This winter salad with apple and cranberries is insanely delicious, hugely satisfying and a great way to celebrate the produce of the season!

servings
4

total time
25mins

great for
quick & easy

suitable for
DF, GF, vegan

behind the scenes
Step aside boring winter salad, this will be the star of the show!
Let’s be honest, the salad is very rarely the star of the show at Christmas celebrations!
It’s often a bowl of limp looking lettuce that we throw together in a desperate bid to fulfill some subconscious need to ensure there is something green on the table. But this winter salad, loaded with red cabbage, crisp apples, plump cranberries and maple roasted pecans and pumpkin seeds will have everyone fighting for a bite!
Yes, it is a little more labour intensive than just opening a bag of lettuce and a bottle of dressing but the work is honestly minimal and let me assure you…you’ll be grateful for every minute that you spend on this beauty!
Looking for more Christmas food inspiration? Click here to see our other recipes.

The Winter Salad of your dreams
It is jam-packed full of seasonal flavours from the toasted nuts and seeds all the way through to the delicious apple and cranberries –what more could you want in a winter salad?!
I mean seriously…say goodbye to boring old lettuce because this is a taste and texture explosion.
Crisp apple? Check. Chewy cranberries? Check. Crunchy nuts and seeds? Check.
And with the combination of spinach, kale and red cabbage, the base of this winter salad is layered with a whole host of different flavours and textures. I mean, it’s really where the party is at!
Now…let’s talk details. When it comes to apples, we love a jazz. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and sour and adds a great pop of seasonal freshness to this winter salad.
As for the nuts and seeds…feel free to switch them out for whatever your favourites might be, but do not skip the roasting step, it packs them with even more flavour!
And while you absolutely could sub the dried cranberries for dried cherries or even currants, the cranberry is what gives this winter salad a real hit of festive flare!

Let’s get this winter salad dressed!
And now the dressing. The combination of the apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard work perfectly with the flavours of this winter salad and give enough tartness to cut through the maple roasted nuts and seeds.
We are not joking when we say that this may become the star of the table…after all, no one puts our winter salad in the corner!
Want More?
Looking for more festive food & drink inspiration? We’ve got everything from sweet treats and main events to delicious tipples and edible gifts guaranteed to wow your family & friends.

Winter Salad with Apple and Cranberries
Ingredients
Salad
- 120 g baby spinach washed
- 60 g kale destemmed, shredded, washed
- 50 g red cabbage shredded
- 1 jazz apple thinly sliced
- 80 g pecans
- 50 g pumpkin seeds
- 70 g dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Dressing
- 120 ml olive oil
- 75 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Place the pumpkin seeds and pecans on a baking tray and top with the maple syrup. Stir together to ensure the maple syrup is evenly distributed.
- Put the baking tray into the oven for 10 minutes. Give everything a toss after 5 minutes to make sure they’re cooking evenly.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the kale, spinach, red cabbage, cranberries and apple.
- When cool, add the maple roasted pumpkin seeds and pecans.
Dressing
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl or jam jar. Mix (or shake if using jam jar) to ensure they are full combined.
- Drizzle over the salad and dig in!
More Recipes
2022 Christmas Biscuit Box
The moment you’ve all been waiting for, Jolly Festive’s 2022 Christmas Biscuit Box has arrived and there’s something delicious for everyone!
25 Fun Food Elf Breakfast Ideas
25 Elf Breakfast Ideas: a round-up of our favourite festive foods to serve at your North Pole Elf Breakfast.
Strawberry & Banana Candy Cane
This strawberry & banana candy cane is a fun easy Christmas fruit board, perfect for kids’ Christmas parties & a North Pole Breakfast.