Turkey Cranberry Salad (Kneader’s Copycat)

Kneader’s, a cute nearby restaurant/bakery, has a great reputation for fresh bread, soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts.

While my family can’t get enough of their French toast, I’m hooked on their salads and sandwiches–especially this one I’m recreating! The combination of tender pulled turkey, salty sunflower seeds, and a sweet poppy seed dressing is *chef’s kiss*.

And, by the way, the dressing recipe we’re sharing? It might not be the most nutritious, but it’s a spot-on match for the real thing!

Turkey Cranberry Salad Ingredients

Salad:

• Mixed greens: Use a variety for flavor and texture.
• Pulled or shredded turkey (or chicken): Great use for leftover proteins.
• Dried cranberries: Add sweetness and tang.
• Sunflower seeds: Provide a satisfying crunch.
• Thinly sliced red onion: Offers mild onion flavor and color.
• Freshly grated mozzarella cheese: Use freshly grated for best results.

Poppyseed Dressing:

• Red wine vinegar: Adds tanginess and color.
• White sugar: Adjust to taste for sweetness.
• Ground mustard: Provides depth and flavor.
• Canola oil: Use a neutral oil as the base.
• Poppy seeds: Add visual appeal and subtle crunch.

How To Make This Turkey Cranberry Salad

• Prepare the salad: Combine greens, turkey, cranberries, sunflower seeds, red onion, and mozzarella cheese in a large bowl.
• Make the Poppyseed Dressing: Blend dressing ingredients until smooth.
• Dress the salad: Drizzle the prepared dressing over the Turkey Cranberry Salad right before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Protein: If you don’t have leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you can use roasted or grilled turkey or chicken breast.
• Red onion: To remove the bite of red onion, soak it in cold water for about 10 minutes; then drain and use.
• Poppy Seed Dressing: Adjust the sweetness of the dressing by adding more or less sugar to your preference.
• Customize the toppings: Feel free to customize this Turkey Cranberry Salad by adding your favorite toppings like nuts, avocado, or different cheeses.

More delicious salad recipes:

• Coconut Shrimp Salad
• Blueberry Corn Salad
• Costco Kale Salad
• Applebee’s Chicken Salad
• Kale Cranberry Pecan Salad

SaveSaved Pin Print

4.80 from 5 votes

Turkey Cranberry Salad (Kneader's Copycat)

By Chelsea Lords

Try our Turkey Cranberry Salad – a delicious mix of sweet cranberries, tender turkey, creamy cheese, tangy onion, and salty sunflower seeds. It's inspired by a local bakery favorite and perfect for using up Thanksgiving turkey leftovers or enjoying anytime with shredded chicken!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 -8, as a side

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

Salad

• ▢ 6 cups mixed greens
• ▢ 1½ cups pulled or shredded turkey (or chicken)
• ▢ ½ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ ½ cup sunflower kernels
• ▢ ½ cup thinly sliced red onion (1/4th of 1 onion) (Note 1)
• ▢ ¾ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese (2.5 oz)

Poppyseed Dressing (Note 2)

• ▢ 2½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ▢ ½ cup white sugar
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons ground mustard
• ▢ ½ cup canola oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• ▢ Fine sea salt and pepper

Instructions 

• SALAD: In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, turkey or chicken, sunflower kernels, dried cranberries, shredded mozzarella, and thinly sliced red onion.
• DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients except poppy seeds in a small blender jar. Season to taste (I add ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp pepper). Blend until smooth and fully emulsified. Stir through poppy seeds. Transfer to a covered jar and chill until ready to use. Shake before using. Best made a day in advance!
  
• ENJOY: Dress the salad with the Poppy Seed Dressing right before serving. If you anticipate having leftovers, store the salad and dressing separately. Add the dressing gradually to personal preference; you may not need/want to use it all at once.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Onion: To remove the "bite" of red onion, soak it in cold water for about 10 minutes, then drain and use as desired.

Note 2: Dressing: While this dressing may not be the most nutritious option, it's a perfect match for the original, especially if you prepare it a day ahead and let it chill overnight! If you notice some separation, simply allow it to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, then give it a good shake to recombine. For a lower sugar dressing, try our Poppy Seed Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Toppings: Feel free to adjust the number and quantity of toppings (cranberries, sunflower seeds, and cheese) to suit your personal taste—add as much or as little as you prefer!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 555IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!