Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad with Ginger Dressing
This gorgeous green salad recipe is bursting with fresh pomegranate, Bartlett pear and Honeycrisp apple! This salad will brighten up your holiday table.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
I can’t take my eyes off this salad! The concept came to me as I was improvising a big green salad for Friendsgiving this year. Salads are often overlooked at the holidays, so I set out to make a festive red-and-green showstopper.
I knew I wanted to incorporate ruby-red pomegranate arils and fresh pear, since they’re both so delicious this time of year. I added Honeycrisp apple, goat cheese and pecans for good measure.
To make the dressing taste festive and cut through the sweetness of the fruit, I added fresh ginger to my basic apple cider vinaigrette. Believe me, this salad tastes as good as it looks.
This salad might look fancy, but it’s simple to put together. You’ll want to pay extra attention to how you prepare the ingredients, so I’ve typed up some tips below. If you’re craving some greens to get you through the holidays, or already working on your holiday menu, this salad is for you!
Watch How to Make Pomegranate & Pear Salad
Salad Preparation Tips
Apple and pear: Slice straight down about 1/2″ from the core. Repeat on the remaining three sides, and discard the core. With the flat sides lying flat against the cutting board, cut them into very thin slices, keeping the pieces together as best you can. Then, fan out the slices into sections and place them around the salad as shown.
Pomegranate: There are a bunch of different ways to remove the arils from a pomegranate, but I usually do it like this.
Goat cheese: You can easily crumble cold goat cheese with a fork into a bowl. You’ll need half of a standard log of goat cheese for this recipe.
Pecans: Freshly toasted nuts offer tons of flavor, so that’s why I recommend buying raw nuts and toasting them as needed. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference, and your nuts will stay fresher longer this way.
Dressing: Simply whisk it all together! You can make the dressing a day or two in advance, if you’d like.
To serve: This salad really makes a statement when it’s spread across a big serving platter like mine (affiliate link). I usually recommend tossing your salad before serving, but this one is prettier if you simply drizzle dressing lightly all over it and let guests take their portions from there.
Watch How to Make This Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad
Please let me know how this salad turns out for you in the comments! I hope it makes an appearance at your holiday table, if not sooner.
Craving more cold-weather salads? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Arugula Salad with Sunshine Dressing
- Roasted & Raw Carrot Salad with Avocado
- Greek Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
- Vibrant Orange & Arugula Salad
Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad with Ginger Dressing
This gorgeous green salad recipe is bursting with fresh pomegranate, Bartlett pear and Honeycrisp apple! This salad will brighten up your holiday table, and liven up a regular weeknight dinner. Recipe yields 4 to 6 side salads.
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw pecans (halves or pieces)
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 2 ounces (about ½ cup) goat cheese or feta, crumbled
- 1 large ripe Bartlett pear, thinly sliced
- 1 Honeycrisp or Gala apple, thinly sliced
- Arils from 1 pomegranate
Ginger dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- About 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To toast the pecans, place them in a skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring often, until they’re fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pecans from the heat and roughly chop them (no need to chop if you started with pecan pieces). Set aside.
- Arrange the arugula across a large serving platter (or bowl, but the salad looks prettiest on a platter). Sprinkle the chopped pecans and crumbled goat cheese over the arugula. Fan out your slices of pear and apple and arrange them across the salad in sections (see photos). Sprinkle all over with fresh pomegranate arils.
- To prepare the dressing, combine all of the ingredients and whisk until blended. Taste, and if it isn’t quite zippy enough, add another teaspoon of vinegar.
- Wait to dress the salad until you’re ready to serve (the dressing will wilt the greens over time). When you’re ready, drizzle the ginger dressing lightly all over the salad (you might not need all of it). Serve promptly.
Notes
Dressing adapted from the liquid gold salad dressing in my cookbook, Love Real Food.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Simply omit the goat cheese. Vegans, be sure to use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it nut free: Substitute pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) for the pecans.
Prepare in advance: You could prepare the salad dressing, and arrange the arugula, pecans, goat cheese and pomegranate up to 1 day in advance. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Slice and arrange the apple and pear just before serving, since they turn brown over time.
Storage suggestions: This salad is best served promptly. If you know you’ll have leftovers, dress individual servings as needed and store the salad and dressing separately. Leftover dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This is a very fancy salad, we’re made it several times when we’ve had company. It’s appearance gets a lot of positive comments. I don’t think that there has been a single person who has eaten this that has not asked for the recipe, it’s so good. Our daughter has twice passed on dessert and has just finished whatever salad has been left over.
Great to hear, Brian! Thank you for your review.
Thanks ❤️
This recipe is delicious…
I’m glad you loved it, Linda!
We make this salad quite often, love it. Looks much better when served on a platter. Goes great with salmon. Prefer goat cheese over feta.
LOVE this salad! I omited the pecans and used feta instead of goat cheese. I added extra apple cider vinegar and it was perfect for us. Goes great with my cranberry stuffed pork loin and yellow potatoes.
Me this for a Friendsgiving dinner tonight and not a single pomegranate aril was left over. Got many compliments, saving this recipe for future reference. Thank you!
Could I substitute blue cheese for goat? Not sure if the ginger would compliment or clash?!?
I wouldn’t recommend blue cheese here. You could omit or parmesan or feta could work.
This salad was a big hit at our Friendsgiving table! Everyone loved it!! Thanks for all the great tips and tricks with making this…I really enjoyed the process and LOVE this recipe!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Maggie. I appreciate your review!
This looks great but I am not the biggest fan of arugula. Would other greens work?
Sure! Let me know what you try and what you think.
OMG! The tastiest fall salad that was beautiful to look at. Made it for Thanksgiving dinner and it was so, so good. I ate the leftovers for breakfast this morning. As a side note, the pear and apple did not turn brown overnight like I thought they would. Stayed bright looking and crisp – thinking it was the dressing that kept them fresh but not really sure.
I NEED to make it again because I am already craving more.
I’m so glad you loved it, Karen! I appreciate your review.
love this recipe! It is my go to salad recipe when entertaining. Only adjustment I made was caramelizing the pecans a bit.
I’m glad you love it, Judy! Thank you for sharing.
My first pomegranate experience. I made this for Day-after Thanksgiving. It was great! Light and colorful with great flavors. Even the pickier children enjoyed it. The dressing was especially a big hit. I used the recommended pomegranate prep info which was invaluable. I’ve already passed on the recipe! Kudos for a beautiful tasty salad.
OMG. Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! My husband loved it too. When I told him I had forgotten to get the cheese at the store today he said, it would be even better with some cheese in it. But don’t let not having the cheese on hand stop you from making this amazing salad. Thanks Kate!
I’m delighted to hear it was a hit, Ora! Thank you for your review.
The best salad ever. I made it for a memorial for my mom. I now use the dressing all the time on any salad! Easy salad for a big group. I just had everything on the side! If pears or pomegranate are not in season… choose something else!
My mom-in-love (law) sent me this recipe and I made it for 13 guests last night, they all want the recipe. It is delicious! And very festive & pretty. I used apple cinnamon goat cheese, it was yummy!
Great to hear, Kathy! Thank you for your review.
I LOVE this salad! I make it for Thanksgiving, Christmas and in between! It’s so easy to fix
and so beautiful, guests ooo & ahhhh over the presentation. I would eat this salad the next day after serving it, but there’s never anything leftover!
I love it so much that I freeze pomegranate
arils so I can eat this all winter long!
Thanks for this delicious recipe!
I’m delighted you enjoy it, Colleen! I appreciate your review.
What a superb mix of flavors! I was a hit at Christmas lunch with this salad, as someone who never cooks, I received many compliments and have saved it to my favourites thank you!!
You’re welcome, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Just ate the Pomegranate and Pear salad it was sooooo delicious!! I’ve tried many of your recipes and have absolutely loved them all! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Shauna!
What is the calories per cup serving
Hi! The nutrition information is below the notes section of the recipe.
Thanks ❤️
What a beautiful recipe to bring to a dinner as a guest. All the flavours blend in beautifully. It was enjoyed by all and the dressing was the perfect accompaniement.
I’m going to make this for company. Sounds perfect, but we’re not fans of goat cheese. Feta? Bleu cheese crumbles? Something tells me either of those might work.
Thank you for a super pretty and simple but elegant salad!!
Sure, feta could be a good option!
Hi, I would like to make this salad however my hubby hates ginger. Can I omit the ginger or is there another salad dressing that you would recommend? Thank you…
You could try How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) one of these. Let me know what you think!
Looks delicious. What can I substitute if I can’t find fresh pomegranate?
Maybe raspberries?
Wen I store the dressing for more salad throughout the week the oil separates from the rest and becomes very thick. Any suggestions? Just add a splash of water?
Loved it! Pretty and delicious!
Thank you for your review, Shirley!
What is the best way to prevent the pear and apple slices in this salad from turning brown if I don’t plan to dress it right away? (I’m bringing it to a party and will have the platter all prepared ahead of time and put the dressing on at the last minute.) A little lemon juice on the slices?
I would weight to slice the fruit until you are ready to serve. Or, you can try a little lemon juice.
I made a lemon water bath. Soaked the apple slices in a bath of about a cup of water with the juice of a lemon and they didn’t turn brown I tried the same with the pear slices and the results were not as good.
I have made this salad many times, usually for company or to take to a group dinner. It is as tasty as it is beautiful. I always serve it on a big platter. I always get compliments too.
Thank you for sharing, Carole! I appreciate your review.
Made this for Thanksgiving. Was so lovely and light and perfect for our Thanksgiving dinner. Would do goat cheese next time. The dressing is WONDERFUL.
This is my new holiday salad! It is absolutely delicious! It’s gorgeous, too! I believe the dressing would make shoe leather taste good! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome, Pam! I appreciate your review.
Made this with feta for Thanksgiving and I’ve already had it again in the week since.. absolutely incredible
I made this and it’s so delicious! Omg I could have just eaten this for dinner! I love the combination of flavors. Next time I’m going to make more dressing because it’s so good and it can be used on other salads too. I also made your candied pecans recipe for this and I wouldn’t go any other way. They are delicious as a snack and on salads such as this one. Love love love!!
Thank you, Marisa!
Made this for Thanksgiving – many compliments. and I’ve made it multiple times since, just for my husband and me on a weeknight. It looks fancy but really not hard at all to put together. I used your lemon vinaigrette salad dressing instead of the one written here. Just my personal preference. The lemon was so good. And I think the lemon juice kept the fruit from turning brown.
Great to hear, Sarah! I appreciate your review.
Made this salad for Christmas Eve dinner. It is very simple, beautiful and delicious. I completely forgot about the pecans, but that did not compromise the flavor at all. It was enjoyed by everyone. Highly reccommend this salad!
Great to hear, Brenda!
This was beautiful and delicious! A big hit at dinner.
Made this beautiful salad for Christmas Day.So simple to make, looks amazing and it is delicious.
GREAT recipe! I’ve made this a few times now, most recently for a large family & friends Christmas gathering. Huge hit with everyone, and the colors and presentation are beautiful! So glad I found this wonderful recipe, Kate.
TOP TIP: if serving a crowd, build your salad in layers and let guests dress their own serving. It is nearly impossible to dress and toss a salad when serving a large volume!
This was a big hit at our elegant NYE party last night! I added 2 T Ginger Syrup to the dressing. Lovely combo of flavors! So fresh and so pretty too!
Great to hear, Linda!
I never leave comments on recipes, however I just had to for this exceptional salad. I made this for a New Year’s Eve potluck dinner and everyone raved about it. I happened to have a really good blue cheese and I used that instead of goat or feta. I also used some mixed greens in with the arugula and that worked out fine as well. The salad dressing is amazing and different and coats the greens beautifully. And the presentation is so beautiful. I will definitely make this again.
I love to hear that, Katie! Thank you for takin the time to review.
This was an Easter hit served with almond crusted pork loin, spicy apple chutney, fennel and potato gratin, lemon roasted asparagus and home made dinner rolls. The only change I made was to add some chopped candied pecans. Absolutely stellar!
That’s great to hear, Martiey!
This is easily one of the best salads I have ever made at home and trumps most I’ve eaten in a restaurant. Incredible!! The flavors are a match in Heaven. Love love love it!! Thank you for sharing. I will be using this recipe for as long as I’m lucky enough to be 6′ up!
Love this salad! Only thing I did differently is dice apple and pear so it tossed better. Took to a dinner where the entree was a vegetable curry and it went well. And it is beautiful.
I made this recipe for a begining ing of holiday season tea with girls friends. It is an annual thing for us. Everyone gets super busy so we have a wonderfully easy afternoon before the season starts. The only difference was I used brie because everyone likes it. I also made individual salads on pretty square plates. They were beautiful and all wants the recipe. All have agreed on grilled chicken or salmon and this salad for our next get together. Thanks for this recipe.
Thank you for your review, Chrismar! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
I’m looking forward to making this salad for a friends giving potluck. Could i sub pears with persimmons?
You could try it, Ru. Let me know what you think!
You are becoming a household name in my home. Absolutely absolutely loved this recipe just like I do all your recipes.
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and EVERYONE asked for the recipe. Making it again this year!
This is my Christmas brunch salad – every year! I serve it with a caramelized onion & swiss cheese quiche and bacon. Just the best meal ever! Thank you Kate <3
Made this for family Thanksgiving dinner and every last bit disappeared. Thanks for a fantastic recipe that will be on “repeat” often at our house.
I made this salad with feta cheese to serve with Thanksgiving dinner since I had a few vegetarians attending and didn’t want to serve the same old basic garden salad. Everyone ( even 1 that doesn’t normally like ginger) loved and raved about how good it tasted. This will be a new favorite in my recipe collection. The presentation of it is just so beautiful that you almost don’t want to ruin it. ALMOST
Hi Kate. I wanted to tell you that I made this salad two years ago for a ladies’ dinner and it received rave reviews. And the presentation is absolutely spectacular! It makes me look like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen!! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I will be making it again this year for a ladies’ Christmas luncheon.
You’re welcome, Phyllis!
This salad is a gorgeous Holiday Salad, and the dressing is so yummy! I’ve been cooking from Cookie & Kate online recipes for years and just discovered the cookbook–which I just purchased. So many great recipes!
Everyone raved about the salad and asked for the recipe!
I made this for Christmas and two dinner parties since. Everybody loved it and it is so easy.
Amazing salad and dressing!! I’ve made it several times and everyone loves it.