This delicious Christmas Salad brings spring greens together with sliced almonds, feta cheese, mandarin oranges, and pomegranate arils all drizzled with a tangy Honey Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette. The flavors of this salad meld so well together, making it the perfect side dish. I love to serve it with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Steak Diane.
Christmas is coming! As a matter of fact, it is right around the corner. Are you ready to go? Do you have your holiday menu planned? This gorgeous Christmas salad comes together quickly and is always a hit. It pairs wonderfully with roasted chicken, prime rib, pork tenderloin, lobster, or shrimp.
How do you make Christmas salad?
Start by mixing the Honey Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette. Whisk together the minced garlic, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. If you prefer, you can shake everything together in a mason jar. Now slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously.
Next, grab a big beautiful bowl and add your spring green, sliced almonds, feta cheese, mandarin oranges, and pomegranate arils. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Making this Christmas salad is really just that easy and so darn delicious and beautiful.
Where can you find pomegranate arils?
Pomegranate arils are really just the red jewels found inside a pomegranate. They contain a sweet nectar that surrounds a white seed in the middle. Around late November through December, grocery stores will have pomegranates available, and some stores may even have the arils already removed and available for sale. I have picked them up at Costco on many occasions over the years.
However, do not fret if the removed arils are not available. Just pick up a pomegranate from your local store. When ready to use, roll it on the counter like you would knead a hunk of dough. This will loosen the seeds. Now cut it in half and squeeze the fruit over the bowl while smacking the skin side of the fruit somewhat hard with a wooden spoon. The pomegranate seeds will drop into the bowl, and you can use a slotted spoon to remove them from the juice.
Helpful tips for making this Christmas Salad
- Other nuts to use include pecans, pistachios, or walnuts.
- The Honey Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette can be made up to two days in advance; however, remove it from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to warm to remove temperature and whisk or shake well.
- For optimal taste, I encourage you to use fresh seedless mandarin oranges, but in a pinch, you could use canned ones.
- If pomegranates are out of season, blueberries or dried cranberries are a great substitute.
- Try adding pear or apple slices.
- Feta cheese substitutes include Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, and blue cheese.
- This salad is equally delicious with a honey poppy seed dressing.
Other salad recipes you will love!
Christmas Salad
A super easy Christmas Salad that is as fun and festive as it is delicious. Drizzle with a delectable Honey Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: salad
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Christmas Salad
- 12 ounces fresh spring greens
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds
- 2/3 cup feta cheese
- 4 seedless mandarin oranges peeled and segmented
- 1 pomegranate seeded
Instructions
- Whisk together minced garlic, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking continuously.
- Add spring green, sliced almonds, feta cheese, mandarin oranges, and pomegranate arils in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Other nuts to use include pecans, pistachios, or walnuts.
- The Honey Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette can be made up to two days in advance; however, remove it from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to warm to remove temperature and whisk or shake well.
- For optimal taste, I encourage you to use fresh seedless mandarin oranges, but in a pinch, you could use canned ones.
- If pomegranates are out of season, blueberries or dried cranberries are a great substitute.
- Try adding pear or apple slices.
- Feta cheese substitutes include Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, and blue cheese.
- This salad is equally delicious with a honey poppy seed dressing.
Keywords: salad, Christmas salad, Christmas salad recipes, Christmas salad ideas, salads for Christmas dinner, Christmas green salad, Christmas green salad recipes, Christmas salad pomegranate, a good Christmas salad, Christmas side salads
On the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
Beth Pierce
The Honey Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette can be made up to two days in advance; however, remove it from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to warm to remove temperature and whisk or shake well. You can prep all the salad ingredients about 24 hours in advance and keep the ingredients in separate containers and refrigerated. When ready to serve, add everything to a serving bowl. drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat.
Suzanne
This looks so good! Do you use this dressing in any other recipes?
Beth Pierce
Yes, sometimes on my spring green salad!
Karlie
This salad was a hit at my family Christmas! Very easy to make and already had most of the ingredients. So beautiful and tastes amazing!!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Karlie! So glad that you liked it! Happy New Year!
Joy oda morlang
What can I use instead of champagne vinegar we don’t have that here
Beth Pierce
White wine vinegar
Kelly
Oh, this looks like a wonderful salad to make around Xmas time. This would be ideal to take over on boxing day for a big family get together.
★★★★★
Ebony
I made this recipe for dinner yesterday and it was a HIT! We especially enjoyed the Honey Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette! I wouldn’t change a thing on this recipe. Keeper for sure!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much, Ebony! I am so glad that you liked it!
Anna Young
Agree, the vinaigrette was delicious, a keeper, thanks for recipe Beth!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Anna!
Vanessa Palma
I can’t wait to try this salad! I noticed you said dried cranberries can also be subbed, and I have a ton of those left from Thanksgiving, so I will use those in mine.
★★★★★
Jasmine Martin
Such a great salad with so much flavor. It was delicious and gorgeous!
Leanne Wong
That is such a beautiful salad! I love the way you combined the colors and flavors to make something so deliciously festive.
★★★★★
Tammy
What a gorgeous salad! Salads can be so comforting honestly and I love all the add-ins…so, so satisfying!
★★★★★
Jupiter Hadley
This salad sounds so birght and vibrant, perfect for Christmas dinner which is so meat heavy. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Jupiter!
Yeah Lifestyle
This Christmas salad is delicious. It is so fresh and tasty and has a really lovely and refreshing crunch to it.
★★★★★
Anna Young
Looks delicious and so healthy. I plan to make it for Christmas dinner – are the almond slices toasted?
Beth Pierce
You can certainly toast them. That would add even more flavor.
Glass Mosaic Tiles
The salad is really Christmassy, I LOVE IT! The colors are perfect and it tastes amazing.
Talya Stone
I love the idea of a fresh Christmas salad especially. I will probably make this for our Xmas Eve buffet!
★★★★★
Amanda
I come back to this recipe time and time again. It’s always a hit. It’s like a grown-up honey mustard that never fails ❤️❤️ When I don’t have Pom, I substitute mango, grapes, craisins or skip altogether.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
So glad that you like it Amanda and thanks for the great tips!
Linda Latta
Why not recommend crumbled chèvre (goat cheese) instead of feta. It makes sense. Baby spinach instead of mixed lettuce and strawberries instead of oranges. Just a thought.
Barbara Kreuzmann
This is one of the best salads I have ever eaten. I added a head of romaine lettuce to the package of Rhine mix that an organic farm in Cincinnati area sells and there was enough dressing to handle the added lettuce. I know my daughter and I will make it again.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Barbara! We had this salad last night for dinner. It is quite yummy. So glad that you and your daughters like it.
Heather Rinaldi
Looking to make rugs for Christmas Eve; can you suggest a honey poppyseed recipe that you mention as an alternative? TIA
Beth Pierce
Here is my poppy seed dressing. If you like sub 3-4 tablespoons honey for the sugar. Merry Christmas.
Erika
I’ve made this so many times! The only thing I do differently is to use almonds without toasting. I just grab them straight out of the bag! I’ve also added blackberries, and swaped Cara Cara oranges for Mandarin. Every time it’s SO delicious! Love this salad!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Erika! I am so glad that you like the salad. Yum on the blueberries.
Raegan
Hi! I’m excited to try this! Do you think I could sub in Clementine slices for orange slices? I have a lot of those right now!
Thank you!
Beth Pierce
Yes that would fine.
Mary
What cheese could I sub for feta? It looks beautiful & will make for Christmas, thank you.
Beth Pierce
Try a Mexican crumble cheese called cotija.
Erica
I am looking forward to making and eating this salad. I know I could just leave it out, but could you please suggest a substitute for the feta cheese? Thank you!
Beth Pierce
You could try a crumbly Mexican cheese called Cotija
Lucille
What can I use in place of pomegranates ?
Beth Pierce
Dried cranberries
Kristina
Literally. The best salad I have ever had. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Kristina! So glad that you enjoyed it.
Allyson Gallagher
Made dressing ahead of time…used rice wine vinvgar. Added baby spinach & kiwi.
Made this for Christmas dinner.
Everyone loved it!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Allyson! So glad that everyone liked it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Rebecca
This salad looks amazing!
I don’t have champagne vinegar though. Any ideas on what I could replace it with? Thanks!
Beth Pierce
Sorry I missed this. You could use red wine vinegar or even apple cider vinegar.
Brooke
How long is the dressing good for in the fridge? Thanks!
Beth Pierce
2 days
Melissa
Beautiful and delicious! Great for the for the holidays!
★★★★★
Heather Lynn Sharpe
Thank you for the lovely recipe! Looking forward to trying it this Christmas Eve. My father-in-law is allergic to apples and pears and I’m always on the hunt for recipes that don’t include them since EVERYONE seems to put them in there somehow, haha.
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Heather! Enjoy!
Toni
This is such a fun and festive salad! Such a great addition to our holiday menu!
★★★★★
LAUREN KELLY
Beautiful, delicious and healthy! Great recipe!
★★★★★
Emily Flint
I don’t think I can wait until Christmas for this one, that dressing sounds light and delicious!!
★★★★★
Laura
I love the pomegranates in this recipe. It’s so pretty and they add a great pop of flavor.
★★★★★
Shashi
Such a gorgeous and colorful salad – the perfect addition to the Christmas table!
★★★★★
Alisa Infanti
So yummy and pretty on the table.
★★★★★
Karen
I HIGHLY suggest to substitute MINCED SHALLOTS for the garlic & you will add such a nice flavor to the dressing & thus the salad. And sprinkle your greens with a bit of salt & pepper & mix well before adding rest of ingredients & the dressing (I learned that little secret from Bobby Flay!) Try this salad with thinly sliced Comice pears & gorgonzola crumbles instead of mandarins & feta. SOOOO good!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for all the great tips!
Melissa
Beautiful and delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Erin
We love all the flavors and textures of this recipe. It’s good year-round!
★★★★★
wilhelmina
Love this salad! The mustard dressing is out of this world!
★★★★★
Jo Allison
What a fantastic combination of flavours, textures and colours, it looks beautiful and really Christmassy indeed. Can’t wait to try it especially with this lovely vinaigrette!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Jo! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Mayuri Patel
This salad is so beautiful, colorful and festive. perfect for Christmas or even as a light meal. Would love to try it with the honey poppy seed dressing.
★★★★★
Adrianne
Christmas is indeed coming so soon! What a perfect addition to the table. I love the colours and the festive appearance. Can’t wait to try it! Cheers
★★★★★
Jamie
A delicious salad to bring for the holidays! I love the flavors in the salad dressing. Delicious!
★★★★★
Shanika
This Salad really does look colorful and festive! I’m loving the addition of tangerines and pomegranate seeds! Delish!
★★★★★
Taylor
Love the addition of the fresh pomegranates and that honey mustard vinaigrette is to die for!
★★★★
Cathy
Such a gorgeous salad and the flavors are amazing!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This Christmas Salad couldn’t look any more perfect!
★★★★★
Dorothy Reinhold
First of all I want that honey mustard vinaigrette on everything!! I love how fresh and colorful this salad looks!
annie
This sounds amazing, I’m adding it to our menu for Christmas Eve!
Jessica
I really can’t believe that Christmas is just a few weeks away! This salad looks divine!