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Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad

Apple cranberry pecan salad with crisp apples, tangy blue cheese, and candied pecans tossed with a poppy seed vinaigrette. Made as a quick no-cook salad for crunchy texture and bright flavor.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 6 cup baby spinach or spring mix Use washed, dry greens for best crunch.
  • 2 apples Thinly slice for even bites.
  • 0.5 cup dried cranberries
  • 0.5 cup candied pecans
  • 0.5 cup crumbled blue cheese or feta Choose either blue cheese or feta.
  • 0.25 small red onion Thinly slice.
Poppy seed dressing
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 0.5 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 salt Pinch.

Method
 

Make the poppy seed dressing
  1. Whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard, and salt until smooth and lightly emulsified.
  2. Taste and adjust salt or honey if needed, then set the dressing aside.
Assemble the salad
  1. Place baby spinach or spring mix in a large bowl.
  2. Top with thinly sliced apples, dried cranberries, candied pecans, crumbled blue cheese or feta, and thinly sliced red onion.
  3. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.
  4. Toss gently until the greens are lightly coated, then serve immediately.

Notes

For maximum crunch, dry the greens well and slice apples right before assembling. Store assembled salad components separately: greens and toppings will keep 3 days in the fridge; dressing keeps 5 days chilled. Freezing isn’t recommended for the fresh salad. If you want a lighter option, swap honey for maple syrup or use a reduced amount of honey to cut added sugar.