Winter Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
This easy Winter Salad recipe is full of winter fruits and nuts like pecans, pears, and cranberries, and topped with a homemade vinaigrette.
The first time I made this winter salad I knew I had a winner. It’s overflowing with winter produce and it’s easy to change up with different nuts and cheeses, so it never gets old.
It’s perfect for a healthy lunch and it’s also great for holiday dinners when you need something simple that can be served cold, so you don’t have to worry about using the oven for one more thing.
This is great healthy option to have to help counterbalance all the cookies, cakes, and candies we tend to consume during the holiday season. It is also so scrumptious that I doubt you will have leftovers but you will have many compliments!
If you need some more inspiration for fall/winter side dishes try our Roasted Fall Vegetable Orzo and Fall Coleslaw using crisp autumn apples.
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Love salads with fruits and nuts? Try our Mandarin Orange Salad with Citrus Dressing and Waldorf Salad Recipe too!
Winter Salad Ingredients
- Mixed greens – There are lots of winter greens you can choose from. Scroll down to see a list.
- Pears – I like bosc of Anjou pears because they are slightly firmer and have a mild flavor.
- Pecans – You toast them if you like or sub them with almonds or walnuts.
- Dried Cranberries – This will give a little burst of tartness to your salad.
- Blue Cheese – You can sub this out for feta cheese or goat cheese if you don’t like blue cheese.
- Vinaigrette dressing ingredients – White wine vinegar or champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt. You can sub with a store-bought dressing if you prefer.
The best thing about this winter salad is that you can customize it in so many ways. This recipe is my favorite way to prepare it, but you can modify this salad to fit your own tastes to make sure you are getting the most of out your dish.
The vinaigrette is a simple mix of white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and salt. You can add a little sugar too if you like it slightly sweeter, but I love the vinegar taste, so I usually skip that part. If you’re making this as a side dish for a holiday party, make sure to toss the salad in the vinaigrette at the last minute to keep the salad looking fresh when you serve it.
How to Make Winter Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
Step 1 – Add ingredients – In a large bowl add greens, pears, dried cranberries, and pecans.
Step 2 – Mix vinaigrette – In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
Step 3 – Toss and top – Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss to coat the salad. Top with crumbled blue cheese and serve immediately.
What are Winter Salad Greens?
There are quite a few greens that are cold hardy and grow during the cold winter months. Arugula, romaine, radicchio, endive, mustard greens, kale salad, baby beet greens, baby Bok choy, lamb’s lettuce, mizuna, salad burnet, baby spinach, watercress, and winter purslane are just a few of the greens you can get for your winter salads.
Other Variations
You can modify this salad in any way you like.
Some options for you to add are roasted sweet potato, pomegranates, goat cheese, brussels sprouts, carrots, and red onions.
Some people like to add a bit more citrus to their salad but including grapefruit or lemon juice to their salad or dressing.
You can also change the dressing if you don’t like vinaigrettes or don’t have time to make it yourself. You try honey mustard dressing or even a creamy avocado ranch.
Can You Make Pear and Blue Cheese Salad Ahead of Time?
As with most salads, we don’t suggest making this ahead of time. Like apples, cut pears will turn brown over time and you want your salads to look at taste as fresh as possible.
When preparing it for a party I make my vinaigrette ahead of time, then I wash and dry my greens, measure out my other add-ins, and store it all in the refrigerator. Then I cut my pears and toss everything together right before serving. You’ll get the best results with this method.
Looking for More Salad Recipes?
- Panzanella Salad {Italian Bread Salad}
- Apple Walnut Salad
- Broccoli Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing
- Endive Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
- Mandarin Orange Salad with Citrus Dressing
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Grilled Peach and Berry Summer Salad
- More Salad Recipes…
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Winter Salad
Ingredients
- 10 ounces Mixed greens
- 3 Pears, chopped
- 2 cups Pecan halves
- 1 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1/2 cup Blue Cheese, , crumbled
Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar, Champagne vinegar is delicious if you can find it.
- 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Sugar , this is optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl add greens, pears, dried cranberries, and pecans.
- In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
- Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss
- Top with crumbled blue cheese.
Nutrition
That winter salad is going to be hit at my dinner party on Friday. Thanks!
Love this salad! Making it for the second Thanksgiving celebration this week. It was a huge hit at the first one, so why try another?!? I must admit that I added bacon.
Bacon makes everything better 🙂 Have a very happy Thanksgiving!
Do you think goat cheese would be a good substitute for the Bleu cheese if not all parties were a fan? Thanks. Going to try for this Christmas Eve.
Yes!!! I’ll tell you a secret, I hate blue cheese so I always set some aside for me and put goat cheese on it instead. It’s delicious!
Could I use apples instead of pears and feta instead of blue cheese???
You can definitely use apples and feta instead. I used apples and goat cheese in mine this year.
Do you use EVOO Or regular Olive Oil?
EVOO
This looks so good! Is this dressing good on any other kinds of salad or veggies?
I love this dressing and I use it on salads throughout the year. It is a pretty neutral flavor so it goes well with anything that you’d put a vinaigrette on.
I do not like blue che c you use feta cheese instead
Definitely! I highly recommend goat cheese.
Thanks for sharing! Does the dressing keep well?
Yes, I keep mine in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You will need to shake well before using and if the oil begins to congeal you’ll need to let it warm up a little before using.
Great recipe for my NYE dinner party, what wines would you suggest pairing with it?
If you’re looking for a white wine I would suggest Sauvignon Blanc and for red a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Could I use a different kind of vinegar?
Yes, you could use apple cider vinegar instead. If you use white vinegar I suggest adding just a small amount of sugar or honey to make it slightly less sharp.
I made this for a baby shower. It was great! I love the dressing too. I served it with blue cheese and feta cheese on the side per preference. It was easy to make and tasty.
Great Christmas salad. I used red pears, baby spinach and gorgonzola cheese. Kept the rest the same. Thanks for the idea. So simple to make. My family ate the entire dish.
What would be a good cheese If you don’t like Blue Cheese?
I love this salad with goat cheese as well. If you don’t like goat cheese you could try feta cheese, a shredded gouda, or a really good Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Can you make vinaigrette ahead of time and keep in fridge? Planning to make this for thanksgiving and trying to handle some of the work load on days prior. Also, I live 2 hours from my in laws where we will be eating. Hoping this will travel well and can be assembled once I am there. I am going to try with a smoked blue cheese I found.
You sure can and it should travel without a problem. Just make sure to whisk really well or put it in a container and shake to mix the dressing back up.
I see everyone makes it in advance- how do you keep the pears from browning?
Hi Sherry, when I make it ahead of time I prep the dressing and all of the I gradients EXCEPT the pears. Then I cut up the pears right before I’m ready to serve and toss everything together with the dressing before serving.
Love the ingredients…. but warning, this dressing is way too vinegry for our tastes! By a LOT!!!!!
Talk about putting a pucker on your face!!!! We added more olive oil AND sugar to save it for our liking!!!!!
I’m going to make this for Christmas, it looks so good! I’m going to replace the blue cheese with feta. Our grocery store is limited so I may have to do apples instead of pears. Do you know what type of apple may be best?
Our favorites are fuji, gala, pink lady, or honey crisp, but you can use any apple you like. If you prefer something tart, you can use a green granny smith apple or mix half green and half red to balance the flavor in the salad.
Thank you – this is gorgeous. We made this for our New Year’s Day meal with family. Next time I make it, I’ll use about half or less of the dressing. It was a bit too much vinegar, but how would we know that if we didn’t try it to the letter of the recipe first. Will definitely make again and just go a bit lighter. Again – a truly lovely salad.
This looks so good! What a great blend of winter flavors!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This does not keep very long once you add the dressing. As with most salads once you dress it then it begins to wilt.