Apple Spinach Salad with Honey-Mustard Lemon Dressing is a delicious play of sweet and savory flavors. It takes only 15 minutes and goes with any main course: grilled meats, seafood pasta, pizza, or soup! The salad also features feta cheese and pistachios and can be easily adjusted using a variety of ingredients.
Apple Spinach Salad
The recipe features only 4 basic ingredients (spinach, apples, feta cheese, and pistachios), a 4-ingredient homemade dressing (honey, lemon juice, olive oil, and Dijon mustard), and takes only 15 minutes of your time! It's a flexible salad with many possible variations and substitutions, such as this plum spinach salad or a show-stopper pear spinach salad! I provide more ideas on that below. It's a perfect side to any meal, or it can be a complete meal all on its own, especially if you add your favorite protein, such as grilled meats, salmon, or shrimp! Bring this crowd-pleasing side dish to picnics, potlucks, barbecue parties, and other gatherings with friends and family. It's perfect for weeknights or entertaining.
Salad ingredients
- Spinach is high in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. I used baby spinach, but a mix of baby spinach and arugula works great too.
- Apples. I used 1 large Fuji red apple, thinly sliced. I recommend using sweet apples like Fuji or Honey Crisp. Choose apples with a firm texture (not mushy ones!). To prevent sliced apples from browning, you can dip them in freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Pistachios are an amazing addition to salads! I buy them salted, with no shells - so convenient!
- Feta cheese has a soft texture and briny flavor, it goes so well with any salad!
How to make an apple spinach salad
- Prepare the salad ingredients. Combine spinach, sliced apples, and crumbled feta cheese in a large serving bowl (or distribute all salad ingredients equally among 4 individual salad bowls).
- Make the salad dressing. You will need only 4 ingredients: honey, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Add these to a small mason jar and stir with a fork for 1 minute until emulsified! You can use either maple syrup or honey; fresh lemon or lime.
- Assembly. Add the salad dressing to the bowl(s) with the apple spinach salad and toss to combine. Top with pistachios. Serve!
- Note: This is the overview of the recipe instructions. The details (with amounts) are below, in the recipe card (scroll down).
How to make it ahead
Slice the apples and crumble the feta cheese (if you use a block of cheese). Make the salad dressing. Keep all salad ingredients in the fridge in separate containers, and toss everything together when ready!
Variations, substitutions, and recipe notes
- Greens. Use your favorites: spinach, arugula, mixed greens, garden greens, lettuce, or butter lettuce.
- Fresh fruit. You can use fresh apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, oranges, mangoes, plums, and any other fruit you like!
- Nuts. Dress it up with your favorite nuts besides pistachios: pecans, walnuts, cashews, or almonds.
- Add seeds. Add toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in addition to or instead of the nuts.
- Add dried fruit. I recommend Craisins (dried cranberries), dried figs, blueberries, or cherries.
- Cheese. I recommend using goat cheese, feta, or gorgonzola.
- Lemon juice in a salad dressing can be replaced with lime juice.
- Honey can be replaced with maple syrup or agave nectar.
Storage Tips
- Apple spinach salad is best served immediately, at its freshest. However, you can assemble the salad (without adding the nuts and the dressing) and keep it refrigerated for 48 hours. Add the nuts and the salad dressing only right before serving.
- If you have leftovers, the salad can be refrigerated for 2 days. It's best to refrigerate the salad and the dressing separately.
What to serve with it
- Add your favorite protein to turn apple spinach salad into a complete meal. Serve it with grilled meats, salmon, shrimp, rotisserie chicken, etc.
- Serve it with a Mediterranean-style meal, here are some recommendations:
- Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice
- Mediterranean Salmon with Rice and Chickpeas
- Greek Shrimp Orzo with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta
Other fruit and spinach salads you might like
- Pear Spinach Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Feta, and Pecans
- Spinach Salad with Peaches and Blueberries
- Plum Spinach Salad
- Apple Spinach Salad with Pecans
- Strawberry Orange Salad with Spinach and Arugula
Apple Spinach Salad with Honey-Mustard Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
Salad dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salad ingredients
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach
- 1 large apple cored and sliced (Fuji or Honey Crisp)
- 4 oz Feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup pistachios no shells
Instructions
Make salad dressing
- Combine olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and honey in a mason jar. Whisk well with a fork for a minute or 2 until emulsified. Add more honey or mustard, to taste.
Assembly
- Combine spinach, sliced apples, and crumbled feta cheese in a large serving bowl (or in 4 individual salad bowls).
- Add salad dressing and toss to combine. Top with pistachios.
Notes
- I used salted pistachios with no shells (you can buy those in most grocery stores).
- You can use feta, goat cheese, or gorgonzola.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
So good and simple
Glad you liked it, Tiara!
Excellent, versatile and easy recipe with a tangy combination of flavours. Even delighted my non-salad-loving husband!
Thank you, Regan! So glad you both liked it! 🙂
Excellent, flexible and very easy. Really interesting balance of flavours, as alway with Julia's recipes
Thank you again, you are so sweet! ❤️❤️
This salad was so tasty. I had to substitute with sunflower seed and Boursin cheese. Very tasty and my husband loved the dressing too.
Thank you, Susie, for your review! Love that you used sunflower seeds and Boursin cheese - so delish!
I made this with a crumbled honey lemon Wendsleydale cheese. So tasty and it added a little more lemon flavor that we love. Delicious salad recipe.
Thank you, Anette! I've never hear of this cheese but it sounds SO GOOD!!
no measurements for the recipe? what about the dressing? How much of each to mix together?
Hi Deb, I have measurements at the bottom of the post in the recipe card. You can click on "recipe" button at the top to go straight to the recipe card view like this:
https://juliasalbum.com/apple-spinach-salad-feta/#recipe
I made this for a get-together and it was absolutely delicious. Everyone liked it!
So happy to hear that, Carol! Thank you for such a nice review! 🙂
Great salad for the summer! The dressing is light and is perfect with the fruit and greens.
Thank you, Tammy, glad you liked it! 🙂
Thought this dressing was quite delicious. Next time I just won't pour it all on, unless I add more spinach. Thanks for this recipe! We had it with chicken salad sandwiches from last night's chicken dinner. An easy and tasty meal!
Thank you, Jessica, for your feedback! 🙂 My husband always says I put too much dressing on the salads I make, lol! 🙂
Sounds great
Enjoy! 🙂