Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad
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A bright, refreshing fall salad with apples, bacon + the most amazing candied pecans. Perfect for the holidays!
Hello, Fall. We have crisp leaves, football tailgating, chunky sweaters, apple cider donuts everything, and my most favorited seasonal salad.
Maybe it’s the candied pecans. The perfectly massaged kale tossed with the sweet and tangy dressing. The oh-so-crisp bacon bits with the chunks of fresh apples. Maybe it’s all of the above.
Nonetheless, I will be diving head first into this salad until the end of the year. And I will be bringing it to all of our holiday gatherings.
P.S. The pecan recipe makes more than you need but trust me when I say they will not stick around for long.
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
WHAT KIND OF APPLE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR THIS SALAD?
Gala or honey crisp apples would work beautifully in this recipe.
CAN I SUBSTITUTE SOMETHING ELSE FOR THE FETA?
Goat cheese, queso fresco, halloumi, or cotija are all great options.
Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- â…“ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch kale, stems removed and leaves shredded
- 1 medium apple, diced
- ½ cup sliced celery
- ½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
for the candied pecans
- 1 large egg white
- â…“ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, shallot and Dijon; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in olive oil and honey; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in kale and massage for 1 minute.
- Top with bacon, apple, celery, cranberries, feta cheese and candied pecans, and gently toss to combine.
for the candied pecans
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk egg white until frothy, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cayenne pepper.
- Stir in pecans until well combined and evenly coated.
- Spread pecan mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring at halftime. Let cool completely.
Did you make this recipe?
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This was delicious. Stayed good in the fridge for seconds the next day. The candied pecans were the star of the whole show. Thank you!
The first time I made the was for Thanksgiving.  Amazing!!  The second time I didn’t make the nuts due to time and it was still really good.  I used red onion instead of shallots.  Yum yum!!  Thank you!Â
So delicious! I used red onion instead of shallots and cooked them in the bacon grease to mellow the flavour a bit. I also added fresh thyme sprigs to the cooking mixture and removed them before adding the onions and garlic to the dressing.
It was my first time making candied nuts and I was surprised by how simple and quick it was! They added a really lovely texture and flavour with the salad. I saved some for snacking later and they went very quickly!
That is definitely damn delicious! I love how you composed it.
Kinda like a mason jar salad–I make it by the  ‘batch–mix it all together -minus the spinach and dressing -I get to eat my new favorite salad through the week —
Pears and various cheeses I have on hand have worked well in it…
The dressing was very sour even after I added more sugar, but loved all of the ingredients
Love the easy techniques and simple ingredients and directions.
Absolutely delicious just as written! Â Very festive and fun!!
I made this yesterday as a side for our mini-Thanksgiving feast and it was a hit! It was light and tart and made for a great contrast to rest of the herby, carb-heavy meal. Will definitely be making this again (thought I will try to find pomegranate seeds rather than doing it myself – I watched so many videos and it was still a pain!)
I am a huge fan of pomegranates, I can assure you that the ones already seeded don’t taste the same at all!
Here is an easier way to seed one: Use a wooden spoon to gently hit all around it, THEN cut in half in a bowl (to catch all the delicious juices) and the seeds will almost fall out into the bowl!Â
I set the bowl in the sink so the juices don’t get all over me!Â
I hope this helps!
Hi Chungah,
This is such a fantastic recipe- thank you for sharing it.
I’ve included it in my Recipe Roundup of recipes for 12 foods high in antioxidants.
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes!
This was really yummy and the dressing smelled delicious.
I’ve been making this salad for years after a friend made it and I looked up the recipe here! Still gets raving reviews where ever I bring it! Even making small portions is a cinch when I have the ingredients on hand!Â
Absolutely delicious, healthy and easy to fix. Tart, sweet, lemony and crunchy, colorful too!
Really great recipe and very easy. Â This salad was a hit at Thanksgiving!
Made this yesterday for a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner with friends. Â Spectacular. Â The dressing was a lovely change from the usual and the blend of ingredients made for a taste that was definitely more than the sum of its parts. Â Making it again tomorrow for a second Thanksgiving dinner! Â I am so glad I found this. Â It wCoill now be my go-to.
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.
I love pomegranate and apple. But I never thought that I can put them together to make this amazing salad. And It would be better if I go with really cold beverage. Thank you for sharing!
THIS SALAD IS A MUST….I made it for my sisters and mother. It was absolutely delish! Such a nice, interesting combination of flavors and textures. I did not have goat cheese so I used crumbled feta cheese and it worked very well. I also was unable to get pomegranate arils, but the dressing made everything come together. This is a type salad you can enjoy anytime of the year. NOTE: I tossed the salad with the dressing before serving as the recipe stated. However, when eating leftovers later that day, I noticed the taste was even better after the dressing had marinated the fresh spinach, etc. Make it…you won’t be sorry! Blessings to all.
This Salad looks beautiful and healthy too!
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This salad is going to be on my Christmas Dinner table this year. Along with a nice steak and a baked potato. Simple and easy and yummy.
That sounds like a great pairing!
im going to try Blue Cheese.
Gorgeous!
This looks amazing! Especially in the midst of all the holiday baking. Love the poppyseed addition.
Which other cheese would go best with this if we don’t like goat cheese?
Feta cheese would be a great substitute.
Blue cheese would be great too.
This looks so delicious!!
I love apples in my salad! This looks so bright, healthy, and tasty 🙂
When I came to your site and saw just the photo, I was struck by how Xmasy this salad
looks. Wonderful colors and textures and yes light enough to go with all the other
overload.
It almost loooks like christmas decorations with those beautiful colours 😀 It sounds delicious 😀 x
Oh my gosh this looks delicious. I am so tired of salads at the moment, but I think this just might put me on the right track again – thank you Chung-Ah
This salad looks like the perfect way to wash down all those cookies I’ve been eating. SO MANY COOKIES! I need something fresh and bright. Love it!
This looks yummy! Perfect way to stay healthy over the holiday season =) definitely making!
I think I’m in love with this salad!!
Holy gorgeous salad alert! I have been obsessed with the combo of pomegranate and goat cheese lately, so I need to stuff this into my face ASAP. Pinned!
I will definitely be making this salad in the future. Looks like an amazing salad that my kids would love too. Spinach + fruit = yummy.
The salad simply looks gorgeous! I loved the lemon vinaigrette which seems to be quite versatile and can be used in many other salads too!
thanks for this yummie salad! 🙂
This is gorgeous!!
This salad looks so festive and refreshing amidst the season of cookies, pies and casseroles. I’ve never had a lemon poppy seed vinaigrette, but I’m excited to try it!
So pretty, the perfect holiday salad!
This salad looks beautiful! I’m planing my Christmas menu and I think I may have to add this. I’m not a fan of goat cheese but this still looks amazing. Thank you!
Use Feta cheese instead.
I appreciate the suggestion but I actually don’t like feta, either. I’m usually not very picky but I’m just not into a lot of different cheeses. Thank you, though!