Our delicious pear salad combines the sweet juiciness of ripe pears with a tangy orange and mustard dressing, creamy feta, and crunchy walnuts.
You’ll love this recipe because it combines bright, bold, fresh flavors in one healthy and wholesome dish.
This is the perfect side dish for a special family dinner and a delicious holiday meal.
Dietary Note: Suitable for a vegetarian and gluten-free diet. For vegans, substitute non-dairy cheese for cheese. More info below.
Table of Contents
We think you’ll be surprised by how delicious this salad can be.
Imagine sweet, juicy pears paired with slightly bitter mixed salad greens, citrusy orange wedges, crunchy walnuts, sweet and tangy pomegranate seeds, salty, creamy feta, and a sweet and zesty mustard dressing.
It’s a dance of sweet and sour, soft and crunchy, fresh and creamy. This is one of our favorite winter salads, perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
We hope you’ll love it as much as we do.
Pear salad video
Ingredients & Substitutions for pear salad
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Pears
You can use most pear varieties as long as you pick perfectly ripe pears.
To choose the best pears, apply gentle pressure with your thumb to the top part of the pear (the stem or the neck). They are ripe when they yield to pressure.
If you have unripe pears at home, place them in a fruit bowl at room temperature near other fruit like bananas and let them ripen for a few days.
Our favorite variety for pear salad is Bartlett pear (also known as Williams pears) because they are incredibly juicy when ripe.
Other excellent varieties are Anjou pears and red Anjou, Bosc pears, Comice pears, Concorde pears, and Forelle pears.
Fresh pears are preferable to canned pears and pears in a jar.
Orange
Like pears, it’s best if you can find ripe oranges. They are sweeter and less tart.
Mixed salad greens
You can use a pre-washed mixed salad greens bag sold in most supermarkets.
Ensure it contains some slightly bitter greens like arugula or radicchio to have a perfect flavor match with pears.
An excellent mixed green leaf bag would have three or more types of lettuce leaves like baby lettuces, Romaine lettuce, endive, mustards, baby spinach, watercress, arugula, radicchio, kale, and other tender salad greens.
Feta cheese
Salty and creamy feta cheese is an excellent match with sweet pears.
Substitute ricotta cheese for a softer texture and milder taste. Substitute pecorino cheese (like pecorino Romano or pecorino Sardo) for a chewier texture and more intense flavor.
Goat cheese, gorgonzola cheese, blue cheese, and parmesan cheese are also excellent alternatives for this pear salad recipe.
To keep the salad dairy-free, you can opt for non-dairy feta (we like Violife), homemade soy ricotta, or a store-bought cashew-based or almond-based cheese.
Walnuts
Walnuts and pears are excellent together.
Substitute almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans. Crush them before adding them to the salad.
Pomegranate seeds
Pomegranate seeds or arils are delicious in this salad. They also add a beautiful bright red color.
Substitute dried fruit like dried cranberries, apricots, figs, plums, and raisins for pomegranate arils.
Orange Mustard Dressing
Make it with:
- Orange juice: substitute lemon juice for a tangier dressing.
- Apple cider vinegar: substitute red wine vinegar.
- American or Dijon mustard.
- Extra virgin olive oil: substitute olive oil or avocado oil.
- Maple syrup: substitute honey or agave syrup.
- Salt and black pepper.
How to make pear salad
Add the mixed salad greens to a large salad bowl or serving platter.
Cut the pears in half, core them, then cut the pear halves into thin slices. Arrange the pears on top of the salad greens.
Peel the orange, remove as much white flesh as possible, separate the wedges, and add them to the salad.
Top with pomegranate seeds, crushed walnuts, and crumbled feta.
Then, make the dressing by whisking together extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and black pepper.
Drizzle half the dressing on the other ingredients, then serve as a delicious appetizer or side dish.
Tip: save the remaining dressing for people wanting to add more to their portion.
Serving suggestions
This pear salad is lovely as an appetizer or side dish for a special family dinner or a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Serve it as a starter with a side of bread, such as:
- No-knead focaccia with rosemary.
- Easy 10-minute crostini with a brush of oil and garlic.
- Italian bruschetta with eggplant, tomatoes, or olive tapenade.
Or serve it as a side dish with a wholesome main dish of your choice. For example:
Storage
Make ahead: pear salad is unsuitable for making ahead and meal prep because the fresh ingredients go bad quickly. You can make the dressing beforehand, but assemble the salad shortly before eating.
Refrigerator: store leftover pear salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Questions
Like apples, pears skins are edible and contain plenty of vitamins and nutrients. Make sure to rinse the pears with water before eating their skin.
In a salad, pear goes well with:
– Fruit: apples, oranges, dried cranberries, dates, figs (fresh and dried), strawberries, and pomegranate arils.
– Nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios.
– Salad greens: arugula, watercress, endive, fennel, lettuces, spinach, radicchio, and other tender and bitter greens.
– Cheese: ricotta, blue cheese, gorgonzola, pecorino, goat cheese, feta, roquefort, parmesan, Brie, and Gruyère.
– Condiments: extra virgin olive oil, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar.
Rinse the pear, pat it dry, cut it in half, and core it (remove seeds) with a teaspoon. There is no need to peel the pear.
Slice the pear in wedges; you can do so by the long or short sides.
Fun Fact
Did you know there are two ancient sayings in Italian and French about pears and cheese?
The Italian one goes like this “al contadino non far sapere quant’è buono il formaggio con le pere”. Translated: “don’t let the farmer know how good cheese is with pears”.
The French one goes like this: “Oncques Deus ne fist tel mariage comme de poire et de fromage”. Translated: “God has never made such a successful marriage as that between the pear and the cheese.”
More fall and winter salads
If you’re looking for more salad ideas for autumn or the holiday season, take a look at these vibrant and wholesome recipes:
Salads
Red cabbage salad
Salads
Fennel and Orange Salad
Salads
Butternut Squash Salad
Salads
Black Bean Salad
For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.
More recipes with fruit
Pears and apples are excellent in baked goods and savory dishes, for example:
Pear Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 4 handfuls mixed salad greens
- 2 pears Bartlett, William, Anjou, or other
- 1 orange
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries
- ½ cup feta or non-dairy feta, crumbled
FOR THE DRESSING
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon mustard American or Dijon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 twists black pepper
Instructions
- Add 4 handfuls mixed salad greens to a large serving platter.Cut 2 pears in half, core them, then cut them into thin slices. Arrange slices on top of the salad greens.Peel 1 orange, remove as much white flesh as possible, separate the wedges, and add them to the salad.
- Top with ⅓ cup walnuts (crushed), ¼ cup pomegranate seeds, and ½ cup feta (crumbled).Then, make the dressing by whisking together3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon mustard, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 2 twists black pepper.
- Drizzle half the dressing on the other ingredients, then serve as a delicious appetizer or side dish.Tip: save the remaining dressing for people wanting to add more to their portion.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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