Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas
Fresh green salad recipe featuring sliced apple, toasted pepitas, dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese. Apple cider vinaigrette recipe included.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 3, 2024
Healthy, attainable, feel-good recipes—those are my favorite. Take this simple green salad, which has been my go-to holiday salad for five years now.
I’ve brought it to too many Friendsgivings to count, and my family has enjoyed it at Thanksgiving as well. It’s beautiful, easy to make, and a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
This salad features fresh spring greens, tart Granny Smith apple, sweet dried cranberries and creamy goat cheese, tossed in a simple apple cider vinaigrette (recipe included).
I usually try to outdo myself when it comes to salads, but I kept this one simple. It’s the perfect side salad for all of your cool-weather meals.
Make it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any meal in between!
Green Salad Serving Suggestions
This is my favorite green salad to serve with heavier holiday/comfort foods. Consider pairing this salad with lasagna, baked ziti and stuffed acorn squash.
Serve this salad with a creamy soup to round out a light meal. It would go especially well with my creamy pumpkin soup, best butternut soup, and creamy roasted cauliflower soup.
Green Salad Tips
Spring greens wilt quickly once they’ve been tossed with dressing. If you are preparing this salad in advance, keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to serve. For best results, chop the apple just before tossing everything together, since apples brown when they are exposed to air.
For a salad with greater longevity, swap a big bunch of chopped kale (thick ribs removed) for the spring greens. Kale is a more hardy green that can withstand a long soak in dressing—in fact, it gets better as it marinates. At this rate, you could also add the apples—the vinegar will help keep them fresh.
Watch How to Make This Green Salad
Please let me know how this salad turns out for you in the comments! I’m always so happy to hear from you.
Looking for more healthy yet holiday-worthy salads? Check these out:
- Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad with Ginger Dressing
- Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw
- Farro and Kale Salad with Goat Cheese
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Hearty Sweet Potato, Arugula & Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Dressing
- Autumn Kale Salad with Fennel, Honeycrisp and Goat Cheese
Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas
My favorite fresh salad featuring healthy greens, sliced apple, toasted pepitas, dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese. Toss with my simple apple cider vinaigrette (recipe below) or use balsamic dressing in a pinch. Recipe yields 2 full-sized salads or 4 to 6 side salads.
Ingredients
Green salad
- 5 ounces (about 5 cups) spring greens salad blend
- 1 large or 2 small Granny Smith apple(s)
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or chopped raw pecans
- 2 ounces chilled goat cheese, crumbled (about ⅓ cup)
Apple cider vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Toast the pepitas: In a medium-sized skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are turning golden on the edges and making little popping noises (if using pecans instead, warm them just until they are fragrant). Transfer the pepitas to a small bowl to cool.
- Make the dressing: In a cup or jar, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard and salt until well blended. Season to taste with pepper.
- Just before serving, chop the apple into thin, bite-sized pieces. Place your greens in a large serving bowl. Top with sliced apple, dried cranberries and toasted pepitas. Use a fork to crumble the goat cheese over the salad.
- Drizzle the salad with just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves once tossed (you probably won’t need all of it). Gently toss to mix all of the ingredients and serve!
Notes
Make it vegan: Substitute maple syrup for the honey and omit the cheese.
Storage suggestions: Spring greens wilt quickly once they’ve been tossed with dressing, so store dressing separately from the greens. Apples oxidize quickly once they’re cut open, so I chop them just before serving the salad. For a salad with more longevity, swap chopped kale for the spring greens (like this). Bonus? The dressing will keep the chopped apples looking fresh.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Sometimes you just need a simple salad and this looks like it totally would do the trick! I mean, I would have no problem if you just posted Cookie pictures, but I would miss your recipes and lovely photographs too : )
This looks great! I can’t wait to give this a go!
I love the vibrant colors in this dish. We all need more salads in our lives right about now, too!
This is exactly the type of meal I’ve been craving the last week- light, simple, fresh — beautiful salad!
Kate do you have any recipes with cabbage? II
Just love to eat cabbage.so I only one recipe.
Help please…..
Thanks Bridgett Irving 2020
I love salads like this – so simple and delicious :)
I would definitely come just for Cookie pictures! Though this salad looks amazing — I have a similar stand-by that I make with lacinato kale and pecans. Sooo yummy.
Your salad looks like my fav salad! BUT, with an apple cider vinaigrette…totally love this.
This salad sounds soo yummy!
I love dried cranberries, yet I always forget about their existence, especially when I’m making salads. It’s weird. and it needs to happen!
I love the simplicity of this salad; it sounds so bright and fresh and vibrant.
I think you definitely found your niche with the recipes! I love salads like this – simple but impressive.
I make a variation of this salad all the time, its the best. Sometimes dried cherries, sometimes feta, sometimes flakes almonds. Always quick, simple and so tasty!
My kind of salad! :)
I love fruit and nuts in salad, especially in the fall! Gala’s are my favorite to chop into salads but green apples would give a nice tart flavor. It’s nice to have a fresh element to balance out heavier winter dishes.
Me too! I like Honeycrisps in salads, too.
I love fall and winter salads like yours, they are healthy , easy to prepare and you can add whatever you have or like. Thank you
Made this for a potluck last night. Added roasted delicata squash. It was a huge hit. Great flavors and colors. Thanks so much for another great recipe.
Fantastic! Thank you, Sarah, I’m so glad this salad went over well at your potluck.
This is the perfect salad to balance all of the holiday gluttony! Pinning now!
I’m on a definite feel-good salad kick and I love that this can be a side or a stand-alone salad with the addition of a few more mix-ins!
Oh my goodness, this salad is SO GOOD. Definitely going into regular rotation. I ate it again for breakfast it was so good.
Success! Thanks so much, Claire. Hope you’re well!
I made this salad last week for a friend’s engagement dinner party, and it was a huge hit! I’m munching on a mini-version (minus the goat cheese) at my desk right now and just LOVING it. Thanks so much for posting! I adore your blog & your recipes — I think you’re one of the best vegetarian blogs out there. Keep up the awesome work ;)
I had this salad for lunch today with quinoa and honey goat cheese. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hooray! Thanks, Ellen! That honey goat cheese sounds amazing.
Have been meaning to comment on your website for a long time now to thank you! I have gone from a diet of basicalled meat and bad carbs to a now healthy and transitioning vegetarien with your help! I just made this salad and it is literally the first one I’ve ever completely enjoyed and finished off. Your recipes are simple, easy and make going Vego super painless as they resemble things I am used to eating. You’ve turned me into a healthy food lover and I cannot thank you enough :)
Thank you so much, Daisy! I’m truly delighted to hear that you’re eating better and enjoying my recipes! All my best to you. :)
Made this a couple of days ago and I can’t wait to make it again this week. Simple yet so tasty and refreshing. Yum!
Hooray! Thanks, Nella!
I had never eaten kale before and last week I made this salad. Well, I could not believe how fantastic it is. I didn’t tell any of the family about it so that I could consume it all by myself over a couple of days. As a result, on this week’s shopping trip, I bought double quantity and I know for sure this will become a staple “healthy” meal that would also be great for dinner parties etc. Might also put in Camzola instead of feta. Very many thanks for sharing it.
I made this recipe and my husband said it was the best salad he has ever had :) I used blue cheese instead of goat. The best!!
Hooray! Thanks, Charlotte!
Making this salad to go with a cauliflower soup tonight! Will skip the cheese since there’s goat cheese in the soup (recipe is in the Oct. F&W), but this is exactly the simple salad and vinaigrette I was seeking for soup and salad night!
Thanks, Tessa! Hope it was a hit!
This was a quick and delicious salad.
Thanks, Joe!
I made this for Christmas eve dinner — it was a delicious addition to our table. It was my first time eating/cooking with pepitas — yum! — and used feta (couldn’t justify buying goat cheese with the Costco-sized block of feta residing in my fridge), and the salad amazing! It’s my favorite green salad too. Thanks again, Kate!
Thank you, Alexa! High fives for sharing the same green salad. :)
Wow! I made this salad for my family and my son’s girlfriend said it was the best thing that I have ever made for her. With that vote of confidence I took it to my sonority weekend, AGD sisters for 40 plus years. Another set of raves, and I sent out your link. I’m not sure how I found you , but I’m sure it had to do with food :). After reading your blog the connections blew me away. My mom lives in Carlsbad too, but I have a dear friend with CF waiting for lungs that really drew me to you. I shared your blog with her today and I hope it gives her hope and strength.
Thank you for your comment, Sammie Jo! I hope your friend gets her lungs soon. All my best.
A favorite in our house, we eat this salad at least once a week!
Love this (or this slightly modified) salad — made it for the last two potlucks I went to and it was completely consumed and people even sought me out to compliment it! I’ve tried a few variations over time based on what I have — dried cherries, fresh blueberries, or cooked and cooled beets for the cranberries and sunflower seeds for the pepitas (when I’m in a rush and no time to toast) — so many options and all have turned out well! Thanks for the great, tasty, flexible recipes!
Thank you for this recipe! I make it all the time! Love it sooooo much!
Yes, you could post daily pics of Cookie and I’d make sure to come back for more! That’s one of the reasons I love your blog. In addition to great recipes, there’s the chance of seeing an adorable dog.
Great salad! I’ve never toasted pepitas like that before – they added great flavor.
Thanks, Liz! I love toasted pepitas!
I make this all the time, we love this salad, thanks for the recipe
Awesome! Thank you, Brenda.
What kind of cranberries do you use? Can you please share the brand or source? Thanks! I hope to make this recipe. I will post if I do.
Delicious salad! I’ve never toasted pepitas like that before. My son and husband liked it. They told me to make it everyday!. Thanks for sharing.
Tasty, healthy, simple, and vibrant! I made one small change. I care for a couple of goats who were rescued from being killed at a goat dairy, so no goat cheese for me. Instead I pan-seared some cubed tofu onto which I sprinkled some savory seasonings, and that worked very well as a topping. Trying your kale salads next!
Oh my goodness, what a kind soul you are! I hope your goats are happy and healthy. I can totally understand that omission.
This was delish! Made it for a cookout. Didn’t check my pantry and found I didn’t have the cranberries nor the goat cheese, so I substituted dried cherries and fontina cheese. Loved it!
Great! I’m glad it worked out, Mary.
Fantastic salad and dressing!
Thank you, Lauren!
I know this was posted a few years ago, but just wanted to drop a quick line to say thank you!
As a recent transfer to town, a new colleague invited me to join her family for Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. I was tasked with bringing a salad. I had 0 idea what to bring (as I am not normally a salad person at all) and was feeling an unreasonable amount of panic over this dish – wanting to make a decent first impression in a room full of strangers.
Anyways- I came across your recipe and I am so glad I did!! I doubled it, but other than that did not change a thing. It was VERY well received. It complemented the traditional dinner very well. My colleague’s sister even asked for the dressing recipe – and she is a chef in town!
Thank you for this recipe! It was a smash hit at dinner – there wasn’t anything left!
Hi Renee! Belated thank you for your comment! I’m so glad you found this salad recipe to bring. It’s still my favorite. :)
Hi, I’m making this tomorrow. Did you double the dressing as well? If so, any adjustments needed?
Thank you!
I would’ve shared a pic via Instagram but we ate it too fast! Because it was THAT GOOD. The perfect amount of vinegar to oil with sweetness from the honey, cranberries and apple. The lightly toasted pepitas really add another dimension to the overall flavour of this awesome salad! I made this without the goat cheese (didn’t have any, but we are also trying to cut back on dairy). Thank you so much for sharing. Our friends who we shared it with all loved it. We will definitely make this again.
Hooray! Love to hear that, Sonya. Thank you for the review!
Whenever I add raisins or craisins to salad I shake them up with the dressing to rehydrate a bit. This salad is a winner! I’m earmarking it to make again for Christmas or sooner!
That is great! Thank you, Jen for your comment.
Sounds delicious! I have some Camembert I need to use up. Do you think I could sub that out for the goat cheese.
I recommend goat cheese, but it is still a rich and creamy cheese that it would likely work. :)
A nice recipe
I liked punching up the chèvre just a Little, but the recipe was ready to serve just as is
Thank you!
This was delicious! I brought it to a potluck and it was very well received. Will be making again for family for Christmas!
Thank you, Rachael! I think it is a great dish to have at Christmas. Very festive and tasty! Thanks so much for your review.
I love this recipe and served it to some friends. It is also easy to swap the salad ingredients for those in my fridge and pantry.
I think so, Sara! I am glad it was a hit. Thanks so much for your review. :)
I made this salad for NYE along with filet mignon. The salad was a big hit – no leftovers!
I was able to find almost all of the ingredients at the butcher shop across the street. The only thing I couldn’t find were the pumpkin seeds. I substituted the seeds with candied walnuts. I also subbed the cranberries with craisins. YUM.
Thanks for sharing! : )
That’s great! You’re very welcome.
Delicious – just loved it!!!
Thank you, Sarah! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
So I added red onions and avocado and it was PERFECT!! I was looking for a simple salad with some cranberries came across this and it just bloomed to an amazing new dish for me. Thanks!
Happy to hear that, Dalia! If you would want to leave a star review, I would appreciate it.
I made for Thanksgiving dinner. Great salad! I will be making it again. Thanks
Happy to hear that, Tenley!
I’ve made this salad twice and everyone just LOVES it. I did 3 things differently than the recipe.
1. I used regular pine nuts and lightly toasted them.
2. I chopped my apple and put it into a mixture of water with a little honey. It traveled perfectly without a bit of it turning brown.
3. Used dried cherries, because I like them.
GREAT RECIPE
Thank you for sharing, Susan!