This Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette makes a delicious juicy, crisp salad any time of year, especially throughout the holidays.

Looking for more favorite salads? My Honey Lime Fruit Salad is another salad that’s perfect for adding to holiday menus. Strawberry Spinach Salad is another salad with an elegant look and juicy flavor. Chicken Salad with Grapes is delicious and one of our family favorites.

Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette and roasted pecans and blue cheese crumbles in a wooden salad bowl -addapinch.com

This Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette is one of my favorites to enjoy every fall and winter! Sweet juicy apples and pears are highlighted with my crunchy roasted pecans, creamy blue cheese crumbles, and pomegranate seeds, all set on top of crisp salad greens. The flavors, textures, and beautiful colors make it extra special – so it’s easy to see why it’s such a favorite!

It’s a perfect starter for Thanksgiving dinner, where it adds so much color and amazing flavor to the meal. I find it pairs equally with a Skillet Rib eye Steak for family supper and for entertaining guests on the weekends too.

Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette Recipe

Mixed salad greens, sliced apples, sliced pears, roasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles and Pomegranate seeds in a wooden salad bowl -addapinch.com

What We Love About This Apple Pear Salad

  • Delicious Complimentary Flavors – The juicy, sweet fruit is partnered with slightly salty, crunchy pecans and creamy blue cheese on a base of fresh, crispy salad greens. The salad is drizzled with a slightly sweet and somewhat tart pomegranate vinaigrette that finishes it just perfectly.
  • Great Starter or Side for Special Meals – The salad works well as a starter for holiday meals and makes an excellent side for dinner with friends and family.
  • Simple to Make, Yet Impressive to Serve – This salad comes together quickly and easily. The pecans can be roasted ahead of time to save even more time when prepping a holiday meal or meal for guests.

This salad is perfect any time of year but really shines during the holidays. It’s so gorgeous for Thanksgiving and Christmas! All that beautiful color to brighten up the buffet makes this salad really stand out. And the flavors of this extra special salad go well with Thanksgiving turkey or the Prime Rib I love to serve at Christmas.

How to Make Apple Pear Salad

To make this salad and vinaigrette, you will need the following:

Ingredients for Salad

Apples – I love to use what I call “eating apples,” such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Sweetango, for their crisp texture and juicy flavor. You can use your favorite apples or some that you have on hand.

Pears – I pick ripe yet slightly firm pears for this salad. Juicy Bartlett pears, Anjou pears, and Comice pears are great options, but I get the best I can find at the grocery store choosing them.

Mixed Salad Greens – Pick fresh, crisp salad greens for the best salad. I find that the mixed greens taste and look best.

Roasted Pecans – Simple roasted pecans add a lovely crunch and a bit of saltiness. You can also use walnuts as a substitute.

Bleu Cheese Crumbles -This adds a creamy tartness to the salad. I prefer the Maytag variety, but you can use your favorite.

Pomegranate Seeds (or Arils) – You can buy these already taken from the fruit itself, which makes it quick and easy to use them. They add texture and juicy flavor.

Ingredients for Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Pomegranate Juice – It’s a little sweet, a little tart, and full of health benefits.

Honey – Use your favorite honey to add a bit of sweet, rich flavor to this dressing.

Apple Cider Vinegar – With so many health benefits, this is delicious in this dressing and plays nicely with the sweet honey and pomegranate juice.

Dijon Mustard – A bit of this dijon mustard is so flavorful and is especially delicious with honey and apple cider vinegar.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for its mild flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

For the Pomegranate Vinaigrette:

Prep. In a large measuring cup, combine Pomegranate juice, honey, vinegar, and mustard.

Whisk. Whisk together until well combined. Continue to whisk as you add in olive oil to emulsify.

Add to Serving Container. Pour dressing into the serving container and set aside.

Wooden salad bowl filled with apples 
and pears, salad greens, roasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles and Pomegranate Vinaigrette -addapinch.com

For the salad:

Prep Bowl with Vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, pour about ½ cup of Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Slice Fruit and Add to Vinaigrette. Core and thinly slice apples and pears, adding to the bowl and tossing in the vinaigrette.

Add Ingredients to Salad Bowl. In another large serving bowl, combine salad greens, roasted pecans, bleu cheese crumbles, and pomegranate seeds. Using a slotted spoon, remove fruit from the dressing and add to the salad bowl.

Serve. Serve with Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing.

It’s a Great Entree Too!

In addition to a beautiful starter or side dish, this gorgeous salad makes a good entree with meat or fish.

I’ve mentioned how beautiful this salad is for the holidays. But please don’t just save it for then or for entertaining guests. It is a perfect entree salad with some baked chicken sliced on top or a side salad served with salmon.

And when you do have some leftover from Thanksgiving, it’s especially delicious with leftover Roast Turkey or Turkey Breast sliced on top or on the side. I even like to eat this salad for lunch on its own anytime, especially after a big holiday meal!

Regardless of when it’s served, it’s fantastic!

Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette with pomegranate arils, blue cheese and roasted nuts - addapinch.com

More Favorite Salads

Citrus Shrimp Avocado Salad

Grape Salad

Best House Salad

Waldorf Salad

Balsamic Steak Salad

Carrot Salad

Chicken Caesar Salad

Here’s the recipe for my Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

5 from 3 votes
Apple Pear Salad Recipe – This Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette makes a delicious salad anytime of year, but especially throughout the holidays.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients 

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup Pomegranate juice
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Salad

  • 3 apples
  • 3 pears
  • 4 cups mixed salad greens
  • 1 cup roasted pecans
  • bleu cheese crumbles, I use Maytag
  • Pomegranate seeds

Instructions 

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

  • In a large measuring cup, combine Pomegranate juice, honey, vinegar, and mustard. Whisk together until well-combined. Continue to whisk as you add in olive oil to emulsify. Pour dressing into serving container and set aside.

Apple Pear Salad

  • In a medium bowl, pour about 1/2 cup of Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Core and thinly slice apples and pears, adding to the bowl and tossing in the vinaigrette.
  • In another large serving bowl, combine salad greens, roasted pecans, bleu cheese crumbles and pomegranate seeds. Using a slotted spoon, remove fruit from dressing and add into the salad bowl.
  • Serve with Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing.

Notes

NOTES
  • Use Eating Apples such as Honeycrisp, Fuji or Sweetango for their crispness and juicy flavor. 
  • Use ripe and juicy, yet slightly firm pears such as Bartlett, Anjou or Comice. 
  • If you wish, you can substitute walnuts for roasted pecans. 

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 7.1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




15 Comments

  1. Robyn, just found this recipe it is just what I was looking for!! I am making this for Christmas dinner. How long do you leave the fruit in the vinaigrette? I am hoping to prep in the morning? Do you think that would be too long?

    1. Kristi, I use Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Sweetango apples and Bartlett pears, Anjou pears, and Comice pears are great with this salad. I hope you enjoy!

  2. Is there anything I can substitute for the pomegranate juice? I’ve never seen that juice in our grocery store, thank you.

    1. The pomegranate juice I get at my store is the POM brand and it’s in the refrigerated juice section, Emilia. You could try apple or pear juice.

  3. This salad was one course of a formal 5 course dinner party – a huge hit! We will be using this many times in the future!

  4. This is EXACTLY the sort of thing I want to be eating after endless plates of turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. What a pretty salad, Robyn. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!