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This Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is my go-to “house” salad. I make it on repeat all winter long, but especially over the holidays. Mixed greens, avocado, juicy pomegranates, sweet and spicy maple-roasted walnuts, and plenty of crumbled cheese. All tossed together with a delicious honey mustard dressing. It’s simple to put together, healthy, and pairs perfectly with just about any meal. You’ll never tire of this beautiful winter salad.
You all, I really was torn on just what recipe to share today. It’s the Friday before Christmas Eve and I was stumped on what everyone might be looking for the most. Yet another appetizer? A holiday side dish? Something sweet to snack on?
I had plenty of ideas, but in the end, my mom and I decided on my Christmas salad. This is the salad I make almost nightly over the next 2 weeks. It’s never made the exact same way twice, but the base is almost always the same.
Plenty of fresh greens, avocado, pomegranate arils, and a really delicious dressing.
Throughout the winter months, dinners get especially cozy, which means vegetables are not usually the main focus. It’s always nice when we have people in town to prepare a simple salad for everyone’s plate.
It’s something they can easily take or leave. But I’m not going to lie, the salad almost always disappears by the end of dinner.
We love a side of garlic bread, but we also love a good side salad too! This salad really has been my staple for years. I can make it in just minutes and everyone will always enjoy it as long as there are greens, avocado, and cheese.
We’re big avocado people…and even bigger cheese people.
Details
I always start off my salads with nuts and seeds. Usually, I’ll make more than the salad will require so I can have extra on hand.
My favorite combination is walnuts, pumpkin seeds, maple, smoked paprika, and chili powder. That spicy, sweet, salty, flavor is one that everyone really enjoys.
They add crunchiness and a really nice spicy, smoky flavor to the salad.
For the salad itself, I almost always do a mix of spring greens with arugula or Frisée. I can’t always find Frisée, so that’s when I’ll use arugula.
Then apples, because I always have them. Avocado because my family can’t do a salad with them. And pomegranates, because I personally think they’re one of the best additions to a green salad you can use.
And that’s it, just add the cheese. I love to use a crumbled blue, but will also use goat cheese and or feta. Our favorite is blue cheese, then goat, then feta. Use what you and your family love most though.
Finally, the honey mustard dressing. It’s a tangy, creamy, honey mustard with dijon, balsamic, or sometimes I’ll switch it up and use apple cider vinegar. I always add honey, fig preserves, and chili flakes.
Add a bit of orange zest + juice for tang. You can use lemon too. But I love using orange in the winter.
And that completes my Christmas Salad. As I mentioned, it kind of changes nightly, but this is my favorite “variation”. And I think it’s my family’s too.
It’s simple, but full of just the right amount of sweet and tangy flavors, perfect!
Looking for other winter salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Super Green Sun-Dried Tomato Herb Salad
Citrus Avocado Salad with Orange Tahini Vinaigrette
Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas
Lastly, if you make this Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 511 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup honey or maple
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 2 cups Frisée
- 1-2 apples or pears, chopped
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 2 cups pomegranate arils
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fig preserves
- 2 teaspoons orange zest + 2 tablespoons orange juice
- kosher salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the walnuts and pumpkin seeds with the honey/maple syrup, chili powder, and salt. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once throughout cooking, until the walnuts are toasted. Remove from the oven and spread the walnuts in one layer. Sprinkle with flaky salt.2. Add the greens to a large salad bowl. Add the apple, avocados, and pomegranate. Sprinkle on the cheese and nuts. Gently toss the salad.3. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake to combine. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Enjoy!
Can someone please share your favorite cheese of the three options? I am elderly, not well and may only have one shot to make the salad this Christmas for my family. I haven’t a clue what the best cheese choice would be. I read the comments but missed any input re preferred cheese. Thank you.
Hi Louise,
My favorite cheese to use in blue cheese. I hope you love this salad! xT
AMAZING!!!!!🤩🤩🤩
Hey there,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Have the best weekend! xT
Loved this salad!!! How long will the dressing keep?
Hi Pam! You could definitely keep this for about a week or so in the fridge! xT
My daughter Amy brought this salad to my son’s house on Christmas day. It was truly the best salad I’ve ever tasted! I’m going to have friends for dinner on Sunday night and Tuesday night. I’m planning to make this salad for both nights. I can’t wait to serve it my my guests! I love pomegranate ariels, and I think they’re a perfect addition to the other wonderful flavors in this salad. I think I could have eaten the whole bowl on Christmas day but I refrained myself!
Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT
This dressing is AMAZING! I also deconstructed this salad as an avocado toast and it was marvelous!
Hey! Thank you so much for trying the recipe out! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
Love this salad and dressing recipe! Will make over and over. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out and leaving such a kind comment! xT
Thanks so much for this recipe. It’s my new favourite salad, and a wonderful main course for vegetarian guests. I think the carnivores will be jealous.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out and leaving such a kind comment! xT
Delish! So so yummy!!!! Added chicken to make it a meal – the nuts kind of clumped together and turned into more of a granola, but still very yummy. Maybe less cooking time or less honey or both!
Thank you sooo much for trying out this recipe! Hope your New Year is off to an awesome start! xT
My neighbor brought this for NYE dinner and I about died. SO DELICIOUS…eating leftovers for lunch. My new fave!!!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing New Year! 🙂 xT
This was a huge hit at Christmas dinner this year with immediate requests to share the recipe. I used balsamic vinegar and goat cheese in this batch and followed the instructions for the nuts/seeds as written and it was perfect!
Hey Tara! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing New Year! 🙂 xT
How many pomegranates would you typically need to get 2 cups of arils?
I’ve actually never bought a pomegranate before!
Hi Christy! Probably 2-3 pomegranates! 🙂 xT
One of the guys that we work with brought this salad for our company Christmas luncheon. We all loved it, so he sent us the link for the recipe. You have 16 big fans!!
Aw thank you so so much Toni! 🙂 xT
I made you salad for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, everyone loved it. Thank you!
Thank you so so much Laura! xT