Apple Cranberry Salad

This Apple Cranberry Salad is a delightful combination of apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, and feta over mixed greens.  Serve for a festive fall salad or at the holiday table (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's) for a crowd-pleasing salad everyone will love.

Apple Cranberry Salad

This Apple Cranberry Salad is filled with the flavors, texture, and colors of fall, winter, and the holidays.  This Autumn salad combines red and green apples, tart dried cranberries, crunchy walnuts, salty feta, Homemade Apple Cider Vinaigrette, and tender mixed salad greens for a salad that is just screaming to be a part of your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.  This is truly a flavor explosion on a salad plate!

This is the kind of bright and vibrant healthy salad that makes even salad haters, love salad.

Whether you are making this for a quick lunch or as part of a holiday spread, this fast and easy recipe is one you'll make again and again.  If you are making a heavy meal for the holidays, this light and bright green salad will be the perfect complement to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.

Why You'll Love this Apple Cranberry Salad...

• This Apple Cranberry Salad is very easy to make with easy-to-find ingredients. This is an all around great salad!
• It's a great way to enjoy fall flavors in a light and healthy salad.  The apples and cranberries in this are perfection.
• It's served with a yummy Homemade Apple Cider Vinaigrette or if you are short on time you can swap a bottled dressing.  I have a few of my favorites listed below.
• It's less than 250 calories a serving and is gluten-free and vegetarian.
• It's super versatile! This recipe is equally as good for a busy work-day lunch AND on a special occasion menu like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year.

Ingredients:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make my Apple Cranberry Salad, but keep reading for the full recipe amounts.

For the Salad:

• Mixed Greens: You can use any bright and fresh mixed salad greens for this Apple Cranberry Salad, but I love to use a combination of fresh spinach and arugula.  You can also buy the pre-mixed spring mix or your favorite lettuce.  Even romaine lettuce will work.
• Apples: To keep this salad festive, I like to use both red and green apples! Slice them both in wedges.  If making this salad ahead of time, you can put the apples in a mixture of lemon juice and water to keep them from turning brown.
• Dried Cranberries: Dried cranberries really give this salad a rich and sweet flavor.  Look for them in the salad topping section of the grocery store or buy them here.
• Walnuts: You'll need a crunchy nut to add to the flavor profile.  Walnuts are the perfect choice for their rich and nutty flavor.  For even more richness, toast the nuts before adding them to the salad. If you don't have walnuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are other great choices.
• Feta Cheese: Salty feta rounds out this salad and completes the flavor explosion!  You can use whichever type of feta you prefer including fat-free or full-fat.  If your feta doesn't come crumbled, you will need to crumble it before preparing the salad.  Goat cheese or blue cheese is a great substitution.

For the Apple Cider Vinaigrette:

These are the ingredients you'll need to set aside for the Apple Cider Vinaigrette. You'll find the complete salad dressing recipe here.

• Apple Cider: To really bring out the apple flavors, I like to use fresh apple cider for my dressing.  It's the perfect fall flavor!
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar also gives this dressing a bit of depth and tang.
• Olive Oil: You'll need mild olive oil to not overpower the apple flavors and create the vinaigrette.
• Shallots: Finely chopped shallots bring more texture and flavor to this dressing.  They give it a richness you'll need.
• Mustard: Use grainy mustard or Dijon mustard to give the dressing more textures and flavors.
• Maple Syrup: Since everything in this dressing is a bit tart, you'll need just a touch of sweetness to balance it all out.
• Salt & Black Pepper

Instructions:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make your Apple Cranberry Salad.  Keep reading for the full printable recipe.

1. Prepare your ingredients by slicing your apples, and chopping your walnuts. If your greens need washing do that as well.
2. Prepare the Apple Cider Vinaigrette by whisking the ingredients together in a small bowl or shaking it in a jar, according to these instructions.
3. Divide the salad greens in four bowls.
4. Sprinkle the salad with the walnuts, dried cranberries, and crumbled feta.
5. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
6. Serve immediately.

Variations

I love this Apple Cranberry Salad as written, but here are some fun variations to try.

• Mix up the Fruit: This salad would also be delicious with sliced pears or grapes.
• Add More Toppings: I kept the salad pretty basic so it would be an easy recipe but you can add more flavors like red onion, pomegranate, bacon, cucumber, green onions, and roasted sweet potatoes.
• Make it a Meal: Make this a meal salad by adding a protein like grilled chicken, turkey, steak, or tofu.
• Mix up the Dressing: This salad would also be delicious with my Red Wine Vinegar Dressing or Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing.

Bottled Dressing Options:

If you don't have time to make your own dressing, here are some delicious bottled dressing that would be great with this Apple Cranberry Salad.  Any apple flavored dressing would be great! Other options include a red wine vinegar based dressing or a balsamic vinaigrette.

• Ken's Steakhouse Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing
• Brianna's Apple Cider Vinaigrette
• Ken's Red Wine Vinegar & Olive Oil
• Whole Foods Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Newman's Own Raspberry Walnut

FAQ

How do I store leftovers?

Dressed salad will need to be eaten within an hour or two.  Any undressed salad can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.  To keep the apples from turning brown, soak them in a combination of lemon juice and water.

Can I make this for a crowd?

Yes! This salad is great for a crowd.  Double or triple the recipe.  Instead of making it on individual plates, serve it in a large bowl for the holidays.  This recipe serves just 4 people.

This Apple Cranberry Salad is Perfect for the Holidays and Beyond!

This Apple Cranberry Salad is the perfect salad for so many occasions including the holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving.  It's so easy you'll even be making it for a simple lunch or dinner.  If you are looking for a go-to salad recipe, this is it.  Whether you are serving it to your family or guests, it's sure to be a hit.

I love the bright, fall flavors that burst off the plate with textures and tastes that remind you of the season.

Plus you can't go wrong with a healthy recipe that is made with just a few ingredients in just a few minutes.

Give this tasty fall salad a try and let me know what you think!

Serve it With:

• Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
• The Best Vegetarian Stuffing
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries
• Pumpkin Cornbread

More Fall Salads to Love:

• Pear & Arugula Salad
• Beet & Apple Salad
• Fall Harvest Salad
• Sweet Potato Lentil & Feta Salad
• Kale & Wheat Berry Salad
• Chopped Kale Salad with Cranberries

If you make this Apple Cranberry Salad recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!

Apple Cranberry Salad

Julie Wunder

This Apple Cranberry Salad is a delightful combination of apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, and feta over mixed greens.  Serve for a festive fall salad or at the holiday table (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's) for a crowd-pleasing salad everyone will love.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 243 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 cups mixed salad greens
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 small red apple, sliced
• 1 small green apple, sliced
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• 1 recipe Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Instructions

 

• Prepare your ingredients by slicing your apples, and chopping your walnuts. If your greens need washing do that as well.
• Prepare the Apple Cider Vinaigrette according to the recipe instructions.
• Divide the salad greens in four bowls.
• Carefully stack the apple slices and make a fan out of them. Put the apples on the salad greens.
• Sprinkle the salad with the walnuts, dried cranberries, and crumbled feta.
• Drizzle with the Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

To make ahead soak the apples in a lemon juice and water mixture to keep them from turning brown.

Any dressed leftovers will need to be eaten pretty quickly after putting the dressing on.  Undressed leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.

Double or triple the recipe to serve a crowd.

Here's my recipe for Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 8gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 190mgPotassium: 307mgFiber: 4gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 961IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Apple Cranberry Salad

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