Free: Healthy 5-Ingredient Meals Ebook
Get It NowMy readers have been asking me for more Christmas recipes, and even though I don’t personally celebrate it, I had a great time creating this stunning Christmas salad recipe for all of you that do. I love serving it for other fall and winter occasions, too! This easy holiday salad has so many vibrant colors and flavors, plus it’s so easy to whip up in just 10 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Salad
- Sweet and tangy with a hint of savory
- A combination of crisp, juicy, and crunchy ingredients
- Ready to eat in just 10 minutes
- Healthy and naturally gluten free
- No cooking required
- Perfect side dish for any holiday (not just Christmas)
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best Christmas salad ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Christmas Salad:
- Arugula – I used arugula for the greens to add a peppery kick, but you can easily swap it for spinach or mixed greens for a different flavor and texture.
- Fruit – This Christmas salad has a combination of mandarin oranges (use extras for mandarin orange salad), apple slices, and pomegranate arils (seeds). You can also add or substitute apple chips, pears, dried cranberries, or other sweet citrus fruits (like grapefruit, clementines, or regular oranges) for similar festive flavors.
- Blue Cheese – The salty, pungent flavor is perfect for balancing out all the sweet fruit, but if you’re not a fan, tangy feta cheese or goat cheese make nice alternatives.
- Pecans – For crunch! You can also use walnuts or pistachios, or substitute pepitas or sunflower seeds for a nut-free option.
Honey Vinaigrette:
- Olive Oil – This makes up the base of the dressing. You could use avocado oil instead.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds tang and also blends with the olive oil to emulsify the dressing. White wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, or lemon juice can also work.
- Honey – I use Wholesome Yum natural sugar-free honey (sweet and gooey with no aftertaste!), but regular also works.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
How To Make A Christmas Salad
This section shows how to make a holiday salad, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl or on a platter, arrange the arugula, mandarin oranges, apples, blue cheese, pomegranate seeds, and pecans.
- Make honey vinaigrette. Whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Toss together. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the Christmas salad, and toss to coat.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day with the dressing, or 2-3 days if you store the dressing separately.
What To Serve With Holiday Salads
Serve this show-stopping Christmas salad with a complete holiday menu:
- Appetizers – If you’re cooking up the whole feast, a simple Christmas charcuterie board makes a quick and easy appetizer, but you can’t go wrong with a cheese ball or some bacon wrapped water chestnuts.
- Main Course – Serve this festive salad alongside a centerpiece like roasted turkey breast, juicy prime rib roast, broiled lobster tails, deliciously poached lobster, or crab legs.
- Classic Holiday Sides – Make creamy mashed potatoes (or lighter mashed cauliflower), elegant green beans almondine, and classic creamed spinach.
More Christmas Salad Recipes
Want to serve a different salad for your holiday festivities? Try some of my other holiday favorites:
Christmas Salad
This Christmas salad is perfect for holidays! Make it with arugula, mandarin oranges, apples, blue cheese, nuts, and sweet honey vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them.
Christmas Salad:
Honey Vinaigrette:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
-
In a large bowl or on a platter, arrange the arugula, mandarin oranges, apples, blue cheese, pomegranate seeds, and pecans.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, sea salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
-
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the Christmas salad. Toss to coat.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers, or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
6 Comments
Shar
0Everyone can feel Christmas with this salad! So beautiful, fresh and super delicious!
Melissa
0The most perfect christmas salad I have ever tasted! Cannot wait to make this again!
Rhoda
0I love your recipe! I gave it a try and it turned out so good, so delicious! I love the saltiness of the blue cheese plus the sweet, and tangy flavor the most. I’ll definitely make this again 🙂
Courtney
0This is such a fresh color on the table and the pomegranate seeds make it so festive (and juicy). Love this one to share or to hoard for myself for lunch lol
Jane
0This salad was amazing! The flavors were spot-on. It’s totally gonna be my go-to holiday salad from now on.
Lena
0This salad really looks so amazing! It’s my first time hosting Christmas dinner for my friends and I’m excited to make this for them.