Name: Apple Cranberry Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: 1 cup walnuts (toasted); 2 crisp apples ((such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious)); 6 cups butter lettuce ((or red or green leaf lettuce, or a mix of both)); ¾ cup dried cranberries; 1 cup crumbled blue cheese; ¼ cup balsamic vinegar; 1 garlic clove (minced or grated); 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

4.84 from 6 votes

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This light, refreshing Apple Cranberry Salad highlights beautiful autumnal flavors of apples, cranberries, and walnuts with a counterpoint of blue cheese and is tossed in a delicious balsamic vinaigrette (recipe included). It’s a lighter side dish option for your Thanksgiving menu.

One of the biggest feast days of the year is almost here! Have you started planning your menu yet? I have. But I’m still refining it and probably will right up until we sit down at the table.

If you’re still looking for ideas, I have a lighter suggestion for you. We don’t always think of salads for Thanksgiving, but they can be a great choice!

On this day of heavy eating and indulging in rich foods, it’s sometimes nice to include at least one thing that’s on the lighter side.

This lovely Apple Cranberry Salad with its balsamic vinaigrette is one of my favorites to serve as a complement to turkey. It fits right in with the traditional sides with its autumnal theme of apples, cranberries, and walnuts. And the blue cheese rounds out the flavors quite nicely.

Recipe Snapshot: Apple Cranberry Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 4
Cuisine: American

Cooking Method: Stovetop
Primary Ingredients: Butter lettuce, walnuts, apples, dried cranberries, blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, garlic, olive oil
Skill Level: Easy

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What You’ll Like About This Recipe

It’s a Thanksgiving salad that provides a lighter alternative to the traditional side dishes.
Very easy to make.
Perfect autumnal flavors.

Ingredient Notes

Overhead view of lettuce, green apples, walnuts, blue cheese, garlic, cranberries, seasonings, and vinegar. — Apples, walnuts, butter lettuce, dried cranberries, blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.

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Butter Lettuce — I like soft leaf lettuce for this recipe, such as butter lettuce. Red (or green) leaf lettuce also works, as does Boston lettuce.
Apples — Crisp, sweet-tart apples make a great combination with the cranberries and blue cheese. My preference is Granny Smith. Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious would also be nice.
Walnuts — I like walnuts for this particular salad, but you can certainly substitute pecans if you’d rather.
Blue Cheese — Purchase crumbled blue cheese or get a wedge and crumble it yourself. Gorgonzola is a great option for blue cheese.
Balsamic Vinegar — Buying balsamic vinegar can be similar to purchasing a bottle of wine. If you’re unsure which to choose, this guide from The Spruce Eats might be helpful. The one that I linked to is their overall recommendation.
Olive Oil — I recommend using a good extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.

The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Apple Cranberry Salad

Toast the Walnuts

Toasted walnuts in a white pan with blue handles on a rustic table beside lettuce and a red checkered cloth.

STEP 1. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the walnuts. Shake the nuts several times while cooking to prevent scorching. Set the walnuts aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Pro Tip

Toasting will take about 6 to 7 minutes. Watch them carefully and remove them from the heat when they’re nicely browned.

Slice the Apples and Toss the Salad

Sliced green apple and a knife on a wooden cutting board, with a whole apple beside them.

STEP 2. Slice the apples lengthwise into thin slices.

A bowl with lettuce, green apple slices, walnuts, blue cheese, and dried cranberries on a white table.

STEP 3. Combine the apples, lettuce, walnuts, cranberries, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Toss the salad to combine.

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Make the Vinaigrette

A bowl of balsamic vinegar with a whisk, surrounded by seasonings and a red checkered cloth on a white table.

STEP 4. Add the vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper to a small bowl.

Hand holding a small bottle of oil above a bowl of dark sauce with a whisk, shaker and bottles nearby.

STEP 5. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking constantly.

Serve

Two plates of salad with lettuce, apple slices, walnuts, cranberries, and cheese on a rustic table.

STEP 6. Serve the salad on individual small plates and pass the dressing for guests to drizzle over.

How to Make Ahead

You can prepare the salad ahead, but may find that the apples turn brown if prepped too far in advance. To prevent that from happening, toss the apple slices with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Storage Information

Because the lettuce is quite delicate and the apples tend to turn brown, this salad has a short storage time. Leftovers can be placed in a covered container in the fridge and should be consumed within 24 hours. This recipe can’t be frozen.

Variations and Suggestions

This salad is so good with a leftover turkey sandwich!
Don’t save this salad only for Thanksgiving. It’s great any time of year. It’s great with roasted chicken, or even as a side for your favorite spaghetti dinner.
If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, try substituting crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.
Substitute an equal amount of honey for the granulated sugar.
It’s nice to spice the dressing up slightly with a few drops of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce.
If you prefer pecans, you can easily substitute them for the walnuts.
Vary your salad by substituting half the lettuce leaves with baby spinach.
Leftover balsamic vinaigrette is wonderful drizzled over roasted chicken!

Salad with green apple slices, walnuts, dried cranberries, and cheese in a patterned bowl on a table.

Questions and Answers: Apple Cranberry Salad

How do I keep the apple slices from turning brown?
If it’s going to be more than about 30 minutes before you serve your salad, you may need to take measures to stop the apple slices from browning. This is easily done by tossing them with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
I’m not crazy about balsamic vinegar. Can you suggest a different dressing?
If you’re not into balsamic vinaigrette dressings, you can always substitute apple cider vinegar in the recipe or make my lemon vinaigrette or poppy seed dressing instead.

More Recipes You’ll Want to Try

Apricot and Prune Stuffed Pork Loin

Sweet Potato and Pecan Stuffing

Creamy Grape Salad

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Have a question or thought to share?

If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.

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