This spinach orange salad is filled with bright festive colours and refreshing flavours! The perfect way to sneak in some extra servings of fruits and vegetables this holiday season! Ready to serve in just 10 minutes, it makes for a tasty and colourful side dish. {Gluten-free & vegetarian}
This delicious spinach orange salad contains so many mouthwatering flavours! Sweet oranges and pomegranate seeds combined with feta cheese and almonds, and finished with a tangy orange dressing. What’s not to love? It’s like a party in your mouth!
I especially love the bright, happy and festive colours — perfect for those grey days! This pomegranate salad recipe is perfect to serve up during Christmas and throughout the holiday season and it’s such an easy way to bring festive colour to your table!
For more festive holiday salad ideas, be sure to also check out this Christmas Wreath Salad and Christmas Fruit Salad.
Table of Contents
Why Make this Recipe
- Quick: It only takes about 10 minutes to make this refreshing orange salad. It’s a great last minute side that will work well with lots of different mains.
- Simple ingredients: There’s nothing used here that you can’t pick up on your weekly trip to the grocery store.
- Make-ahead: This salad is easily made in advance if you are planning to serve it as part of a bigger feast.
- Wholesome ingredients: This is such a nutrient-rich holiday salad. It’s packed full of fibre, along with plenty of vitamins and minerals. Tough to go wrong with this flavourful salad!
- Beautiful presentation: With all of those vibrant colours, it adds a beautiful pop of colour to any meal!
Ingredient Notes
- Spinach: Use baby spinach which is more tender and easier to chew. Spinach is a great source of vitamins and minerals, especially iron, folate and vitamins A, K and C. You can also sub in spring mix or romaine lettuce if that’s what you have on hand.
- Pomegranate: The pomegranate seeds add a wonderful colour and pop of sweetness to this salad. They are also high in antioxidants and vitamin C.
- Orange: The zesty orange pieces make this salad so refreshing and are also loaded with vitamin C! I used a large orange, but you could also sub in clementine or tangerine slices.
- Almonds: I love to add nuts to salads for a great texture and crunch. We used slivered almonds for this salad but you could also use sliced almonds, or walnuts or pecans if that’s what you have on hand.
- Feta: The cheese adds a creamy salty flavour to balance out the sweetness of the pomegranate and orange. You could also sub in goat cheese if desired.
For the orange salad dressing
- Orange juice: Use freshly squeezed orange juice for the best flavour without the added sugar.
- Apple cider vinegar: This adds a nice tang to the dressing. You can use white wine vinegar if you have that instead.
- Honey: To naturally sweeten the dressing. You can also sub in pure maple syrup.
- Olive oil: Use extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavour and health benefits.
Step by Step Instructions
In a frying pan, toast the almonds for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat, or until lightly browned and fragrant.
In a small bowl or mini blender, mix together all of the ingredients for the dressing until well combined.
Add the spinach to a large bowl or arrange on a platter.
Top with pomegranate arils, oranges, almonds and feta.
Drizzle with desired amount of dressing (I used about half the dressing) and toss to combine.
Recipe Tips
- I highly recommend toasting the almonds as it adds a delicious flavour to the salad. Just be sure to watch the almonds closely and stir them frequently to prevent them from burning.
- If you don’t want to go to the hassle of removing the pomegranate seeds, oftentimes you can purchase just the pomegranate arils already removed from the pomegranate. You can usually find these in the produce section of the grocery store in the salad bar area.
- If you’re planning on making this spinach orange salad ahead of time, I recommend adding the dressing right before serving to prevent the salad from going soggy.
Recipe FAQs
How to cut the orange
Step 1: With a sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife, cut a slice off the top and bottom of the orange. Stand it upright on one of the cut ends.
Step 2: Working from top to bottom and following the curve of the orange, remove strips of the peel, including the white pith, to reveal the orange flesh.
Step 3: Turn the orange on its side and slice the orange thinly so that you have circular slices. Or if you prefer to cut the orange into smaller bite-sized pieces, cut the orange into segments and make a cut on both sides of each segment along the membrane. Release the segment into the bowl and repeat, making your way around the fruit.
How to remove pomegranate seeds
Removing pomegranate seeds can be a little daunting, but it’s pretty easy once you know how!
- Roll the pomegranate on your work top, this will help to loosen the seeds.
- Score the skin around the middle with a knife and then use your hands to tear it in half. If you cut it right in half, you’ll cut through the seeds and the juice will escape.
- Hold one of the halves, facing down, over a bowl and tap the top with a spoon. The seeds will come right out.
Expert tip: You can also remove the seeds in a large bowl full of water for less of a mess! The seeds should drop to the bottom and the white pith should float to the top!
Can this salad be made ahead of time?
Yes, this orange pomegranate salad can be made in advance, although I do recommend preparing the components for the salad and dressing separately. To prevent the salad from going soggy, add the dressing right before serving.
Storage guidelines
You can store the salad components and dressing in the fridge for up to five days.
How to serve
You can serve this salad up in a number of different ways. You can either toss all of the ingredients into a large bowl, add the dressing and toss together. In this case, you may wish to dice the orange into one-inch pieces.
Alternatively, for a nicer presentation (ideal if serving for a crowd or on a special occasion), you can cut the oranges into circles (as pictured) and arrange on a large platter and allow each person to dress their salad individually. It’s totally up to you!
Either way, it’s still beautiful and delicious!
What to pair with this salad
This spinach orange salad works great with lots of main dishes. I especially like it served with chicken and fish. You could either add some grilled chicken or salmon to incorporate more protein or pair it with one of the following recipes:
- Almond coconut crusted chicken fingers
- Walnut crusted salmon
- Cranberry Pistachio Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Parmesan Crusted Cod
- Cranberry Meatballs
More similar recipes
- Roasted Beet & Carrot Kale Salad
- Cranberry and Walnut Coleslaw
- Blueberry Walnut Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Nectarine Salad
- Quinoa Salad with cranberries, pomegranate and butternut squash
- Kale Salad with Cranberries
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Spinach Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 8 cups fresh baby spinach
- Arils (seeds of one large pomegranate) (about 1 cup pomegranate seeds)
- 1 large orange segmented and sliced or chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds toasted
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- In a frying pan, toast the almonds for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat, or until lightly browned and fragrant.
- In a small bowl or mini blender, mix together all of the ingredients for the dressing until well combined.
- Add the spinach to a large bowl or arrange on a platter. Top with pomegranate arils, oranges, almonds and feta. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing (I used about half the dressing) and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I highly recommend toasting the almonds as it adds a delicious flavour to the salad. Just be sure to watch the almonds closely and stir them frequently to prevent them from burning.
- If you don't want to go to the hassle of removing the pomegranate seeds, oftentimes you can purchase just the pomegranate arils already removed from the pomegranate. You can usually find these in the produce section of the grocery store in the salad bar area.
- If you're planning on making this salad ahead of time, I recommend adding the dressing right before serving to prevent the salad from going soggy.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in December 2015 and was updated in November 2020 to include more helpful tips and photos.
Robin Smith says
This salad is so easy and has so much flavour! It was a hit with the whole family (which is a huge win because there’s usually someone who isn’t a fan!). I’ve added it to my Xmas dinner plan this year. Enjoy!
Elysia Cartlidge says
Thanks so much for stopping by to comment Robin — so happy your family enjoyed the recipe! Always a great one to serve on Christmas! Hope you enjoy :)