Crisp apples, dried cranberries, feta cheese, and hearty walnuts come together in a fresh Autumn Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad. An easy side dish for any favorite meal!
You see that gold bowl in the pictures here? It’s new. I flew out the door in a panic the other day when I realized I didn’t have a bowl for the salad I was about to photograph. At least, not one that would fit my vision for this salad. It’s an autumn salad and I had no idea what exactly I was looking for when I rushed into Target at 9:50 am in my fuzzy slipper boots (don’t judge. a gal’s gotta have some comfy go-to shoes) and mop-top hair. But when I saw this bowl it screamed “photograph me, I was practically made for for a fall salad!”
And I agreed. Naturally.
Yesterday though, this big gorgeous autumn salad bowl was sitting on my countertop when a whole bunch of neighborhood girls (girls=teenagers) came over to my house to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. One of them saw the bowl and said, “What’s that?” You should have seen the look on my face. I mean, obviously it’s a bowl…. Which is exactly what I told her. Except I said that it was a salad bowl. Her immediate reaction? “Ewe I hate salad. I don’t like the taste of leaves.”
She was dead serious.
Doesn’t everybody know that these “leaves” are really just a vehicle for getting loads of really delicious flavor combinations into your mouth? Because a bowl full of walnuts, apples, dried cranberries and feta cheese covered in dressing would be nothing short of wonderful, but also somewhat… odd. So we put it on top of some leaves, call it a salad, and dig it.
And as you can see, here I am doing just that…..
What people are saying about this Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad
“Made this for a lunch at work to go with a Turkey & Cranberry Sandwich. It was delicious! Hands down the best salad of this kind I have ever tasted. The only thing I did alter was I only used half the dressing. Even had a couple people ask for the recipe, so I sent them here. Yum I’ll be making this again before the week is out no doubt.” – Jennifer
“Yum! My mom makes a salad similar to this, so I knew I would like it. It turned out delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and used canola oil in the dressing.” – Katie
“I really liked this salad… I liked how the apply flavor complemented the salad but overall it was not a dressing I’d make again. All of your salads look so appetizing, and it’s fun to be able to choose one that will go with the main I’m making. Thanks for sharing.” – Allison
“This was such a delicious fall salad. I made it for my family, and they loved it. I think the best part was the dressing (which also tasted surprisingly very yummy over some plain chicken). I ended up throwing about 2 T of water and a peeled apple into my ninja to make the apple juice for the dressing. Soooo delicious. ” – Katherine
Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad
Crisp apples, dried cranberries, feta cheese, and hearty walnuts come together in a fresh Autumn salad.
Ingredients
- 6 cups salad (I used a combination of arugula and baby spinach, any spring green mix will do)
- 1 red apple
- 1 green apple
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (such as Diamond of California)
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
Dressing
- 1 cup apple juice
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar in a pinch)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup oil
Instructions
-
Core and chop apples (thin slices or 1 inch chunks). Toss lettuce, apples, walnuts, feta, and cranberries together in a large bowl.
-
Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Toss with salad immediately before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I also love poppyseed dressing with this salad!
**Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a larger group.







Carmen
Is there no oil in the recipe for the dressing for the Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad? The dressing “looks” like it has oil in it in the picture.
Tiffany
Thanks for catching that Carmen! I’ve added the oil. 🙂
Michele
Hello….what kind of oil do you use? Canola?
Tiffany
I used extra virgin olive oil. 🙂
Michele
Thank you….do you think Canola would be ok too?
Karen @ The Food Charlatan
The BOWL! IT’S AMAZING! I mean wait, the salad, it’s amazing!! They can’t compete, really. They just work, like salt and pepper, caramel and apple. Gorgeous photos, as always Tiffany! Oh and I forgot, I will eat anything with feta in it. ANYTHING. so this is perfect.
[email protected]
Yummy! I have eaten this salad combo for a few years now, but I use blue cheese , candied nuts and occasionally pears. I am excited for a dressing change-up though. This recipe sounds like the perfect fit for this salad!
sbo
This is a very good article. Thank you for a great information.
I like to eat salad.
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen
Hahaha – when my brother was a kid, he convinced my aunt that he was ALLERGIC to “green stuff”…and she BELIEVED him. I really don’t know why kids don’t enjoy the beauty of salad!
This bowl is PERFECT for this salad, Tiffany! And this salad sounds refreshing and delicious.
Brooke (Crackers on the Couch)
I love a good salad and apples and walnuts are one of my favorite combinations. When the neighbor girl grows up, hopefully she will develop a taste for leaves. There are so many types and flavors!
Ashlea
This looks like a wonderful fall recipe! Planning on making it for Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws. Do you recommend making it the day of so the apples don’t go bad? Or how far in advance would it be okay to prepare?
Carole
This sounds absolutely fabulous! I’m going to make it tonight to have with homemade pizza. 🙂
Tiffany
Oh this would go perfectly with pizza!!
LaToya
Hi! Do you think I could use Apple Cider instead of Apple Juice?! I can’t have apple juice b/c of the sugar. I know it’ll taste different but didn’t know if you would think it’d be doable :). Thanks!
Lori Kearney
How was it with apple cider?
Bethany
Did you use all of the dressing you made? A cup and a half of dressing seems like a lot for just 6 cups of greens.
Tiffany
You can use as much or as little dressing as you like!
Lynn
Nice recipe and nice to have a homemade dressing to go with this salad. Thank you, Lynn
Suzanne Holt
This salad looks amazing. Plus I like the fact that it is fairly healthy. Pinned to my “Taste of Fall” board.
Paula Atwell
Making this today for Thanksgiving. 🙂
Mary
I’m making this for thanksgiving today too!
Ann
Made this today, and reduced the apple juice to only 2 tablespoons. I prefer the thicker vinaigrette style.
James
Great salad, thanks! Maybe have the recipe moved to the top of the article.
Sandy
i just made this for thanksgiving, delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Kristi Rimkus
I like your dressing recipe. People love these kinds of salads, don’t they? I’ve linked to your recipe on my weekend healthy recipes roundup, and can’t wait to give it a try.
Manuela
Ummm thanks for this I love the pictures and everything seems delicious, will try with a new raw honey I just bought http://www.tiana-coconut.com/products/organic-honey/ it is not easy to spread but it tastes lovely so let’s see what comes out 🙂
Future Blogger
Hi! Love this recipe. I’m currently in the process of making a personal blog and I wanted to feature this recipe. Of course I will give you recognition =D Just seeking your permission? Thanks in advanced!
Tiffany
Hi! So glad you like this salad recipe – you may feature one of my images without the recipe – with proper credit and a link leading readers back to the recipe on my site.
Elena Shetty
So beautiful. This dish will new color and new taste to my diet cook book. Thank you for the recipe!
Michele @ Two Raspberries
YUM! this looks so pretty and delicious! I love how fresh it is! 😉
Frankie
Thanks for sharing this yummy apple cranberry walnut. I’m sure my teenagers will love this if i’ll give it a try at home.
Rose
Hey – amazing recipe and site, buuuuuut you seem to have ads with noise enabled, but not visible anywhere!! One of the most annoying things on any blog is not being able to turn the sound off on ads…
Tiffany
Hi Rose! Gah, I am SO sorry for that obnoxious audio – I am looking into it right this minute and will try to get it fixed as quickly as possible! Thanks for your patience and support! 🙂
Allison
I really liked this salad; I attempted the dressing but something seemed off about it as I was making it and I didn’t end up enjoying it. The flavors are good, but there is way too much apple juice… I feel like a couple table spoons would be sufficient. There’s nothing to emulsify it. Usually if I encounter a recipe like that I add a little bit of dijon mustard to pull it all together, but I didn’t have any. I liked how the apply flavor complemented the salad but overall it was not a dressing I’d make again. All of your salads look so appetizing, and it’s fun to be able to choose one that will go with the main I’m making. Thanks for sharing.
Amaryllis @ thetastyother.com
I’m so glad you photographed this gorgeous salad, Tiffany!, it’s perfection for fall! I’m sure all these girls are now in love with salad.
Susan Peterson
I really cannot imagine a meal without salad. The first thing I look for is acid, for a refreshing taste. at the same time, I like to make it a little sweeter, just for balance. Also, I like some fruit to go with the veggies, because I think fruit serve as a bridge between the lemon juice or vinegar and the veggies. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
lynn hallsey
In the apple walnut salad if you use poppyseed dressing, how much do you use?
Tiffany
It’s totally up to you Lynn! I like a lot of dressing, I think I usually use about 1/2 cup. You can always add more if you need so maybe start with 1/3 cup and go from there!
zahra
it sounds delicious and beautiful and i will make it.
Jennifer
Made this for a lunch at work to go with a Turkey & Cranberry Sandwich. It was delicious! Hands down the best salad of this kind I have ever tasted. The only thing I did alter was I only used half the dressing. Even had a couple people ask for the recipe, so I sent them here. 🙂 Yum I’ll be making this again before the week is out no doubt.
Tiffany
Yay! Isn’t this salad the best?? I never get tired of it and neither does my family – so glad you enjoyed it Jennifer!! 🙂
Katie
Yum! My mom makes a salad similar to this, so I knew I would like it. It turned out delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and used canola oil in the dressing.
Just a heads up – the dressing recipe makes way too much for the amount of salad. I was in a rush making dinner and just dumped all of the dressing on the salad, and it sat in a big puddle at the bottom of the bowl. Some of the ingredients are a little more expensive than I would typically spend for a week night dinner, so I’ll save this for special occasions. Thanks!
Susan
The dressing is too sweet and watery, but the salad is good.
Janice Gendron
Hi! I made this for office lunch today and it was scrumptious! Many asked about the nutritional facts…do you have them?
Thanks!
Cathy
What a wonderful combination! Loved it!
Hannah
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that you are an amazing cook and blogger. I love your posts, and I use your recipes every time I want to make something special for someone, like my parents’ birthdays. They always turn out amazing, and this recipe sounds so good. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes! (My favorites are the pumpkin cookies with brown sugar frosting.😍)
Pam Bruneel
I made this Salad last year for Thanksgiving. I can’t remember what kind of apples I used. Could you give me some suggestions. I am going to make it again this year.
Tiffany
My favorites are fuji and gala 🙂
Madalyn l.
Macintosh apples are what i am using.
Lee Devine
This salad with a honey mustard dressing is also delicious and i add some grilled chicken to make it a more filling meal. Thanks for the recipe 😊
Batman
I knew I would like it. It turned out delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and used canola oil in the dressing.
DogRescuer
As a rule, I don’t like vinegar, but holy moly, this dressing is amazing! Just had a nice bowl of this salad, saved the rest of the dressing in a mason jar in the fridge, and will have some more tomorrow. Such a simple recipe, yet it tastes so amazing! Thank you.
Invitaciones Aqua
Hi! 🙂
I did the salad and loved it.
I am sharing it in my blog, giving you the credits and putting the link so that they come to visit your blog.
Thanks for such a delicious recipe. <3
My blog: https://bloginvitacionesaqua.wordpress.com/2017/06/11/ensalada-manzana-nuez-y-arandano/
Katherine Voda
This was such a delicious fall salad. I made it for my family, and they loved it. I think the best part was the dressing (which also tasted surprisingly very yummy over some plain chicken). I ended up throwing about 2 T of water and a peeled apple into my ninja to make the apple juice for the dressing. Soooo delicious. 🙂
Ali
This is the most DELICIOUS salad combination I’ve ever tried at home. I’m on my second week of eating this for lunch every day after stumbling on this blog! If you up the walnut and cheese content a bit it makes an extremely filling lunch to take to work. I put the mixed greens and feta together in one large bowl, and then the dried cranberries in a smaller container with the walnuts. Then mix everything together with the dressing at lunch time and it keeps me satisfied until dinner time. I tried it with Ken’s Balsamic with Honey and that is delicious as well! I’ve also tried it with raisins as they’re a bit cheaper than dried cranberries, and that’s super yummy also. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe. It’s going in my favorites for sure!
Victor @ ifoodblogger.com
Simple ingredients but overall the dish is superb. I used roasted pecans (15 min at 350F) and the salad turned out fantastic.
Madalyn l.
Hi, I am making a fall salad like this one for thanksgiving but don’t have any apple juice can i substitute anything for it.
Tiffany
Another fruit juice that compliments the ingredients in the salad might work?
Samantha
Such a yummy, refreshing salad! I featured it in a blog post of my favorite thanksgiving recipes!
Sharon
Your apple walnut salad is delicious and i love your new bowl!
Terry
Tried today this Delicious salad with poppy seed dressing ! Delish !
usps tracking
wow, this dish looks delicious, i also want to try it, thank you for sharing the way.
Bobbie
Delicious
We loved the salad and the dressing.
Tiffany
So happy to hear this! I love this salad!! Glad we agree 😉
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Ohh that’s MY FAVORITE BECAUSE OF THE CRANBERRY IS MY LIST THAT I LIKE TO EAT.
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THAT’S MY FAVORITE BECAUSE OF THE CRANBERRY IS MY LIST THAT I LIKE TO EAT.
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That is really good.
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I love to eat it.
Nanette
You also have a “Chopped Autumn salad with Apple Cider dressing” and the ingredients are the same but the amounts are different. is there a reason they are different?
Kathy
What kind of oil do you use?
Tiffany
I typically use olive oil but really, any similar kind can be used!
Margaret villafana
Awesome looks so delicious need to get these recipes
red ball
This is a very good article. Thank you for a great information.
I like to eat salad.
bouncing balls
I found your blog via Pinterest, love the calendar and will be perfect for my desk