Pear Pomegranate Salad with Candied Pecans and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
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This Pear Pomegranate Salad with Candied Pecans and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette is the ultimate festive holiday salad. Made with crisp pears, juicy pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, candied pecans, and dried cranberries. Tossed with a sweet and tangy homemade Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette. Can be served as a fall salad or winter salad. Perfect to serve as a Thanksgiving side dish or as a festive Christmas salad.
Pear Pomegranate Salad with Candied Pecans and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
This Pear-Pomegranate Salad with Candied Pecans and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette is the perfect salad for this time of year as it has all delicious foods and flavors that are in season. You can indulge in this amazing salad for lunch, as a light dinner or even as a side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner next week. It’s so good and makes for such a pretty dish too with all the vibrant colors.
This delicious salad brings together a perfect mix of sweet and tangy with the crunchiness from both pomegranate seeds and pecans. The vinaigrette is the perfect addition to this amazing blend of ingredients. Maple-balsamic fusion is seriously out of this world. I have to say though, the star of this great salad has to be the candied pecans. They are deliciously sweet and they give the perfect crunchiness to take this salad to the next level.
You guys really need to give this salad a try. Not only is it delicious and brings so many flavors together, it is also very nutritious. Packs many vitamins and minerals coming from all of the foods used in this recipe.
Ingredients needed to make Pear Pomegranate Salad:
- Arugula– The bitterness of the arugula pairs perfectly with the sweetness and juiciness of the pear and pomegranate.
- Pear– Any kind of pear would do. I usually use either Anjou or Bartlett.
- Pomegranate Seeds– You can either get a pomegranate and remove the arils or get them already removed.
- Feta Cheese– Takes this salad to a whole other level.
- Dried Cranberries– Adds sweetness and texture.
- Candied Pecans– You don’t want to skip these!
- For Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette– Avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, shallot, dijon mustard, lemon, maple syrup, and pink sea salt.
Equipment needed to make Pear Pomegranate Salad:
- Small Mixing Bowl– For prepping the vinaigrette in.
- Whisk– For whisking vinaigrette.
- Large Mixing Bowl– To prep the salad in.
How to make Pear Pomegranate Salad:
- Step 1– In a small mixing bowl combine all ingredients for vinaigrette; avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, thinly diced shallot, dijon mustard, lemon juice, maple syrup, and pink sea salt. Whisk together until smooth and creamy texture is reached.
- Step 2– In a large mixing bowl, set a bed of arugula. Thinly slice your pear and lay over bed of arugula. Layer the rest of ingredients over arugula next to pear; pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, candied pecans, and dried cranberries.
- Step 3– Drizzle vinaigrette over salad. Give salad a good toss making sure all ingredients are well combined and coated with vinaigrette.
- Step 4– Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions:
- Slice your Pears last- Like Apples, pears tend to turn brown after being cut or sliced open. Prep the rest of the ingredients first, including your dressing, then your pear last.
- Rub lemon juice on pear slices– This will slow down the browning longer. Rub each side of every slice of pear with a bit of lemon juice.
- Easily slice your pears by cutting it down the middle lengthwise– Remove the seeds and core from each side. Lay the inside of both sides down on a cutting board. Thinly slice your pear, but not too thick. About 1/4 of an inch thin.
- Submerge the pomegranate in water to remove seeds– Carefully cut the pomegranate open. Fill a large bowl with water and submerge one side at a time. This will soften the flesh of the pomegranate making it easy to remove the seeds right in the water. All the juices will squirt right into the bowl too avoiding big messes.
- Make Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette ahead of time and keep refrigerated– This will save you some time and also allow the vinaigrette to sit and all the flavors to combine well. It will make the salad so much tastier. Make the vinaigrette the night before or a day ahead.
- Make Candied Pecans ahead too– This will also save you so much time when making the salad. Candied pecans are easy to make but do take some extra time to prep them as well.
- Layer salad on a large platter or bowl to serve– The colors in this salad are so vibrant making one gorgeous salad to display. Rather than mixing everything in a bowl, try layering all the ingredients on a platter or large bowl. Start with the arugula, layer pear slices, spread pomegranate seeds, pecans and dried cranberries, then finish off with cheese. So pretty!
- Substitute for feta cheese– Goat cheese would be great too.
- Substitute for maple syrup– You can use honey.
- Not a fan of arugula?– Use any greens like kale or spring mix.
Pear Pomegranate Salad FAQ’s:
Which pear is best for a salad?
You can really use any kind of pear to make this or any kind of salad. My go-to are either Anjou or Bartlett since they are very juicy but firm.
How can I tell if pear is ripe?
You can tell if a pear is ripe by lightly pressing on it. It should feel firm but slightly soft. This is a great texture to slice and throw in a salad. You want your pear to be ripen enough so that it has plenty of juice. Also firm enough so that it has a nice crunchy texture in your salad. You don’t wan’t your pear to be too ripe as it will be too mushy.
How do I remove seeds from pomegranate?
The easiest way to remove the seeds from a pomegranate is to submerge it in water. Carefully cut the pomegranate open. Fill a large bowl with water and submerge one side at a time. This will soften the flesh of the pomegranate making it easy to remove the seeds right in the water. All the juices will squirt right into the bowl too avoiding big messes.
Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette:
This Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette is the perfect compliment for this delicious crunchy and crisp salad. It has a sweet and tangy taste that enriches and brings out the flavors from those of the salad. There’s just something about balsamic and feta together that tastes so amazing. You will find that in this salad along with fresh and delicious flavors.
Did you like this Pear Pomegranate Salad? You may also like these other fall salad recipes:
Pear-Pomegranate Salad with Candied Pecans and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
This Pear Pomegranate Salad with Candied Pecans and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette is the ultimate festive holiday salad. Made with crisp pears, juicy pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, candied pecans, and dried cranberries. Tossed with a sweet and tangy homemade Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette. Can be served as a fall salad or winter salad. Perfect to serve as a Thanksgiving side dish or as a festive Christmas salad.
Ingredients
For Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 shallot (thinly diced)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pink sea salt
For Salad:
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 pears
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup candied pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl combine all ingredients for vinaigrette; avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, thinly diced shallot, dijon mustard, lemon juice, maple syrup, and pink sea salt. Whisk together until smooth and creamy texture is reached.
In a large mixing bowl, set a bed of arugula. Thinly slice your pear and lay over bed of arugula. Layer the rest of ingredients over arugula next to pear; pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, candied pecans, and dried cranberries.
Drizzle vinaigrette over salad. Give salad a good toss making sure all ingredients are well combined and coated with vinaigrette.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
- Slice your Pears last- Like Apples, pears tend to turn brown after being cut or sliced open. Prep the rest of the ingredients first, including your dressing, then your pear last.
- Rub lemon juice on pear slices– This will slow down the browning longer. Rub each side of every slice of pear with a bit of lemon juice.
- Easily slice your pears by cutting it down the middle lengthwise– Remove the seeds and core from each side. Lay the inside of both sides down on a cutting board. Thinly slice your pear, but not too thick. About 1/4 of an inch thin.
- Submerge the pomegranate in water to remove seeds– Carefully cut the pomegranate open. Fill a large bowl with water and submerge one side at a time. This will soften the flesh of the pomegranate making it easy to remove the seeds right in the water. All the juices will squirt right into the bowl too avoiding big messes.
- Make Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette ahead of time and keep refrigerated– This will save you some time and also allow the vinaigrette to sit and all the flavors to combine well. It will make the salad so much tastier. Make the vinaigrette the night before or a day ahead.
- Make Candied Pecans ahead too– This will also save you so much time when making the salad. Candied pecans are easy to make but do take some extra time to prep them as well.
- Layer salad on a large platter or bowl to serve– The colors in this salad are so vibrant making one gorgeous salad to display. Rather than mixing everything in a bowl, try layering all the ingredients on a platter or large bowl. Start with the arugula, layer pear slices, spread pomegranate seeds, pecans and dried cranberries, then finish off with cheese. So pretty!
- Substitute for feta cheese– Goat cheese would be great too.
- Substitute for maple syrup– You can use honey.
- Not a fan of arugula?– Use any greens like kale or spring mix.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
**Photos and Recipe Slightly Updated as of 11/3/2020
*Post updated as of 6/30/2020
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