Tired of the same old recipes for Christmas dinner? Step up your holiday feast with these seven delicious salads for Christmas dinner! From hearty squash salads to inventive fruit and nut combinations, these salads will elevate your Christmas meal to the next level.
Featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients like cranberries, pomegranate, and spinach, these festive salads are sure to impress your family and friends.
1) Salad with Goat Cheese, Pears, and Candied Pecans
This salad recipe from Two Healthy Kitchens is a holiday showstopper that’s also incredibly easy to make. A bowl of mixed greens is adorned with sweet and juicy fall pears, crunchy candied pecans, and tart dried cherries.
Creamy goat cheese crumbles are sprinkled on top, and the whole masterpiece is drizzled with a luscious maple-balsamic dressing. This salad is so good and is perfect for any holiday gathering, including Christmas dinner!
You can prepare the dressing a day or two in advance, and those delicious candied pecans take just about 5 minutes to make.
2) Winter Citrus Salad
Add a burst of citrusy freshness to your Christmas dinner with this vibrant Winter Citrus Salad. This salad is a celebration of seasonal flavors. It features a medley of blood oranges, grapefruits, and Cara Cara oranges, all beautifully complemented by a tangy vinaigrette.
It’s a feast for the eyes and is packed with vitamin C to keep you glowing through the winter season. Also, it’s a refreshing contrast to the rich and heavy dishes typically enjoyed during the holiday season. Perfect for those looking to add a fresh and zesty touch to their Christmas dinner!
3) Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries, Pecans & Goat Cheese
Get ready to elevate your Christmas dinner with a salad that’s as cozy as your favorite holiday sweater! This Roasted Butternut Squash Salad is a symphony of flavors and textures. Imagine tender butternut squash, sweet caramelized pecans, tart cranberries, and creamy goat cheese, all tied together with a homemade cranberry vinaigrette. It’s not just a salad; it’s an experience. Plus, it’s make-ahead friendly, so you can focus on enjoying the festivities!
4) Apple, Cranberry, Pecan & Spinach Salad with Maple-Cider Vinaigrette
Here’s a salad that captures the essence of autumn and serves it on a plate! This Apple, Cranberry, Pecan & Spinach Salad is that dream come true. With crisp sweet apples, tangy feta, and smoky bacon, it’s a delightful blend of flavors and textures. The toasted pecans add a satisfying crunch, while the dried cranberries bring a touch of sweetness.
What sets this salad apart is its vibrant Maple-Cider Vinaigrette. It’s a dressing that dances on your taste buds, perfectly balancing the sweet and savory elements of the salad. This dish is versatile enough for a weeknight dinner but also special enough for holiday gatherings. If you’re looking to make it a main course, just toss in some rotisserie chicken or grains like farro or quinoa.
5) Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
If you’re looking for a salad that’s a celebration of flavors and colors, look no further! This Spinach Salad is a delightful mix of baby spinach, red grapes, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. The feta cheese adds a creamy tang, and a hint of cabbage brings an extra layer of crunch. It’s like a garden party in your mouth, and everyone’s invited!
The real showstopper here is the homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette. It’s a blend of fresh raspberries, grapeseed or olive oil, honey, cider vinegar, and a dash of sea salt and stone-ground mustard. This dressing is so good, it’ll make you want to put it on everything! It’s the perfect finishing touch to a salad that’s already bursting with flavor and texture. Plus, it’s super easy to make, so you can impress your guests without breaking a sweat.
6) Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
You’ll love a salad that’s as festive as your Christmas tree! This Holiday Honeycrisp Salad is a gorgeous blend of flavors and textures that will make your holiday dinner truly special. With crisp Honeycrisp apple slices, toasted or candied pecans, chewy dried cranberries, and zippy blue cheese, this salad is a holiday in a bowl. It’s not just for Christmas; it’s perfect for Thanksgiving too!
And the Apple Cider Vinaigrette is the perfect pairing. This tangy-sweet dressing is a blend of apple cider vinegar, apple juice or cider, honey, and lemon juice, making it the perfect complement to the salad’s diverse ingredients.
Plus, the recipe is super customizable! Don’t like blue cheese? Swap it out for feta or goat cheese. Prefer a different nut? Go for walnuts or almonds.
7) Christmas Salad
This salad practically screams “Merry Christmas!” It is a joyful blend of mixed greens, oranges, pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, and candied pecans. It’s like unwrapping a gift of flavors with every forkful. The combination of sweet and savory elements makes it a perfect companion to your holiday main course.
The homemade dressing is super easy to whip up. The honey dijon dressing brings all the ingredients together and is festive and delicious. Plus, the salad is incredibly versatile. You can swap out the feta for blue cheese or even add other fruits and nuts to make it your own. It’s a salad that not only looks like Christmas but tastes like it too!
So, this Christmas, step out of your comfort zone and try something new with these festive salads. Your taste buds and guests will thank you. Get ready to elevate your Christmas dinner and make it an unforgettable feast!
