry as long
Easy to fix, little prep. This was a crowd pleaser.
This is one of our favorite recipes! Easy and absolutely delicious! Of course I use whatever brand spices are available, however that doesn’t take away from this incredible recipe.
Thank you so very much Alyssa, this is incredible and we have this at least every other week, sometimes more, it’s that delicious!
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried that with this recipe before!
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
This looks so good! Do you use this dressing in other recipes?
OMGOSH, this looks amazing! Making for Christmas. Just wondering what is a “wild rice blend”? I’ve seen boxes of wild rice, but don’t know of any blends. Anyone have a favorite brand I can look for?
How does taste as a cold side dish?
Do you serve this as a hot side dish or cold as a salad?
I always serve it immediately after I fluff the rice!
Loved this recipe! I roasted the sweet potatoes with nutmeg, cinnamon and olive oil for 20 mins @375. When I tossed everything together, I added a splash of maple syrup. Very tasty!
Does this reheat well if made a day or two before?
It’s best served day of so that the pecans don’t get soggy.
I’ll be Nanking this recipe for a function, and they ask it’s dropped off a few hours in advance — any advice on the best means to reheat? Can’t wait to try it!
I’ve used your recipe before with a couple of changes I posted above. I also considered using the recipe a couple of days after the holidays and adding the leftover turkey cut up in it as a remake. Love this recipe!!!! Thank you!!