What is this?
This light salad is an oldie but goodie and one of my favorite salads to make. When it comes to mandarin oranges, most of us think of ambrosia salad. That’s the dessert-salad with marshmallows, cool whip, pineapple, and mandarin oranges.
Although this salad features mandarin oranges, it couldn’t be more different than the more well-known ambrosia salad! Fresh berries replace the marshmallows and toasted almond slivers replace the pineapple. Finally, a lightly sweetened vinaigrette is used to dress this summer beauty, instead of cool whip. Comparing the two is like night and day!
What’s in it?
Mandarin Orange Salad Ingredients
- Fresh salad greens
- Mandarin orange slices
- Fresh berries
- Toasted almond slivers
- Mandarin orange juice
- rice wine vinegar
- Sugar
Part of the beauty of this mandarin orange salad is the heavenly dressing. It is both delicious and effortless. All you do is combine the reserved juice with white wine vinegar and a little bit of sugar. Talk about easy peasy!
A salad kids will eat
Our kids love mandarin oranges. They are also pretty fond of blueberries. Fresh, leafy greens – not so much. By mixing all of these together, doused with a little sweetened juice from the oranges, our kids suddenly become salad eaters!
Of course, it isn’t just our kids who enjoy this salad. Their parents do as well. It’s great as a side for outdoor cooking, family reunions, or as a warm-weather lunch all by itself. Uncomplicated and simple to put together, it’s a plate of healthy fruit and greens. It is a plate of summer!
FAQ
Baby spinach is a great choice to use for this easy salad.
Fresh raspberries
Strawberries
Blackberries
Chopped bing cherries, dried cherries, and dried cranberries are great additions as well!
Prepare this salad ahead of time to save time when you are ready to serve it. Just seal it and store it in the refrigerator up to a day before serving. Douse the dressing over the salad when ready to eat.
Mandarin oranges are a small variety of oranges also known as mandarines. Because of their small size, they are often used in salad recipes like this one.
You can use other types of oranges for this salad. Be sure and peel the pith (white lining) from the citrus and cut the slices in half to make them more bite-size. If you don’t use mandarins for this salad, try to use another sweet variety like Valencias or navel oranges. Substitute orange juice for the reserved mandarin juice, if using fresh oranges.
More Warm Weather Salad Recipes
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- Escarole topped with roasted broccoli florets, and light olive-blend dressing that we top with Asiago cheese.
- Garbanzo Bean Salad
- A deconstructed hummus salad served over a bed of greens.
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- Bacon, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard highlight this classic French salad recipe.
- Apple-Grape Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
- Zesty, easy and delicious!
- Pickled Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
- Tangy and tasty!
- Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad
- Creamy and mouthwatering
I’m always looking for easy summer salad recipes, both for myself and for our readers. If you have a favorite, please drop me an email! I’d love to give it a try and put our own spin on it!
BTW, do you have a salad spinner in your kitchen? It’s a fast and effective way to rinse and dry salad greens and I sometimes use mine as a colander. If you don’t have one of these, you may want to consider picking one up. (As a bonus, kids love to use these things, and adults do too!)
If you have tried this mandarin salad recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what we have cooking.
📖 Recipe
Mandarin Orange and Blueberry Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Salad spinner
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 cups salad greens washed and rinsed.
- 1 cup blueberries washed and rinsed.
- 11 oz. mandarin orange slices. drained (reserve the juice.)
- ¼ cup almond slivers toasted
For the Dressing
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- reserved mandarin orange juice.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Then, spread the almond slivers onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Place the pan on a center oven rack and toast for 7 to 10 minutes, until they begin to turn a light brown.
- Thoroughly mix the sugar, white wine vinegar, and reserved juices.
- Plate greens, place orange slices and blueberries on top, then sprinkle with toasted almonds. Apply the dressing and taste the summer.
Notes
- Substitute other fresh berries for the blueberries, if desired.
- Always serve summers salads on a chilled plate. This helps keep the salad cool and takes away a bit of the summer heat!
Nutrition
This post is from the original post of June 10, 2014.
