Christmas Salad

Elevate your holiday feast with a Christmas Salad with crisp greens, juicy citrus and jewel-like pomegranate seeds. The zesty homemade orange dressing is what sets this one apart!

A Festive Holiday Salad

No matter what your entree is for Christmas dinner, we’re willing to bet that this Christmas Salad will go with it. Usually, the holiday table is piled high with rich mains, buttery rolls, and indulgent sides, so this fresh salad becomes kind of like a breath of fresh air.

It’s a combination of peppery arugula and crisp radicchio, topped with juicy oranges, creamy goat cheese, cinnamon roasted almonds and beautiful pomegranate seeds.

But the thing that sets this salad apart is the zesty orange dressing. It’s creamy but not too creamy, filled with the flavor of fresh orange juice, sweetened with a bit of honey, and made a bit tangy by white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard.

Whether you’re hosting or bringing a dish to pass, this Christmas pomegranate salad is easy to prep, fast to assemble, and always a welcome addition to the table.

Christmas Salad Ingredients

A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.

• baby arugula – peppery arugula is our very favorite pairing for creamy goat cheese. One of those plastic boxes at the grocery store is perfect. Spring mix also works great for this festive salad if you’d prefer that.
• radicchio – like arugula, radicchio has a peppery, mildly spicy bite to it, making it a perfect pairing for sweet oranges. You’ll need half a head of radicchio for this salad for Christmas dinner.
• oranges – classic navel oranges, cut into segments. See the Home Chef Tips below for saving the juice for the dressing. Mandarin oranges, tangerines or segmented clementines work in a pinch if you don’t have time to segment oranges, but since you’ll need fresh orange juice for the dressing anyway, it’s probably best to just buy a bag of fresh oranges, honestly!
• goat cheese – we use one (4 ounce) container of crumbled goat cheese. Just open the package and sprinkle it on.
• almonds – cinnamon roasted almonds just SCREAM Christmas, don’t you think? If you don’t have access to those or don’t care for them, plain sliced almonds are a good substitute in this Christmas green salad. You could also use candied or cinnamon roasted pecans, or walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a little crunch.
• pomegranate seeds – we buy the little container of just seeds (arils) at the store, rather than buying the whole pomegranate and struggling with unleashing the seeds. SO EASY.
• mayonnaise – makes the base of the salad dressing just slightly creamy and so good.
• olive oil – adds richness and smooths the dressing.
• fresh orange juice – the key ingredient for the salad dressing!
• honey – balances the acidity of the orange juice and enhances the natural sweetness.
• white wine vinegar – adds a bit extra tanginess. White balsamic or cider vinegar work in a pinch.
• Dijon mustard – helps the dressing emulsify and adds a bit of heat.
• salt and pepper – essential seasonings for any holiday salad!

How To Make Christmas Pomegranate Salad

1. DRESSING. Make the dressing by simply whisking together all of the ingredients – mayonnaise, oil, orange juice, honey, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper – until smooth.

2. TOSS. In a large bowl, toss the radicchio and arugula together.

3. ARRANGE. Arrange the arugula mixture on a large platter, then arrange the oranges, cheese, almonds and pomegranate arils over the greens. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and serve right away.

Other Christmas Salad Ideas

• CHANGE THE DRESSING – our Honey Mustard Dressing and Citrus Salad Dressing (which is more of a classic vinaigrette, no mayo) are also perfect for this salad.
• SWAP THE GREENS – You can use spinach or butter lettuce in place of arugula if you don’t prefer it.
• SWITCH THE CHEESE – Not a fan of goat cheese? How about crumbled feta cheese or blue cheese?
• DIFFERENT FRUIT – Instead of oranges and pomegranate seeds, you could do chopped apples and dried cranberries.

How To Prep In Advance

We’re BIG fans of prepping for Christmas dinner in advance, so there’s less to do the day of, and this Christmas salad recipe is no exception. Here’s how we do it:

• The dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.
• If you’re using a fresh pomegranate, the arils can be taken out of it in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days (but personally, we usually just buy the little cups of pomegranate seeds, because it’s so much easier).
• The cinnamon roasted almonds can be chopped 2 days in advance and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Try not to eat them all!
• The oranges can be segmented 1 day in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.
• The radicchio can be sliced 1 day in advance and kept in a zip top bag in the fridge.

On the day of the big feast, simply assemble all of your ready-to-go ingredients for this Christmas green salad and serve!