Apple Walnut Salad
Updated Sep 15, 2025
This Apple Walnut Salad is loaded with fresh apples, dried cranberries, feta, and arugula, all tossed in an easy sweet and tangy dressing.
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apple walnut salad To Make This fall!
When apples are in season during the fall, I don’t just use them for snacking and baking, I also throw them in salads instead of using tomatoes, like I did this this Apple Walnut Salad. It’s a quick salad to make in less than 30 minutes with simple pantry items and lots of ways to substitute them.
I also have to mention that my kids actually like this apple walnut salad, which I was not expecting! I’ll even go as far as to say they love it. I think it’s the crisp, sweet apples and maple syrup in the dressing!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Apple Walnut Salad Ingredients
- Apples: Opt for crisp apples, like Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala or Granny Smith. You don’t have to peel the apples. The peel adds color, fiber, and extra nutrients. Plus it’s prettier!
- Walnuts: Pecans, almonds, or pepitas would work instead! You can also add to the sweet-salty appeal of this salad by making homemade candied walnuts.
- Arugula: This tastes a little peppery, which works with this cranberry walnut salad’s sweet ingredients. If you aren’t a fan of arugula, use spinach.
- Red onion: This is milder than white or yellow onions.
- Cranberries: I love the tartness of dried cranberries. If you don’t, use regular or golden raisins or just leave them out.
- Cheese: Feta really makes this salad, in my opinion. Creamy, tangy goat cheese would also be delicious!
- Dressing ingredients: You’ll need olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Apple Walnut Salad
Apple Walnut Salad
This Apple Walnut Salad is a flavor and ingredient loaded fall-inspired salad that's nutrient dense and vibrant – serve as a meal with added protein or as side salad!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 apples thinly sliced
- 1 (5-ounce) container arugula or spring mix
- ¼ small red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the walnuts out on a small baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the walnuts are lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Add the apples on top of the dressing and toss with the dressing to keep it from browning.
- Place the arugula and onions on top of the apples and toss again to combine with the dressing. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts, cranberries, and feta on top, and serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
Storage: I’d store the salad ingredients and dressing separately in airtight containers. They should last for about 3 days. To prevent the apple from browning, slice it before serving and mixing the salad.
This recipe has been updated in September 2025, but if you like the original version, you can still find it here:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
2 cups spinach roughly chopped
1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
1 ½ cups apples diced
¼ cup cranberries
¼ cup red onion finely chopped
Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Place the quinoa in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Toast until the seeds start to pop and become aromatic. Add 2 cups of water to the quinoa and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low. Cover and simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt.
To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
When the quinoa is cool, place it in a bowl and add all the ingredients for the salad on top. Pour the dressing on top and stir gently to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
2 cups spinach roughly chopped
1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
1 ½ cups apples diced
¼ cup cranberries
¼ cup red onion finely chopped
Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Place the quinoa in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Toast until the seeds start to pop and become aromatic. Add 2 cups of water to the quinoa and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low. Cover and simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt.
To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
When the quinoa is cool, place it in a bowl and add all the ingredients for the salad on top. Pour the dressing on top and stir gently to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups, Calories: 435kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 438mg, Potassium: 402mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 938IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 148mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Recipe Variations
- Add quinoa. Mixing in a cup of cooked quinoa makes this apple walnut salad heartier. You could also use brown rice, though it doesn’t have as much protein as quinoa!
- Toss with protein. If I’m making this salad for myself for lunch, I’ll add shredded chicken or a can of tuna to make it a fuller meal.
- Switch up the dressing. For something tangier, try a balsamic vinaigrette. You can also check out my guide to making vinaigrette!
Recipe Tips
- Keep a close eye on the walnuts. Nuts burn quickly! Check the walnuts often. I’d do so every minute toward the end of toasting!
- Don’t skip tossing the apples with the dressing first. The acid in the dressing will actually stop the apple slices from browning.
- Keep the dressing and salad ingredients separate if you’re planning on making it ahead. This apple walnut salad will get soggy the longer it sits. I’d toss it right before serving!
- Soak the red onion in ice water. If you think red onions aren’t mild enough, try soaking the onion slices in ice water for 5 minutes, then drain them. This should help! You can also let them sit in the dressing with the apples for 5 minutes.
Serving Ideas
- With a protein: Try my easy lemon garlic chicken, pan seared salmon, or baked chicken meatballs.
- With a soup: Broccoli and cheese soup, potato leek soup, or acorn squash soup are just three of my favorites.
- With bread: I could eat salad and bread for pretty much every meal. This rosemary focaccia and olive bread and these herby, garlicky dinner rolls are easy to make.
FAQs
How do I store apple walnut salad?
I’d store the salad ingredients and dressing separately in airtight containers. They should last for about 3 days. To prevent the apple from browning, slice it before mixing and serving the salad.
Comments
I made this salad this evening and it was delicious! Love the dressing!
Yay! So happy to hear you liked it, Jamie! Thank you!!
it’s amazing, I never tried apples in salads and I was not sure to mix apples and onion, but it turned out amazing
thank you for the recipe
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try and that it turned out good!
Awesome
Thank you so much!
I tried this recipe and it was delicious! Thanks Yumna!
So glad to hear it! Thank you!!
This salad was sooo good. It was also my first time ever really cooking/trying quinoa and I really enjoyed it here! Loved the sweetness and crunch of the apple alongside the tangy vinaigrette, nuts and fresh spinach. Fall is full of hearty veg and meals, so itโs great to get those flavors and vibes in a light and refreshing salad! Thanks Yumna!
So glad you liked it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I made this today and it turned out great! Your notes on toasting the quinoa really made a difference!
So glad to hear it! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback ๐
My mom and I made this for lunch today when she visited and it was so delicious! My only complaint was that we didnt want to wait for the quinoa to cool
Off ๐- so we put it in there warmish! I Will definitely make this quick, easy, healthy salad a regular.. I just might need to make it before Iโm too hungry to wait to cook the quinoa! Thanks so much!
LOL I totally know what you mean! It works out well when you have leftover quinoa to use in the recipe!
My mom LOVED it!!! For me, I would put less apple cider vinegar because my tastebuds are not ready yet but it was so good!!
Yay, so glad she loved it! And I agree, you can definitely tone that down a bit or try a milder vinegar like red wine vinegar next time. Thank you!
Thatโs so easy to make. Iโll have it on my Sunday lunch menu as an appetizer/salad. Iโll have to go through your other recipes to choose a main course and, of course, desert! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! Hope you like it when you try it! And let me know what dessert you end up making ๐