Apple Pecan Salad
Apple Pecan Salad is a winning salad recipe all around. It’s easy to toss together to enjoy with a weeknight dinner with lots of flavor and crunch. And it’s special enough, with sweet and savory add-ins to serve alongside a holiday meal.
Dressed with my homemade apple cider vinaigrette, the salad is tangy and has a nice bite to it that everyone enjoys.
With a sprinkling of dried cranberries and the most delicious candied pecans, this salad is a fall favorite and a nice addition to any Thanksgiving meal.
Why You’ll Love this Fall Salad
Delicious medley of fall flavors. This salad has it all. Sweet and salty; crisp and crunchy, with creamy bits of cheese and chewy bites of cranberry in between. You’ll love the combination of apple, pecans, cranberries and greens.
The perfect salad for Thanksgiving. This holiday salad features the best of fall, making it a beautiful salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Apples, pecans and cranberries adorn the greens for a salad that’s just so much more special than a regular tossed side salad.
Serve as individual side salads or a large bowl for potlucks. My family isn’t too big, so I like to prepare this salad on individual chilled salad plates. This way everyone gets the same amount of every little goodie. If your holiday feast is buffet-style, just toss everything together in a large bowl.
Ingredients
Apple – For a crispy crunch in your salad, pick an apple like Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jazz or Empire. They also don’t brown as quickly as the softer varieties of apples.
I use a Granny Smith as my second apple. I love the tartness it adds.
Toasted or Candied Pecans – Pecans are a must for this fall salad. But don’t just toss in a raw pecans. Take a few extra minutes and toast them in the oven. This really brings out the nutty flavor.
If you really want to impress your guests, make candied pecans. It’s way easier than it sounds.
My maple glazed pecan recipe only takes 10 minutes to make and the flavor is perfect for this autumn salad.
My stovetop cinnamon sugar pecans are also a delicious salad add-in. Both recipes can be made a day or two ahead of time.
The sweet, crunchy bite is amazing. But be warned–they may get gobbled up as a snack before they make it to the salad!
Dried Cranberries – I use Craisins. You can sub with dried cherries.
Blue Cheese – I love the combination of bleu cheese and apple, but I know not everyone is a fan of this aged cheese. Feta or goat cheese are good alternatives.
Get a block of cheese and crumble it yourself. It’s much creamier than the pre-crumbled kind.
Green Onion – Just a little is all this salad needs. You can also use thinly sliced white onion or red onion. But go easy. We don’t want onion to overpower everything else.
Celery – Celery adds another flavor dimension and texture that I love combined with apple. The greener the stalk, the better.
Greens – Use a variety of greens for this salad. I like a mix of red leaf, green leaf, and arugula for a mix of color and texture, similar to autumn leaves. A spring mix works well.
I use this salad spinner to spin all the water out of my washed greens, so the salad is super crisp.
Homemade Apple Cider Vinaigrette – I love the tang this vinaigrette brings to the fall salad party. It’s simple to whisk together with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, minced garlic (optional), salt and pepper.
How to Make Apple Pecan Salad
The salad can be assembled individually on chilled salad plates or in a large bowl.
- In advance, make the maple glazed pecans, cinnamon sugar candied pecans, or toast raw pecans. To toast the nuts, place in a single layer on a tray and toast in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, until aromatic.
- Prepare the apple cider vinaigrette by combining all the dressing ingredients except the olive oil. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar mixture while whisking. If prepared in advance, refrigerate this vinaigrette. It will solidify when cold, so bring it to room temperature an hour before serving.
- Cut, wash and dry the salad greens. If preparing ahead of time, place in a zip-loc bag with paper towel. Crumble the cheese. Chop the green onion and celery. Refrigerate everything except the nuts until ready to assemble the salad.
- To assemble the salad, toss the salad greens, onion, celery, cranberries, cheese and pecans in a large bowl.
- Just before serving, chop the apples into thin slices and toss into salad, then add a little dressing at a time and taste test before adding more. Alternatively, serve with dressing on the side.
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
Can I make Apple Pecan Salad in advance?
All of the salad components may be chopped, toasted, or whisked ahead of time, except the apple.
For the freshest salad, I suggest assembling most of it no more than a few hours before serving.
When assembling it ahead of time do not add the apple (or even slice it), pecans and dressing.
Slice the apple just prior to serving, as apples will brown from oxidation.
Likewise, toss the pecans on top before serving so they remain crisp.
Serve with vinaigrette on the side. This way any leftover salad (if there is any) does not wilt.
Bringing Apple Pecan Salad to a Potluck? Combine greens, onion, celery, cranberries and blue cheese in a large bowl. Bring full apples for slicing, a baggie of pecans and bottle of the homemade vinaigrette to finish assembling before setting out for guests.
Variations
Fruit – A combination of red and green skinned apples is a nice touch for a Christmas salad. Or add in a pear.
Cheese – Instead of bleu cheese, try another crumbled cheese like gorgonzola or feta. Cubed sharp cheddar is another possibility.
Nuts – Apples and walnuts are a classic combination. Just like the pecans, I highly recommend toasting them. Cashews are another good option for this fall salad.
Add chicken. Turn apple pecan salad into a lunch or dinner entree with the addition of chicken. Shredded rotisserie chicken keeps things real simple.
More Fall Recipes with Pecans
- Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
- Cranberry Brie Bites (with Crescent Roll Dough)
- Homemade Maple Glazed Pecans
- Stovetop Cinnamon Sugar Candied Pecans
- Pumpkin Dump Cake: Easy Fall Dessert
Apple Pecan Fall Salad
This Apple Pecan Salad with a tangy Apple Cider Vinaigrette is the perfect fall salad featuring a cornucopia of flavors. Fresh apples, candied pecans, dried cranberries and creamy bleu cheese turn an ordinary green salad into one perfect for autumn dining, Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Apple Pecan Fall Salad
- 10 cups mixed salad greens
- 2 apples, sliced thinly, (such as 1 Honeycrisp and 1 Granny Smith)
- 5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup pecan halves, candied or toasted
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
Instructions
- In advance, make the maple glazed pecans, cinnamon sugar candied pecans, or toast raw pecans. To toast the nuts, place in a single layer on a baking tray and toast in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, until aromatic.
- Prepare the apple cider vinaigrette by whisking together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl except the olive oil. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar mixture while whisking continuously. If prepared in advance, refrigerate. The vinaigrette will solidify when cold, so bring it to room temperature an hour before serving.
- Cut, wash and dry the salad greens. If preparing ahead of time, place in a zip-loc bag with paper towel. Crumble the cheese. Chop the green onion and celery. Refrigerate everything except the nuts and cranberries until ready to assemble the salad.
- To assemble the salad, toss the salad greens, onion, celery, cranberries, cheese and pecans in a large bowl.
- Just before serving, chop the apples into thin slices and toss into salad. Add a little dressing at a time and taste test before adding more. Alternatively, serve with dressing on the side.
Notes
- Do not slice apple until just before serving.
- Sprinkle pecans on top of salad just before serving so they stay crisp.
- Serve dressing on the side, or add some just before serving so the salad doesn't wilt.
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