Don’t overlook this Apple Walnut Salad. Vibrant and complex with layers of crunch and zip, this stunning green salad is perfect for a holiday gathering. It’s anything but forgettable and just what a more decadent meal needs to feel balanced and complete.
Salads at big holiday meals are easy to pass over. Not this one.
The varied flavors, textures, and an unexpected, absolutely delectable cinnamon dressing make it memorable and something your guests will thank you for preparing.
Crisp, sweet apple slices are a natural pairing with rich, toasty walnuts and creamy blue cheese (yes, you can swap goat cheese or make it an apple walnut feta salad if you prefer).
A handful of cranberries give it festive color and pops of tangy sweetness.
For the greens, I chose a mix of arugula and endive, a slightly bitter green that is in prime season right now. It’s important that the greens are strong enough to stand up to the other bold flavors in this salad; they give it the backbone it needs.
The crowning touch that makes this salad unforgettable is a vibrant maple dressing with a touch of cinnamon.
The cinnamon tastes fantastic with the apples. The overall effect will lead you to believe the walnuts are candied (even though all we need to do is toast them in the oven. So much easier!).
The Best Apple Walnut Salad
This memorable, beautiful salad might feel fancy, but it’s actually super easy to prepare! You can fully assemble it up to 1 day in advance, then dress and toss it just before serving (see more in Storage & Make Ahead Tips below).
The Ingredients
- Arugula. A member of the Brassica family, arugula is a delicious green with its own unique flavor. It’s tender and has a slightly peppery taste that adds wonderful flavor to salads like this one.
- Belgian Endive. While there are a few varieties of endive, you’ll want to use Belgian endive specifically for this recipe. It resembles a small head of lettuce with light yellow leaves. Refreshingly crisp and mildly bitter, it is a welcome counterpart to both the apples and arugula.
- Apples. The apples soak up the scrumptious dressing flavor and add a wonderful juicy crunch to the salad. Honeycrisp apples are a great option, just like in Grape Salad.
- Dried Cranberries. With their chewy texture, sweet flavor, and festive color, dried cranberries are an exceptional addition for both elegance and taste.
- Blue Cheese. A classic pairing with apple and walnut, blue cheese is a perfect fit here. For something mild, use gorgonzola; for something stronger, look for Cabrales (a Spanish blue cheese) or Roquefort (which is French). Not into blue cheese? Feta and goat cheese both work well.
- Nuts. Freshly toasted walnuts make all the difference in the world.
- Maple Cinnamon Dressing. A little sweet, a little tangy, and a lot delicious (especially with the apples!). Be sure to add it gradually so that you don’t accidentally overdress the salad.
The Directions
- Toast and chop the walnuts.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Stir in the apples.
- Place the arugula and endive in a bowl.
- Add part of the cranberries, cheese, and walnuts.
- Transfer the apples to the bowl with the greens. Toss to coat. Continue to add the dressing until the salad is moist.
- Finish with the remaining toppings and toss. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. This tastes best the day it is made, but I also enjoyed it leftover, adding some fresh greens and a drizzle of extra dressing to liven it back up. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 2 days.
Storage Tips
If you know you’re going to have leftovers, only dress the part of the salad you plan to eat. Refrigerate the apples and dressing in a separate storage container from the salad ingredients. Dress just before serving.
Make Ahead Tip
Prep all the ingredients up to 1 day in advance. Store the walnuts at room temperature. Refrigerate the rest of the salad and the dressing separately. Dress just before serving.
What to Serve with Apple Walnut Salad
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe. A comfort food classic.
- Salmon Wellington. An elegant seafood pairing.
- Grilled Chicken Tenders. An easy option for summertime.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Mixing Bowls. Multiple sizes for preparing all the components of this salad.
- Small Whisk. No more splashing salad dressing all over the counter.
- Apple Corer. Makes light work of cutting apples.
The Best Mixing Bowls
These are easy to clean and store, and they come in a variety of sizes. They’re microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe too.
Apple Walnut Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD:
- 3/4 cup raw walnut halves
- 2 small apples or 1 large apple cored and thinly sliced (recommended: Honeycrisp)
- 4 ounces baby arugula about 4 tightly packed cups
- 3 Belgian endives* about 6 ounces
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins
- 3 ounces crumbled gorgonzola** goat cheese, or feta (about a generous 1/2 cup)
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 1 small shallot very finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the walnuts into a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the nuts smell fragrant and toasty and they are crisp. Immediately transfer to a cutting board to cool. Roughly chop.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients: shallot, olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Add the apple and toss to coat.
- In a large serving bowl, place the arugula. Thinly cut the endive crosswise into very thin rounds (you'll have 3 cups or so). Add them to the bowl.
- Add half each of the cranberries, cheese, and walnuts.
- With a spoon, scoop the apple slices into the salad (some of the dressing and shallots will cling to the apples; some will be left behind in the bowl). Add a few more spoonfuls of the dressing to the salad to moisten it, then toss to coat. If the salad seems dry at this point, continue to spoon on small amounts of the dressing, tossing after each, until it’s moist but not sopping (it’s easy to overdress salad!).
- Sprinkle the remaining cranberries, cheese, and walnuts over the salad, then very lightly toss once more. Taste and add a bit of additional salt if desired (the amount you need will vary based on your cheese; with gorgonzola, our salad was just right). Enjoy immediately, with any remaining dressing on the side for serving as desired.
Notes
- *A bitter green like endive provides a delicious, bright, and welcome counterpoint to the sweet apples and is a classic pairing with arugula, especially if you are serving this as a part of a larger meal. Radicchio would be the closest swap. If you aren’t a fan of endive, you can swap it for spring mix, chopped romaine, or really any mixed lettuce you prefer.
- **A mild blue cheese such as gorgonzola is my favorite in this recipe (it’s so tasty with the walnuts and arugula!) but if that isn’t your thing, goat cheese is my second choice (still delish), and feta is a good option too.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Prep all the ingredients up to 1 day in advance. Store the walnuts at room temperature. Refrigerate the rest of the salad and the dressing separately. Dress just before serving.
- TO STORE: This tastes best the day it is made, but I also enjoyed it leftover, adding some fresh greens and a drizzle of extra dressing to liven it back up. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 2 days.
- If you know you’re going to have leftovers, only dress the part of the salad you plan to eat. Refrigerate the apples and dressing in a separate storage container from the salad ingredients. Dress just before serving.
Nutrition
Join today and start saving your favorite recipes
Create an account to easily save your favorite recipes and access FREE meal plans.
Sign Me Up
I made this dressing and substituted a three cheese blend for the blue. Amazing!
I made the maple dijon salmon from the Well Plated cookbook. What a hit! A delicious , healthy , easy meal . My husband is a dressing snob and couldn’t stop complimenting me on the meal.
I am enjoying the recipes I receive in my emails as well as the cookbook. Thank you so much for sharing your talent. I intend to buy a few books as presents and anticipate great feedback.
This comment MADE my day, Melanie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
One of the most delicious salads I’ve ever made! Have most of the ingredients on hand came together quickly. I don’t always love the bitterness of arugula but it was so good paired with all of the other ingredients. Definitely don’t overdress it!
Yay, so glad to hear it Kristin, thank you!
DELICIOUS! 100% will make again. Thank you!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Carly! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Fabulous Salad!! I did not have endive….made it with only the arugula. Other than that, followed the recipe exactly.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Judith! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These apple walnut salad look so good. I will definitely try this as it is excellent for immunity in this corona period.
Hope you enjoy it!
LOVED IT !❤️ I think this is gonna be my favorite salad
Hi Dalia! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind reivew!
Fabulous! A twist to other recipes with the hint of cinnamon and roasted walnuts
Hi SP! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious salad! The star of the dish was the dressing with apples, especially with the cinnamon. We are a plant based family, so I substituted the regular Gorgonzola with a homemade vegan Gorgonzola and it was lovely. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Hannah! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this as written except I forgot to toast the walnuts and I added a pinch more cinnamon. This salad got rave reviews from the fam! Thanks for posting it.
Hi Gail! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I could not stop eating this salad! Usually when a recipe calls for toasted nuts I skip them because I seem to burn them. Putting them in the oven could not have been easier and totally worth it. What a flavor combo. Delicious!
Hi Christie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This has become our go to fall salad. Love it!!
So happy to hear Sheri! Thank you!
Amazing I could eat this everyday for lunch! I added red onion and avocado
Hi Ann! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this for Christmas Dinner was a big hit. Very fresh and light , I made dressing earlier in the day and baked walnuts, put the “salad” part together and refrigerated , just before serving cut apples and put everything together. I doubled recipe as had 11 for dinner, had some left over for lunch next day . I feel dressing did not cause wilted lettuce and tasted great the next day. I have shared this recipe with 2 friends so far as it is definitely a keeper. Erin is always my go to for something different and delicious!
Hi Beverly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this on Christmas Day with prime rib, twice baked potatoes and garlic green beans. Salad was light and everyone loved it. Just the right amount of sweetness from apples and cranberries , but the red wine vinegar gives it just enough tartness. I have shared this with others and am sure will be their favorite too .
Hi Beverly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Very good and easy recipe. I just bought walnuts and chopped them, I did not roast raw ones.
Hi Evie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Great recipe, has become a go-to salad for us. I use a boursin garlic herb cheese instead of the blue and sometimes use spinach and/or a mix of greens.
Hi Renee! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This one was super simple and DELISH! I highly recommend!
Hi Lotte! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!