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Everyone, meet my go-to holiday salad, the Pomegranate Avocado Salad with Candied Walnuts.
To be honest, salads can often bore me, I mean, I love them, but I find most to be lacking in flavor and heartiness. With every new season, I like to create a salad or two thatโs anything but boring and all things delicious. I think that fall is my very favorite salad season. I know summer is full of produce, but fall has pomegranates and persimmons and they are two fruits I love adding to salads.
This pretty salad is my Thanksgiving salad, and it basically includes all the things I loveโฆand is healthy too!
Itโs a combo of mixed salad greens, spicy maple candied walnuts, sweet persimmons, avocado, pomegranate, blue cheese, and the most delicious pomegranate vinaigrette. Itโs pretty, light, and the perfect addition to all holiday tables from now until New Years.
No matter what your feelings are on salad, if youโre serving any kind of holiday meal, you need to have something fresh and green on the table. Not only is this good for visual appeal, but greens compliment most dishes and act as balancer for heavier dishesโฆyou know like this butternut squash lasagna and this cream of pumpkin soup.
The thing I love most about this salad is the use of my favorite seasonal fruits, pomegranates and persimmons, creamy avocado, sweet and spicy walnuts, and my favorite blue cheese.
Itโs a simple salad, but it is also full of bold flavors and so many textures. I love the sweet fruits paired with the spicy walnuts, and bold blue cheese, theyโre the perfect combo. That said, I know blue cheese is not for everyone, so if youโd like use to another cheese, I think crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese would both be delicious.
While this salad is great for entertaining, itโs also equally great as a light lunch or as part of your dinner tonight. Which I donโt know about you guys, but salad is something I am totally craving right now.
My mom and I have spent the last few days eating delicious pasta (and bread) at Via Carota (along with a brussels sprout saladโฆwhich was equally delicious), making cheese boards with the Feed Feedย and so much more. Today itโs pizza at Tonyโs with Cherry Bomb Magazine, and then off to the Buzzfeed headquarters to film a new video from the HBH Cookbook. We have dinner plans with my editor and team at Clarkson Potter at and then itโs off to bedโฆI hope!
Tomorrow is our last day in the city. I have the morning off, but then itโs back to meetings in the afternoon and then straight to the airport to head home to Colorado. Itโs been a little busy this week, so I canโt wait to start telling you all about our NYC trip soon! If there are any last minutes places we need to check out, let me know!
For now, letโs get this salad on you Thanksgiving menu.
Speaking of which, how is the Thanksgiving planing coming along for everyone? We are exactly two weeks away from the big day. As mentioned I am heading to Cleveland for Thanksgiving this year, so itโs going to be a little different, but I have to say that Iโm excited for some time off with my family! What are your guys most looking forward to?
Pomegranate Avocado Salad with Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 cups mustard greens or mixed greens
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 2 persimmons, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- arils from 1-2 pomegranates
- 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbed, (or goat cheese or feta)
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the walnuts to the baking sheet and toss with the maple syrup, cayenne and a pinch of salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring 2-3 time throughout cooking until the walnuts are toasted and golden. Remove from the oven and spread the walnuts in one layer. Allow to cool.2. Add the greens to a large bowl. Add the persimmons, avocado, pomegranate arils, walnuts, and blue cheese. Give the salad a gentle toss.3. To make the vinaigrette, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pomegranate juice, orange zest, and a pinch each of salt an pepper in a bowl or glass jar. Drizzle the dressing over the salad or serve along side the salad. 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.
PS. I love when food is this pretty and also SO GOOD.
Loved this โ2025 Thanksgiving Wild Card Sideโ. Some suggestions/things we will do differently WHEN we make this again-and it will be soon!!!
-Used pears in lieu of persimmons-couldnโt find them ANYWHERE, and the pears were great!
-We love avocado, but they added nothing to this recipe. We will skip them.
-Too much dressing to apply to entire salad. We will allow everyone to dress their own!
-Cayenne was good with walnuts. Weโre going to also add some to the vinaigrette for an additional kick!
-Pomegranate kernels were magicalโฆmay add even more than we didโฆ.along with the kick of arugula!
Thank you for this recipe!!!
Hey Kathie,
Happy Sunday! Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, Iโm happy to hear it was a win!
Wow! Loved this salad. My husband approved. The feta cheese and avocados were amazing with the dressing. The dressing is fruity and light tasting. I used grapeseed oil instead of EVOO. Oh, and the candied walnuts were sooooo good in the salad and on its own too. Don’t use too much cayenne if you’re not a fan of spicy.
Hi Kristie,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed:) xx
This recipe deserves more than 5 stars! So easy to assemble… it looks and tastes amazing! Loved using persimmons for a “gourmet” touch. I can’t wait to share with friends and family and our next holiday gathering! Thank you! Note: I found pomegranate seeds at our local grocery store – so made “seeding” the pomegranate painless!
Hey Sue,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Could you tell me which variety of persimmon you used…. the one that is ripe when it gets all squishy or the crisper version…..I would like to make this for my cooking club! Thank you
Hi there! I just used regular persimmons! xTieghan
Hi:)
Can you toast the walnuts a few days before and store in an airtight container?
Also, can you make the dressing the day before?If so, should I store it in the refrigerator?
Thanks!
Hi Eileen! Yes, you can toast the walnuts a few days ahead and keep in an airtight container. And some for the dressing! Store that in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Im not generally a blue cheese person, but I want to try this recipe. Do you have any recommendations for an alternative cheese to use?
HI! You can use crumbled goat cheese or burrata cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan