Black Rice Salad with Cranberries is a stunning, vegan spring dish that’s packed with gorgeous colors and healthy ingredients. Black rice, also known as The Forbidden Rice, has a rich history and a delicious earthy flavor. 
Sometimes selecting different foods to put together in a recipe, is like selecting different paint colors to put together in a house.
If you’re not sure what I mean, follow my thought process in creating this recipe.
Inspiration for Black Rice Salad with Cranberries
First, I was in Trader Joe’s (not shopping for rice), when a bag of black rice caught my eye. Then, knowing this black rice usually turns a deep purple when cooked, I immediately imagined how cool it would look against the bright green asparagus I’d picked up earlier at the Farmer’s Market.
So I added it to my basket. Next, I knew it needed orange. I went to grab carrots and to my delight, they had bags of carrots in a variety of colors. The purple ones are so cool because they’re golden-orange on the inside!
I carried on, as if I were painting in my mind. I wanted some strokes of red and remembered I had dried cranberries at home. Perfect. Finally, when I got home and saw my bowl of lemons, I knew the yellow was just the color I needed to brighten the big picture, if you will.
Do you ever stop and simply admire the beauty of the ingredients you’re cooking with? I do it all the time.
What is black rice?
- In ancient China black rice was consumed by a host of Chinese kinsmen for kidney, stomach and liver health. Then a handful of noble Chinese men took possession of every grain, keeping it from the public. It became property for royalty and the wealthy. It continued to be cultivated but only for the elite classes, in limited quantities. Commoners were prohibited from growing or consuming black rice, and since then it earned its much renowned label, “The Forbidden Rice.”
- Black rice is has a deep, dark color, which is really a purplish black. This color comes from anthocyanin, which is a powerful antioxidant. This is one of a few factors that make black rice a very healthy choice.
- Black rice is tricky to grow in terms of yield, and only produces about 10% percent of the harvest that other rice varieties do.
What does black rice taste like?
- Black rice has a subtly earthy and nutty flavor.
- The favor is similar to a strong brown rice, but the texture is closer to that of white rice.
The day I made this, I was excited to see that my friend Gerry of Foodness Gracious had a similar response to seeing the black rice on the Trader Joe’s shelf.
Check out his beautiful recipe for Moroccan Black Rice Salad with Burrata Cheese.
Enjoy every bite of this beautiful and delicious Asparagus Black Rice Salad with Cranberries!
Asparagus Black Rice Salad with Cranberries is a stunning spring dish that's packed with gorgeous colors and healthy ingredients.
- 1½ tablespoons lemon zest from about 3 small lemons
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice from about 3 small lemons
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ pounds asparagus
- ½ pound carrots
- 3½ cups cooked black rice about 1 1/4 cups uncooked -- follow the directions on the package
- ½ cup yellow onion, very finely chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
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In a small bowl, mix the lemon zest with the lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Then gradually whisk in the oil and set aside.
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Place two medium-sized bowls with ice water on your work space. Cut the bottom few inches (the tough portion), off of the asparagus and discard. Then rinse and peel them from just below the floret, using a vegetable peeler.
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Place a steamer in a pot with the water level just below it. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil and then add the asparagus to the rack and cover. Steam just until tender, about 5 minutes. Immediately add the steamed asparagus to one of the bowls of ice water and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then remove, dry, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
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Peel the carrots and trim the ends. Then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Using the same steamer pot, over high heat, bring the water to a boil and then add the carrots and cover. Steam just until tender, about 8 minutes. Now immediately add the steamed carrots to the other bowl of ice water and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Remove, dry and set aside.
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Making sure the cooked black rice is room temperature or cooler, add it to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion and drizzle almost all of the dressing over it and mix until the rice and onion are well coated.
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Very gently fold in the onion, steamed asparagus and carrots and cranberries, and drizzle the remaining dressing on top.
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Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
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Coco in the Kitchen says
V, those carrots are gorgeous. What a beautiful salad, so colourful.
Love the dressing, especially that you’ve got zest in there. xoxo
Patricia@FreshFoodinaFlash says
I’m inspired. I have the black rice in my cupboard, begging to be cooked. Thanks Valentina.
valentina says
Yay! 🙂
valentina says
Thank you!!
Christina says
I have never used black rice…horrors! I need to change that after seeing this beautiful dish!
valentina says
I think you’ll love it, Christina.
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
What a beautiful dish! I love black rice- will be sure to try it soon 🙂
valentina says
Hope you love it!
Nancy Rose Eisman says
Gorgeous! Your photography and recipe creativity are simply amazing!
valentina says
Nancy, you are so kind! XO
Tina Donovan says
This looks sooo good. I am extremely kitchen challenged lol….I’ve never peeled my asparagus. What part do you peel? The main picture it looked cut in bite sized pieces. Or do you have some of both? Also your article mentions dried cranberries, but the recipe list just says cranberries & doesn’t specify which kind. Also what is a brown onion? I’ve never heard of one. Can’t wait to make it! Thanks ~ Tina
valentina says
Hi Tina. Thanks for visiting my site. Okay, I hope to make this easier for you . . .
1) peeling asparagus — you don’t have to do this, BUT it’s one of those added details that will ultimately create a more delicious dish. Click this link for a super short video that shows you exactly how to peel the asparagus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jetCyvutbOQ
2) for a prettier presentation, I left some of the asparagus spears longer and sliced them in half, lengthwise — I recommend bite-sized pieces for the bulk of them.
3) the cranberries — it should have been “dried” cranberries in the ingredient list (I just edited it — thank you). Any brand of dried cranberries are fine. I usually get mine at Trader Joe’s.
4) brown onions are sometimes called yellow onions — they’re the most common onion. click this link to see a picture of one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_onion
Hope this helps and that you try the salad. Cheers! 🙂
David says
If you put this plate in front of me, I would think I had been gifted a plate of jewels! It is so beautiful. And one of my favorite parts of this post is finding out that TJs carries black rice! Thanks for that!!
valentina says
TJ’s has black garlic, too! I’m often surprised by delightful finds there.
jess says
Just made this. Its delicious! I also added cut up steamed golden beets. Perfect addition. My only complaint is the rice is so sticky and paste like. But it tastes amazing!
valentina says
Hi Jess – so happy you enjoyed this! Yes the rice is on the sticky side. Adding the lemon dressing loosens it up. 🙂
Jere Cassidy says
Thanks for the delicious recipe for black rice. I will be looking for this at Trader Joe’s. In California, our Nugget Markets carry a black rice salad but they don’t always have it and I have been known to throw a bit of a tantrum when it’s not there. I love the flavor of black rice.
valentina says
No tantrum necessary if you make it yourself. 😉 Enjoy and thank you for visiting.
Christina says
Would you believe I’ve never had black rice?! This looks spectacular though, and so healthy and nutritious! Perfect for hopping back into spring!
valentina says
Christina, I think you’d love it. Thank you! 🙂
Michelle Miller says
What a great recipe! So refreshing for the Spring days ahead. Love the cranberry touch, it makes it a very special dish!
valentina says
Hope you give it a try and love it. Thanks, Michelle.
Natalie says
Looks so delicious and balanced for a healthy dinner ♥
valentina says
Thank you, Natalie. Yes, hearty and healthy.
Dannii says
Rice is a great budget side dish, and we are always looking for ways to liven it up a bit. This looks delicious.
valentina says
Thanks, Dannii. It’s indeed a lively salad. 🙂
Amy | The Cook Report says
I can’t wait for asparagus season and this recipe looks like the perfect way to use it!
valentina says
Thanks, Amy! It’s right around the corner. 🙂