This classic apple spinach salad is easy to make with fresh ingredients, tossed with a quick apple cider vinaigrette, and easy to customize with your favorite add-ins!
Crisp fall days call for crisp fall salads like this one! ♡
I’ve been making some version of this apple spinach salad for over a decade now and it’s about as simple as it gets, yet somehow stands the test of time and still always tastes so comforting and delicious. It’s made with a base of tender baby spinach, crisp sliced apples, toasted crumbled walnuts, tangy goat cheese (or feta or gorgonzola), tart dried cranberries, sliced red onion, and a quick apple cider vinaigrette. Perfect served as a side salad, or it can also double easily as an entrée (especially if you toss in some grilled chicken or chewy farro to make it a bit more hearty).
Feel free, of course, to use whatever variety of tart or sweet fresh apples that you love best. And by all means, go ahead and swap in whatever kind of nuts, cheese, or dried fruit that you have on hand too. This recipe is endlessly flexible, so make it your own and enjoy, enjoy!
Apple Spinach Salad Ingredients
Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few quick notes about the ingredients you will need to make this spinach apple salad recipe…
- Spinach: I love using fresh baby spinach for this salad, but any of your favorite salad greens will work.
- Apple: Feel free to use whatever variety of crisp apple that you love best! I typically use a combination of sweet Pink Lady and tart Granny Smith apples, which are some of our favorites this time of year.
- Red onion: I also like to add in some very thinly sliced red onion to give the salad a bit of bite. However, feel free to briefly rinse the sliced onion in cold water before adding it to the salad, if you would like to mellow out its flavor a bit.
- Walnuts: I typically make this salad with toasted walnuts or pecans. But just about any variety of nuts or seeds that you prefer will play well in this salad, preferably toasted (if they are not already) to bring out their best flavor.
- Dried cranberries: A sprinkling of these always adds great color and a hint of extra sweetness.
- Goat cheese: I love the flavor of tangy goat cheese in this recipe, but feel free to swap in crumbled feta, gorgonzola, or a shredded sharp cheddar if you prefer.
- Apple cider vinaigrette: Quick and easy to make with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper. I highly recommend making a double batch, while you’re at it, to use on another salad later in the week!
Possible Recipe Variations
As I mentioned above, this recipe is endlessly customizable. So please feel free to swap in whatever ingredients you love best and make it your own! For example, you could also…
- Add farro: We sometimes cook a quick batch of chewy farro to toss into this salad to make it a bit more hearty.
- Add a protein: Grilled or baked chicken, shrimp or crispy tofu would all be delicious additions to this salad.
- Add sweet potato: Roasted diced sweet potato also pairs beautifully with this salad and is in season this time of year.
- Use different fruit: This salad would also be wonderful made with fresh pears, mandarins, or pomegranate arils in place of (or combined with) the fresh apples.
More Favorite Salad Recipes
Looking for more salad recipe inspiration? Check out our full collection of salad recipes here on Gimme Some Oven, or here are a few of my personal faves…
- Everyday Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Fattoush Salad
- Grilled Halloumi Salad
- Pear Salad with Gorgonzola and Candied Walnuts
Apple Spinach Salad
Ingredients
Apple Spinach Salad Ingredients:
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 2 small apples, cored and thinly sliced
- half of a small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
Apple Cider Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced
- a generous pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette. Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl and whisk vigorously (or shake them together in a mason jar) to combine.
- Toss the salad. Add spinach, apples, red onion, walnuts, dried cranberries, and half of the goat cheese to a large bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, and toss to combine.
- Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining goat cheese, and enjoy!
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Made if for my book group and it was a big hit! Used toasted pecans and dried cherries. Yum! The dressing was a bit too tangy even after the addition of honey. I will have to figure out how to modify it.
Made it for company last night. Everyone loved this salad. For the vinaigrette, put together as listed, used apple cider vinegar, it’s a pantry staple for me (was not familiar with champagne vinegar, but may look out for it), good quality olive oil, needed a splash of maple syrup to balance out the acidity . Salad – mix of spinach, arugula, spring mix, red onion, craisins, no cheese. Will make this again!
I love Imaginative salads. This is a change from my usual hot bacon dressing spinach salad. But it look good so I will give it a
Try. I too am now cooking ina limited kitchen. With none of my implements and stores at hand. Thank you for your recipe.
Loved it. My new favorite.
very quick and easy great flavor
Made I loved it!!!!!
Instead of two apples, I made it with one honey crispy apple and one Bartlett pear. Sooo yummy!
Delish salad. Roasted pecans and walnuts and used a golden apple and crumbled feta. Everybody took third helpings..
I have made this three times, including just now. The wife is allergic to onions and walnuts, so I leave out the onions and substitute the walnuts for sliced almonds. I also use one honeycrisp apple, and about three Mandarin oranges. It works for us. But this is a very easy to make and very delicious salad that could be a meal in itself.
My husband and I really love this salad! I wanted to make note of a mistake in the recipe ingredients list. It says to make a batch of apple cider vinaigrette. The recipe below is actually champagne vinaigrette. Other than that, it’s wonderful recipe!