Favorite Apple Cranberry Salad
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Crunchy crisp greens topped with sweet apples, dried cranberries, crunchy nuts and a sprinkling of salty cheese and bacon, this apple cranberry salad is delicious. Make this salad your side dish or just add a little chicken or steak and it’s a meal on its own.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Apple Cranberry Salad
- Sweet And Salty- This salad has such a great balance of sweet flavors from the apples and cranberries, savory flavors from the bacon and onion, and salty from the nuts and feta. This salad also has great crunch, and is a real crowd-pleaser.
- Great For Fall or Winter– While I’d eat this salad year round, that apple cranberry combo is especially delicious as a side or a main dish even in fall and winter too. Sometimes this time of year it feels harder to eat salad than in the summer, but the sweet apples and dried cranberries are fruit that is easy to add to salad in the fall and winter (and are the best part!)
- Perfect For A Every Day Or Holiday Table– The ingredients in this salad are simple enough for a regular day, but don’t be fooled. This salad holds its own on a holiday Thanksgiving meal or Christmas table as much as it does for family dinners.
Ingredients For Apple Cranberry Salad
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- pecans toasted
- bacon cooked, or about five tablespoons of chopped bacon
- medium apple sliced
- medium red onion sliced
- spring mix
- feta cheese
- dried cranberries
- almonds sliced
- vinaigrette salad dressing More or less to taste. Use my cranberry vinaigrette dressing or your favorite store-bought vinaigrette. Balsamic vinaigrette goes great with this salad, or really any fruity olive oil based vinaigrette.
How To Make Apple Cranberry Salad
- Add the pecans to a skillet at medium heat without oil. Toast for four to fine minutes until golden brown and you can smell them. Set to the side in a small bowl to cool.
- Chop the bacon into pieces. Crisp in the pan for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then set to the side.
- Slice the crunchy apples, removing the core. Slice the apple into thin slices. Slice onion into thin pieces.
- Rinse and dry the spring mix well, then add to a large salad bowl. To the top of the spring mix add pecans, bacon, apple, onion feta cheese, dried cranberries and sliced almonds.
- Mix and toss well. Add dressing to the bowl or to each serving at the table if desired. Enjoy!
Variation Ideas
Ingredients in this salad are really flexible. You can swap out or leave out something entirely according to what you have or according to your taste preferences. Here are a few ideas.
- Greens: Swap out the greens for fresh spinach, romaine or butterhead lettuce.
- Nuts: The pecans can be toasted along with the almonds if you prefer. You can also use walnuts.
- Seeds: Try adding or swapping in pumpkin seeds with this salad.
- Cheese: Leave the cheese out, or swap it for another salty cheese like parmesan or a harder cheddar. Goat cheese is also delicious in this recipe, since my kid isn’t a fan I usually just add it to my plate.
- Dried Cranberries: Swap out flavored dried cranberries (like Craisins), dried cherries, golden raisins or dried blueberries.
- Apple – Try these easy, crunchy air fryer apple chips instead of the fresh apples. Fresh pear is also delicious on this salad.
What Type Of Apples Should I Use?
Any sweet or semi-sweet apple can be used in this salad that you enjoy eating raw. Here are a few types of apples that are delicious in this salad.
- Honeycrisp Apples
- Pink Lady Apple
- Fuji Apple
- McIntosh Apple
- Granny Smith Apples
What Do I Serve With This Salad?
Roasted Pork Loin -The fruity flavors of this salad goes so well with roast pork for a cozy dinner.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin– This stuffed pork tenderloin has sweet and creamy cheese stuffed inside, and has the most amazing balsamic sauce. The flavors of this dish work really well together, especially for a holiday.
Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs – These bone on thighs are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and the perfect protein to go with this salad.
Honey Orange Glazed Ham – Oh my gosh, the sweet glaze on this ham is so good, just the right amount of sweetness with the salty ham! Perfect for a holiday or Sunday dinner, and this salad is delicious with the ham!
How Long Does This Salad Last?
This salad will taste best if eaten right away. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Plan to eat leftovers the next day. If you store the dressing separately from the leafy greens, the salad will last about two days once prepped.
The apples can turn brown once sliced. Dipping the apple slices in orange juice can help keep the apples fresher and brighter for a day or two.
More Side Dish Recipes You’ll Love
Easy Hot German Potato Salad
Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad
Honey Butter Skillet Corn
Apple Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pecans toasted
- 5 slices bacon cooked, or about five tablespoons of chopped bacon
- 1 medium apple Sliced
- ¼ medium red onion sliced
- 5 cups spring mix
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons almonds sliced
- 3/4 cup vinaigrette salad dressing More or less to taste. Use my cranberry vinaigrette dressing
Instructions
- Add the pecans to a skillet at medium heat without oil. Toast for four to five minutes until golden brown and you can smell them. Set to the side.
- Chop the bacon into pieces. Crisp in the pan for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then set to the side.
- Slice the apple, removing the core. Slice apple into thin slices. Slice onion into thin pieces.
- Rinse and dry the spring mix well, then add to a large salad bowl. To the top of the spring mix add pecans, bacon, apple, onion feta cheese, dried cranberries and sliced almonds. Mix and toss well. Add dressing to the bowl or to each serving at the table if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
