Blueberry-Mandarin Ranch Salad

The diverse flavors of this Blueberry-Mandarin Ranch Salad come together in perfect unison.

It begins with fruit, mixed greens, tangy dried cranberries, and things that go crunch mixed all together in a large bowl. Then serving it with Homemade Ranch Dressing may sound like an odd combination, but hang on! Let me tell you more.

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Let Me Introduce You

Don't you just love a good potluck?

So do I! And that's where I first met this Blueberry-Mandarin Ranch Salad. It made its arrival at a church potluck by way of a friend. Since then, it's been remembered as her 'good mandarin orange salad'.

With the arrival of warm weather, I've been thinking about this refreshing dish and thought it's time I introduce it to you. All with my own tweaks and my friend's permission, of course!

Here are some of the reasons I think you'll like meeting this 'good mandarin orange salad'.

1. It's quick and easy to prepare.

With a quick release from their containers, throw these ingredients together with some chopped purple onion into a large bowl and serve it alongside a bottle of Ranch dressing. You can't get much faster than that!

2. It's a beauty to behold.

The colors of the mandarin oranges, blueberries, red cranberries, and bits of purple onion against the greens are appealing to the eye. Also, the added textures of the walnuts and croutons give the idea that there will be lots of crunchiness involved here.

3. The combination of flavors is amazing.

Let me explain it this way. You have the flavors of the sweet fruit, the tang of the cranberries, the spicy bits of onions with the salty croutons, the crunchy nuts, and the creamy buttermilk dressing all playing a tune in your mouth. Mmmm! A symphony to the palate!

I don't recall its original name so let's call it the Blueberry-Mandarin Ranch Salad!

As I mentioned before about adding my own tweaks, here are some helpful ways to get the most flavor into this delightful Blueberry-Mandarin Ranch Salad.

As far as the croutons go, you can use a store-bought brand or try these Making Homemade Croutons from my last post. The crunchy cubes are easy to prepare and worth the time to get the freshest taste. You can even make them ahead of time and store them in the freezer. I do!

The Ranch dressing here is like icing on a cake, and making your own is always better than canned frosting. Let me suggest this Homemade Ranch Dressing from right here on the blog. It's made with buttermilk and fresh herbs for loads of delicious flavors! Preparing this one in advance is also a smart move.

Oh, and just a note about the dried cranberries:

They tend to have lots of carbs! The brand I use has 50 % less sugar, but they still pack a whopping 33 grams of carbs per ¼ cup. I know, who knew? You may reduce the amount in the salad or eliminate them altogether for your dietary preference.

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Recipe

As you can see, the recipe is simple enough to remember without having to write it down. But the recipe card is made just for you to print or copy and paste for your convenience.

Thanks for sharing on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and everywhere you so desire. Let me know how you like this salad and all of the other recipes from the blog. You know I love hearing from you!

"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24-hour days."

Zig Ziglar