Sweet and Savoury Pursuits

  • Recipe Index
    • Starters and Snacks
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Mains
    • Loaves, Muffins and Scones
    • Bars and Cookies
    • Cakes
    • More Sweet Things
    • Drinks
    • Holiday Favourites
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
    • Starters and Snacks
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Mains
    • Loaves, Muffins and Scones
    • Bars and Cookies
    • Cakes
    • More Sweet Things
    • Drinks
    • Holiday Favourites
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
    • Starters and Snacks
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Mains
    • Loaves, Muffins and Scones
    • Bars and Cookies
    • Cakes
    • More Sweet Things
    • Drinks
    • Holiday Favourites
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

×
Home » Recipe Index » Salads

Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad

Published: Nov 26, 2018 · Modified: Jan 22, 2025 by Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

↓ Jump to Recipe

This easy recipe for a healthy and flavorful Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad combines sweet and savory ingredients and is proof that simple can be delicious.

Bowl of Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad with Pumpkin Seeds served with Apple Cider Vinaigrette on the side.

Whether it's for a small family dinner or a large feast, you can impress your guests with this easy and light spinach salad. Perfect as a starter or a side dish to your Thanksgiving (or any) dinner, this simple Spinach, Apple and Cranberry Salad dressed with an apple cider vinaigrette comes together quickly. 

This salad demonstrates that all it takes are a few basic pantry ingredients and a couple of fresh seasonal ingredients to make flavourful salads that aren't boring.

Large Bowl of Spinach Salad topped with apples, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and goat cheese.
Jump to:
  • How to Make it
  • Ingredients Overview:
  • How to Make an Apple Cider Vinaigrette
  • Ingredients Overview
  • Steps Overview
  • More Delicious Fall Recipes
  • Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad Recipe

How to Make it

This healthy fresh spinach salad recipe puts together ingredients that complement each other by adding sweet and savoury elements of different textures and colours.

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this simple spinach salad. For ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card at the end of the post.

Ingredients Overview:

  • Baby spinach. Using baby spinach ensures tender leaves.
  • Green or red apples. Apples add freshness, sweetness and crunch.
  • Red onion, just a bit adds a nice sharpness.
  • Dried cranberries. I prefer to use sweetened cranberries but you can use unsweetened. The cranberries add vibrant colour and makes the salad look festive. If you don't like cranberries, pomegranate seeds would also be delicious in this autumn salad.
  • Toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Pecans or walnuts would also work. Toasting the seeds and nuts makes them crunchier and helps bring out their flavour. Make sure to let them cool to room temperature before adding them to the salad.
  • Goat cheese or Feta cheese, to add tanginess and creaminess.

How to Make an Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Dressing the salad with an easy homemade vinaigrette will ensure a fresher, healthier and tastier salad.

Ingredients Overview

  • Extra-virgin olive oil. For a tastier dressing, use a good quality olive oil.
  • Apple cider vinegar. If not available, balsamic vinegar is also delicious in this dressing.
  • Maple syrup or honey.
  • Salt and pepper.
  • If you wish, you could add a touch of Dijon mustard and half a small clove of garlic (minced).

Steps Overview

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a jar, seal it and give it a good shake.
  2. When ready to serve the salad, add dressing and toss salad. Alternatively, you can serve the dressing on the side.
  3. Store leftover salad dressing in the refrigerator.
Small bowl of spinach salad with apple, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

As you can see, you can make a company-worthy healthy and delicious salad with only a few basic ingredients.

If you're looking for more spinach salad recipes, this Spinach and Clementine Salad pairs baby spinach with juicy clementines and crunchy almonds and is perfect for the holiday season.

If you're looking for a spinach salad that is more summery, both this Strawberry Spinach Salad and Blueberry Spinach Salad are especially delicious when fresh local strawberries and blueberries are in season.

And if you need more salad inspiration, the combination of flavours, colours and textures in this Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing and in this Pomegranate, Pear and Pecan Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette makes both of these stunning salads absolutely delicious!

More Delicious Fall Recipes

  • Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
  • Easy Spanakopita
  • One Pan Roast Chicken
  • Easy Roast Turkey with Gravy
  • Pear and Blueberry Crumble
Top view of spinach, apple and cranberry salad.

Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad Recipe

Author: Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits
This easy recipe for a flavourful Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad combines basic sweet and savoury ingredients and is proof that simple can be delicious.
4.78 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Salad
Cuisine Western
Servings 6
Calories 222 kcal

Ingredients
  

Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad

  • 6 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
  • 1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced or 2 small apples
  • ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • ¾ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
  • ⅓ cup goat cheese, crumbled

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the washed and dried spinach to a salad bowl and top with sliced apples, sliced red onion, cranberries, pepitas and goat cheese.
  • Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a small mason jar and give it a good shake. If not using immediately store it in the refrigerator.
  • Add about half of the dressing and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately with more salad dressing on the side.

Notes

  1. To toast pepitas (pumpkin seeds), add them to a dry skillet over medium heat, stir occasionally for 4 to 5 minutes. They will start to pop as they toast. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Remove the pan from heat, pour the seeds into a bowl to let them cool. Don't allow them to cool in the hot pan because the residual heat may burn them. 

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 72mgPotassium: 258mgFiber: 2gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 2960IUVitamin C: 10.1mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 1.6mg
Keyword Apple Salad, Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad, Spinach Fall Salad, Spinach Salad
Tried this recipe? Have any questions, comments or suggestions? Leave a comment below!Mention @sweetandsavourypursuits or tag #sweetandsavourypursuits!

More Category: Salads

  • Bowl of chickpea and broccoli salad topped with feta cheese.
    Chickpea Broccoli Salad
  • Top view of Fattoush (Pita bread) salad
    Fattoush Salad
  • Bowl of blueberry spinach salad topped with pecans, goat cheese and red onion.
    Blueberry Spinach Salad
  • Bowl of cucumber, yogurt and mint salad.
    Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad (Khyar Bi Laban)
4.78 from 9 votes (9 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Logo for website.

Welcome!

Welcome to Sweet and Savoury Pursuits, a food blog focused on mostly easy-to-make, made-from-scratch recipes. Here you'll discover dishes for both busy weeknights and leisurely weekend cooking.

More about me

Popular

  • Oatmeal date cookies on white dish.
    Oatmeal Date Cookies

  • Bowl of tomato orzo soup.
    Tomato Orzo Soup

  • Grilled beef Kafta kebabs.
    Kafta Kebabs

  • Maple spiced walnuts on board.
    Maple Spiced Walnuts

In Season

  • Large mug of creamy asparagus soup.
    Healthy Asparagus Soup

  • Plate of roasted beet and orange salad served with citrus vinaigrette.
    Roasted Beet and Orange Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

  • Irish scone topped with butter and berry jam on small dish.
    Irish Scones

  • Top view of lemon loaf cake.
    Glazed Lemon Loaf Cake

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About

Privacy Policy

Sweet and Savoury Pursuits is a personal blog owned, written, and edited by Fida Abou-Nassif. It is based on personal opinions and all content is my own, unless otherwise stated. Compliance with applicable privacy legislation is important to us. Read our full privacy policy.

Disclaimer

All copyright laws are applicable on this blog and its contents. If you would like to use my pictures to promote my recipe or website in general you may do so by sharing one photograph and a link to my original post. Re-publishing a recipe in its entirety is forbidden.

Newsletter



Contact

Thank you for visiting Sweet and Savoury Pursuits.

If you have any questions or comments, please send an email to [email protected]

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Sweet and Savoury Pursuits

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.