Pear Pomegranate Salad combines mixed greens, candied pecans, pears, pomegranates, dried cranberries, and feta. Top with raspberry poppy seed dressing and enjoy!
Pear Pomegranate Salad
Over the past few years, this salad has become a holiday favorite in my home—I can’t imagine Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without it!
Though it’s perfect for special occasions, this show-stopping salad complements a big holiday ham or turkey beautifully.
I’ve never served this salad without someone asking about those candied pecans and the amazing dressing! Made with real raspberries, the dressing truly steals the show on this Pear Pomegranate Salad.
Candied Pecans
For Pear Pomegranate Salad, make the candied pecans a day or two ahead. This lets them cool and harden, making assembly quicker on the day you serve it—great for holiday meals.
The candied pecans recipe below makes more than needed for this salad. Store leftovers in the freezer for up to 2 months or in the pantry for 2-3 weeks. Use them as a snack or a topping for Yogurt Bowls, Acai Bowls, or other salads.
Pear Pomegranate Salad Shortcuts
- Candied Pecans: Make them ahead for an easy assembly, or buy pre-candied pecans from the store.
- Pomegranate: Use pre-seeded pomegranate arils (see “quick tip” below).
- Pears: If fresh pears aren’t available, use canned pears in 100% juice and slice thinly.
- Dressing: Prepare 1-2 days in advance and store in a Mason jar in the fridge. Stir before using. If short on time, mix equal parts store-bought poppyseed dressing and raspberry dressing as a quick option.
Quick Tip
Already seeded pomegranates are typically sold in small plastic cups in the produce section of the grocery store. They can sometimes be tricky to find and are usually only sold in the US from October to February.
Let’s Talk Pears
Pears ripen after being picked and become sweeter as they do. Some, like Bartlett pears, change color from green to yellow when ripe.
To check ripeness, gently press the area around the stem. If it gives slightly, the pear is ready.
For the best texture in Pear Pomegranate Salad, use ripe pears. Crunchy, unripe pears are not ideal.
Pear Pomegranate Salad Variations
- Use dried tart cherries in place of the dried cranberries.
- Swap feta cheese for goat cheese, or simply leave out the cheese altogether.
- Swap candied pecans for honey–roasted almonds.
- Use Fuji or Honey-crisp apples in place of the pears.
- Swap the raspberry dressing for a lemon–poppy seed dressing (recipe in this Quinoa Apple Salad)
- Add some protein by tossing in some cooked and cooled quinoa or some leftover shredded chicken.
Storage
Pear Pomegranate Salad Storage
This salad doesn’t keep well after it’s made. Eat it soon after making, or the raspberry dressing will wilt the greens, the pears will brown, and the pecans will soften.
If preparing in advance, store all the parts separately and slice the pear just before putting together.
More Salad Recipes
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with the best Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Simple and delicious Winter Fruit Salad
- Butternut Squash Salad with a maple-Dijon vinaigrette
- Orange Pomegranate Salad takes minutes to whip up
- Brussel Sprouts Salad with a tangy-sweet apple cider dressing
Pear Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
Candied Pecans — See Note 1
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 cups (1 pound) pecan halves
Salad
- 1 bag (6-8 ounces or about 8 cups; 180g) fresh spring mix (baby lettuce & baby greens)
- 1 cup (177g) pomegranate arils
- 3/4 cup (99g) dried sweetened cranberries or dried tart cherries
- 2 large Bartlett pears thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (49g) feta cheese optional
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons (43g) red wine vinegar
- 5 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (do not use regular mustard)
- 1/2 cup (70g) frozen raspberries completely thawed
- 1/2 cup (104g) vegetable oil (canola or olive oil will work)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Instructions
For the candied pecans
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white, water, and vanilla until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add pecans to egg whites and stir to coat the nuts evenly. With a slotted spoon, remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring and tossing every 15 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Coarsely chop about 1/2 cup for the salad.
For the salad:
- Very thinly slice the pears. In a large bowl, add the spring mix, pomegranate arils, dried cranberries, pears, and feta cheese.
For the dressing:
- Combine all of the ingredients except for the oil and poppy seeds in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined. Slowly add in the oil in a steady stream. Blend until emulsified and smooth.
- Stir in the poppyseeds. This dressing is supposed to be pretty thick — when you toss it with the salad it does thin out a little with the juices from the salad ingredients.
- Toss the dressing and candied pecans with the salad. Only dress and add pecans to what you will eat because leftovers don't save well. You can store the salad, pecans, and dressing separately for delicious leftovers!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use fresh raspberries instead of frozen? Thanks
Sorry just saw previous response regarding raspberries! Thank you will try!
I love the addition of the pomegranates and the candied pecans. YUM!
Thanks Amy! 🙂
Also how many servings is this recipe?
6-8 as a side. Enjoy!
Can you make the candied pecans ahead of time? Just trying to save time on Christmas Day!
Yes definitely! 🙂
Is there a reason for using frozen and thawed raspberries? Is using fresh raspberries okay?
Fresh is fine too! 🙂 Usually in the winter I’ll use frozen because they are (typically; at least where I’m at) sweeter than fresh.
Is there a substitute that coulf be used for red wine vinegar?
Yes! I’d use white wine vinegar in it’s place 🙂
I won’t have time to make the dressing. Is there something you can recommend a dressing that I can buy instead.
If you are able to make it ahead of time (it keeps for a week) this really is the star of the salad!
To make this a complete meal what meat or fish could I add
Grilled chicken breasts would be delicious with this salad!
The salad was a hit at my work Turkey Day lunch! Everyone went “nuts” over the candied pecans and the salad bowl is empty. I will be making it for a Sunday lunch and for next Thursday. Hope to post a pic before they devour those salad.
Thanks for a great recipe! Best, Patricia
Haha! I’m so thrilled to hear this was a hit 🙂 Thank you so much for the comment Patricia!
You are doing great work. I love reading your blogs and articles, I am a die-hard follower of your work. Thanks for giving so much knowledge to the readers through your inspiring words.