Dive into the winter season with this festive Winter Salad with Candied Walnuts! Bursting with flavors of candied walnuts, mixed greens, pomegranate seeds, Bartlett pear, dried cranberries, and goat cheese – all dressed up in a delightful fig preserves, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil dressing. Perfect for Christmas feasts or any holiday gathering!

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Winter Salad with Candied Walnuts: A Festive and Flavorful Recipe
As winter wraps us in its chilly embrace, there’s an undeniable craving for dishes that are both hearty and refreshing. Today, I’m sharing a Winter Salad with Candied Walnuts – a delightful ensemble of seasonal flavors that’s not only perfect for everyday meals but also makes a stunning addition to festive occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or holiday gatherings.
This beautiful salad includes candied walnuts, mixed greens, juicy pomegranate seeds, the subtle sweetness of Bartlett pears, chewy dried cranberries, and the creamy tang of goat cheese. All tied together with an easy to make dressing, featuring fig preserves, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil for a burst of rich, complementary flavors.

Ingredients
- Maple Syrup – This needs to be real maple syrup not imitation maple syrup!
- Ground Cinnamon – For flavoring the candied walnuts just slightly.
- Kosher Salt – If you don’t have kosher salt use sea salt instead.
- Walnuts – Raw shelled walnuts, I like using the larger whole walnuts but if you only have ‘pieces’ that will work, just watch the cooking time, smaller pieces will take less time to cook.
- Mixed Greens – A nice fresh mix works best, I would avoid annoying too ‘spicy’ like arugula for this salad. Butter lettuce or similar varieties work well.
- Pomegranate Seeds – Also known as arils. You can buy a whole pomegranate and take the seeds out yourself, or when pomegranates are in season you can often buy a cup of pomegranate seeds.
- Bartlet Pear – I like the flavor of Bartlet Pears but you can swap out any other variety.
- Dried Cranberries – Often called by the brand name Crasins.
- Crumbled Goat Cheese – Goat cheese often comes in a little log, you will have to pick off the goat cheese from the log to crumble it into the salad.
- Fig Preserves – Use the extra fig preserves on a charcuterie board, I love serving it with aged sharp cheddar and crackers.
- Balsamic Vinegar – The balsamic vinegar goes so well with the fig preserves.
- Olive Oil – And finally olive oil to finish off the dressing for the salad.
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

pro tip
Feel free to make the candied walnuts ahead of time! These can last for up to a week stored in a container at room temperature.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a Mixing bowl combine the walnuts, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well so all the walnuts are coated. Transfer the walnuts to the lined sheet pan, make sure to drizzle any extra maple syrup in the bowl on top of them.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook 8 minutes. Gently toss the walnuts and transfer back to the oven. Cook another 4 to 5 minutes, keep a close eye on them the last few minutes because they can start to burn easy, if you see them starting to get too dark make sure to pull them out of the oven.
Transfer to a countertop and let the walnuts cool completely. Once cooled you might have to break them apart depending on how they were sitting in the tray.
While the walnuts are cooking prepare the rest of the salad.
To make the dressing add the fig preserves, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to a jar to shake or a bowl to whisk together.

To build the salad add the greens to a large bowl, drizzle with about 3/4 of the dressing and toss to coat. Top with diced pear, pomegranates, cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, and the cooled candied walnuts. Top with the remaining dressing and toss before serving.



tips, tricks and questions
How long do candied walnuts last?
About 2 weeks. Keep them at room temperature in an airtight container.
Variations:
- Add thinly sliced red onions for a bite
- Substitute the walnuts for pecans
- Use a different variety of pear
- Use the leafy green that you prefer, but I would recommend not using anything to ‘spicy’ for this salad I would go with a nice mix

If you like this Festive Winter Salad with Candied Walnuts and Pomegranates Recipe you might also like:
Winter Salad with Candied Walnuts

Embrace the winter with this vibrant and flavorful salad, Winter Salad with Candied Walnuts and Pomeganates.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups walnuts
- 8 ounces mixed greens
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 Bartlet pear, diced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
for the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons fig preserves
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a Mixing bowl combine the walnuts, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well so all the walnuts are coated. Transfer the walnuts to the lined sheet pan, make sure to drizzle any extra maple syrup in the bowl on top of them.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and cook 8 minutes. Gently toss the walnuts and transfer back to the oven. Cook another 4 to 5 minutes, keep a close eye on them the last few minutes because they can start to burn easy, if you see them starting to get too dark make sure to pull them out of the oven.
- Transfer to a countertop and let the walnuts cool completely. Once cooled you might have to break them apart depending on how they were sitting in the tray.
- While the walnuts are cooking prepare the rest of the salad.
- To make the dressing add the fig preserves, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to a jar to shake or a bowl to whisk together.
- To build the salad add the greens to a large bowl, drizzle with about 3/4 of the dressing and toss to coat. Top with diced pear, pomegranates, cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, and the cooled candied walnuts. Top with the remaining dressing and toss before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1/8th the saladAmount Per Serving: Calories: 331Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 88mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 4gSugar: 23gProtein: 6g
Nutritional data is automated and might not be 100% accurate, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
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