Mixed Green Salad with Apple and Goat Cheese
Crisp apples, tangy goat cheese, and crunchy pecans come together in this vibrant mixed green salad, drizzled with a zesty homemade vinaigrette. It’s the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and satisfying—like autumn in every bite! 🍏🥗✨
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This delicious green salad with apple and goat cheese is filled with flavor from apples, raisins, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts. It’s easy to make in under 30 minutes for an easy weeknight side dish your whole family will love.
Why I love this apple and goat cheese Salad
IMHO this is the best apple and goat cheese salad ever! This Apple and Goat cheese salad is a great option if you are craving a little crunch. It’s also the perfect way to add a little honey to an amazing salad. The combination of goat cheese, raisins and apple is a match made in heaven. The apple goat cheese salad is then topped with some toasted walnuts and then drizzled with a tangy balsamic dressing.
This apple salad recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, and soy free. You can easily make it dairy free by just leaving out the goat cheese – it will still be super tasty. This recipe serves 6-8 and is the perfect salad for lunch, or add a protein for a perfect dinner salad.
RELATED: Apple and Wild Rice Salad – Apples, pecans, wild rice, celery, onion and peas are combined and covered with a delicious dressing for a tasty autumn salad your whole family will love.
Ingredients you’ll need for this apple walnut goat cheese salad
The crisp, juicy crunch of apples along with toasted walnuts add great texture and substance to this tasty salad.
For the apple and goat cheese salad
- Mixed salad greens
- Gala apples
- Granny smith apple
- Golden raisins
- Toasted, chopped walnuts
- Crumbled goat cheese
To make the balsamic vinaigrette dressing you’ll need
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Honey
- Lemon
- Minced garlic
- Salt and black pepper
How to make apple and goat cheese salad
Step 1: In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, apples, raisins, and walnuts.
Step 2: In a small bowl or jar, mix the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk or shake to combine.
Step 3: Prior to serving, pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to coat. Sprinkle it with the goat cheese and serve.
Make this Apple and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, then check out my Summer Berry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing, Pomegranate and Apple Green Salad, and Classic Waldorf Salad and more of my healthy salad dressing recipes.
TIPS AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Read on for tips and how to avoid making this salad a disaster.
Tips for keeping the apple pieces from browning
To prevent the apple pieces from turning brown:
- create a water bath for your apple slices with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water.
- Soak the apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them.
These two simple steps should keep your apples from browning for several hours.
Substitution ideas
- Make it a grain salad by adding cooked quinoa, farro, or wild rice.
- Make it nut free: swap the walnuts for pumpkin seeds.
- Make it dairy free: eliminate the goat cheese, and add diced avocado or dairy free cheese.
- Make it vegan: Make the dairy swap recommendation and switch out maple syrup for the honey in the vinaigrette.
- Swap apples for pears for a similar flavored salad.
How to store apple and goat cheese salad
This is one of those salads that is best served fresh. Unfortunately the apples in this autumn salad don’t keep for very long, and this salad will go soggy if stored with the dressing on it. If you are preparing this salad in advance, keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to serve.
Other apple recipes to try
- 10 Minute Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip – This is the perfect fall snack, appetizer or dessert for any occasion!
- Easy Instant Pot Apple Crisp – Sweet slightly spiced apples topped with an amazing crumble – just like your mom always made, but in a fraction of the time thanks to the Instant Pot!
- Pomegranate and Apple Green Salad – This salad recipe is crunchy, easy to make, and super festive! This salad is a perfect side dish for the winter holiday season!
- Apple and Wild Rice Salad – an easy and scrumptious make ahead fall side dish that tastes like Thanksgiving.
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Apple and Goat Cheese Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the salad
- 6 cups about 5 ounces mixed salad greens
- 2 gala apples (seeded and diced)
- 1 granny smith apple (seeded and diced)
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup toasted (chopped walnuts)
- 3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, apples, raisins, and walnuts.
- In a small bowl or jar, mix the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk or shake to combine.
- Prior to serving, pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to coat. Sprinkle it with the goat cheese and serve.
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