Harvest Fall Salad

Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) Headshot By Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
Jump to Recipe

Fall salads are my fave so I had to make a rendition that would shut down all others. My harvest salad is next level boos. I take all that beautiful Autumn produce like crisp apples and pears and add in smoky bacon, fresh greens, and feta and drizzle on a homemade apple cider dressing. It’s hearty and filling enough to serve on its own or as a side with a bowl of sweet potato soup.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
A pink bowl of autumn salad surrounded by dried cranberries, apple cider vinaigrette and bacon with spoons nearby

How to Make the Perfect Harvest Fall Salad

Apple cider dressing, feta cheese, bacon, fresh greens and apple and pear slices arranged in bowls to make a fall salad

Step 1: For the Vinaigrette, whisk in remaining ingredients until it is smooth and well mixed. Add apple cider, apple cider vinegar and shallots to a small pan over high heat. Bring the liquids to a boil and cook for about 7 or 8 minutes or until it has reduced to about ½ cup then remove from heat. Allow cider liquid to cool slightly then add to a bowl.

A large bowl of harvest salad with fresh fruit arranged in slices ready to enjoy

Step 2: Combine all salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss together. Pour over salad and toss together and serve.

Bowl of fall salad recipe on the table ready to serve.

Harvest Fall Salad Recipe

This Harvest Apple and Pear Fall Salad tossed in Apple Cider Vinaigrette is made with fresh greens, crisp Autumn fruit, smoky bacon, tangy feta and sweet-sticky cider dressing.
4.61 from 28 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams
Course: Salad
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 7 oz mixed green salad rinsed
  • 1 pear thinly sliced
  • 1 apple thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 4 cooked bacon slices chopped
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese

For the Dressing

  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp minced shallots
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Salad

  • Combine all salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss together.

For the Vinaigrette

  • Add apple cider, apple cider vinegar and shallots to a small pan over high heat.
  • Bring the liquids to a boil and cook for about 7 or 8 minutes or until it has reduced to about ½ cup then remove from heat.
  • Allow cider liquid to cool slightly then add to a bowl.
  • Whisk in remaining ingredients until it is completely smooth and well mixed.
  • Pour over salad and toss together and serve.

Notes

Store your salad in an airtight container in the fridge, and it’ll keep for up to 1 day. But honestly boos… It ain’t ideal. The greens can get soggy once they sit around in the dressing too long, so your best bet is to prep your dressing ahead of time, then assemble everything fresh the day you’re planning to eat.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GrandbabyCakes or tag #grandbabycakes!

Recipe Tips

  • Make the salad your own! Change up the ingredients and use other fall produce such as figs, baked sweet potato or butternut squash, and add on some crunchy toppings such as pecans, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts. You can even swap the feta cheese for blue cheese!
  • Crisp and tart apples such as Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples work best for making this salad!
  • If making ahead of time, toss the apples and pears in some lemon juice to keep them from browning or wait until the last minute to chop them up.

Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!

Recipe Help

How can I jazz up my salad?

This fall salad recipe is pretty jazzy already, but you can add some extra ingredients for crunch on top. I really like candied pecans or walnuts! Or even some cornbread croutons.

What can I put in my salad to make it more filling?

Grilled chicken, roasted chickpeas, salmon, white beans, grilled shrimp and shredded chicken would all work great to add on top of this fall salad recipe to make it heartier.

More Amazing Salads to Try

If you love it, you will also love this Peach Salad, Cornbread Salad, Jerk Shrimp Cobb Salad, Creole Shrimp Egg Salad, Shrimp Caesar Salad or this Cucumber and Onion Salad.

Best Fall Recipes

*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!

This recipe was originally published in September 2020. It has been republished in October 2022 with updated content.

Pinterest pinterest   Facebook facebook   Twitter twitter   Email email  
Filed Under:  Fall Recipes, Salads, Seasonal Recipes, Stovetop, Vegetarian

Comments

  1. One of the best salads I’ve had in ages! I made it pretty much as written but I used diced pancetta vs bacon, praline pecans vs cranberries, and goat cheese vs feta. It is so delicious. I doubled the dressing so i’d have lots left over. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

  2. Please, please restore the “Jump to Recipe” option! Not everyone has time to scroll through the content to reach the actual recipe. Thank you!

    Reply
4.61 from 28 votes (15 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating