Apple Walnut Salad with Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette (Vegan)
September 12, 2024
This apple walnut salad uses flavorful fall ingredients like apples, cranberries, candied walnuts, and greens, and pairs them with a tangy maple-balsamic vinaigrette and creamy vegan feta. It's a plant-based salad that's fit for your Thanksgiving table, but it's so easy and delicious that you'll want to make it daily.
I've stayed away from publishing salad recipes until now because, well, vegans only eating salad is such a cliché. But this salad is just too freaking delicious to not share with you all. Since I perfected the dressing, vegan feta, and combination of ingredients, I have been literally eating this salad every single day.
This apple walnut salad is super easy to make. The most time-consuming elements are chopping the apple and preparing the candied walnuts. You can also use plain walnuts if you want, but I think the rich, sweet flavor of the candied walnuts is worth the extra 10 minutes or so of prep time.
Since it's so easy, this apple walnut salad is a great dish to add to your Thanksgiving dinner table. Everyone will love it, and the quick prep time will leave you with plenty of time to prepare other dishes.
Apple walnut salad also makes a great lunch to take with you to work or school. Just keep the dressing in a separate container so your salad doesn't get soggy.
Ingredients & Substitutions
If you have questions about why a particular ingredient is used or whether you can substitute another ingredient, look here first!
For the Balsamic Dressing and Candied Walnuts
Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
extra-virgin olive oil: Use a high-quality olive oil, since this makes up more than half of the dressing.
Dijon mustard: This adds flavor, but it also acts as an emulsifier to keep the oil and vinegar from separating, so don't skip it.
Candied Walnuts
walnut pieces: If you have whole walnuts, you can chop them to create smaller pieces.
vegan butter: I used my homemade vegan butter, but any vegan butter will work. This helps caramelize the sugar and adds a buttery flavor.
vegan brown sugar: If you're in the US, you should buy organic brown sugar if you want to ensure it's vegan. Non-organic brown sugar may be processed using animal bone char.
ground cinnamon: Adds a warm, fall flavor to the walnuts.
Apple Walnut Salad Ingredients
lettuce: I used a mix of butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and red leaf lettuce in this salad, but there are lots of other options that would work well. A standard baby leaf lettuce mix or baby spinach would be great choices.
apple: I used a Pink Lady apple, which is on the tart side, but you could use a sweeter variety like Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp if you prefer.
lemon juice: This helps keep the apple slices from browning, which is especially helpful if you'll be making the salad ahead of time. If you're serving the salad immediately after making it, you can skip the lemon juice.
vegan feta or goat cheese: There are a lot of store-bought options that would work well here, like Violife Just Like Feta or Treeline French-Style Cheese. You can also make your own vegan feta using my easy recipe. Just plan ahead because it will need to marinate overnight.
dried cranberries: These add a zing of tart flavor to the salad.
Make Ahead and Storage
This salad is easy to make in advance, so it's perfect for holiday meals and get-togethers. You can fully assemble the salad, but store the dressing separately in a jar in the refrigerator. Cover the salad and refrigerate it for up to 1 day before serving.
I make this salad frequently, so I typically make a double batch of the walnuts and dressing. Then, when I make the salad again, I just need to wash and chop the lettuce and apples.
If you are likely to have leftovers, make sure you only dress the part of the salad you intend to eat. Storing the salad together with dressing will leave you with a soggy salad later on.
Store your leftover salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Your maple-balsamic dressing can be kept in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator for several weeks.
More Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
If you're looking for more great vegan Thanksgiving recipes, I have a complete vegan Thanksgiving menu and a collection of vegan Thanksgiving side dishes you can check out. Or, try one of these recipes:
Apple Walnut Salad with Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette (Vegan)
Yield4 servings
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 oz. mixed lettuce*
- 1 large apple (Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
Candied Walnuts
- 3/4 cup walnut pieces
- 1 tbsp. vegan butter
- 3 tbsp. vegan light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Start by adding all the ingredients for the candied walnuts to a small pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until both the sugar and butter are melted, and the walnuts are coated. This could take up to 10 minutes, so be patient and keep stirring.
![Candied walnut ingredients in a pan before and after melting]()
Transfer the candied walnuts to a large piece of parchment paper. Use a fork or other tool to separate them before they cool so they don’t get stuck together. Then, set aside to cool.
![Apple-Walnut-Salad-011]()
Combine the ingredients for your maple-balsamic vinaigrette, and mix well. I like to use a small jar with a lid and shake it.
Core your apple, then slice it into very thin slices. Toss the slices in lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
If your lettuce isn’t baby leaf lettuce, chop it roughly. Wash your lettuce and drain using a salad spinner.
Add your lettuce to a large serving bowl, then top with apple slices, walnuts, cranberries, and vegan cheese. You can serve the salad with the toppings on top, or toss it to evenly distribute them before serving.
Serve the salad with the dressing on the side.
Notes & Hints
I used a mix of butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and red leaf lettuce, but you can also use mixed baby lettuce, baby spinach, or any greens you like.
Although you can add the dressing directly to the salad in the serving bowl if you prefer, I recommend letting each person add their own dressing. This keeps the salad as fresh as possible, and if there are leftovers, they won't get soggy.
Nutrition Data
Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe; Calories: 453; Fat: 32 g.; Saturated Fat: 5 g.; Cholesterol: 0 mg.; Sodium: 275 mg.; Carbohydrates: 34 g.; Fiber: 4 g.; Sugar: 27 g.; Protein: 8 g.; Vitamin A: 0 mcg. RAE; Vitamin B12: 1 mcg.; Vitamin C: 2 mg.; Vitamin D: 0 mcg.; Calcium: 75 mg.; Iron: 1 mg.; Potassium: 297 mg.; Zinc: 0 mg.Note: This data should be used only as an estimate. Please see the nutrition section of my terms and conditions for more information on how this data is calculated.
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