Delicious Christmas Cranberry Spinach Salad Recipe
A festive and refreshing Christmas Cranberry Spinach Salad featuring tender baby spinach, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy toasted almonds, and a tangy homemade vinaigrette with honey, shallots, and poppy seeds. This salad is an easy-to-make, flavorful holiday side dish that pairs wonderfully with roasted meats or can be enjoyed as a light, healthy meal any time of the year.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
For the Salad:
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 16 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup toasted almonds (slivered or sliced)
For the Dressing:
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil (extra virgin recommended)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: In a bowl or jar, whisk together the white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved, creating a sweet and tangy base. Slowly stir in the olive oil, honey, finely chopped shallot, toasted sesame seeds, and optional poppy seeds until the mixture is well blended and emulsified. Set aside until ready to use.
- Assemble the Salad Ingredients: In a large salad bowl, combine the baby spinach leaves, toasted almonds, and dried cranberries, offering a delicious combination of textures and flavors.
- Dress and Serve the Salad: Just before serving, drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss gently to ensure that the spinach leaves, almonds, and cranberries are evenly coated. Serve immediately to maintain crispness and freshness.
Notes
- Add the dressing right before serving to keep spinach leaves crisp and prevent sogginess.
- Always toast almonds and sesame seeds to bring out their natural oils and deepen their flavor; watch carefully to avoid burning.
- If the dressing separates after sitting, whisk again or shake vigorously before use.
- Pat dry spinach thoroughly after washing to avoid diluted dressing and soggy texture.
- To substitute ingredients: use mixed greens or kale for spinach, pecans or walnuts for almonds, cherries or raisins for cranberries, rice vinegar for white wine vinegar, and maple syrup for honey if needed.
- Store salad ingredients and dressing separately to maintain freshness. Spinach, cranberries, and nuts keep up to 3 days refrigerated, dressing up to a week.
Keywords: Christmas salad, cranberry spinach salad, holiday salad, almond salad, festive salad, healthy salad, no-cook salad
