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This Winter Holiday Salad is loaded with baby greens, pear, pomegranate, pistachios and goat cheese which all gets topped off with a delicious, sweet and tangy pomegranate vinaigrette. The perfect salad for Christmas, Thanksgiving or a regular weeknight dinner!

Winter salad on a large white platter with matte gold coloured salad servers next to it.

This festive looking salad has Christmas written ALL OVER IT – just look at that red, white and green and those seasonal flavours! It would also make a beautiful addition to a Thanksgiving table. Or just enjoy it all fall and winter long like I do!

Not only beautiful but also healthy and delicious! This salad recipe features baby greens, pomegranate, pear, pistachios and goat cheese. It all then gets topped with a drizzle of delicious pomegranate vinaigrette. Yum!

Holiday salad arranged in the shape of a Christmas wreath with a bowl of pomegranate vinaigrette in the center.

Reasons To Love This Winter Salad
Ingredients You’ll Need
How To Make This Winter Holiday Salad
Make A Christmas Wreath Salad
How To Serve It
Storage + Make Ahead Tips
Possible Variations
More Winter + Holiday Veggie Sides
Winter Holiday Salad Recipe

Reasons To Love This Winter Salad

Perfect salad for holiday meals or to enjoy any day throughout the fall and winter seasons
Makes a festive looking Christmas salad (especially when arranged into a wreath shape)
Easy to make!
Beautiful and delicious: full of a variety of flavors, textures and colors
Easy to adapt to meet a variety of dietary needs or preferences (check out the “Possible Variations” section for ideas)

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you will need to make this winter salad recipe…

Overhead photo of ingredients needed for winter holiday salad recipe: arugula, pomegranate arils, goat cheese, pear, pistachios and pomegranate vinaigrette.

Baby Greens: I like to use baby arugula but mixed baby greens or baby spinach are also great choices.
Pomegranate Arils: You can either remove them from a pomegranate yourself or purchase them ready to go at the store (usually located in the refrigerated area of the produce section stored in little tubs).
Pistachios: To make it easy, I like to purchase shelled pistachios but you could also remove the shells yourself.
Pear: You can use any type of pear. Just make sure it is ripe but still somewhat firm. Nobody wants pear mush in their salad!
Goat Cheese: Crumbled goat cheese is delicious in this salad. If you are using a really soft, creamy goat cheese like chevre, just break off little pieces with your fingers.
Pomegranate Vinaigrette: The perfect finishing touch! The recipe makes a generous amount of this easy and delicious pomegranate salad dressing. Just use as little or as much as you like and store the rest in the fridge.

Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.

How To Make This Winter Holiday Salad

This salad is really easy to put together. Simply…

Assemble salad ingredients: Place the arugula or baby greens onto a serving platter, in a large salad bowl or divided among individual salad plates. Scatter the chopped pear, pomegranate arils, shelled pistachios and goat cheese crumbles over the top.
Prepare pomegranate salad dressing: Whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl or shake together in a jar.
Serve: Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top right before serving or serve separately alongside the salad.

White platter of winter holiday salad (baby arugula, pear, pistachios, pomegranate, goat cheese) with gold salad servers.

Make A Christmas Wreath Salad

The red, white and green in this salad make it perfect for Christmas. Make this salad even more festive by arranging it in the shape of a wreath with a small bowl of the dressing in the center.

How To Serve It

This salad goes well with any meal – pairs well with turkey, chicken, roast beef, pork tenderloin, lasagna, ham, salmon, etc. The colors and flavors make it the perfect salad for your holiday meal but also easy enough to enjoy all fall and winter long.

Here are a few presentation suggestions depending on when you serve it:

Weekday Lunch or Dinner: Simply toss together in a salad bowl or serve on individual salad plates.
Thanksgiving or Dinner Party: Arrange it on a serving platter. It will look beautiful displayed alongside your roast turkey or main course.
Christmas: Have some fun by presenting this festive looking salad in the shape of a wreath (as shown above). Makes a stunning centerpiece for your holiday table!

Collage showing two ways to present a Winter Holiday Salad (on a platter and in a wreath shape).

Storage + Make Ahead Tips

Make Ahead: This salad is best assembled right before serving or the dressing will wilt the greens and the pear will brown. However, the dressing can be made ahead of time and all of the components (except for the pear) can be prepped and stored individually in the fridge. Then just chop up the pear and assemble right before serving.

Storage: The dressing will keep for about a week in the fridge. Salad ingredients (except for the pear) can be prepped and stored separately in airtight containers in the fridge for a few days.

Shortcuts: Purchase ready-to-go pomegranate arils, shelled pistachios and pre-washed greens to make this salad super quick and easy.

Possible Variations

Salads are so easy to customize and this one is no exception. Here are a few options…

Use different nuts: Walnut or pecans would also work well in this salad.
Make it nut free: Substitute the pistachios for pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds instead.
Use different cheese: Feta or blue cheese crumbles would also be delicious.
Use different fruit: Other seasonal fruits that would work well are apples, dried cranberries, persimmons, oranges, mandarins, etc.
Swap the dressing: A dressing with a bit of sweetness like a raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette would also pair well.
Make it vegan: Simply substitute the cheese for a plant based alternative or omit it. Also use the maple syrup option instead of honey in the dressing.
Add protein: Make it a meal by adding on some chicken breast or quinoa.
Make it more festive: I kept this easy but you could also cut little stars out of the pear or make fans with thin slices to make this salad even more festive.

More Winter + Holiday Veggie Sides

Here are a few more vegetable side dishes to enjoy this winter or to add to your holiday table…

Did you try this Winter Holiday Salad? Let me know in the comments!