Description
A refreshing and vibrant Honeycrisp Apple Salad featuring crisp apples, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and a tangy honey Dijon vinaigrette. Perfect as a light lunch or a side salad with any meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 2 medium Honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
- 5 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast Pecans: Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–5 minutes until fragrant, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the mixed greens, dried cranberries, thinly sliced red onion, and feta cheese if using.
- Add Apples and Pecans: Add the thinly sliced Honeycrisp apples and cooled toasted pecans to the salad bowl.
- Prepare Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey or maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper thoroughly until emulsified.
- Toss and Serve: Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
Notes
- Use Honeycrisp apples for their crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor, but Granny Smith or Fuji can also work.
- To save time, pecans can be toasted ahead and stored in an airtight container.
- Feta cheese is optional; omit for a dairy-free version or substitute with vegan cheese.
- Adjust sweetness in the vinaigrette with more or less honey/maple syrup as preferred.
- The salad is best served fresh to keep the apples crisp.
