Grape Salad with Walnuts & Poppy Seed Dressing

This refreshingly simple grape salad with walnuts features fresh leafy greens covered in a tangy sweet poppyseed dressing.

A great salad recipe is actually hard to find: especially one that’s simple but full of flavor. When Alex and I started cooking together, we’d always say “Just throw together a salad and call it a meal!” True: throwing together a salad is simple. But putting together a thoughtful salad that has just the right amount of texture and flavor contrasts: it’s deceptively simple. Here’s a salad that is both simple and flavorful: and fairly quick! It’s this grape salad with walnuts and poppy seed vinaigrette: and just from the title you know it’s going to be good!

Related: Love poppy seeds? Try our Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Making this grape salad with walnuts

This grape salad with walnuts has just the right combination of textures and flavors. There’s the crisp leafy greens against the sweet juicy grapes, and then crunchy walnuts that have been toasted to bring out their nutty flavor. And then of course: a poppyseed dressing to cover the entire salad. It’s tangy and bright, with the right amount of sweetness to amp up the sweetness in the fruit. It has a sophisticated vibe: it’s thoughtful, but not overdone.

To make the poppyseed dressing, you’ll simply whisk together lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, and salt. Then whisk in the olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until a creamy emulsion forms. It’s important to whisk in the olive oil slowly so that the dressing is emulsified: otherwise it will have a tendency to split out into the oil and vinegar.

The inspiration for this salad was a combination of an idea I saw in Bon Appetit, and a lemon poppy seed dressing I saw on a restaurant menu. It’s elegant enough for special occasion with family and friends.

Related: Homemade Italian Dressing

Looking for salad recipes?

Outside of this grape salad with walnuts, here are a few favorite salad recipes:

• The BEST Kale Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Nicoise Salad
• Apple Pear Salad with Curry Vinaigrette
• Caribbean Black Bean Salad
• Radish Chopped Salad Recipe
• Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
• Classic Vegan Potato Salad
• Italian Vegan Pasta Salad
• Wedge Salad with Potato Chips
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Easy Bean Salad
• 40 Salad Recipes for People Who Hate Salads
• Greek Salad

This grape salad with walnuts recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

Grape Salad with Walnuts & Poppyseed Dressing

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★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

This refreshingly simple grape salad with walnuts features fresh leafy greens covered in a tangy sweet poppyseed dressing.

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Ingredients

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For the poppyseed dressing

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

For the grape salad

• 8 cups salad greens
• 1 bunch grapes
• ½ cup walnuts

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Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard, and kosher salt. Then gradually whisk in the olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a creamy emulsion forms.
2. Wash the salad greens. Wash the grapes and cut them in half.
3. In a dry skillet, toast the walnuts over low heat, stirring frequently, until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
4. To serve, place greens on a plate or bowl; top with grapes and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with poppyseed dressing. Any extra dressing stores in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

• Category: Salad
• Method: Raw
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Grape Salad with Walnuts, Grape Salad, Poppyseed Dressing, Poppy Seed Dressing