Fall Green Salad with Honey Apple Cider Dressing
This autumn salad is the perfect healthy addition to your holiday table but is so delicious you’ll want to enjoy it all season long! I’ve been adding this salad to our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for years as an easy way to sneak in nutrients.
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You’ll Love This Fall Harvest Salad Recipe!
However, I love it so much that I often make it for lunch and add lean protein like grilled chicken tenders to make it even more filling. Over the years, I’ve meticulously tested the best combinations, and the final combination never fails to satisfy all my guests.
There’s just something about the crispy bacon, sweet-tart apples, sweet cranberries, salty feta, and toasted pumpkin seeds that always hits the spot. Top it off with a tangy-sweet honey apple cider, and every bite offers an explosion of tastes and textures you’ll love!
There’s a reason this recipe has maintained a five-star rating for years, after all. Serve it for your next celebration, or enjoy it as a quick lunch. It’s sure to be an instant favorite!
WATCH: How to Make a Fall Green Salad
Autumn Harvest Salad Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce: Save on prep time and pick up a bag of pre-chopped romaine lettuce.
- Bacon: Cook bacon in the oven at 400F for about 20 minutes for easy clean up.
- Apple: Any type of sweet-tart variety of apples will work, such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Gala.
- Dried cranberries: Dried tart cherries is a great substitute.
- Red onion: Shallots are milder in taste and make a great substitute in this salad.
- Feta cheese: Do not skip feta! It adds the perfect salty component to the salad. Not a fan of feta? Try goat cheese instead.
- Pumpkin seeds: Buy toasted pumpkin seeds to save on prep time. Can’t find pumpkin seeds? Try sunflower seeds or pine nuts.
Fall Salad Dressing
- Extra-virgin olive oil: I’ve made this salad with avocado oil as well, and it works perfectly every single time.
- Apple cider vinegar: Red wine vinegar would be the best substitute.
- Honey: Pure maple syrup works well, too.
- Dijon mustard: Stone-ground mustard is a good substitute. Yellow mustard is the next best substitute.
How to Make Autumn Salad
This autumn salad comes together in a cinch. Have all of the ingredients prepared so that way all you have to do is toss and serve.
- Make the apple cider dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Assemble the salad: In a large salad and/or serving bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, bacon, apples, cranberries, red onion, feta cheese, and pumpkin seeds. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Taste for salt and pepper before serving.
How to make a harvest salad in advance?
Prepare as written but do not add the apples or toss with the salad dressing. Store the salad and dressing in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Chop and add the apple to the salad, and then toss with dressing just before serving.
Tips For Making The Perfect Fall Harvest Salad
- Don’t dress the salad until just before serving. Otherwise, the ingredients will become soggy.
- Transform this recipe into a complete meal by topping it with protein like grilled chicken, turkey, or tofu.
- Cut the ingredients into equal-sized pieces to ensure you get a little bit of everything in each bite.
How to Serve a Fall Harvest Salad
This autumn chopped salad tastes delicious as-is! Enjoy it for lunch or dinner topped with shredded chicken, grilled shrimp, or with a side of our cheesy popovers.
You can also serve the salad alongside your favorite dinner entrees. Here are a few of our favorites:
More Fall Salad Recipes
If you try our autumn salad, please leave a star rating and a comment letting us know how you liked the recipe.
Autumn Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Feta Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 6
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chopped autumn salad with bacon, apple, cranberries, feta, and pumpkin seeds. Tossed in a simple, yet flavorful honey apple cider dressing. It’s crunchy, salty sweet, and loaded with flavor!
Ingredients
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 4-5 strips cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, cored and medium chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
- 4 Tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1-2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste for salt and pepper before serving.
Notes
- Substitutions: See post for ingredient substitutions.
- Make Ahead: Prepare as written but do not add the apples or toss with the salad dressing. Store the salad and dressing in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Chop and add the apple to the salad, and then toss with dressing just before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 284
- Sugar: 11.2 g
- Sodium: 210.5 mg
- Fat: 21.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.7 g
- Protein: 6.2 g
- Cholesterol: 19.7 mg
This salad is so tasty! The dressing is perfectly balanced to go with the salad. All of the textures are phenomenal!
I make this salad all the time. I put cut up breaded chicken strips that my husband makes the day before on it. The salad dressing is delicious.
Been making this salad every Thanksgiving and Christmas for the last two years. Family and friends call me the salad queen now!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thank you Shirley! We love this salad too and make it every year 🙂
Can you please send me an idea of what kind of store bought salad dressing will work well for this salad. I haven’t made it but will tomorrow
Balsamic vinaigrette would work well with this salad.
This was soooo good! Thanks for the great recipe! Will make this again.
Thank you Barb! So glad you enjoyed it.
Made this for lunch! Soooo delicious! Thank you
Thank you Vita! I love this salad so much, especially in the fall. So glad you loved it too.
Please help me locate nutritional information. Thank you!
Hi Penny: it’s right below the recipe. You might have to give the page few seconds to download before it pops up.
I made this salad today. So so good! Will make it again for sure. Thank you for the recipe.
So glad you loved it! Thank you for your feedback.