Seasonal Cranberry Walnut Salad (Printable)

Fresh greens, cranberries, walnuts, and orange vinaigrette combine for a festive and easy-to-prepare salad.

# What You Need:

→ Salad

01 - 6 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, spinach, romaine)
02 - 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
03 - 1 cup toasted walnut halves
04 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
06 - 3.5 ounces crumbled goat cheese or feta

→ Orange Vinaigrette

07 - 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
08 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
09 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
10 - 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
11 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How-To:

01 - In a large salad bowl, toss together mixed greens, cranberries, toasted walnuts, sliced red onion, and apple slices.
02 - Whisk orange juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey until blended. Slowly add olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
03 - Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad mixture just before serving and toss gently to coat evenly.
04 - Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese or feta on top and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes fancy but requires zero cooking, just chopping and tossing.
  • The orange vinaigrette brightens everything without overpowering the greens or fruit.
  • You can swap ingredients based on what you have and it still works beautifully.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad more than five minutes ahead or the greens will go limp and soggy.
  • If your dressing breaks and looks oily, add a tiny splash of water and whisk hard to bring it back together.
03 -
  • Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they smell nutty and fragrant, about three minutes, watching closely so they don't burn.
  • Make the vinaigrette in a jar with a tight lid and shake it hard instead of whisking, it emulsifies faster and saves you a bowl to wash.
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