Are you looking for a healthier option for your holiday meal? Try out this easy and delicious Christmas salad recipe! Packed with nutritious ingredients and bursting with festive flavors, it’s the perfect addition to any holiday spread.
The flavors of the fresh citrus, salad greens, and pomegranate meld so well together, especially with a honey mustard vinaigrette, making it the perfect side dish. I love to serve it with roasted rosemary potatoes and New York Strip Steak.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Spring greens: or mixed greens like arugula, baby spinach, baby greens
- Nuts: almonds, pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, and walnuts.
- Cheese: I like feta because it works well in this salad, but you can substitute Parmesan, goat, or blue cheese.
- Oranges: Preferably seedless mandarins. They are easy to peel, full of flavor, and bite-sized.
- Pomegranate seeds: also known as pomegranate arils. If you can not find them, try dried cranberries or blueberries.
How to Make Christmas Salad
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
- Whisk the minced garlic, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously.
- Add your spring greens, sliced almonds, feta cheese, mandarin oranges, and pomegranate arils to a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
Make It Ahead
You can make the honey mustard champagne vinaigrette up to 2 days in advance; however, remove it from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to warm to room temperature, then whisk or shake well.
Prep the oranges and pomegranate arils up to 24 hours in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Assemble the salad up to 1 hour before, but do not toss with the vinaigrette until ready to serve.
Preparation Tips For The Best Christmas Salad
- I encourage you to use fresh, seedless mandarin oranges for optimal taste, but you could also use canned ones in a pinch.
- Pomegranate arils are just the red jewels found inside a pomegranate. They contain a sweet nectar surrounding a white seed in the center. 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.
- This salad is equally delicious with a honey-poppyseed dressing.
More Salad Recipes
Christmas Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
Christmas Salad
- 12 ounces fresh spring greens
- ⅔ cup sliced almonds
- ⅔ 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.
Nutrition
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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!