A green salad topped with dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and apple slices sits in a white serving bowl with two wooden serving spoons beside it.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Whether youโ€™re hosting a large family dinner or contributing a side dish to a potluck, I have the perfect Thanksgiving salad for you. This apple pecan salad screams Thanksgiving. It has crunch, flavor, and enough colorful pizazz that itโ€™ll be the highlight of any Thanksgiving table!

I used to not be much of a salad person because honestly, they were boring as all get out. But this apple pecan salad is a whole different beast. Bring this to your Thanksgiving dinner, and I guarantee youโ€™re going to have people begging you for the recipe by the end of the night. The best part is, itโ€™s super simple to make. Let’s get cooking!

Overhead of cranberry apple pecan salad in a white serving bowl, with wooden serving spoons and fresh ingredients around it.

What’s in this apple pecan salad?

We are all about fall with this one, which is why it is a perfect Thanksgiving salad! You’ll need:

  • Baby spinach and chopped lettuce. These are the salad greens we use for this salad, but if you’d like to swap in some baby kale or other leafy greens, feel free!
  • Apple. Any apple will do the trick!
  • Red onion.
  • Gorgonzola cheese. If you aren’t a fan, we’ll talk more about this in a sec.
  • Pecan halves. Toasted pecans add a nutty crunch that is a nice contrast to the creamy gorgonzola.
  • Dried cranberries.
  • Our homemade honey mustard dressing.

Do I have to use gorgonzola cheese?

Gorgonzola cheese has a unique flavor that can be difficult to replicate. If itโ€™s been aged a long time, it can be sharp with a nutty flavor, while if itโ€™s only been aged a short time, it tends to be smooth and mild. Itโ€™s a crumbly, soft cheese, so itโ€™s easy to break apart and sprinkle on your apple pecan salad.

However, if you arenโ€™t a fan of gorgonzola, you can substitute it with another crumbly cheese. Blue cheese is probably closest in flavor since gorgonzola is part of the blue cheese family. If you prefer a milder or more tangy flavor, you could try feta cheese, which also crumbles well.

A glass jar with homemade honey mustard vinaigrette stands in front of a full salad bowl ready for dressing.Birdseye view of dishing up cranberry apple pecan salad for thanksgiving from a large serving bowl.

How do I toast my pecan halves?

Toasting pecan halves is easy, and you can do it in the oven or your frying pan. To toast them in the oven, preheat the oven to 325ยฐF. Arrange your pecans in a single layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet, and then bake your pecans for seven to ten minutes to get them toasty.

If your oven is full, you can pan-fry your pecans in a dry skillet thatโ€™s been heated over medium heat. Make sure your pecans arenโ€™t touching each other and allow them to roast for three to five minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

You’ll know your pecans are done when they smell toasty and more nutty, and are just starting to brown. Don’t let them get too dark, or they will taste burnt instead of tasty.

What if I don’t like or have pecans?

Pecans are a smooth, buttery nut that tastes delicious in a variety of recipes. Honestly, the salad will taste best with roasted pecans. However, if you need to substitute them out, it will still taste delicious!

If you’d prefer, hazelnuts are very similar in flavor to pecans. Of course, walnuts are another popular salad topping. Macadamias and cashews are both sweet, smooth, and buttery, so theyโ€™d taste great in your Thanksgiving salad in place of pecans. Basically, whatever nut you use, you’ll still end up with a great fall salad.

Top view of tossed and dressed salad on a plate alongside the full serving bowl.

Iโ€™m allergic to nuts. What can I use instead?

If you have a nut allergyโ€”or you just donโ€™t like themโ€”you can still make this apple pecan salad without losing the crunch that pecans provide. An excellent substitute for nuts in salads are seeds. Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds will add a seasonal crunch to your salad, and if you toast them in the oven or on the stovetop, youโ€™ll get a bit of that nutty flavor as well!

How can I make this apple pecan salad more filling?

As it’s written, this apple pecan salad makes a great side dish for eight people, or a main dish for four. If you’d like to make it more filling, add some grilled chicken or, for a vegetarian-friendly salad, some drained and rinsed canned chickpeas.

Close view of a plate piled high with salad alongside the serving bowl.

Can this salad be made ahead of time?

You can definitely make this salad ahead of time, with one catch. To preserve the fresh crunch, you should make the dressing ahead of time and keep it in a separate container until youโ€™re ready to serve your salad. This will prevent the leafy greens from getting soggy.

Slicing your apple ahead of time may cause browning, so if you choose to do this, you might want to soak it in a water and lemon juice solution. Pre-sliced apples and pre-mixed salad are good for about a day in the fridge, while the salad dressing can be made up to three or four days in advance.

Wholefully Protip

You could also prepare it as a mason jar salad, like we did with our apple walnut salad in a jar.

What are some other amazing Thanksgiving side dishes I can try out?

Of course, if you try it and you still arenโ€™t a fan of salads, donโ€™t fretโ€”I promise I wonโ€™t hold it against youโ€”because I have a ton more Thanksgiving side dishes youโ€™re bound to love!

 
Overhead of cranberry apple pecan salad in a white serving bowl, with wooden serving spoons and fresh ingredients around it.

Cranberry Apple Pecan Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 dinner servings or 8 side servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

This filling Cranberry Apple Pecan Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette is packed with layers of flavor, texture, and color. Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it as a main.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 4 cups chopped lettuce
  • 1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola
  • 1 cup pecan halves, toasted
  • 1 cup low-sugar dried cranberries

For the dressing:

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Layer all the salad ingredients, minus the dressing ingredients, in a large bowl.
  2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Drizzle over the salad and serve, with any extra dressing offered on the side.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 side serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 260mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 3gSugar: 37gProtein: 5g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

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14 Comments

  1. This is a nice salad for the leftover turkey bites or next to a light turkey sandwich…a salad simply does not belong in a Thanksgiving spread. Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinner might be a better option next to a rib roast or a rack of lamb.

  2. Delicious and healthy, tried it this weekend for my family gathering and everybody loved it, also added some maple syrup for extra flavor to the dressing and it was great, thanks for sharing.

  3. I think Tuesdays are going to become my favourite day of the week! Love the video. I can’t wait to read about your new healthy eating. I am just starting a healthy journey myself.