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Name: Cranberry Pecan Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Bag of slaw mix (16 oz); Medium apple (I used Honeycrisp, cubed); ½ cup dried cranberries; ½ cup chopped pecans; ? cup green onions (sliced); 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp honey; 2 tbsp dijon mustard; ¼ tsp pepper; ¼ tsp salt

Cranberry Pecan Salad

This bright fresh cranberry pecan salad is a great go-to for incorporating those sweet fall apples, fresh pecans, and sharp cranberries. If you want a taste of those seasonal fall fresh ingredients this is your go to salad!

Pecan Cranberry Slaw

As much as I love pumpkin spice lattes, fall has lots of other beautiful produce and this salad brings together several that you may not associate with each other.

As the weather cools pecan trees are dropping their nuts all over the southeast and orchards in the midwest are heavy with ripe apples. Cranberries are grown in low areas in the southeast and when they are ready to harvest in late September the farmers flood the fields then send the harvester through. The good cranberries float to the top and are skimmed off and packaged. Fall is a great time of year to use these great American crops for a bright easy salad.

How to Make Cranberry Pecan Salad:

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

Slaw Mix – I like to use slaw mix for this recipe because it distributes evenly and can handle the dressing without getting soggy.
Apple – I use honeycrisp apple for this recipe since it has a slight sweetness. You can use any type of apple but if you use Granny Smith add more honey to the dressing since it’s such a tart apple.
Cranberries – cranberries are the star of this show with their bright sharp hit. If you don’t like the texture of dry cranberries you can soak them for a few minutes in warm water to hydrate them. Make sure you dry them well before adding them to the salad so they can soak in the dressing well.
Pecans – pecans have a sweet buttery taste and add a natural sweetness to this salad. You can substitute another nut if you want.
Green onions – green onions have a fresh flavor that is milder than red or yellow onions. It adds a nice color and texture to this salad.
Apple cider vinegar – you need vinegar in the dressing to add acid and brighten the salad. I don’t recommend substituting another type of vinegar since apple cider has the flavor we are looking for to compliment the fresh apple.
Olive oil – I like olive oil for its rich slightly bitter flavor but you can substitute another type of oil if you prefer.
Honey – honey adds sweetness to the salad dressing to balance out the acid from the vinegar. You can substitute another liquid sweetener like maple syrup if you don’t have honey on hand.
Dijon mustard – dijon mustard has white wine in it which gives it its distinct taste when compared to traditional mustard. You can substitute traditional mustard if you prefer. The mustard will give some fat to the dressing and a little bite.
Salt and pepper – everything that you make needs salt and pepper to draw the flavors out of the other ingredients and add a bit of spice. I like to use fine grain sea salt since it spreads more evenly so you don’t get an over or under seasoned bite.

picture of cranberry salad ingredients on a table

picture of vinaigrette being poured into cranberry slaw salad

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following method:

Mix salad – In a bowl combine the slaw mix with the apple, cranberries, pecans, and green onions. Mix it well.
Make dressing – Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl to create the dressing. Toss the salad in the dressing
Toss – I usually like to let the salad sit in the refrigerator in the dressing for at least an hour but you can enjoy it right away if you prefer.

Tips and Tricks to Perfect Cranberry Pecan Salad:

Here are some tips and frequently asked questions to assist you in assembling this salad and keeping any leftovers.

Use caramelized pecans. If you want a slightly sweeter salad, you can use caramelized pecans. Just make sure you cut them into small pieces, so they are distributed evenly.
Mix up the greens. If you want to use regular lettuce, spring mix, or arugula the salad will look and taste more traditional. If you use one of those other greens, I wouldn’t add the dressing until right before serving since they don’t hold up as well to moisture as slaw mix.

FAQs

This recipe can keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. If you aren’t going to use it right away you can keep the salad mix and the dressing separate and dress the salad as you use it in which case it will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge.