Cranberry, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry-Apple Cider Dressing

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Simple Apple Cranberry Salad — All the flavors of Fall in one gorgeous, hearty, and healthy salad!! The easy, tart-and-sweet dressing is just bursting with flavor!!

overhead view of apple cranberry salad loaded with blue cheese, candied pecans, and diced apples.

Apple Cranberry Salad Recipe

Say hello to the flavors of fall in this fast, easy, and healthy dried cranberry salad that’s loaded with textures galore. There are sweet honey crisp apples, chewy orange-flavored dried cranberries, salty blue cheese, and crunchy candied pecans made with Fisher Pecan Halves.

I have a continued partnership with Fisher Nuts for the coming year so you’re in store for some fun recipes. Fisher is the only national brand of recipe nuts entirely without preservatives.

The apple cider vinegar salad dressing comes together in 30 seconds in the blender. It’s a tart-and-sweet blend of dried cranberries, apple cider vinegar, honey, and olive oil. So easy but packs so much flavor. It’s thick and coats the salad beautifully.

The salad is great for lunch, as a healthy and fast dinner, and would make a gorgeous side at holiday celebrations and parties.

overhead view of pecan apple cranberry salad with a spoon resting on top

Apple Cranberry Salad Ingredients

To make this apple salad with dried cranberries, you’ll need: 

  • Butter lettuce
  • Honey crisp apple
  • Orange-flavored dried cranberries
  • Blue cheese crumbles 
  • Candied Fisher pecans (tutorial linked in recipe card below) 
  • Apple cider vinegar 
  • Honey 
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper 

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

bag of Fisher Pecans laying on its side

How to Make an Apple Cranberry Salad 

This cranberry apple salad comes together quickly and can be served as a side salad, or you can add your choice of protein to turn it into an entree.

Here’s an overview of how the salad is made:

  1. Assemble the salad: To a large bowl, add the lettuce, and top with apples, cranberries, pecans, and cheese. Set aside.
  2. Make the cranberry salad dressing: To the canister of a blender, add all the apple cider vinegar salad dressing ingredients and blend on high power for about 30 seconds, or until combined.
  3. Taste dressing and make any necessary flavor adjustments before drizzling over the apple pecan salad. 
cranberry apple cider vinegar salad dressing in a glass jar with a salad in the background

Recipe FAQs

Can I Make the Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing in Advance? 

Yes! You can blend up the dressing in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Can I Use Different Toppings? 

You’re welcome to mix and match the toppings on this cranberry apple salad as you see fit. Play around with different kinds of candied nuts, apples, dried fruits, etc. 

Can I add a protein to this salad?

Of course! You can add shredded rotisserie chicken, baked chicken, grilled chicken, shrimp, leftover pork, you name it!

Can I Use a different salad dressing?

Sure thing! This dried cranberry and apple salad would also pair nicely with:
Strawberry Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Mediterranean Vinaigrette
Homemade Chimichurri Sauce
Balsamic Reduction and Glaze
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Apple Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese — All the flavors of fall in one gorgeous, hearty, and healthy salad!! The easy, tart-and-sweet dressing is just bursting with flavor!!

Tips for Making a Cranberry Apple Salad

When making the apple cider vinegar salad dressing, note that the cranberries won’t break down completely. Having some texture retained is okay.

Also, the exact amount of honey needed will vary based on how sweet or tart the cranberries are and on personal preference. I prefer less oil rather than more, but add to taste.

If you can’t find orange-flavored dried cranberries at your local grocery store, regular may be substituted. I found the orange-flavored ones at Trader Joe’s! 

Apple Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese — All the flavors of fall in one gorgeous, hearty, and healthy salad!! The easy, tart-and-sweet dressing is just bursting with flavor!!

What to Serve with an Apple Cranberry Salad

This side salad with dried cranberries and apple would pair nicely with one of the following entrees:

It would also make an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!

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4.60 from 5 votes

Cranberry, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry-Apple Cider Dressing

By Averie Sunshine
All the flavors of fall in one gorgeous, hearty, and healthy salad!! The easy, tart-and-sweet dressing is just bursting with flavor!!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2
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Ingredients  

Salad

  • 4 cups butter lettuce, romaine or your favorite blend of greens may be substituted
  • 1 cup honeycrisp apples, diced (from about 1 medium apple; Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, etc. may be substituted)
  • ¾ cup orange-flavored dried cranberries, regular dried cranberries may be substituted
  • ¾ cup candied Fisher pecans (use this recipe
  • ¾ cup blue cheese crumbles, gorgonzola or feta cheese may be substituted

Dressing

  • ½ cup orange-flavored dried cranberries, regular dried cranberries may be substituted
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons honey
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Instructions 

Salad:

  • To a large bowl, add the lettuce, and top with apples, cranberries, pecans, and cheese. Set aside.

Dressing:

  • To the canister of a blender, add all ingredients, and blend on high power for about 30 seconds, or until combined. The cranberries won’t break down completely and having some texture retained is okay. The amount of honey needed will vary based on how sweet or tart the cranberries are and on personal preference. I prefer less oil rather than more, but add to taste.
  • Taste dressing and make any necessary flavor adjustments (more salt, pepper, etc.).
  • Drizzle over salad and serve immediately.

Notes

  • All salad topping amounts are flexible, add more or less of each topping based on personal preferences.
  • Extra dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 521kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 26g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 561mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 41g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Fall Salad Recipes:

Apple, White Cheddar, and Spinach Salad with Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette — The flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy salad!

Apple, White Cheddar, and Spinach Salad with Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette - The flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy salad!

Roasted Squash Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette – A hearty, comforting, and satisfying salad that’s healthy and easy!

Roasted Winter Squash, Cranberry, and Almond Salad with Lemon Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette (vegan, GF) - A hearty & satisfying salad to help you stay healthy & on track!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad — Goodbye mayo-loaded, mushy, boring potato salad. Hello to a Mexican-inspired potato salad full of flavor and texture with corn, black beans, peppers, and cilantro!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad - Goodbye mayo-loaded, mushy, boring potato salad. Hello to a Mexican-inspired potato salad full of flavor and texture with corn, black beans, peppers, and cilantro!! (Great for outdoor events and lunchboxes because there's no mayo!)

Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Salad – All the flavors of classic spinach and artichoke dip are in this HEALTHY salad!! The only thing that’s missing is tons of fat and calories! FAST, EASY, naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and tastes DELISH!!

Roasted Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad – An EASY, healthy, lettuce-less salad with roasted curried cauliflower and chickpeas as the STARS!! Topped with raisins, pistachios, cilantro, and a DELISH tangy Greek yogurt dressing!!

Kale Caesar Salad with Fried Chickpeas — This isn’t a traditional Caesar salad and that’s what I love about it. I used kale rather than romaine and fried chickpeas instead of croutons.

Post is brought to you by Fisher. The recipe, image, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #ThinkFisher

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. I absolutely loved this salad, it has everything I love to eat, I have searched and tried so many recipes on Pinterest and Have been disappointed and left with expensive ingredients that I have to find ways to use up. However, this salad recipe has got to be the best of the best salad recipe’s I have tried.

  2. Estoy maravillada con tus recetas. Realmente reúnen todo lo que uno busca:
    Color, sabor, nutrición, variedad…felicidades!