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Home » Quick Salad Recipes

Apple Pecan Salad & Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

Made by Anastasia Papapetros - Serves 4 Filed Under: Best Winter Salads, Green Salad Recipes, Quick Salad Recipes, Salad Index, Salad Recipes By Ingredient, Salads by Diet, Salads by Season, Salads with Cheese, Salads with Fruit, Vegetarian Salads

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Apple Pecan Salad will be your easy go-to salad during autumn, juicy, crisp apples, greens smothered in a decadently creamy orange poppy seed dressing and voila, you will have magic on a plate!

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PORTRAIT CLOSE UP OF APPLE PECAN SALAD

Such an easy salad to put together and more than likely you will have most of the ingredients in your autumn pantry already- greens, apples, pecans and red onions.

In This Post:
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  1. Ingredients & Substitutions
  2. Step by Step Instructions
  3. Serving Suggestions
  4. Tips and Questions
  5. Some More Leaf Salad Recipes
  6. Recipe Card

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Apples - You can use any apples that take your fancy. I have used crisp tart Granny smith apples and oh so sweet red delicious.
  • Greens - Use anything from baby spinach, peppery rocket, shredded silverbeet, or massaged kale instead of the mixed salad greens that I have used here.
  • Pecans - add a nice buttery crunch to this salad. But feel free to use any nuts that you have to hand, such as walnuts, almonds, or even some hazelnuts, which would be good here.
  • Red Onion - for its colour and sweetness in this salad, you can leave it out completely or use a small French shallot instead.
  • The Dressing - This salad is brought together with this creamy, crunchy poppy seed dressing made healthy by the use of Greek yoghurt instead of mayonnaise. It is thin so if you prefer it a little thicker just add another 2 tbsps of Greek yoghurt just add the dressing gradually so that you don’t drown your salad.
  • For a Simpler Dressing try - try maple dressing, in a glass jar add 3 tbsps oil, 3 tbsps apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar or white balsamic) 1 tbsps maple syrup, season and shake until combined. 
LABELLED INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE APPLE PECAN SALAD

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1 - Prepare Ingredients

Wash your apples and remove the core with an apple corer.

CORING RED AND GREEN APPLES WITH AN APPLE CORER ON A WOODEN BOARD

Slice you apples thinly into half-moons either with a v-slicer or sharp knife.

THINLY SLICING RED AND GREEN APPLES USING A MANDOLINE SLICER

To prevent your apples from browning place them in salted water using one teaspoon of salt for every two cups of water for 10 minutes. You will be amazed at what a huge difference this will make.

APPLE SLICES SUBMERGED IN SALTED WATER TO STOP BROWNING

Wash the salad leaves under cold running water, remove any damaged or wilted leaves then, either pat or spin dry in a salad spinner to remove excess water.

WASHED MIXED LEAVES IN SALAD SPINNER

Remove the papery skin, tops and bottoms from your onion, rinse then cut into half-moons.

THINLY SLICING RED ONION ON WOODEN BOARD WITH RED KNIFE

Then strain your apples and pat dry.

STRAINING AND RINSING THIN APPLE SLICES

Step 2 - Whisk Your Dresssing

Place the yoghurt, orange juice and zest, apple cider vinegar, oil and poppy seeds in a small mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper and stir until the poppy seeds and zest are evenly distributed throughout.

STIRRING CREAMY POPPYSEED DRESSING

Step 3 - Assemble Your Salad

Place all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl (reserve 1-2 tbsps of pecans to use as a garnish), season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR APPLE PECAN SALAD IN A MIXING BOWL WITH DRESSING ON THE SIDE

Pour over your dressing and toss until everything has been well coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.

MIXING APPLE PECAN SALAD WITH CREAMY POPPYSEED DRESSING

Arrange in a salad bowl, scatter the reserved pecans on top and serve immediately.

Apple pecan salad in a white bold with gold cutlery on a dark grey board with apple slices on the side.

Serving Suggestions

We served ours with crackled pork rack but would also be great with roast chicken or turkey.

Tips and Questions

Can I Use a Different Type of Nut Instead of Pecans?

Yes, you can substitute pecans with walnuts, almonds, or macadamias all work well in this salad.

Can You Make Apple Pecan Salad in Advance?

  • While you can prepare this salad an hour or two (at the most) ahead do not pour the dressing over your salad until you are ready to serve otherwise it will become soggy.
  • You can easily make your dressing a day or two ahead and keep it in the fridge or why not make a double batch to use in other salads such as a kale salad or even coleslaw.

How Do I Store Leftover Salad?

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Even though the leaves would have wilted it will still taste fine for 2-3 days.

Can I Add Protein to Make It a Complete Meal?

Yes, consider adding grilled chicken, shrimp, or even tofu to the salad to make it a more substantial and protein-packed meal.

Some More Leaf Salad Recipes

MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH TURMERIC DRESSING IN A PINK BOWL WITH GOLD CUTLERY ON WHITE MARBLE BACKGROUND
MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH TURMERIC DRESSING
ARUGULA-SALAD-WITH-AVOCADO-&-PRESERVED-LEMON
ARUGULA SALAD WITH AVOCADO

MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH TURMERIC

ARUGULA SALAD WITH AVOCADO

Recipe Card

Apple pecan salad in a white bold with gold cutlery on a dark grey board with apple slices on the side.

Apple Pecan Salad

Apple Pecan Salad will be your easy go-to salad during autumn, juicy, crisp apples, greens smothered in a decadently creamy orange poppy seed dressing and voila – magic on a plate!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
* Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Easy
Servings: 4 as a side
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Anastasia Papapetros
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Equipment
  • Apple corer
  • Salad Spinner
Ingredients
For the salad…
  • 120 grams mixed leaves approximately 4 cups
  • 2 apples 1 used a granny smith and a red delicious
  • ½ red onion
  • ½ cup Pecans
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the creamy orange poppy seed dressing
  • ¼ cup Greek yoghurt
  • 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsps orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 tsps poppy seeds
Metric - Imperial
Instructions
  • Wash and core the apples, cut them into half-moons, place in a bowl of salted water (1 teaspoon for every 2 cups of water).
  • Wash your salad greens and either pat dry or spin in a salad spinner to remove the excess water.
  • Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl, season and mix to combine.
  • Drain your apples and pat dry then place all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl (reserve 1-2 tbsps of pecans for a garnish), season, pour over the dressing and toss until well combined.
  • Arrange in a salad bowl, scatter the reserved pecans on top to garnish and serve immediately.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @salads_with_anastasia or tag #salads_with_anastasia!

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About Anastasia Papapetros

Anastasia has been passionate about cooking since she was eight years old, and hasn't left the kitchen since! With over a decade of experience running her own coffee shop and catering business, Anastasia has developed a true love for salads - especially for family get-togethers and friends' functions. She's the go-to for bringing the perfect salad to any occasion!

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