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!
Oh my, this was absolutely delicious!!! My farm box delivery had fresh spinach and purple onion so this recipe was a perfect way to showcase them. I included the honey, used apple cider vinegar, feta cheese and Pink Lady apples (semi-sweet and crunchy). Since I used blood orange flavored olive oil, I omitted the lemon juice. It really hit the mark taste-wise, a perfect meal at the end of a hot So. California summer day! I can’t wait to make it again.
Making it in single-serve jars for a social distanced dinner. Can’t wait to see how pretty the layers look in the jars!
very good but I like it better with bacon fat instead of olive oil.
I just made this salad for the first time for a brunch! Wow wow wow! We loved it and now it’ll be on our regular rotation. We’re imagining it with a poached egg and lardons! Thank you!
Was great! Only didn’t have Dijon mustard so substituted wasabi and dint have feta so I used Asiago. This was amazing! Can’t wait to do again w feta and Dijon
This salad is delicious. I used apple cider vinegar because I was out of champagne vinegar. It was a tad bit tangy, so I will make sure I have the champagne vinegar next time. Used goat cheese, the blue cheese and feta would be just as delicious. I will make this many times. Served with grilled chicken thighs. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
SO tasty and easy! This is a keeper!!!
Great recipe. Everyone loved it!
I added a bit of fresh dill to the dressing and all I gotta say is mmmmmm! If you like dill you should definitely put a couple sprigs in it!! Gives it a certain kick!!
This is my first time leaving a review on a recipe blog- I absolutely had to because this salad is bomb!! A really great combo of flavors and simple ingredients. I’ll definitely be making this salad a lot more, thank you!
This salad is absolutely delicious! I added sautéed shrimp.
How was it with Shrimp? I am making this today and might try shrimp