Apple Walnut Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette (Ready in 30 Minutes)
This apple walnut salad with white balsamic vinaigrette turns a handful of everyday ingredients into a dish sturdy enough to serve as dinner. Peppery arugula, tart apple slices, sharp blue cheese, and honey-cinnamon walnuts get pulled together with a vinaigrette made from white balsamic vinegar instead of the dark kind, so the dressing stays light in color and doesn't turn the apples brown-tinged the way regular balsamic can. Start to finish, this apple walnut salad recipe comes together in about 30 minutes, most of it hands-off while the walnuts toast.
What sets this apple walnut salad with white balsamic vinaigrette apart from a basic apple salad is the pairing of textures: crisp apple, crumbly blue cheese, sticky-sweet candied walnuts, and soft arugula leaves, all pulled together by a vinaigrette that balances sweet honey against sharp Dijon and garlic. Nothing here needs a special trip to the store, and nothing needs more than a sheet pan and a couple of bowls.
Serve it as a light dinner for two or a side for four, alongside something simple like roast chicken or grilled pork.
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Why You'll Love This Apple Walnut Salad
- An easy apple walnut salad ready in about 30 minutes, most of it unattended oven time for the walnuts
- This apple walnut salad with white balsamic vinaigrette keeps its apple slices from browning as fast as they would with a plain vinegar dressing
- The apple walnut salad blue cheese pairing works because a milder cheese would get lost next to the vinaigrette and candied walnuts
- Works as a light main course or a substantial side, just by adjusting how much you serve
Key Ingredients
See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
- Arugula. Its peppery bite is what keeps this salad from tasting sweet. Arugula also happens to be one of the easiest greens to grow from seed, and it does best in the cooler weeks of spring or fall, which is part of why it shows up so often in fall-leaning salads like this one.
- White balsamic vinegar. Regular balsamic is darker and sweeter, and it will tint the apple slices and dull the arugula's green. The right dressing for apple walnut salad needs to balance sweet and tart, and white balsamic keeps the vinaigrette clear while letting the honey and Dijon come through without competing with a heavy vinegar flavor. For more dressing ideas built the same way, the yogurt-based marinades and dressings collection and the homemade condiments roundup both start from the same sweet-tart balance.
- Tart apples. A tart variety, like Granny Smith, holds its crunch against the dressing and balances the sweetness of the honey and candied walnuts. A softer, sweeter apple will turn mushy faster once dressed.
- Blue cheese. This is the ingredient that makes the apple walnut salad blue cheese combination taste like more than the sum of its parts. A milder cheese will get lost next to the vinaigrette and walnuts.
- Red onion. Raw red onion can be sharp enough to take over a bite. Soak the sliced onion in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes, then pat it dry before adding it to the bowl. It mellows the bite without losing the color or crunch.
How to Make Apple Walnut Salad
In a small bowl, toss the walnuts with the honey and cinnamon until evenly coated. Arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
While the walnuts toast, make the vinaigrette: combine the white balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic in a small glass bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Taste and adjust the other flavors as desired. Set aside.
Add the sliced apples to a large salad bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss until well coated. Add the arugula, seasoned walnuts, red onion slices, and blue cheese, and gently toss to combine.
Drizzle the salad with a little vinaigrette right before serving and toss to combine. Serve immediately with the remaining dressing on the side.
Serving Suggestions
This apple walnut salad with white balsamic vinaigrette works well next to roast chicken, grilled pork tenderloin, or a warm loaf of crusty bread for a heartier meal. It also holds its own as a starter before something rich, like a baked pasta or a casserole. For an easy apple walnut salad on a weeknight, all the parts can be prepped ahead and tossed together in five minutes.
For more salads that double as dinner, the chopped chicken salad, the asian sesame chicken salad, and the asian cabbage salad all follow the same build-a-bowl approach.
Recipe FAQs
Vinaigrette that balances sweetness and acidity works best, since the apples and candied walnuts are already sweet. White balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic, whisked with olive oil, give enough tang to cut through the sweetness without overpowering the arugula.
The vinaigrette and candied walnuts can be made up to three days ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator. Keep the vinaigrette in a sealed jar and the walnuts in an airtight container at room temperature so they stay crisp. Wait to slice the apples and toss the whole salad together until just before serving.
Toss the apple slices in lemon juice as soon as they're cut, exactly as the recipe directs. The acid slows browning long enough to get the salad assembled and dressed.
Store undressed salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a day. Once the vinaigrette is added, the arugula wilts and the apples soften, so leftovers are best eaten the same day they're dressed.
A tangy goat cheese is the closest substitute if blue cheese isn't for you. Feta will work in a pinch, but it changes the flavor more than goat cheese does.
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Apple Walnut Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (Silpat)
- Small glass or ceramic bowl, for whisking the vinaigrette
- Whisk
- Large salad bowl
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 4 cups arugula rinsed and patted dry
- 6 ounces walnuts chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey preferably local
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large tart apples cut in half, core removed, and cut into thin slices
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ small red onion sliced thin
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbled
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
For Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey preferably local
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, toss walnuts with honey and cinnamon until evenly coated. Arrange walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat™ baking mat.
- Place baking sheet in pre-heated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- While the walnuts are toasting, prepare the vinaigrette by combining the white balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic in a small glass bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Taste and adjust other flavors, as desired. Set aside.
- Add sliced apples to large salad bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss until well coated. Add arugula, seasoned walnuts, red onion slices, and blue cheese to bowl and gently toss to combine.
- Drizzle salad with a little vinaigrette right before serving and toss to combine. Serve immediately with remaining dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tip: to remove the sharp taste from red onion, place the slices in a small bowl filled with cold water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry before serving.
- The vinaigrette and candied walnuts can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored separately (vinaigrette in a sealed jar in the fridge, walnuts in an airtight container at room temperature). Slice the apples and assemble the salad just before serving so the arugula doesn't wilt and the apples don't brown.
- Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary with the specific ingredients used.
