You won’t be able to get enough of this perfectly balanced pomegranate feta salad. Crisp greens tossed with candied nuts, creamy feta, and sweet pomegranate seeds mixed together then tossed in a homemade dressing. It makes a great everyday side dish or a special salad for a holiday menu.
Salads make a great side dish for any occasion throughout the year. This pomegranate salad recipe is the perfect festive salad to bring along to your upcoming Thanksgiving dinner or autumn potluck.
Fall fruits, such as pomegranates and apples, are paired perfectly with feta cheese and an apple cider vinegar dressing will have people asking you for the recipe every time.
This beautiful salad is dressed with a sweet and tangy homemade salad dressing that has just the right amount of sweetness to balance out the bitter greens and rich feta flavor.
Made from apple cider vinegar and honey, it’s the perfect blend to complement an already delicious salad. It rivals my favorite strawberry salad dressing!
Make it a full meal that’s perfect for guests or special occasions with this delicious almond chicken and honey-roasted carrots and molten lava cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Upgrades to a meal – easily add in grilled chicken or salmon; this great salad is now an easy light dinner, perfect for those busy weeknights.
- Simple ingredients – whether you pick your fruit in the fall or go to the grocery store in March, you can make this salad any time of the year with readily available ingredients.
- Meal prep – toss the salad together without the dressing then store it in a glass jar or airtight container so you have a packed light meal that’s ready for you to grab and go.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Avocado oil – I like the neutral taste of avocado oil, but you can use other oils such as extra virgin olive oil.
- Apple cider vinegar – the best substitute for this is lemon juice to keep the avid. You can also try plain apple cider or white wine vinegar.
- Dijon mustard – I recommend using smooth Dijon mustard for this or your dressing will end up grainy.
- Honey - you can use maple syrup if you don’t have honey. Start with half the amount then add more to taste.
- Honeycrisp apples - I am partial to these extra crisp and sweet apples, but you can use another brand if you want. Keep in mind, the apples will be mixed with lemon juice so lean towards a sweeter apple.
- Lemon juice - both fresh squeezed and bottled works for this.
- Candied pecans – you can buy or make these or use raw pecans. The candied pecans really do make a huge difference in this salad! You can either make them like I make my slow cooker cinnamon sugar nuts or here’s a great candied pecans recipe.
- Greens – I like the contrast of bitter and crisp with the baby spinach and arugula mix, but you can use any greens you want. A spring mix would be great.
- Feta – crumbly cheese is best for this. If you don’t like feta you can try goat cheese or blue cheese as well.
- Pomegranate arils – if you can’t find these you can use dried cranberries or golden raisins instead.
How to make pomegranate Feta Sala
This gorgeous pomegranate salad is really easy to make, just throw everything into a bowl and mix it together. Then shake up your dressing ingredients in a bottle and top it off for a delicious side.
Here’s everything you need to know about making this great recipe:
1 – Make The Dressing
Start by making the dressing in a glass jar (or anything with a lid) by adding the avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
Then shake the mason jar until all the ingredients are combined. Set in the fridge to use later on the salad.
2 – Prep The Apples
Slices the apples into thin slices that you’d want to eat in a salad! I personally prefer thinnish slices that still have a little bit of apple flesh to them.
Prepare the apples by adding the apple slices, lemon juice, water, and salt to a bag. Shake up the bag until the apples are fully coated in the juice.
Remove from the bag and let the apples start to dry out while you make the salad.
This step keeps the apples from turning brown later on. If you plan to serve this salad right away then skip this step.
3 – Make The Salad And Serve
In a large bowl or salad bowl, add all the remaining ingredients; spinach, apple slices (drained), candied pecans, fresh pomegranate seeds, and crumbled feta.
After all of the ingredients are added to the serving bowl and you’re ready to serve the salad, pour the dressing over the salad right before serving.
Start by pouring just a little at a time then mix the salad all together. I recommend just adding a little bit of dressing and if guests want more dressing they can add more to their own bowl.
This is best for people like me who don’t love my salad to be doused in dressing!
Serve this perfect winter salad at your holiday table and enjoy! It would also be a great addition to any of these fall parties!
Expert Tips And Storage Info
Keep the salad fresh longer by adding a dry paper towel to the bottom of your storage container to soak up moisture.
To enhance the salad try adding in dried cranberries or pumpkin seeds.
Store salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days without any dressing on it. If it is dressed you will want to eat it as soon as possible so it doesn’t wilt. This is another reason you may want to just let people dress it themselves!
Store extra dressing in the fridge for up to five days, shake to mix ingredients before serving.
Recipe FAQs
What can I use instead of pecans in this salad?
You can substitute the pecans with any other candied nuts such as walnuts, almonds, or cashews. If you don’t want nuts at all, you can get a similar crunch by adding pumpkin seeds.
What can I use instead of feta?
If you don’t like feta or can’t find it, you can use crumbled up blue cheese or goat cheese instead. Or omit it altogether if you want a dairy free salad.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
While you can make this salad up to a day in advance, I recommend just making it fresh. The ingredients are so much better when you mix them fresh, and it only takes a few minutes to make.
If you do want to make it ahead of time, mix all of the ingredients and store them undressed in an airtight container. Add the dressing right before serving.
More Easy Side Dishes
If you’re looking for other side dishes to finish off the perfect holiday menu, these are some of our favorites!
- Tropical fruit salad – the perfect summer salad full of delicious tropical fruits!
- Easy baked mac and cheese – simple comfort food and its very best!
- Ambrosia salad – the ultimate holiday side dish, this fruit dessert salad is always a hit!
- Green beans wrapped in bacon – if you’ve never tried bacon wrapped green beans, these are a must try!
- Easy mashed potatoes – I know everyone has their own mashed potato recipe, but you haven’t had the best mashed potatoes until you’ve had these!
Pomegranate Feta Salad
Ingredients
Salad dressing
- ½ cup Avocado oil
- ½ cup apple cider
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 medium apple like honeycrisp cored and sliced thin
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 Tbsp water
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 6 oz arugula
- 1 cup candied pecans
- ¾ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup crumbled feta
Instructions
Salad Dressing
- Start by making the dressing in a mason jar by adding the avocado oil, apple cider, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Then shake the mason jar until all the ingredients are combined.1/2 cup Avocado oil, 1/2 cup apple cider, Juice of 1 lemon, 3 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp dijon mustard, Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- Prepare the apples by adding the apple slices, lemon juice, water, and salt to a bag. Shake up the bag until the apples are fully coated in the juice. If you plan to serve this salad right away then skip this step.1 medium apple like honeycrisp, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 Tbsp water, 1/8 tsp salt
- In a large serving bowl or salad bowl add spinach, arugula, apple slices (drained), candied pecans, pomegranate arils, and crumbled feta.1 medium apple like honeycrisp, 6 oz baby spinach, 6 oz arugula, 1 cup candied pecans, 3/4 cup pomegranate arils, 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- After all of the ingredients are added to the serving bowl and you’re ready to serve the salad, pour the dressing over the salad. Pour just a little dressing at a time then mix the salad all together. Add more dressing if needed. Serve!
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