Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
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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.
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
What We Love About This Recipe
- 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.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
For the Salad – You’ll need apples, pears, mixed salad greens, roasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles, and pomegranate arils.
For the Dressing – Use pomegranate juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For the salad:
Prep Bowl with Vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, pour about ½ cup of Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing once made.
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.
For the Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing:
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.
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!
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
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
- Apples – Use apples such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Sweetango for their crispness and juicy flavor.
- Pears – Use ripe, juicy, slightly firm pears such as Bartlett, Anjou, or Comice.
- Pecans – If you wish, you can substitute walnuts for roasted pecans.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
We have a pecan, walnut, almond and peanut allergy at our house… would sunflower seeds or pepitas or something else work as a substitute?
Absolutely.