Show-stopping Pear Salad with mixed greens, ripe pears, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, red onion, and gorgonzola, all tossed in a flavorful apple cider vinaigrette.
The Best Pear Salad Recipe
This salad makes a great side to your holiday table. It’s the best addition to a big holiday turkey or ham!
It also pairs so well with those typical cold-weather comforting meals that tend to be on the heavier side (like Shepherd’s Pie, a big Crockpot Roast, or a cheesy Baked Ziti.)
This salad helps lighten up those dishes and add some color to your dinner plate.
Ingredients
- Mixed Greens: I like to use a mix of baby lettuce and greens.
- Pears: Choose ripe but firm pears for the best texture.
- Red Onion: Slice thinly to avoid overpowering bites.
- Dried Cranberries: Use sweetened cranberries for a balanced flavor.
- Candied Walnuts: Make them yourself or buy them at the store.
- Gorgonzola Cheese: Not a fan? Use feta or goat cheese instead.
- Dressing: Shake before serving.
How To Make Pear Salad
- Candied Walnuts: Coat walnuts with a sugar and spice mixture, bake until caramelized, and let cool completely. Chop into smaller pieces.
- Dressing: Combine vinegar, oil, syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper in a jar. Shake.
- Assemble: Add greens, pears, onion, cranberries, walnuts, and cheese to a large bowl.
- Dress and Serve: Drizzle dressing over salad, toss to coat, and serve.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Swap candied walnuts for candied pecans.
- Use dried tart cherries in place of the dried cranberries in this pear salad.
- Use Fuji or Honeycrisp apples in place of the pears.
- Swap the apple cider dressing for a lemon–poppy seed dressing
Storage
For the best flavor, eat fresh. If saving, keep the greens, pears, onion, cranberries, walnuts, and cheese in separate containers.
Store the dressing in a jar and shake before using. Put everything together and add dressing right before serving.
More Delicious Salads
- Turkey Bacon Avocado Salad use up leftover holiday turkey
- Sweet Potato Salad with the best dressing
- Chicken Salad with Apples makes for the best lunch
- Winter Fruit Salad simple and delicous
- Creamy Cucumber Salad readers favorite
Pear Salad
This Pear Salad is a total crowd-pleaser! Juicy pears, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, red onion, and gorgonzola come together on mixed greens, all tossed in a zesty apple cider vinaigrette.
Equipment
- large sheet pan, 15 x 21-inch
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 cups mixed greens 5.5 ounces, baby lettuce and baby greens
- 2 large pears see note 1
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion see note 2
- 3/4 cup candied walnuts
- 2/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Candied Walnuts (or store-bought) See Note 3
- 1 pound walnut halves and pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg whites discard egg yolk or reserve for another recipe
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract plus 1/2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Line an extra large sheet pan (or 2 sheet pans) with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat) and set aside. In a very large bowl, whisk egg whites, vanilla, and water together until frothy. Toss walnuts in the egg white mixture until well coated. On top of everything, add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir gently until all walnuts are well coated. Spread coated walnuts on a baking sheet. Walnuts shouldn’t overlap. Bake 1 hour, flipping and stirring walnuts every 15 minutes. Allow walnuts to stand for 30 minutes to an hour to fully cool and solidify. Coarsely chop about 1 cup for this salad.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar, seal, and vigorously shake to combine. Taste and adjust to preference on seasonings (salt and pepper). Refrigerate until ready to eat and shake once more before dressing the salad.
- Add mixed greens, thinly sliced pears, thinly sliced red onion, candied walnuts, and dried cranberries to a large salad bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing only on what will be enjoyed the same day. (Once dressed, this salad doesn’t sit well.) Toss salad to coat in dressing. Add the gorgonzola cheese (add more to personal preference). Toss once more and serve salad immediately.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To check the ripeness of a pear, gently press the area around the stem of the pear with a gentle squeeze. If it gives a little, it’s ready to go!
Note 2: You can dice the onion or thinly slice. To take away the “bite” of the red onion, submerge the sliced or chopped onions in a bowl of cold or ice water. Let sit at least ten minutes, stirring 2–3 times, then drain and use in the salad.
Note 3: This recipe for candied walnuts will yield more than you need. Sugaring the walnuts works best with this volume; leftovers store nicely! Store leftover candied walnuts in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months or in the pantry for 2–3 weeks.
Make Ahead/Storage: Store ingredients separately and toss together right before serving. I don’t recommend preparing pears more than an hour ahead of time (they will brown). The dressing can be made (and stored) 2–3 days in advance. If the dressing hardens or clumps, this is totally normal—it’s just the olive oil solidifying at cold temperatures. Let the dressing stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then shake before adding.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.9g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 8.8g | Cholesterol: 4.1mg | Sodium: 68.6mg | Fiber: 3.8g | Sugar: 16g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great salad! I had it with diced turkey and feta (instead of onion and gorgonzola) to make it a meal. Love, love, love the apple cider vinaigrette!
Delish! So thrilled you enjoyed! 🙂
Loved this salad! My kids always pass on my regular salad and tell me not to even bother making one. This was the first time the salad bowl was empty at the end of the meal. My daughter just texted me for the recipe. The only difference I made was using feta instead of gorgonzola. Definitely a keeper!
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed this salad! Thank you Colleen!