Christmas Salad Recipes

Whether you're looking for a kale Brussels sprout salad or a Christmas fruit salad, we've got you covered with our favorite Christmas salad recipes. They're fresh, healthy and the perfect way to round out your holiday meal!

Staff Picks

Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
This festive holiday salad recipe features plenty of oven-roasted broccoli and cauliflower combined with massaged kale. Why massage the kale? It helps tenderize the leaves and infuses the sweet-tangy flavor of the dressing directly into the heart of this healthy winter salad.
By Marianne Williams

Warm Pear & Spinach Salad with Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette

Rating: Unrated
1
Mature, larger-leaved spinach holds up better to the warm bacon vinaigrette than baby spinach in this healthy spinach salad recipe. If you don't want the spinach to wilt, let the dressing cool before tossing it with the salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apple, Fig & Brussels Sprouts Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Salad dressing made from sweet and mellow white balsamic vinegar balances out the assertive greens and Brussels sprouts in this healthy winter salad. If you have one handy, a small mandoline makes it easy to slice the Brussels and apple. To make it a dinner salad, top with shrimp or chicken.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
This raw Brussels sprouts salad featuring shaved Brussels sprouts, toasted pecans, sweet-tart cranberries and nutty Parmesan cheese is tossed with a light and lemony vinaigrette. You can shave the Brussels sprouts using a chef's knife--or use the slicing attachment of your food processor to make it even easier. This quick and easy recipe is perfect for fall or anytime you have crisp, fresh Brussels sprouts on hand.
By Karen Rankin

Broccoli Salad with Bacon

Rating: Unrated
2
Classic broccoli salad, the perfect dish for a potluck, is updated with cauliflower, bacon and a sprinkle of crunchy sunflower seeds in this so-easy recipe that's sure to be a new picnic favorite.
By Carolyn Casner

Kale, Carrot & Apple Salad

Rating: Unrated
3
Emerald-green lacinato kale is the star of this healthy kale salad, tossed with an easy maple, mustard and apple cider vinaigrette and studded with crisp apples. Toss or massage the kale with the dressing about 30 minutes before you're ready to serve. The sturdy kale leaves won't wilt from the dressing and will taste even better after they've been marinated in it.
By Mary Cleaver

Quick Broccoli Slaw

Use up unused broccoli stems by making your own broccoli slaw instead of using the bagged slaw in this easy potluck favorite. Trim and peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler, then cut 3 cups of matchsticks with the julienne blade on a mandoline or by hand.
By Carolyn Casner

Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
This stunning winter salad gets its sweet, earthy flavor from roasted beets and balsamic vinegar. Creamy goat cheese and peppery arugula add color and balance, while toasted walnuts add crunch. A mandoline is the best way to get thin, even slices from the roasted beets.
By Karen Rankin

Spinach Salad with Warm Maple Dressing

Rating: Unrated
2
Pure maple syrup, as opposed to artificially flavored and colored “pancake” syrup, is an extraordinary cooking ingredient. Here it adds body as well as rich flavor to the dressing, providing a perfect counterpoint to the smoked cheese.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Balsamic Berry Vinaigrette Winter Salad

Rating: Unrated
4
This festive salad features colorful greens, fruit and cheese tossed with a light and zesty dressing.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Orange & Avocado Salad

Rating: Unrated
5
This colorful salad would be a welcome addition to a Mexican-inspired meal.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Beet Salad

Rating: Unrated
7
It's time we rescued beets from our childhood nightmares--when they were little better than bland wedges scooped out of a can. Roasted beets are delightful, sweet but very earthy and aromatic--great for a side salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Inspiration and Ideas

23 Showstopping Christmas Salad Recipes

23 Showstopping Christmas Salad Recipes

These Christmas salad recipes are filled with fresh, beautiful and festive ingredients and are so delicious that your guests will be asking for seconds.
Balsamic Berry Vinaigrette Winter Salad

Balsamic Berry Vinaigrette Winter Salad

The easy homemade berry balsamic dressing in this sweet & savory salad recipe is so good you'll be licking it off your fingers! Plus, it makes enough vinaigrette for two uses.
10 Tasty Christmas Fruit Salad Recipes

10 Tasty Christmas Fruit Salad Recipes

23 Showstopping Christmas Salad Recipes

23 Showstopping Christmas Salad Recipes

Spinach Salad Recipes That Need to Be on Your Christmas Menu

Spinach Salad Recipes That Need to Be on Your Christmas Menu

Bold Winter Greens Salad

Bold Winter Greens Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemon-Chile Vinaigrette & Toasted Hazelnuts

Rating: Unrated
1

Using the slicing blade of a food processor on Brussels sprouts creates a big, fluffy pile of crunchy sprout ribbons quickly. In this easy salad recipe, the shaved Brussels sprouts are dressed with a lemony vinaigrette spiked with crushed red pepper and sweetened with a bit of honey.

All Christmas Salad Recipes

Winter Salad with Toasted Walnuts

This salad was one of the favorites chosen from over 1,000 salad recipes for our 30th anniversary issue. In 2004, Deborah Madison waxed poetic about winter ingredients, particularly nuts. “In the chill air of winter, nuts move up to center stage as do their warming, substantial, golden oils--so good with winter salad greens and vegetables, such as shaved fennel, all of which are likely to end up in a salad together,” she says. Madison suggested using a mix of lettuces that balance each other here--a mild, tender variety, such as Boston, with a more intense and sturdy green, such as escarole, for instance.
By Deborah Madison

"Use a Spoon" Chopped Salad

Rating: Unrated
6
When Paul Newman and Michel Nischan opened their Westport, Connecticut, restaurant Dressing Room, Paul's request was that the menu always include a chopped salad that you could eat with a spoon. This chopped salad recipe is full of great flavors, colors and textures, featuring celery, carrots, red pepper, apple, cucumber, greens, cabbage, goat cheese and almonds. This is great for any holiday meal: you can let it stand and it stays crisp.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Arugula Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
This recipe for jumbo shrimp wrapped in thin strips of prosciutto and served on a lemony bed of arugula is a practically effortless dish that's sure to impress your guests. Wrap your shrimp and make the dressing ahead of time, and you'll have dinner on the table even faster. Serve with toasted whole-wheat baguette sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Massaged Mustard Greens Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
A few minutes of judicious massaging will transform bitter mustard greens into a mellow, well-balanced salad spiked with hints of lemon, garlic and Parmesan.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Tangerine & Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Pistachios

Rating: Unrated
4
In California's Ojai Valley, citrus growers have mastered cultivating the tiny Pixie tangerine. Pixies are only available in the spring, but you can make this salad year-round with any variety of tangerine or clementine.
By Laraine Perri

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese & Pomegranate

Rating: Unrated
2
This gorgeous warm salad with nutty roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet-tart pomegranate seeds and creamy goat cheese is perfect for any winter meal--from a weeknight dinner to Christmas dinner or any other holiday celebration. The recipe is easily doubled if you are entertaining a crowd: just be sure to spread the sprouts out (use 2 pans if necessary) so they roast instead of steaming.
By Carolyn Casner

Pear & Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts

Rating: Unrated
1
This pear and arugula salad recipe is topped with homemade candied walnuts, which are incredibly easy to make in the oven. For a touch of heat, add a pinch of ground chipotle or cayenne to the walnuts before baking.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Crunchy Pear & Celery Salad

Rating: Unrated
4
Crisp pears are tossed with Cheddar cheese and pecans in this delicious salad. For an Italian twist, try a good Parmesan with some toasted pine nuts or to go British use crumbled Stilton and toasted walnuts.
By Marie Simmons

Kale Salad with Cranberries

Rating: Unrated
1
This easy holiday salad gets its flavor from a sweet citrus dressing that's infused into the kale by massaging the greens and the dressing together with your hands. We like a mix of kale for this recipe, but any type of kale will work.
By Liz Mervosh

Quinoa Salad with Oranges, Beets & Pomegranate

Rating: Unrated
4
Roasted beets and sweet dates, tangy oranges and juicy pomegranate seeds make this quinoa salad recipe festive. It pairs beautifully with turkey or roast pork.
By Maria Speck

Simple Green Salad with Citronette

Frisée and radicchio are both assertive, slightly bitter greens that add color and texture to any salad. Match them with mellower-flavored greens, such as red leaf lettuce, baby spinach or even Boston lettuce.
By Eataly and Lidia Bastianich

Pear-Quinoa Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Quinoa is a quick-cooking whole grain with a slightly nutty flavor--a perfect partner for pears and walnuts in this fresh-tasting salad recipe. The flavor is best when the salad is at room temperature or cold. Refrigerate the salad for at least 15 minutes before serving.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Brassica Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Chef Jennifer Jasinski has this healthy recipe for Brussels sprout, cauliflower and radicchio salad on the menu at her restaurant Rioja for fall and winter. The balance of roasted vegetables alongside the tang of the oranges and the chewy sweetness from the apricots is a crowd-pleaser.
By Jennifer Jasinski

Massaged Broccoli Rabe Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
In this broccoli rabe salad recipe, the dressing is massaged into the leaves and florets, virtually eliminating its bitter undertones.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Red & White Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Bitter, sweet and peppery flavors marry well in this confetti-like salad of wintery fruit and vegetables.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Kale Salad with Preserved Lemon & Walnuts

Rating: Unrated
3
In this kale salad recipe, we massage dressing into the kale leaves until they're tender and coated with flavor. Topped with bold Mediterranean flavors--olives, walnuts and preserved lemons--this healthy salad is as delicious as it is nutritious. Look for preserved lemons at specialty-foods shops or online at surlatable.com. Or, to make your own, see the recipe on eatingwell.com.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baby Beet Greens with Spicy Mediterranean Vinaigrette

This unusual salad ties together earthy greens, sweet-tart cranberries, smoky cheese and crunchy croutons with a spicy-sweet dressing. Baby chard and beet greens have bright-colored ribs and veins, which give this salad a beautiful look.
By Ellen Ecker Ogden

Mixed Lettuce, Fennel & Orange Salad with Black Olive Vinaigrette

Rating: Unrated
2
This colorful salad offers a symphony of flavors and textures. Savory black olives, sweet orange slices and crisp, licorice-flavored fennel balance the slightly bitter tastes of chicory, radicchio and Belgian endive.
By Stephanie Browner

Warm Potato Salad with Bacon-Mustard Dressing

Rating: Unrated
3
This updated take on German potato salad is a sophisticated addition to any holiday spread. Granny Smith apples are a good choice, as they hold their shape when roasted.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Warm Green Bean Salad with Toasted Walnuts

Rating: Unrated
1
This colorful salad makes a fine prelude to a hearty dinner. Walnut oil's distinctive flavor delivers a rich hit to the dressing.
By Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Spinach, Avocado & Mango Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Reader Jennifer Sanders contributed this salad, which offers a wealth of color and texture, as well as antioxidants.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roast Chicken & Pomegranate Farro Salad

This healthy roasted chicken recipe is perfect for a simple supper or on special occasions. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of a grain salad studded with pomegranate seeds and roasted almonds for a pretty and comforting dish. Add green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts for an easy crowd-pleasing meal.
By Tara Mataraza Desmond

Arugula & Pear Salad

Besides giving this salad a nutty crunch, walnuts are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins, minerals, protein and antioxidants. For an added flavor dimension, crumble some Gorgonzola cheese over each salad.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Arugula Salad for Two

This recipe for jumbo shrimp wrapped in thin strips of prosciutto and served on a lemony bed of arugula is a practically effortless recipe for two. Wrap your shrimp and make the dressing ahead of time, and you'll have dinner on the table even faster. Serve with toasted whole-wheat baguette sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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