Apple, Cherry, Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing
When you’re looking for an off-season salad, this irresistible Apple, Cherry, Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing will fit the bill! You’ll fall in love with your first bite!
This is my go-to Fall Salad Recipe. The combination of flavors and textures always gets rave reviews. The touch of maple in the salad dressing makes this a memorable side dish, and be prepared to get asked for the recipe.
Why You Must Make
- It’s truly one of my favorite green salad recipes.
- With Apples, Dried Cherries, Walnuts, and a creamy maple vinaigrette, it’s perfect for autumn.
- It is beautiful, too, with a variety of colors and textures.
The calendar flipped to a new season this week, and there’s definitely a chill in the air. I made my first pumpkin and apple desserts along with breaking out my slow cooker for the first time in months. Even my salads evolved from featuring heirloom tomatoes and basil to maple, nuts, and apples.
I love fall salads for a change of pace! I dug deep into my recipe files to find this old favorite, an apple salad recipe. Whenever I serve this to company, I get compliments galore!
Expert Tips
This salad is a cinch to toss together; perfect for company, but simple enough for a weeknight. The dressing has a number of ingredients, but they are all staples in my kitchen. Do you have a stash of champagne vinegar? It’s one of my favorites and worth keeping in your pantry.
- Measure the salad dressing ingredients directly into a 2-cup Pyrex mixing cup, whisk until the mixture emulsifies, and then use the spout to drizzle the dressing over the salad.
- Use your favorite eating apple variety or nuts. Dried cranberries can replace the dried cherries.
- PRO-Tip: If you want to prep this earlier in the day, toss the apple pieces in a bit of the dressing to prevent the browning from oxidation.
- Dress the rest of the salad right before serving. The chewy cherries, crunchy walnuts, and sweet apples create a sensational combination of flavors and textures and an unforgettable salad!
Save this fall salad recipe for your next dinner party, family gathering, or even for the holidays! It would be a great contrast to all the rich Thanksgiving dishes!
Frequently Asked Questions
A harvest salad is a salad prepared with ingredients that are readily available in the fall or harvest season. In this recipe, you’ll note the apples and maple syrup are autumnal.
Some popular fall ingredients for salads include apples, pears, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranate arils. Dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and pecans are also quite popular in autumn side dishes. Maple syrup is apropos as a dressing ingredient.
Once you toss a green salad with dressing, it starts to wilt, so having the salad tossed and ready to go hours ahead of time won’t give the best result. Instead, prep all the ingredients, but do not plate or mix in a serving bowl until right before serving.
As mentioned in the tips below, the apples will turn brown (oxidize) if they’re peeled and cut ahead of time. So either prep right before serving or use my trick listed below.
It will last about 3-4 days in the refrigerator if you keep the dressing separate from the salad ingredients.
You May Also Like:
- Autumn Spinach Salad with Pecan Vinaigrette from Aggie’s Kitchen
- Winter Salad with Apples, Pecans, Blue Cheese and Dried Cherries
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Arugula Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
- More Salad Recipes
Apple, Cherry and Walnut Salad
When you’re looking for an off-season salad, this Apple, Cherry, Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing is a delicious option!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil, but it can solidify if you refrigerate)
- 5 ounces mixed baby greens
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced into matchstick-sized pieces (I used Granny Smith)
- 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Instructions
- Whisk together mayonnaise, maple syrup, vinegar, sugar, and oil. Set aside.
- If making ahead of time, toss the apples in a small amount of dressing to prevent browning and place in the bottom of the serving bowl.
- Top with greens, walnuts, and dried cherries. Otherwise, place greens in a bowl, and arrange apples, cherries, and walnuts on top.
- Re-whisk dressing and toss with salad before serving. You do not need to use all the dressing.
Notes
May use pecans instead of walnuts or dried cranberries instead of cherries. Your favorite variety of eating apples can be substituted, too.
Toast your walnuts to bring out their flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 65mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
50 Comments on “Apple, Cherry, Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing”
Fabulous!! Only thing I did differently was omit the sugar…dressing was sweet enough without it.
I love the salad ingredients, and I really love your dressing!
I’m guilty of not having a salad since August-ish… Been thinking about some nice greens and I do have a few apples to use up. Sounds good:@)
So ready for the change of pace fall salads bring to dinner! This one looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
I love the tart of the fruit on this salad with that maple dressing! Mmmm – just pass me the whole bowl!
I love this idea! What a great fresh fall salad!
My Blue Cheese Slaw would look lovely in this bowl!
Pear & Blue Cheese Salad.
I’ve added dried cranberries to an apple salad before but never dried cherries. That sounds SO good! Great little salad Liz!
I would use it to serve sooo many different salads!