This simple 20-Minute Christmas Salad features classic holiday ingredients, such as pecans, mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, and dried cranberries. They are tossed together with baby spinach, goat cheese, and homemade Honey-Mustard Lime Vinaigrette. This festive holiday salad will pair beautifully with your favorite Christmas main course (ham, prime rib, beef tenderloin, turkey, and even seafood!) and is a great addition to your holiday menu.
Christmas salad
When I was thinking about making a perfect Christmas salad for the upcoming holidays, I wanted a recipe that used traditional holiday ingredients combined in a really simple yet delicious way. Holidays can be hectic and busy, and there is usually a lot of cooking going on. This festive salad will not take much time in the kitchen (only 20 minutes!) and will add colorfulness and vibrancy to your menu. I also wanted a salad that makes a beautiful presentation with very little effort. This recipe ticks all those boxes! It's super versatile and flexible - can be easily adjusted to what you have available. It's so simple that you can make it not only during the Christmas season but on busy weeknights during the Autumn and Winter seasons for your family and friends! For other festive salad ideas, try these next: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Feta cheese, and Pecans (featuring Christmas colors!) and also super easy Berry Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Raspberries, Pecans, Mandarins, and Balsamic Dressing.
Why make it
- A healthy addition to your holiday menu. Many holiday dishes tend to be rich, creamy, and high in calories. This Christmas salad features healthy and fresh ingredients and will add freshness to your holiday menu. It's meatless, gluten-free, and packed with nutrients and fiber.
- Festive presentation. Not only is this holiday salad healthy, but it is also naturally very colorful and vibrant. You don't need to work hard to make it pretty. The colorful ingredients will do all the work for you!
- Easy and flavorful. This recipe features simple ingredients, such as spinach, pecans, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, goat cheese, and pomegranate. The simple dressing is made entirely from scratch using only 4 ingredients: mustard, lime juice, honey, and olive oil. Despite the simplicity, this Christmas salad is so delicious and flavorful that you will be making it not only for the holidays but as a sidekick for your favorite weeknight dinners on busy weekdays all Winter!
Traditional holiday ingredients
The ingredients you need for this simple salad are simple, colorful, vibrant, and highly nutritious. They are also the ingredients we often associate with the Fall and Winter holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.
- Pecans are packed with fiber and are rich in many nutrients. This includes zinc and Vitamin B1. These delicious nuts add crunch and texture to any Christmas salad. I like to lightly toast them in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes.
- Dried cranberries add sweetness. I used Craisins. You can briefly soak dried cranberries in hot water to plump them up. You can also use dried figs, blueberries, or cherries.
- Spinach is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It’s high in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Spinach is a great source of vitamins A and C, as well as folic acid, iron, and calcium.
- Mandarine oranges are a small citrus tree fruit. They are often called mandarins and are part of the same family as oranges, limes, and lemons. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In particular, mandarins are a good source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant. They are also rich in Vitamin C. I used 3 mandarine oranges, peeled and segmented. You can also use canned mandarins (1 can or 15 oz).
- Pomegranate. Sprinkle the salad with the ultimate Autumn and Winter fruit, the pomegranate seeds (or arils). They add tangy and sweet flavor as well as create a beautiful presentation.
- Goat cheese. I used a soft kind that provided creaminess to the salad.
- Salad dressing ingredients include extra virgin olive oil, honey (or maple syrup), freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon juice), and Dijon mustard.
How to make it ahead
Christmas time can be hectic enough and we tend to spend a lot of time in the kitchen during the holidays. It's always great to have that one recipe that you can make in advance so that you can spend more time with your family and friends. Here are some tips:
- Prep some ingredients. Segment mandarin oranges. Remove pomegranate arils from the shell. Toast the pecans. Keep these ingredients separate (in small sandwich bags).
- Prepare the salad dressing up to 3 days in advance and store it refrigerated in a glass mason jar.
- The assembly should take only 10 minutes right before serving for the best results and freshness.
- Tip: don't add the pecans, goat cheese, and salad dressing until right before serving to keep the salad fresh and to prevent the nuts from getting soggy.
Variations, substitutions, and helpful tips
What I love the best about this Christmas salad is that it's versatile and flexible. You can use a wide range of ingredients and adjust them to what you have available.
- Greens. Use your favorite greens with this salad - spinach, arugula, mixed greens, garden greens, and lettuce.
- Nuts. I recommend using pecans, cashews, walnuts, or pine nuts. Toast the nuts briefly in the oven to make them crunchy. If you don't want to use nuts, you can add toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Dried fruit. I used dried cranberries, you can also use dried figs, blueberries, or cherries.
- Small oranges. You can use fresh mandarins, tangerines, or clementines. I used 3 mandarine oranges, segmented. You can also use canned mandarins (1 can or 15 oz).
- Buy pomegranate arils in a container at a grocery store. This will save you time and you will not have to remove the seeds from a whole pomegranate.
- Cheese. Goat cheese can be replaced with Feta or Gorgonzola.
- Salad dressing. This recipe uses honey, mustard, olive oil, and lime juice. You can also use maple syrup and lemon juice.
How to serve it
This festive spinach salad with pecans, mandarins, pomegranate, and goat cheese pairs well with any holiday main course for Christmas. It's a great sidekick for the holiday ham, prime rib, beef tenderloin, turkey, and other favorite holiday main dishes. This Christmas salad will also pair well with a meatless holiday main course, such as these 2 recipes:
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna is stuffed with vegetables and combines Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheeses to create the ultimate Fall and Winter comfort food.
- Black Bean and Butternut Squash Casserole is meatless, gluten-free, and made with lots of vegetables and corn tortillas.
Other Christmas salads you might like
- Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries
- Arugula Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Pecans
- Christmas Green Beans
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach, Apples, Cranberries, Pecans, Pumpkin Seeds, and Feta Cheese
Christmas Salad
Ingredients
Salad dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 large lime juice freshly squeezed
Salad ingredients
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup pecan halves toasted, some of them chopped finely
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 3 mandarin oranges peeled and segmented
- ⅓ cup goat cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup pomegranate arils or more
Instructions
Make salad dressing
- Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Whisk well with a fork, until emulsified. Add more lime juice to taste.
Assembly
- I prefer to arrange the salad in individual bowls for presentation purposes.
- Add spinach to each individual salad bowl. Top with the remaining salad ingredients.
- Drizzle with the salad dressing.
- Alternatively, you can combine all the salad ingredients (except pecans and pomegranate arils) in a large serving bowl, add the dressing, and toss to combine. Then, top the salad with toasted pecan halves (some of them chopped) and pomegranate arils.
Notes
Looking for more THANKSGIVING salads?
- I have created a comprehensive recipe collection of 30 Thanksgiving salads - this collection exclusively features Thanksgiving salads that highlight Autumnal ingredients, such as apples, roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, Brussels sprouts, green beans, pecans, cranberries, pears, pomegranates, mandarin oranges, pumpkin seeds, and the list goes on and on! These Fall salads will add freshness, colors, and vibrancy to otherwise heavy and creamy comfort food (stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes) that we often cook for the holidays. These salads would also be perfect for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Looking for THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES?
- I have created a comprehensive recipe collection of 60 Thanksgiving side dishes conveniently categorized by ingredient: Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Acorn Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Asparagus, Broccoli, etc. It's a great resource to browse through for a last moment holiday inspiration! This side dishes will also work great for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Looking for a complete THANKSGIVING MENU?
- Be sure to check out my 50 Best Thanksgiving Recipes (The Complete Holiday Menu) - it includes everything: Fall-inspired holiday appetizers, side dishes, salads, main courses, pasta recipes, desserts, and even breakfast. This holiday menu features proven, tried, and true Thanksgiving dishes that have been reader favorites for years (I've been publishing recipes since 2012).
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.
Fantastic salad!! We had it last night for New Year’s Eve.. our 15yr old son and his buddy ate it up too!! Thank you♥️
Angela, you're so welcome! Glad this salad was part of your NYE dinner! 🙂
I made this for my annual Christmas dinner party. HUGE HIT. Easy salad sooooo delicious. Everybody loved it and raved about the dressing. Love your recipes!
So glad this salad was a success at your holiday party! ❤️❤️ Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful review! ❤️
Everyone at our table on Christmas Day loved this salad. Thanks for the idea!
Michael, I lover hearing that! ❤️ Thank you for your review and Happy New Year! 🙂
I made this salad for our High School lunch group's Christmas party, we graduated high school in 1960, so you know we are a bunch of opinionated old biddies. LOL This was the hit of the day, the dressing is wonderful. I changed nothing in your recipe as I think you know best and I would never say "Oh it would be better with XXX added to it. Merry Christmas and a Wonderful 2024.
Jane, your comment really made my day! ❤️ Thank you for trusting my recipes. ❤️ So glad this salad was enjoyed by everyone! Wishing you a Happy New Year!
I made dressing, and just as a suggestion - it would make it easier/more accurate if you specified volume of the lime juice - vs juice of a lime- as ime size varies and if youre changing # servings, its easier to scale. For example, I was to use >83 large lime according to recipe, for 5 servings.
Sue, thank you for the feedback! I would say, use about 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice. And, of course, add more to taste, if you like.
Loved this salad! My husband has a sweet tooth and he devoured it!
Jane, thank you for your rave review - I really appreciate it! ❤️❤️
Have you tried with walnuts?
Sarah, walnuts would be great, too!
This looks amazing! How many servings would you say it is??
Karin, this makes 6 servings. Enjoy and Happy Holidays! 🙂
Looks so good!
Any suggestions for a goat cheese substitute? One of our Christmas attendees does not like goat cheese.
Laurie, I would use Feta cheese, Gorgonzola, or mild blue cheese instead of goat cheese. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Hi, this recipe is beautiful. I found the dressing a bit
too oily and mustardy so added a tablespoon of orange juice and a shake of pepper to balance, created very nice combo. Used Chavrie cheese which is mild.
Lori, thank you for your wonderful review! ❤️ Love the idea of adding orange juice to the salad dressing!
JULIA, I am so so grateful to you for your remarkable selection of unusual, scrumptious and healthy recipes. I am an eighty year old vegetarian who continues to add diverse creations to my intake. Your selections are indeed creative, totally delicious, and so well balanced. Please keep up your commitment to wellness with a creative flair! Abundant gratitude, Joan Freedman, Missoula, Montana
Joan, you are so sweet - your thoughtful comment really made my day! ❤️❤️ I am so happy you're enjoying my recipes, and your feedback and encouragement mean a lot to me. Happy Holidays! ❤️
Do you think I could use olive oil instead of evoo?
Kim, yes, you can use regular olive oil, too. Enjoy! 🙂
This is gorgeous! Love the dressing, too! Happy New Year!
Thank you so much, Mimi! Wishing you and yours the very best in the New Year. ❤️
I made this tonight for supper with my mom and step-dad. Instead of goat cheese we used blue cheese. It was so delicious. I was looking for a lighter side to the carb heavy holiday meals.
Allya, I am so glad you loved this salad with the blue cheese instead of goat cheese - thank you for this feedback! ❤️
Please send me this recipe. Looks great.
Leslie, I hope you loved this salad! 🙂
Thank you!!!
A great salad for spring too. Any time in act!
Linda, I agree! This can be made during any season!
This was great! So easy to make and the taste and flavor was perfect. I especially loved the smoothness of the goat cheese with the tartness of the dressing, oranges, and pomegranate arils. This is a keeper!
Chris, thank you for your thoughtful feedback! ❤️ So glad you loved the combo of flavors and textures in this recipe! 🙂
I would really like to pin this salad recipe? Your site is different from any I've seen! I've been on Pinterest forever and have thousands of recipes posted. You won't let me post this on my Pinterest. It ALWAYS comes up for me to join. I give up. Im just going to have to delete you. This is like a rediculous game.
Linda, that sounds very unusual. My recipes should be easily pinnable. I just checked the pinning on this recipe and it looks fine. Here is the pin I just made from this - you might be able to re-pin this:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/515451119867404747/
Perfect salad for Christmas dinner. Delicious dressing & & the goat cheese is so creamy.
I have to agree with you. 🙂 It's a perfect Christmas salad!
Excellent salad! How long will the dressing keep if I made extra?
Would this dressing do well with mixed baby greens?
Kathy, yes, this dressing will go well with any salad greens. Enjoy and Happy Holidays! ❤️❤️