This Apple Walnut Salad is the ultimate salad for fall! Loaded with fresh apples, crisp cucumber, crunchy walnuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, gorgonzola cheese, and sweet honey poppy seed dressing… this salad is the perfect balance of savory, sweet, crunchy, and SO delicious!
Forget about apple sauce… I’ll take apple salad. All day, every day! And if you’ve followed my recipes for a while now, you know this to be true. I LOVE a good apple salad, from Apple Brie Salad to Apple Wedge Salad to Apple Pecan Salad… and this Apple Walnut Salad is right up there with the best of them.
I love the delicious combination of flavors and textures… the sweet, crunchy apples, the creamy gorgonzola cheese, the crisp cucumbers, the sharp red onions. And when you add in the walnuts & pumpkin seeds, it really is the perfect salad for fall!
The other thing I love about it? All the ways you can make it your own. Like swapping in candied walnuts for an extra pop of sweetness or substituting feta or goat cheese for the gorgonzola. You could make it with pears instead of apples, substitute honey mustard for the vinaigrette, or add grilled chicken to make it a main dish. The possibilities truly are endless! And ALL truly delicious.
What You’ll Need For This Recipe
Mixed greens – I used 10 ounces mixed greens as the base of this recipe. Feel free to substitute spinach, romaine, arugula, or any of your favorite types of lettuce.
Apple – I added one large, chopped apple for sweetness and crunch. Wondering which type of apple to use? I used Gala, but any variety will work well.
Cucumber – I added sliced cucumbers for freshness and extra crunch. Use mini cucumbers, English cucumbers, or regular garden cucumbers.
Gorgonzola – Gorgonzola cheese adds delicious flavor and creamy texture to the salad. Substitute feta, goat cheese, parmesan, or any of your favorites.
Walnuts – Chopped walnuts add a hearty, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients in the salad. Substitute candied walnuts for extra sweetness.
Red onion – I added chopped red onion as a nice contrast to the other flavors. Sliced green onion would also work well.
Pumpkin seeds – Pumpkin seeds add flavor and crunch. I used pumpkin spice flavored pumpkin seeds, but salty/savory varieties are delicious, too.
Vinaigrette – Homemade honey poppy seed vinaigrette is the perfect finishing touch. Use any type of vinaigrette or dressing (see ideas below.)
How To Make Apple Walnut Salad
Prep the ingredients. Chop the apples, cucumbers, and red onion.
Arrange in a salad bowl. Arrange the mixed greens in a large salad bowl. Top with remaining ingredients.
Add dressing & toss. Add dressing as desired; toss to coat.
Recipe Variations
- Use any of your favorite types of lettuce
- Add or substitute sliced pears
- Substitute green onions for red onions
- Use any variety of apple (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious would all work well)
- Substitute feta or goat cheese for gorgonzola
- Substitute candied walnuts, candied pecans, or any of your favorite nuts
- Add cooked, crumbled bacon or grilled chicken
- Substitute apple cider vinaigrette, honey mustard dressing, or balsamic vinaigrette
Pro Tips
Start with fresh greens. I love using a 50/50 spring mix spinach blend, but you can use whatever you like best. Spinach, romaine, or spring mix are some of my favorites.
Variety is key! Use a variety of colors, textures, flavors, sizes, and shapes to make your salad both beautiful and delicious.
Presentation is everything. Think about the best way to arrange your salad to make it visually appealing. Alternate colors if you can, and wait to toss it all together until it is ready to be served.
Remember: some things are best left until the last minute. In the case of this salad, I always wait until the last minute to chop the apples and add the dressing. This helps to avoid browning or wilting and makes for the most delicious salad ever!
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This salad is the kind of salad that I just adore! So many great colors, and all of those great textures.
I would eat the heck out of this salad for every meal! This is my total jam right here! And it’s been in the high 90s in San Diego earlier this week and has cooled off to a nippy low 80s now. This is our hottest time of the year. I cannot imagine turning on a heater and getting ready for winter….stay warm!
This looks so good especially with the addition of pumpkin spice pumpkin seeds!! We tend to forget about salads after summer but I can see this one staying around all year!
I love this combo! The perfect fall salad!
This looks like the perfect fall salad!
What a perfect salad for fall time! 🙂
Such a delicious fall salad! I love trying new combos…this looks like a winner to me!
This is calling my name! I just need a fork!