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This Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is my go-to “house” salad. I make it on repeat all winter long, but especially over the holidays. Mixed greens, avocado, juicy pomegranates, sweet and spicy maple-roasted walnuts, and plenty of crumbled cheese. All tossed together with a delicious honey mustard dressing. It’s simple to put together, healthy, and pairs perfectly with just about any meal. You’ll never tire of this beautiful winter salad.
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You all, I really was torn on just what recipe to share today. It’s the Friday before Christmas Eve and I was stumped on what everyone might be looking for the most. Yet another appetizer? A holiday side dish? Something sweet to snack on?
I had plenty of ideas, but in the end, my mom and I decided on my Christmas salad. This is the salad I make almost nightly over the next 2 weeks. It’s never made the exact same way twice, but the base is almost always the same.
Plenty of fresh greens, avocado, pomegranate arils, and a really delicious dressing.
Throughout the winter months, dinners get especially cozy, which means vegetables are not usually the main focus. It’s always nice when we have people in town to prepare a simple salad for everyone’s plate.
It’s something they can easily take or leave. But I’m not going to lie, the salad almost always disappears by the end of dinner.
We love a side of garlic bread, but we also love a good side salad too! This salad really has been my staple for years. I can make it in just minutes and everyone will always enjoy it as long as there are greens, avocado, and cheese.
We’re big avocado people…and even bigger cheese people.
Details
I always start off my salads with nuts and seeds. Usually, I’ll make more than the salad will require so I can have extra on hand.
My favorite combination is walnuts, pumpkin seeds, maple, smoked paprika, and chili powder. That spicy, sweet, salty, flavor is one that everyone really enjoys.
They add crunchiness and a really nice spicy, smoky flavor to the salad.
For the salad itself, I almost always do a mix of spring greens with arugula or Frisée. I can’t always find Frisée, so that’s when I’ll use arugula.
Then apples, because I always have them. Avocado because my family can’t do a salad with them. And pomegranates, because I personally think they’re one of the best additions to a green salad you can use.
And that’s it, just add the cheese. I love to use a crumbled blue, but will also use goat cheese and or feta. Our favorite is blue cheese, then goat, then feta. Use what you and your family love most though.
Finally, the honey mustard dressing. It’s a tangy, creamy, honey mustard with dijon, balsamic, or sometimes I’ll switch it up and use apple cider vinegar. I always add honey, fig preserves, and chili flakes.
Add a bit of orange zest + juice for tang. You can use lemon too. But I love using orange in the winter.
And that completes my Christmas Salad. As I mentioned, it kind of changes nightly, but this is my favorite “variation”. And I think it’s my family’s too.
It’s simple, but full of just the right amount of sweet and tangy flavors, perfect!
Looking for other winter salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Super Green Sun-Dried Tomato Herb Salad
Citrus Avocado Salad with Orange Tahini Vinaigrette
Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas
Lastly, if you make this Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup honey or maple
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 2 cups Frisée
- 1-2 apples or pears, chopped
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 2 cups pomegranate arils
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fig preserves
- 2 teaspoons orange zest + 2 tablespoons orange juice
- kosher salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the walnuts and pumpkin seeds with the honey/maple syrup, chili powder, and salt. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once throughout cooking, until the walnuts are toasted. Remove from the oven and spread the walnuts in one layer. Sprinkle with flaky salt.2. Add the greens to a large salad bowl. Add the apple, avocados, and pomegranate. Sprinkle on the cheese and nuts. Gently toss the salad.3. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake to combine. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I made this tonight for a friend’s birthday dinner. It was delicious! I will definitely be making this again. I loved the pumpkin seeds and the walnuts. I might even add a little bit more chipotle chile powder next time! Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Karen,
Happy Wednesday!! 🍉🍓 Thanks a bunch for testing out this recipe, I’m so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
I made this salad for a friend’s Christmas get together and it was delicious ! I have a good amount of extra dressing. How long will the dressing stay good for ? Does it need to be refrigerated?
Yes, refrigerate the dressing! It should last for about 4-5 days in the fridge! Just give it a good stir before eating and it should be good to go! 🙂 xT
Second time reviewing this and my third time making the salad. Brought it to a family get together and got SO many compliments! We all enjoyed it and I couldn’t recommend this salad enough!
Hi Autumn,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
how much chili flakes do you use? Can you substitute cayenne pepper? same amount as chili flakes? I don’t like things too spicey. Thanks for your help!
Hey Sue,
If you don’t like spice, I would just skip the chili flakes:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
This is my second favorite salad of all time (my favorite is your roasted peach, chicken and burrata salad)! I make huge vats of the dressing and use it on everything. We had it again last night with some paprika roasted chicken and crusty bread. YUM! Thank you!
Hey Lesley,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
This has become my new favorite salad! I made it at Christmas for our family dinner, and everyone loved it! I have now made it at least 5 more times. It’s a perfect combination of tastes and textures, and relatively easy to throw together quickly once you toast the nuts and seeds. That was the only issue I had – the first time I used honey, which was way too much. It spread all over the pan then quickly burned. It was a hot mess and had to be tossed out. The net time I used maple syrup but only half the amount listed in the recipe and for a much shorter cooking time – and it turned out great! The recipe doesn’t say whether to chop the nuts, but I decided to chop slightly so they are still good-sized pieces.
Hey Jill,
Happy Friday!!⛄️❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe so often and sharing your review, so glad to hear it always turns out well for you! xT
I made it this last night and it was a big hit! Definitely a keeper! Thank you.
Hey Samantha,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
Literally the most delicious salad I have had ever! The caramelised nuts and seeds make it. Will make this over and over.
Hey Lynne,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
Can I sub pecans for walnuts?
Hey Phyllis,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
Thanks Tieghan,
Delicious salad! Trying with pecans tonight.
Phyllis
This is one of my favorite salads. Family loved and it was so delicious.
Hey Karla,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Absolutely excellent! Making again today because it was so good! The walnuts are the perfect spicy balance for the fruit. Swapped out the pumpkin seeds for sunflower because that’s what I had. Thank you for another crowd pleaser!
Hey Lynn,
Happy Sunday!!❄️ I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback! xx
whoops- forgot those 5 stars…
Thanks again Ann Marie:)
This was fantastic. Hall of Fame Salad. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Ann Marie,
Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Delicious! Big hit at my New Years party served with prime rub. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey Tammy,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
This is a great lunch salad too! Easy to meal prep. I skipped the oven step and just added the nuts/seeds, totally delicious and flavorful still with the dressing and sweet poms!
Hey Katie,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
How much paprika and salt? Not specified in the recipe. Thanks!!!
Never mind, not sure what I was looking at! Delicious salad!!!!
Thanks so much Pamela!
Hi Pamela,
There’s no paprika in this recipe and then you can just use a pinch or more of salt to your liking:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this salad!! xT
TIEGHAN!! This recipe is wonderful! I took this salad to a family Christmas gathering, and this salad was gone in seconds. It’s going into my HBH recipe box now as a staple. Thank you for sharing (also as soon as my teenage daughters tried it, they said “is this a Tieghan recipe?” So we know you better than you know us 🙂 Thanks for being a part of our holiday. Hope yours was merry! Kirsten D
Hey Kirsten,
Happy Wednesday!!🎇 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! Merry Christmas! xx