This Apple Cranberry Salad is sweet and crunchy, crisp and tart! It’s simple enough for a weekday lunch yet fancy enough for holiday dinners!
I’m a huge fan of fruit on salad, and this one has diced apples and dried cranberries. Plus, anything that has freshly shaved parmesan and glazed pecans is going to be good, right?!!
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Apple Cranberry Salad Ingredients
The crunchy apples and crispy croutons work perfectly with the chewy dried cranberries and sweet glazed pecans to make this an outstanding salad! I’ve been eating this salad, with slight variations, on repeat for months now.
- Lettuce: We used organic spring mix lettuce for this salad because it is a great combination of flavors, textures, and colors. You can use whatever your favorite lettuce is.
- Apples: Diced Granny Smith apples are what we chose when making this salad, but any crunchy apple variety would work too.
- Parmesan: Shaved parmesan is fantastic on this salad. You can shave it yourself, or you can find shaved parmesan in the deli area at your local grocery store.
- Croutons: For the croutons, we crumbled rosemary and olive oil bruschetta toasts. Any croutons would work, or you can use parmesan crisps as well.
- Cranberries: The dried cranberries add a little sweetness, a little tartness, and some chewiness to this apple cranberry salad.
- Pecans: We chopped up a few glazed pecans for the salad, and you only need a few to really make the salad something special. If you don’t want the added sweetness, you could use toasted pecans instead.
- Lemon Vinaigrette: Homemade lemon vinaigrette is the perfect dressing to serve with this salad! You could also use ranch dressing or poppy seed dressing.
How To Make Apple Cranberry Salad
To make this apple cranberry salad, simply layer the ingredients, add the dressing, and enjoy! Feel free to add extra ingredients or swap things out as you see fit.
Arrange the lettuce in one large bowl or in several bowls, depending on the occasion.
Next, layer on the toppings in any order you want. This could be served buffet style so each person can add what they want. I keep the toppings together in my pantry and fridge so they are easy to pull out every time I want another salad.
Drizzle with salad dressing. Whether you use one large bowl or not, it’s a good idea to serve the dressing on the side, which lets everyone add the amount of dressing they prefer.
Other Ways To Make It
Cranberry Apple Walnut Salad is an easy variation. Simply swap out the pecans with walnuts. You can even use my glazed pecans recipe to make glazed walnuts.
Chicken Apple Cranberry Salad is perfect for lunch! Make air fryer chicken breasts or use diced rotisserie chicken. Add the diced chicken to the salad along with the other ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
I would suggest preparing the ingredients (chopping the pecans, shredding the parmesan, making the vinaigrette, etc.) ahead of time but waiting until the last minute to assemble everything.
When you serve a salad as a main dish, it often includes protein and larger portions. I would suggest adding diced turkey or chicken to this salad.
You can add more veggies, such as diced cucumbers or sliced onions. Or add more fruit like diced pears, sliced grapes, or pomegranate seeds. Toasted walnuts and almonds could be added too!
More Salad Recipes
- This Corn Salad has all the flavors of summer but is delicious year-round!
- Cranberry Pecan Pretzel Salad is perfect during the holiday season.
- Serve Taco Salad buffet style so everyone can add what they like.
- I love making Raspberry Parmesan Chicken Salad for a quick lunch!
- Spinach Pasta Salad is a family favorite!
Apple Cranberry Salad
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Ingredients
- 4 cups spring mix lettuce
- ½ cup diced green apples
- ½ cup shaved parmesan
- ½ cup croutons
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup glazed pecans
- ½ cup lemon vinaigrette
Instructions
- Arrange the spring mix lettuce in a large serve bowl or divide it between individual bowls.
- Top the lettuce with diced green apples, shaved parmesan, croutons, dried cranberries, and glazed pecans.
- Serve with homemade lemon vinaigrette.
