Mandarin Orange Salad

This Mandarin Orange Salad, featuring a tender spring mix, sweet mandarin oranges, and a fresh citrus dressing is a bright and fresh side salad that is bursting with flavor!

This Mandarin Orange Salad is one of my favorite salads to make with I am low on fresh produce.

Using ingredients you likely have in your pantry and a bag of spinach or mixed greens, you can easily create a salad that while not featuring a ton of fresh ingredients, still tastes light and fresh.

Notes on Ingredients

• Greens: I recommend preparing this salad using a base of tender, soft greens, such as a spring mix, leafy green lettuce, or baby spinach.
• Mandarin Oranges: This is one instance where I feel like the canned product is better than fresh. Canned mandarin oranges are sweet, seedless, and already prepped! But most importantly they are tender and bite-size which makes them really easy to eat in a salad.
• Cranberries: Dried cranberries add a nice texture and tart bite to the salad.
• Nuts: The nuts are optional but, add a nice crunch to the salad. Use toasted almonds, pecan, or walnuts.
• Citrus Salad Dressing: The dressing is made with orange juice concentrate, honey, rice vinegar, olive oil, and salt.
  • Orange juice concentrate: Not orange juice. That concentrated flavor really adds the most bang for your buck in this dressing, plus is naturally sweet, meaning you can use less added honey, yet still have a perfectly sweet result.
  • Honey: Feel free to use maple syrup in place of honey for a vegan-friendly mandarin orange salad.
  • Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is the best option for the citrus dressing, as it is super mild in flavor and pairs well with the natural sweetness in the mandarin oranges.

How to Build a Salad with Mandarin Oranges

• For the dressing, whisk together the thawed orange juice concentrate, salt, pepper, honey, and rice wine vinegar in a small mixing bowl or glass jar. Drizzle in olive oil and whisk until well combined.
• In a large serving bowl, toss the greens with mandarin oranges, cranberries, and nuts, if using.
• Toss the salad with 2 tablespoons of the salad dressing and serve with the remaining salad dressing on the side.
• Serve immediately for best results.

Prep Ahead Instructions

This salad is best assembled right before serving. However, you can prepare the dressing up to 7 days in advance and then simply toss the components together right before serving.

Serving Suggestions

As I mentioned earlier, this Mandarin Orange Salad is a huge hit with the kids, as the flavors are simple and on the sweeter side.

But it is also loved by adults and makes a tasty addition to a spring brunch when paired with Quiche Lorraine or Overnight Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole and complements entrees like Stir Fry Chicken and Bok Choy and Orange Chicken.

More Tasty Salad Recipes

• Spinach Avocado Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
• Kale Apple Salad
• Homemade Caesar Salad
• Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
• Tossed Greek Salad

If you tried this Mandarin Orange Salad, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.