This pear salad is a delicious fresh pear salad recipe that is perfect for fall, winter and a great all year-round salad and perfect for entertaining too. Fresh salad greens of your choice tossed and topped with fresh, crisp sliced or chopped pears, toasted or candied walnuts, pomegranate arils or cranberries, gorgonzola cheese or feta, shallots, and finally drizzled with a quick and easy vinaigrette. The sweetness of the pears goes so well with the salty tangy sharpness of the gorgonzola/blue cheese, along with the fresh greens and delicious dressing – a classic pairing that we love and hope you do too!
Pear Salad Recipe Ingredients
- LETTUCE GREENS: You can literally use whatever salad mixed greens you like – use Romaine lettuce, spring mix, red leaf lettuce, baby spinach or baby kale, arugula or do a blend of a few.
- PEARS: I love to use any variety of pears like Bartlett pears, Anjou pears, Bosch pears or any type of pears you like or have on hand. I like my pears thinly sliced but feel free to chop them into chunks – whatever your personal preference is. Fresh pears are best although if you don’t have any fresh pears canned pears can be used in a pinch, drained and sliced or chopped.
- LEMON JUICE: Just a couple of squeezes is all you need to keep the pears looking fresh and help prevent them from browning too quickly.
- WALNUTS: Plain toasted walnuts go so well with this salad combination. Feel free to use candied or caramelized walnuts or use any nut you prefer like chopped almonds, chopped pecans or chopped hazelnuts.
- POMEGRANATE ARILS/SEEDS: I love the fresh pop of tart and sweet flavor these add to the salad but you can swap them out for dried cranberries or any other dried fruit like dried cherries or even raisins or raisins
- PUMPKIN SEEDS: Pumpkin seeds add the perfect crunch to the salad – but can be substituted with sunflower seeds, sliced almonds or other chopped nuts. I like to use toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds but that is optional.
- SHALLOT: I think it’s a must to add to the salad but you can substitute with red onion if you prefer or even green onions
- BLUE CHEESE: I love the flavour of blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese with pears. It’s creamy, full flavoured, salty and earthy. But if those cheeses aren’t your fav I recommend using crumbled feta cheese, goat cheese grated parmesan cheese or even grated cheddar cheese
- Optional Add Ins: Feel free to add extra veggies like red bell pepper, cucumbers, chopped celery, sliced avocado or even broccoli. You can even add in some protein to the salad like adding some chickpeas, or leftover roasted or grilled chicken. Feel Free to add toasted or caramelized pecans or candied walnuts. Another great add in is cooked crumbled bacon.
- For the Dressing or Vinaigrette: You will need extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, garlic (fresh and grated or granulated), and salt and pepper to taste. This combination makes for a delicious dressing. Ofcourse you can swap out the white wine vinegar for balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, the maple syrup for honey and dijon mustard for prepared mustard too – switch things up according to taste
How to Make This Delicious Pear and Walnut Salad (full instructions in recipe card) :
- Make Salad Dressing: Whisk all the Dressing ingredients together in a bowl or shake in a jar. We want to make the dressing first so it has time to chill and the flavors to marry
- Prepare All Salad Ingredients: Toast and chop nuts, slice shallots, wash dry and slice pears in half, remove seeds and slice pear halves into thin slices or chopped into cubes/chunks. Squeeze a little lemon juice over them and toss to coat.
- Assemble: Toss Salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Drizzle and toss salad with dressing if you are eating it right away or serve salad with dressing on the side.
Pear Salad Storage & Make Ahead
- STORAGE: Undressed salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days
- MAKE AHEAD: You can make the the dressing, up to a day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
More Salads You Will Love
