Christmas Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette is such a beautiful and festive Christmas side dish! Easily made with mixed greens, fresh fruit, nuts, and cheese, this salad is topped with an easy homemade citrus vinaigrette. All of the elements of this Christmas salad recipe combine to make the most refreshing salad, bursting with the best textures and flavors for the season!
This salad is so refreshing and flavorful that you will want to eat it all year long, but the colors are especially festive for Christmas dinner! I love serving it with smashed potatoes with garlic and herbs or perfect baked sweet potatoes alongside a ham or slow cooker whole chicken. Oh yum!
This Christmas salad and my Panzanella Bruschetta Salad with Chicken are my go-to favorites that we use as both side dishes and entrées!
About Christmas Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
This Christmas salad with Citrus Vinaigrette looks and tastes like the holidays! The bright leafy greens and juicy red pomegranates highlight the colors of Christmas. Notice how the oranges look like wreaths! And the citrus flavors of the oranges and vinaigrette add a freshness that we all crave during the winter, especially after all of those Christmas treats!
The dressing is even naturally sweetened with honey, making it a salad you can feel good about. The addition of salty pistachios, walnuts and crumbled cheese make this salad irresistible.
Serve it as a side salad for your Christmas dinner to add holiday flair. I also love to enjoy it as a light meal all by itself. With all of the other heavy holiday eating, this salad is so light and refreshing. Go ahead and top it with some leftover chicken to add a healthy protein. You, your family, and guests will absolutely love how fresh and flavorful this salad is.
Tools you will need
This recipe just uses a few of my favorite tools:
- Large Salad Bowl - large enough to hold salad and be able to mix it around without spilling over
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Tongs - for serving
- Jar with lid - or bowl with whisk for mixing dressing
Ingredients for Christmas Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
This recipe calls for a lot of fresh ingredients, so be sure to add them to your grocery list. Plan on making this salad within a couple of days of buying your ingredients for the most fresh salad. In my opinion, the pomegranates and pistachios together are the star of the show in this delicious salad.
- Mixed Greens - I like the spring mix at the grocery store, but you could use romaine, red leaf, green leaf, or spinach if that's what you prefer
- Pomegranate Arils - About 1 large or 2 small pomegranates. You could also buy a container of arils to save time. If you buy the container, be sure to drain the juice before pouring them onto your salad.
- Oranges - Your choice of orange (blood orange, navel, etc.) peeled and sliced into “wreaths.”
- Feta or Goat Cheese - Crumbled
- Salted Pistachios - I buy these already shelled to save time too.
- A handful of walnuts - You can use raw, toasted, or even candied. This one is optional, but looks really festive and pretty with this salad.
How to Make Christmas Salad
The full printable recipe is below.
This recipe can be made in a few simple steps:
- Add salad ingredients to large salad bowl - first greens, then top with prepared fruit, cheese, and nuts. Gently toss.
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake well to combine. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss with tongs to coat the greens.
Tips and Suggestions
- If the whole salad won't be consumed, you could individually portion plates of salad and dress those. That way, the leftover salad will stay fresh until you're ready to eat it. Dressed salad will get soggy if you try to save it for leftovers, so should be eaten immediately.
- This salad is so customizable. You can really use any fruit or nut or cheese that you have on hand. Chopped granny smith apples taste great with walnuts and cubed swiss cheese. Dries cranberries are also really yummy in this salad.
- Adjust the amount of dressing you drizzle on your salad if you prefer a less-dressed salad. Store any unused dressing in the fridge in an airtight container for later.
- Don't have time to get the arils out of a pomegranate? Buy a package of arils from your grocery store. It saves a lot of time!
- I love the saltiness and texture of the pistachios in this salad, but feel free to add any nuts you want. You can even toast them, or use candied nuts. It's all good!
Christmas Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Fresh greens, oranges, pomegranates, nuts, and cheese come together in a delicious salad lightly coated in a vibrant citrus dressing.
Ingredients
- 6 cups mixed greens I like a fresh "spring mix"
- 1-2 cups fresh pomegranate arils about 1 large pomegranate
- 1 large navel orange peeled and sliced into “wreaths”
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
- 1/2 cup salted pistachios
- 1/4 cup walnuts
Dressing
- 1 large orange, freshly squeezed
- 2½ tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions
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Add the greens to a large salad bowl. Top with the oranges, pomegranate arils, goat cheese, and nuts.
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Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar with a lid (or use a bowl and whisk) and shake until well combined. Just before serving, drizzle the desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss gently.
Recipe Notes
Store any extra dressing, covered in the fridge for up to a couple days.
Here are some more delicious Christmas side dishes you will love!
Christmas Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette by Ella Claire & Co. | Cranberry Orange Marmalade by Inspired by Charm | Garlic and Herb Roasted Potatoes by Zevy Joy
Maple & Walnut Sweet Potatoes by French Country Cottage | Buttery Herb and Sausage Stuffing by Handmade Farmhouse |
gwen/rex harrison
Fabulous clean salad.