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This spinach apple salad with balsamic dressing is so easy and SO good, it will be your new go-to! No one will believe it took minutes to put together.
Salads are a staple in our house. But Alex and I often fall into the trap of thinking the salad is the “easy” part and save it until the last minute. When it’s too late, we realize it has more prep work than we imagined! So when it comes to our favorite salads, they’re ultra simple. Might we present: our new favorite go-to that will become your favorite too. Spinach apple salad! It’s got a tangy balsamic dressing and crunchy maple-glazed walnuts (or pecans). No one will believe it took only minutes to put together! It’s that good.
What makes this a great spinach apple salad?
There are so many boring spinach salads, and this one is anything but! It doesn’t have fancy ingredients or flavors, but it’s got seriously good flavor and you can make it in minutes. It’s a plant based, healthy side dish that pairs with anything from pizza to mac and cheese to salmon to lasagna. Here are the elements that make this one great salad:
- Best balsamic dressing: This dressing is our go-to! It’s tangy and sweet, and we use it often in green salads with fruit, like strawberry salad or blackberry salad.
- Maple-glazed walnuts or glazed pecans: These are Alex’s genius: just a few minutes in a hot skillet with maple syrup makes the nuts shiny and lightly sweet. Or, make Candied Pecans or Candied Walnuts if you have the time!
- Apple & pear: Instead of straight apple, we threw in a pear for depth of sweet flavor.
- Spinach & baby greens: A salad of straight up spinach can be overwhelming. We like to pair our spinach with mixed baby greens for a variety of textures and flavors. (Got some left over? See our top spinach recipes!)
Customize it!
Of course, there are endless ways to customize this spinach apple salad! You can use whatever ingredients you love and have on hand. Pro tip: We added cubed Manchego cheese and served it at a party, and it was a huge hit. Here are some other options to consider:
- Dressing: Try our Honey Mustard Dressing or Lemon Vinaigrette
- Nuts: Use pecans or almonds instead: they’d work the same way in the maple glaze
- Fruit: Lose the pear and use a green apple variety with the red apple, like Granny Smith and Honey Crisp
- Other Adders: Add feta or goat cheese crumbled, sliced shallot, pepitas or sunflower seeds.
How to prep this spinach apple salad in advance
Here are a few notes on how to prep this spinach apple salad ahead of time, if you’re making it ahead or for entertaining:
- Make the dressing in advance and store it refrigerated. Make sure to let it come to room temperature before serving.
- Make the maple-glazed walnuts in advance. Place them on parchment or wax paper in a single layer and allow to dry for 20 minutes. Transfer to a sealed container and store room temperature until serving.
- Wait to slice the apples and pears until right before serving, because cut fruit can brown. If you do want to cut it in advance, mix the slices with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
Serving this salad!
It’s easy to whip up, but this spinach apple salad is a real showstopper. Serve it alongside your favorite pasta or stuffed peppers. It’d also pair nicely with baked salmon, or even homemade pizza. This spinach apple salad is especially good in the cooler months, as it features lots of fall produce. But works any time of the year! Whatever way you serve it, we’re sure you’ll fall in love with it. We promise.
This spinach apple salad recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Best Spinach Apple Salad (Easy & Delicious!)
This spinach apple salad with balsamic dressing is so easy and SO good, it will be your new go-to! No one will believe it took minutes to put together.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup Glazed Walnuts or Glazed Pecans (or toasted walnuts or toasted pecans*)
- 1 recipe Best Balsamic Dressing
- 1 apple
- 1 ripe pear
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 3 cups baby mixed greens
Instructions
- Make the Glazed Walnuts or Glazed Pecans. (While they cook, prep the rest of the salad. Or, you can make these ahead!)
- Make the Best Balsamic Dressing.
- Core the apple and pear, cut them into thin slices.
- Place the greens on serving plates and top with apples, pears, and walnuts. Pour over the dressing and serve. (Pro tip: Dress it up by adding cubed Manchego cheese!)
Notes
*If you have the time, it’s worth making a batch of Candied Pecans or Candied Walnuts!
Looking for more salad recipes?
Outside of this spinach apple salad, here are a few of our favorite salads on A Couple Cooks:
- The BEST Kale Salad
- Perfect Caesar Salad
- How to Make Healthy Salad Dressing
- Simple Citrus Salad
- Watermelon Salad with Feta & Cucumber
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Wedge Salad with Potato Chips
- Favorite Potato Salad
- Radish Chopped Salad Recipe
- Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate
- California Salad with Avocado Oil Vinaigrette
- Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Cabbage Salad with Apples & Walnuts
- Southwest Salad
- Pea Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Healthy Potato Salad with Hard Boiled Egg
- Everyday Mediterranean Salad
- Beet and Apple Salad
- French Potato Salad
- Easy Salad Bar Ideas
Last updated: November 2019
I rarely give reviews online. However, I’m making an exception for thIs salad. It is one of the best salads I have ever had. It is my go to salad.
Wow, thank you!
Love looking for recipes
What is the ratio of ingredients for balsamic vinaigrette?
You can get the full recipe here: https://www.acouplecooks.com/best-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe/#tasty-recipes-32240-jump-target
Made your Spinach Apple Salad using the Best Balsamic Dressing recipe… it was divine! So fresh and bright, and the dressing was superb. Thanks for a winning recipe! My picky husband absolutely loved it!
Yumm:)!!
A wonderfully yummy salad!
I made the salad as directed except I used canned pears and I use bottled balsamic vinaigrette because I was out of balsamic to make the recipe’s dressing.
Oh, I also used pecan pieces instead of pecan halves and the pecans weren’t as crunchy as I would have liked.
Next time I’ll use pecan halves and cook them a little less or maybe I will pre-reduce the syrup before adding the nuts.
Used feta as cheese topper.
Thank you guys and by the way you are both too cute! :)
Thank you for sharing this recipe. We love it and I’m a big fan of the balsamic dressing. We often add Feta on top too.
Made this to go with our family dinner tonight, the glazed walnuts are just delightful! What a fresh, scrumptious salad. Thanks so much for creating and sharing this recipe.