Winter Citrus Fruit Salad

Citrus Salad with avocado dressing is a flavor-packed light meal. Add shrimp, chicken or chickpeas to turn it into something more substantial.

Winter Citrus Salad

If you want to create the absolute best winter citrus salad of your life, you need to know how to balance the flavors so that every ingredient shines, especially the beautiful citrus fruit.

I’ve been cooking with blood oranges, Valencia oranges, Cara Cara oranges and grapefruit for years, especially in fresh salads like this one.

In this post, I’ll teach you how to choose the best greens to pair with the citrus, and how to create an avocado and basil salad dressing that is so perfectly herby and tangy that you’ll want to slather it on everything.

Citrus Fruit Salad Ingredients

• arugula – this peppery, slightly bitter green contrasts really nicely with the sweet fruit. You can also use spinach or mixed greens.
• citrus – here, I’ve used a combination of blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges and grapefruit. Any citrus fruit that is in season, in any combination, works great here. Feel free to make it with 100% naval oranges and it’ll be delicious.
• almonds – these add a bit of crunch and nutty flavor.

For the Dressing

• avocado – the creamy base of the dressing.
• basil – adds a fresh aromatic flavor that complements the citrus in the salad.
• olive oil – thins out the dressing and adds healthy fats.
• white wine vinegar – adds acid to balance the creaminess of the avocado.
• salt and pepper – everything needs to be seasoned well, including salad dressing!

How to Make Citrus Salad

1. DRESSING. Make the dressing by blending the avocado, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth. Gradually add water to thin out the dressing until it reaches a pourable consistency.
2. ASSEMBLE. Divide the arugula between 4 plates. Divide the citrus segments over the arugula, and then sprinkle with almonds. Serve with the dressing.

Serving Suggestions

To finish my salad, I sprinkled it with sliced almonds and drizzled it with homemade Avocado-Basil Dressing. This dressing comes together quickly by buzzing up avocado, basil, olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, salt and pepper in a mini food processor or blender until smooth.

Serve this salad as a side dish or light lunch, or top it with a heart-healthy protein such as shrimp, chicken breast or chickpeas for a more substantial meal.

Psst – another great homemade salad dressing option for this salad would be my Citrus Salad Dressing.

How to Store Arugula Citrus Salad

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. For best results, store the greens, fruit, nuts and dressing all separately, and then combine just before serving again.