Holiday Pomegranate Apple Salad
An easy and delicious holiday salad filled with pomegranate seeds, apple slices, candied pecans, and a homemade orange vinaigrette! This pomegranate apple salad is perfect for any holiday dinner.
While holiday dinners are, in my opinion, all about the side dishes, I feel like green salads are oftentimes overlooked. Sometimes people don't want to waste precious stomach space on lettuce or maybe they don't want to bother with making a nice salad. This Holiday Pomegranate Apple Salad is definitely worth the stomach space AND the time making it! If you're in charge of the salad this year at Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any holiday gathering, this one is definitely a show stopper!
Apple Pomegranate Salad Tips
This holiday salad is pretty straight forward and easy to make, but here are some tips and substitutions if you're wondering.
- Use pre-packaged pomegranate seeds. If you want to skip the step of getting the arils/seeds out of a pomegranate, use the pre-packaged ones! So much easier, less messy, and no sacrifice of taste.
- Apple Cider Vinegar Substitute. If you don't have ACV, you can use white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or champagne vinegar.
- Pears Vs. Apples. I love the crunch from the apples in this salad, but if you're a fan of pears, they will definitely work in this salad, as well. As far as the type of apple, I like honey crisp, fuji, or pink lady in salads but again, use your favorite!
- Cheese. Blue cheese is my favorite but I know not everyone likes it. Goat cheese or feta cheese would both be delicious substitutes.
- Use maple syrup instead of honey. If you don't have honey, maple syrup is a great substitute.
- Candied Walnuts. This recipe is made with homemade candied walnuts (which is really quite easy!) but if you're looking to skip a step, you can definitely buy these at the store instead. In addition, you can use pecans or almonds if you prefer.
- Mixed Greens. You can use mixed greens, baby spinach, arugula, romaine, or any of your favorite salad greens.
- Homemade Orange Vinaigrette. The dressing for this salad really is simple to make, without any fancy ingredients.
This holiday pomegranate apple salad is so full of flavors and textures that this salad will definitely not be an afterthought of Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! This salad is also great for a dinner party or potluck.
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Holiday Pomegranate Apple Salad
A beautiful green salad filled with sliced apples, pomegranate arils, onions, blue cheese, candied pecans and a homemade orange vinaigrette!
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Servings: 4 -6 servings
Calories: 698kcal
Ingredients
Candied Walnuts
- 1 cup chopped walnuts pecans and almonds also work
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salad
- 12 ounces mixed greens
- 1 apple sliced
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ¼ small red onion thinly sliced
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese goat cheese works, too
Orange Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vineger
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Candied Walnuts
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the brown sugar, water, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
- Cook for 1 minute - or until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly bubbling.
- Add the walnuts and stir to coat with the sugar mixture. Cook for 3 additional minutes, stirring frequently.
- Spread the walnuts onto a sheet of parchment paper and cool completely. Break apart and then use in the salad.
Dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl or mason jar. I like to use a mason jar so I can put the lid on and shake it all up. If using a bowl, whisk well to combine.
Assemble
- In a large bowl, add the mixed greens, sliced apples, pomegranate arils, red onion slices, blue cheese, and candied walnuts.
- Drizzle with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Add more dressing as desired.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Use pre-packaged pomegranate seeds. If you want to skip the step of getting the arils/seeds out of a pomegranate, use the pre-packaged ones! So much easier, less messy, and no sacrifice of taste.
- Apple Cider Vinegar Substitute. If you don't have ACV, you can use white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or champagne vinegar.
- Pears Vs. Apples. I love the crunch from the apples in this salad, but if you're a fan of pears, they will definitely work in this salad, as well. As far as the type of apple, I like honey crisp, fuji, or pink lady in salads but again, use your favorite!
- Cheese. Blue cheese is my favorite but I know not everyone likes it. Goat cheese or feta cheese would both be delicious substitutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 698kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 979mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 1235IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 2mg
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Making this salad to bring to my daughter's home for Thanksgiving. I'm sure it's going to be delicious! I wanted something fresh and bright to go with all the carb loaded dishes lol.