Apple Walnut Salad is a quick and easy salad recipe that you can serve as a light dinner, lunch, or as a side dish. The combination of juicy apples with crunchy walnuts, creamy goat cheese, and balsamic dressing is so delicious. It’s great for weeknight dinners or special holiday meals.
If I’m going to eat a salad it has to be a delicious one and this apple walnut salad with balsamic vinaigrette is always a top choice. It has the best combination of flavors and textures.
Sweet, juicy apples combined with walnuts and goat cheese is just the perfect match. I can eat it all year, but it’s especially nice during the fall when apples are in season. Add a balsamic dressing and you’ll scrape the bowl clean every time you make it!
We love this salad as a side dish for weeknight dinners but it’s perfect for holidays, too. You can also make it a main dish by adding chicken or serve it with soup on the side for a cozy meal.
Easy Apple and Walnut Salad Recipe
You only need six ingredients to make it and the prep is easy!
- Spring mix lettuce
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Chopped apple
- Toasted chopped walnuts
- Sliced red onion
- Your favorite store-bought balsamic dressing
Prep Tips and Tricks
For the apple, I like to chop it so you have bite-sized pieces. Just remove the stem, cut the apple in half, and cut out the core. Turn each half cut-side down on the cutting board.
Slice each half lengthwise into 1-inch slices. Holding the slices in place, slice across those cuts to make cubes.
Toasting the walnuts brings out their flavor and it’s easy to do! You can spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for a few minutes at 350°F. Keep an eye on them because they will take less than ten minutes to toast. Once they are fragrant, they are ready.
The Best Apples for Salad
For this recipe, I like to use Fuji apples which are crisp, juicy, and sweet with just a hint of tartness. You can use pretty much any apple that you like so feel free to experiment. If you like more tartness try using Granny Smith apples or try another variety like Pink Lady, Gala, or Honeycrisp.
Once you have all of your ingredients ready, just toss them all together in a big bowl. Add the dressing and toss it again so everything is evenly coated.
This salad is a great side dish especially alongside chicken, steak, roast turkey, or baked ham. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you’re serving a crowd, too.
Make this Apple Walnut Salad a Main Dish!
Sometimes we make this salad as a main dish! It’s great with grilled chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken. Just chop it up and toss it with the rest of the salad ingredients.
Or, serve it with soup on the side for a cozy soup and salad combo. Add some crusty bread on the side and you’ll have a filling dinner or lunch.
This is such a quick and easy recipe you’ll want to make it every week! The sweet apples with the creamy goat cheese and crunchy walnuts are so good – I hope you give it a try!
Other Salads You'll Enjoy
Apple Walnut Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups spring mix lettuce
- 4 ounces goat cheese soft and crumbled
- 1 large fuji apple chopped
- 1 cup walnuts toasted and chopped
- ½ large red onion sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl add lettuce, walnuts, apple, onions and cheese. Toss salad so all ingredients are mixed fully
- Add balsamic dressing and stir. Serve.
Nutrition
The combination of juicy apples with crunchy walnuts, creamy goat cheese, and balsamic dressing in this Apple Walnut Salad is so delicious. It’s great for weeknight dinners or special holiday meals.
Mel is an IT guy turned blogger and is discovering his love of cooking and photography. If you ever have Fantasy Football questions, he's your guy.
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