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Spinach Apple Salad with Cranberries, toasted Walnuts, and a delicious Vinaigrette. A MUST-KNOW healthy green goddess fall salad for all baby spinach lovers.
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This Apple Cranberry Walnut Spinach Salad is one of the best fall salads ever! It’s bursting with flavor, fresh, healthy, and super easy to make with the best produces autumn brings us.
You can serve it to almost any dish! It’s basically the fall version of this delicious Strawberry Spinach Salad!
Sliced apple gives this baby spinach salad a fresh taste, while toasted walnuts add some crunch, and cranberries make up for a slightly sour note. Plus, it’s drizzled with a super easy homemade vinaigrette. Such an easy spinach salad recipe that comes together in less than 10 minutes.
It features many flavors and thus is a real crowd-pleaser.
Health Benefits
Spinach is a very healthy and easy way to level up your boring salad game. Spinach contains many vitamins and a significant amount of iron, which is especially important for women. 😉
Make sure to buy baby spinach if you want to use it as a salad. Baby spinach is much milder, smaller, and more tender than regular spinach. That’s exactly why baby spinach is perfect for a delicious spinach salad.
If you have never prepared spinach salad before, you should know that you don’t have to cut baby spinach. The leaves are already small enough – aka have the perfect size you wish for in a salad. Just wash it and spin dry.
More health benefits? Cranberries are labeled as a superfood due to their high nutrient and antioxidant content. Apples are a good source of vitamin C and fiber. And walnuts contain omega-3 fat.
You literately eat yourself healthy with this apple spinach salad!
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
- Baby Spinach → Can be substituted with baby leaf salad.
- Apple → I love Braeburn apples! You can go for a sweet or sour apple.
- Dried Cranberries
- Walnuts
Variations
- Extra Flavor – drizzle with balsamic glaze!
- Deluxe (non-vegan) – add blue cheese, crumbled feta, or goat cheese!
- Vegan Deluxe Version – top with this vegan feta cheese!
- Love Onion? Add sliced red onion or shallot!
Spinach Salad Dressing Advice
Mild dressings made with olive oil and vinegar go best with spinach salads. I would stay away from adding creamy & thick dressings to such tender salads. The mild leaves deserve a mild dressing, preferably an apple cider vinaigrette, this balsamic vinaigrette, or a vegan honey mustard dressing!
If you love an Asian touch, try out this Asian Sesame Dressing.
Storage
Store the salad and vinaigrette individually in an airtight container in the fridge for a maximum of one day. Toss right before serving.
Tossed apple spinach cranberry salad can’t be stored – it will turn soggy!
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Simple Green Salad
- Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Avocado
- Green Bean Salad
- Kale Salad with Walnut & Figs
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📖 Recipe
Spinach Apple Salad with Cranberry & Walnut
Ingredients
Apple Spinach Salad
- 3.5 oz (100 g) baby spinach
- 1 apple diced
- ¼ cup (30 g) dried cranberries
- ¼ cup (25 g) walnuts chopped & toasted
Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roughly chop and toast walnuts in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.
- Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake or whisk them together in a small bowl.
- Add spinach, apple, cranberries, and toasted walnuts in a bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss well before serving!
Notes
- Make-Ahead: If you want to make this salad ahead of time, store the salad and the dressing individually in an airtight container in the fridge. Toss right before serving.
- Non-Vegan Version: Add some blue cheese!
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