This Pomegranate, Pear and Pecan Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette is a vibrant and delicious winter salad, perfect for serving during the holidays and special occasions.
This fresh, gorgeous and festive salad, full of ruby red pomegranate seeds, juicy ripe pears, crunchy grapes, and lightly sweetened and spiced pecans is sure to impress.
I have been making and serving this salad at Christmas time for several years now and it's always a big hit!
I love all the different textures, colours and sweet and savoury flavours in this terrific Pomegranate, Pear and Pecan Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
There is lots of crunch from the toasted and lightly sweetened pecans and from all of the grapes and pomegranate seeds. The addition of goat cheese also adds creaminess and tanginess to this salad.
To finish the salad is dressed in a lightly sweetened and citrusy balsamic vinaigrette that makes this salad so incredibly delicious!
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How to Make a Pomegranate Pear Salad
Here are the ingredients needed to make this salad. Though it looks like a long list of ingredients, if you have a well stocked pantry you will have most of what you need to make the spiced pecans and Balsamic vinaigrette. All that will be left to purchase are the fresh ingredients.
Ingredients Overview
For the Salad:
- Baby Romaine lettuce or your favourite blend
- Red onion
- Pomegranate arils
- Pears
- Seedless red grapes
- Spiced pecans (see ingredients for spiced pecans below)
- Goat cheese
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Orange
- Brown sugar
- Salt and pepper
Spiced Pecans:
- Pecans
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil
- Ground cinnamon, salt and cayenne
Steps Overview
To speed up the time it will take to make this salad on the day you want to serve it, I suggest you make the spiced pecans, seed the pomegranate and prepare the balsamic vinaigrette ahead of time.
The spiced pecans can be prepared a few days before you plan on serving the salad. The pecans are so delicious you may want to make a double batch so you have extra just to snack on.
You can seed the pomegranate up to a few days before, but to keep the seeds as fresh as possible I wouldn't do it more than 3 days ahead of time. Simply store the seeds in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Take a look at this article from Cook's Illustrated on how to remove the seeds from a pomegranate.
Next, you can prepare the Balsamic vinaigrette and store it in the refrigerator in a sealed jar. Make sure to remove the vinaigrette from the refrigerator a good 30 minutes before dressing the salad. Give the jar a good shake to mix the vinaigrette before dressing the salad.
Doing these three tasks a head of time will considerably speed up the time needed to prepare this salad.
Serving Suggestions
This salad is a crowd pleaser. The delicious combination of fruit, veggies and nuts really makes this salad extra delicious and all the festive colours make it perfect for serving during the holiday season. I love serving it as a starter or side to this Roast Turkey or this Pistachio Crusted Salmon.
For more holiday inspiration don't forget to look at my Holiday Favourites.
More Special Occasion Salads
- Spinach Clementine Salad
- Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
- Roasted Beet and Orange Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Enjoy!
Pomegranate, Pear and Pecan Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups baby romaine lettuce or your favourite blend
- ½ small red onion sliced thinly
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 2 ripe pears sliced
- 1 cup seedless red grapes
- ¾ cup spiced pecans
- ½ cup goat cheese crumbled
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ⅓ cup exra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoon brown Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ground pepper to taste
Spiced Pecans:
- 1-½ cup pecans
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
For the Spiced Pecans:
- Toss the pecans with the maple syrup, olive oil, cinnamon, salt and cayenne. stir until the pecans are well coated with the syrupy spice mixture.
- Spread pecans onto the baking sheet in one even layer.
- Bake in oven for 8 min, then stir and bake for approximately 7 to 8 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool on sheet.
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, freshly squeezed orange juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let the vinaigrette cool to room temperature.
For the Salad:
- Wash the salad greens and fruit. Dry thoroughly.
- Place the salad greens in a large salad bowl.
- Top with sliced onions, grapes, pomegranate seeds, sliced pears and pecans. Add crumbled goat cheese and serve vinaigrette on the side.
- If you wish to serve the salad already dressed, toss the salad greens with some of the toppings, and then top the salad bowl with the rest. Crumble goat cheese on top of the salad only after tossing it.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December 2016. It has been updated.
Sean says
This is excellent. Made it to take to a Christmas dinner party and it was the hit of the table. Several request to share the recipe and I've made it twice since.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
That's fantastic Sean, thanks so much for taking the time to write and let me know!
jetpackjacob says
This looks delicious!
C.M. says
This is such a beautiful looking salad.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thank you, I hope you give it a try!
Brina says
Great salad!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks Sabrina!
Louise Crosby says
What a gorgeous salad for this time of year! And it sounds delicious.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks so much Louise! I can't get enough of this salad!