Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad
This Pecan Apple Cranberry Salad with Honey Cider Vinaigrette is sweet, savory, and comes together in minutes. Featuring fall-inspired ingredients, such as fresh apple slices, dried cranberries, red onion, pecans, and feta, this salad is full of flavor and makes a healthier lunch or dinner!
This salad is packed full of flavor. And healthier ingredients. And a zesty honey cider vinaigrette. Definitely fall in a bowl, friends!
The crunch from the apples and pecans, combined from the sweetness of the dried cranberries, and tang from the red onion and feta creates a delicious flavor explosion. This is definitely my perfect version of a fall salad.
And the vinaigrette. Let’s not forget about the Honey Cider Vinaigrette! The vinaigrette is light, with a hint of sweetness from the honey and a touch of tang from the apple cider vinegar.
Ingredients in Apple Cranberry Salad
This Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad with Honey Cider Vinaigrette is sweet, savory, and comes together in minutes. Featuring lots of fall-inspired ingredients, this salad is full of flavor and makes a healthier lunch or dinner!
Here’s what you’ll need to make the apple spinach cranberry salad:
- Mixed greens
- Gala apples
- Red onion
- Pecans
- Dried cranberries
- Feta cheese
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Apple Cranberry Salad
- In a large bowl, add the greens, apple slices, red onion, pecans, cranberries, and feta cheese.
- In a mason jar, add the vinaigrette ingredients. Close the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until combined.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine.
Toss everything together and this Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad with Honey Cider Vinaigrette will quickly wow your taste buds. Fresh, easy, and inspired by the season, this dish makes a simple meal that’s perfect to enjoy anytime of the year!
Can I Prep This Salad in Advance?
Parts of it, yes! I don’t recommend tossing the salad in the dressing before you’re ready to serve it since the spinach wilts quite quickly. But you can slice the onion and apples, and add the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar (store everything separately in the fridge).
Can I Add Other Veggies?
Of course! Feel free to mix and match this apple cranberry pecan salad as you see fit.
Tips for Making Apple Pecan Salad with Cranberries
- You could use your favorite store-bought dressing, but I thought making a fall-inspired dressing would make this salad extra special.
- Note that the vinaigrette can be made in a big batch and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let the vinaigrette sit on your counter for 15 minutes before using, then shake to mix the ingredients together.
- I used a spinach blend for this apple cranberry salad, but you can use any greens you’d like!
Looking for more salad recipes? I’ve got you covered!
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad
- Italian Chicken Salad
- Easy Italian Pasta Salad
- Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad
- Banana Pudding Fruit Salad
Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad with Honey Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 5 ounces mixed greens, (I used a baby spinach blend)
- 2 medium gala apples, , thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, , sliced into thin strips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Honey Cider Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper, , to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add greens, apple slices, red onion, pecans, cranberries, and feta cheese. Set aside.
- In a mason jar or small bowl, add olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Close the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until combined. If using a bowl, whisk ingredients together. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
You are definitely a feta girl, Gayle. But I can’t complain. These are great flavors! Perfect fall salad, right here!
Thanks, Mir!
I love making salads and have been looking forward to transitioning to a fall flavored version. This one looks perfect – so beautiful & I’m sure tasty 😉
Thanks, Megan! It definitely captures the flavors of fall!
Fall is my fave season too!!! LOVE this Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad!!! I just got back from a trip with an apple producer/grower so I have had apples on the brain! Can’t wait to get into the kitchen and cook and bake! and LOVE the Honey Cider Vinaigrette .. yum!!!!!!
I saw your pictures on snapchat, Alice! Looks like you had so much fun! Thanks for the salad love!
Woo hoo! High five for Fall & high five for being your fave season! Me too 😉 I could eat delicious salads and soups every day too, especially this one! You have a lot of tasty ingredients packed in here and love the pecans for crunch. That vinaigrette is absolutely perfect…good choice with the cider vinegar…bet that pairs lovely with the salad. Me being a total vinegar lover, that’s right up my alley. Pinned, of course 🙂 Have a great week!!
Thanks for the sweet comment and pin, Dawn! I am so happy that fall is almost here, so I have a feeling I will be making this over and over again! 🙂
I could totally eat soup and salad every day too – especially this salad! I’m loving these flavor combos and what a great way to welcome fall with some apples! Pinned!
Thanks for the salad love, Rachelle!
Yum- such a great fall salad. I am so psyched for apple season and love this healthy way to enjoy them!
Thanks, Sues! I’m sticking apples into just about everything that I can! 🙂
I can never have too much feta…or apples in my salad! Love this! Pinned!
Thanks, Annie!
You know I love salads as well, so I am all sorts of giddy over this one! This salad is so pretty and such a great way to ring in the fall season, Gayle! I have been buying box after box of apples, so I love that you used them in here! All the flavors and textures are perfect, plus that Honey Cider Vinaigrette sounds amazing!!! Totally making this soon!! Pinned of course! Cheers, friend!
Thanks, Cheyanne! I just can’t get enough of apples, especially when they’re in salads. It gives them such a nice crunch! 🙂
This is so perfect for a Thanksgiving potluck! I know my girls would love all the fruit and nuts in this, and so would the hubs!
Thanks, Ashley! It’s definitely perfect for a fall meal!
Yum, I love all the goodies you packed into this pretty salad, Gayle! I can have salads every day and the apple, cranberry and pecan combo is just perfect for fall!
Thanks for the salad love, Kelly!
Fall is definitely my favorite season as well! I cannot wait for the weather to really cool down (well, not like cold cold but perfectly fall weather!). This salad is so right up my alley – that dressing sounds just perfect!
Thanks, Ashley! The dressing is a new favorite of mine!
OMG OMG OMG I love your new site!! How did I miss this?! And also love this fresh recipe. Pinning!
Thanks, Lauren! It launched in April and I’m so happy with how it turned out. And thanks for the salad love and pin! 🙂
Fall is my favorite season too and this is my kind of salad all the way down to that drinkable dressing! I’m craving a big beautiful bowl of this!
Thanks, Marcie!
this is just perfect for fall! love it!
Thank you!
I can’t and I won’t blame you, Gayle! Instead, I’m just gonna high-five you, because I LOVE it. All. 🙂 Plus, who could turn down anything called “fall in a bowl.” 🙂 Love that you made your own vinaigrette, Gayle! There’s nothing like a slightly sweet, slightly tangy dressing to kick a salad up a notch or two. Pinning, of course! Happy Monday, my friend. 🙂
Thanks for the sweet comment, Demeter!
Love seasonal salads like this one! Looks perfect! Pinned!
Seasonal salads are the best! Thanks, Mira!
So funny – I had a salad pretty much exactly like this at dinner last night! Except it had chicken and the dressing the restaurant used wasn’t nearly as good as this looks. I’ve got to make this – such a delicious fall salad 🙂
Thanks, Rachel! The salad that you had sounds delish too…love the addition of chicken!
Love the sweet-savory combo, and I know that dressing is perfect on top. Delicious!!!
Thanks, Blair!
It doesn’t get more fall than this pretty salad! Seriously, honey cider vinaigrette? Over-the-top fall perfection 🙂 I love fall too, all of those pretty colors and cozy book reading and tea drinking, it’s pure happy.
Thanks for the kind words, Stephanie! The honey cider vinaigrette definitely makes this salad even better. And hooray for a cup of hot tea on a cool fall day! 🙂
This salad is full of all of the things I love about fall! I could eat this on repeat, week after week. 😉 Apples and pecans are my favorite together!
Thanks, Kristine! I’ve made this salad several times so far, it just captures the flavors of fall so well!
These are the exact favors I want in a fall salad (and a salad any time of the year). Pecans and cranberries are wonderful in salads, and I could pretty much put feta cheese on all the things!
Thank you, Amanda! I agree, pecans and cranberries go perfectly together!
I LOVE a great fall salad!! I have a salad with the same ingredients *down the vinaigrette* which just proves how amazing these flavours go together!! The feta is a superstar!
Thanks, Jessica! And yes, feta definitely steals the show! 🙂
I am so excited! This is going to be the starter before my meal, featured at my 50th Halloween birthday party! Thank-you so much- it will be perfect!!!
Thanks for the kind words, April! This sounds like the perfect starter for you. Hope you enjoy!
I’m hosting a bridal shower for my sister soon… I’ve been waiting to be inspired for the menu and I think inspiration has come! ???? Especially with those beautiful photos!
So glad this recipe inspired you! Best of luck with the bridal shower!
Apples, cranberries, and pecans are always a great combination. I probably won’t wait until the Fall as this sounds delicious and appropriate for the Summer!
Definitely appropriate any time of the year!
I just made this for our Canadian Thanksgiving. I doubled the salad dressing because it was just too good and I knew everyone would want more! This was just perfect for the holiday and will now be my favorite salad for get togethers. Thank you so much.
I’m so happy to hear that, Laurie! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know how it turned out!