Autumn Chopped Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
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This delicious Autumn Chopped Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette will quickly become your go-to fall apple salad. It’s so good that it was featured in this news story. It’s a great recipe for large groups or compliments a weeknight meal at home. Enjoy!
Why This Recipe Works
I’ve been serving this simple, fall-inspired chopped salad at my weeknight and my holiday table for years. It never sticks around long. The combo of sweet, tart apples and dried cranberries, baked bacon, tangy feta, and crunchy pecans creates a flavor experience in your mouth!
This is also the perfect fall potluck dish for your next gathering!
The homemade apple cider dressing accents the bacon with the perfect mix of sweet and savory. This might be my favorite homemade salad dressing to date. It’s a little sweet, a little tangy, and a beautiful golden color.
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple, and fresh, and provide a contrast of textures and flavors. Here’s what you’ll need to gather…
Ingredient Notes:
- Bacon – To save time on this salad, be sure to cook the bacon in the oven ahead of time. It reduces the stovetop mess and is an easy way to cook bacon in bulk.
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette – Don’t skip this dressing. It really does make the salad. You’ll need olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and pepper.
Note: Find our full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and directions at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Autumn Chopped Salad
Make Salad Dressing
You can whisk the dressing in a bowl or add the ingredients to a jar with a lid, seal, and shake. (You can make it ahead and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.)
Make the Salad
Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Right before serving, lightly drizzle about 2/3rds of the dressing over the top and toss. Serve with the extra dressing on the side.
Tip: Layer Individual Portion in Mason Jar
Here’s a fun idea! If you make a big salad, set aside a portion for lunch the next day.
Layer it in a Mason jar in this order: 1-2 tablespoons dressing, apples (toss in the dressing to prevent browning), dried cranberries, feta cheese, 1 1/2 cups lettuce, chopped pecans.
Use the jar of salad within 12-24 hours. When ready to serve, shake it up well and enjoy.
What to Serve with This Fall Salad
Be sure to serve this Autumn Chopped Salad alongside one our favorite holiday side dishes, Bacon and Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes or Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole.
This salad also pairs well with a main dish like Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef or Roasted Turkey Breast.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can prepare several of the components of an autumn salad ahead of time. Wash and chop the lettuce, roast the pecans, cook the bacon, and mix up the dressing. Wait until right before serving to chop up the apple. Assemble the salad just before serving to maintain freshness and prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
Get creative with your autumn salad by adding toppings like roasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, cooked barley or farro for a chewy element, crispy fried shallots for crunch, or roasted sweet potato or butternut squash for sweetness.
Leftover autumn salad can be stored in the refrigerator, but it’s best to keep the dressing separate and only mix it in when you’re ready to eat. The salad will lose its freshness and crispness and the apples will brown eventually, so it’s best to eat leftovers within a day or two.
More Amazing Salads to Try
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
- Summer Strawberry Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing
- Mandarin Orange Salad with Citrus Salad Dressing
- Southwest Chicken Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- My Favorite Cobb Salad
- Wilted Lettuce Salad – Delicious, easy way to use up garden greens!
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Autumn Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Crisp greens are topped with tart apples, sweet dried cranberries, feta cheese, toasted pecans, and crispy bacon in this Autumn Salad. Finish off with our sweet and tangy Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Apple Cider Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (sub: honey)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Autumn Salad Ingredients:
- 8 cups crisp Romaine or Green Leaf lettuce, chopped (approximately 1 head of lettuce)
- 2 medium tart red apples, cored and diced (do not peel) (recommended: Fuji or Honeycrisp)
- 1 cup dried cranberries (sub: fresh pomegranate seeds)
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (see Cooking Notes)
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (try baking it ahead of time)
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (sub: Gorgonzola crumbles)
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Instructions
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a jar with a lid, seal, and shake. (You can make ahead and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.)
- Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl, lightly drizzle about 2/3rds of the dressing over the top and toss. Serve with the extra dressing on the side.
Notes/Tips
- Bacon Tip: To save time on this salad, be sure to cook the bacon in the oven. It reduces the stovetop mess and is an easy way to cook bacon in bulk.
- How to Roast Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pecans on a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 5-10 minutes, shaking halfway through. You’ll know they are ready when you can smell them. Watch closely so they don’t burn! Remove immediately from the pan to a bowl to cool off when done.
- How to Make Ahead: To prep ahead, wash and chop the lettuce, roast the pecans, cook the bacon, and mix up the dressing. Wait until right before serving to chop up the apple. Assemble the salad just before serving to maintain freshness and prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
- How to Store Leftovers: Store leftovers in the refrigerator, but keep the dressing separate and only mix it in when you’re ready to eat. It’s best to eat leftovers within a day or two.
- Make Individual Mason Jar Salad: To take this salad to take in your lunch, layer it in a Mason jar in this order: 1-2 tablespoons dressing, apples, dried cranberries, feta cheese, 1 1/2 cups lettuce, chopped pecans. Use the jar of salad within 24 hours. When ready to serve, shake it up well and enjoy.
- Be sure to check out all our best Fall Potluck Dishes.
Photos and video by Whitney Reist of Sweet Cayenne.
If I make the salad without the dressing ahead of time. Will the apples turn brown?
Yes, they will brown if they sit out too long without being tossed in the dressing. I often make everything else ahead of time and add the apples in at the very last moment.
Bookmarked!
I love this salad recipe!!! The dressing needs a little tweaking for me ….not quite sweet enough. All in all a wonderful tasting salad!
Glad you enjoy it. Tweak away for your needs. 🙂
May sound weird, but I added a splash of OJ. And it was delicious
Thanks for the tip!
Love salads and this one looks fantastic. I think Hubby will even eat this one 🙂
This will be perfect for Easter!
Oh yes, this would be wonderful for Easter.
Yum! Pretty sure this is a permanent on our Thanksgiving menu now.
Agreed. I’ve made it the last two years for Thanksgiving.
This is possibly the best salad I’ve ever made, superb ingredients! And the homemade dressing is delicious. My husband and I love it and so do friends I’ve made it for.
Yay! Really glad to hear you enjoyed it, Kathy. Thanks for the review and feedback.
I’m never one to put fruit into my salads…unless I’m making fruit salad. But this one looked beautiful & sounded so tempting, I couldn’t resist. I’m Soon thrilled I made this salad. AB.SO.LUTELY AAAHMAZING.
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Cynthia. Thanks for the review.
This was so good and full of flavor! The only sub I made was dried cherries for the cranberries, as my husband is not a fan.
This is a fantastic fall recipe! The dressing is perfect with all the flavors. Loved this!
Thanks for the review, Emily. Really great to hear you enjoyed it!
I made this for a fall party and it was a hit! Great recipe- thanks!
Love hearing this, Rebecca. Thanks for the feedback!
Is there a substitute for the maple syrup? I have a family member allergic to maple.
Honey would work just fine!
Have you ever substituted blue cheese crumbles instead of the feta? If not how do you think it would taste?
Gorgonzola (a milder blue cheese) would be delicious on this salad!!
This salad was so easy! I did find applewood smoked bacon at my Hy Vee but could not locate the apple pie wine (of any brand). However, this was an absolutely DELICIOUS salad! It was SO GOOD, my husband volunteered to take all of the leftovers (there wasn’t much) to work the next day –WOW!
Thanks for sharing, April! We are so glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing! Does the dressing keep long?
It keeps for a few days “as is”. If you leave out the wine (which is totally fine to do), it will stay good for 2 weeks.
What wine? I don’t see it in the ingredients listed for dressing?
Good question. We have updated this recipe since making the video, but it used to include 2-3 tablespoons of Apple Wine in place of some of the apple cider vinegar. We found it wasn’t necessary and is hard to find. The recipe works great “as is” now.
I live in California. Where in the world would I find Apple Pie Wine??? I’ve never heard of it.
Hi Ann Marie. You can order the Apple Pie Wine when it’s in season from St. James Winery. It’s absolutely delicious and a fun local Missouri sweet wine to enjoy. But, since it’s out of stock at this time, you can just omit that ingredient. I’ve tested the dressing that way and it’s still delicious.
What would you sub for the Apple Pie Wine?
I’ve actually tested it without it. It works just fine and still tastes yummy!
I used a sparkling apple cider I came across at the store. The dressing is delicious!
Awesome, sounds delicious. Glad it was a hit.
The recipe I have does not show apple pie wine
how much do you use?
We actually removed that ingredient because apple pie wine isn’t easily available in our area anymore. The flavor is still great the way it’s written. If you want to include it, just add 2 tablespoons of the wine.