This arugula pear salad is perfect for any season! Tender baby arugula is tossed in a sweet and savory maple vinaigrette and topped with crisp pear, crunchy pecans, and creamy goat cheese.
Looking for a great arugula pear salad recipe? This is it! Read my tips to learn how to make the perfect arugula salad for any occasion.
This pear arugula salad is my favorite side dish for the holiday table! It is elegant, delicious, and simple to prepare. The peppery arugula, creamy goat cheese, and crisp pear slices make the best combination!
However, the real star of this delicious salad is the maple vinaigrette salad dressing It has the perfect balance of sweet and tang, with great flavor from two different kinds of mustard.
The flavor of the dressing with the sweet, ripe pears, tangy pomegranate seeds, and toasty nuts is the most delicious combination. It really is one of the best winter salads for Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, or a light lunch.
Honestly, this arugula pear salad is great for any time of year! Pair it with the savory flavors of chicken, steak, or pork for a complete meal!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Sweet and tangy vinaigrette
- Creamy and crunchy texture
- Perfect as a side salad or main dish
- Easy to make in 10 mins
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ingredients You’ll Need for the Salad
- Arugula: Baby arugula is more tender and has a softer, milder flavor than regular arugula, but either one will work! Arugula can also be substituted for your favorite salad greens, such as baby spinach, baby kale, mixed greens, endive, etc.
- Pecans: Candied pecans add sweetness and a nice crunch to this arugula pear salad . My favorite candied pecans are from Trader Joe’s! Pecans can also be substituted for crunchy walnuts, pine nuts, or omitted if needed.
- Dressing: This maple dijon vinaigrette has the best sweet and tangy flavor for this easy arugula pear salad. See the details for the dressing below!
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice helps prevent the pear from browning too quickly.
- Pomegranate: Pomegranate seeds add a bit of color and texture to this arugula pear salad . These can also be substituted for dried cranberries or omitted.
- Goat cheese: Fresh goat cheese logs have much more flavor than pre-crumbled goat cheese so I highly recommend buying a log and crumbling it yourself. Just make sure to keep the goat cheese cold so it crumbles easily. Feta cheese would also be delicious in this arugula pear salad recipe.
- Pear: I love the crisp texture and flavor of Bartlett pears but feel free to use your favorite pear. Anjou, Asian pears, or Bosc pears would also work. Just make sure you use sweet juicy pears that are nice and firm! Pear can also be substituted for apple, strawberries, or figs.
Ingredients You’ll Need for the Vinaigrette
- Maple syrup: Maple syrup adds a bit of sweetness to the dressing. If you don’t have maple syrup on hand, honey is also delicious in this simple vinaigrette.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is the base of our dressing. Any good all-purpose olive oil will work.
- Garlic: Garlic adds an earthy bite to the dressing. If you’re using a blender, you can just mince the garlic. If you’re using a whisk for the dressing, I recommend grating the garlic on a microplane instead.
- Salt and pepper: Salt and pepper season the vinaigrette so it tastes delicious. Feel free to add it to taste.
- Dijon and grainy mustard: We’re using a combination of dijon and whole grain mustard in the vinaigrette. The dijon helps emulsify the dressing while the grainy mustard adds a bit of bite and tang.
- Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar adds acidity to the dressing and pairs perfectly with the mustard and maple syrup. If you don’t have any apple cider vinegar on hand, lemon juice is a great substitute for this simple dressing!
You also might like these roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts.
How to Make this Recipe
For the Maple Vinaigrette
- Place the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, dijon mustard, grainy mustard, salt, and pepper in a large jar and use an immersion blender to blend them together until combined. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender, a food processor, or a whisk!
- With the blender on low speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue blending until the dressing is fully emulsified– about 15 seconds. Set aside until ready to use.
For the Salad
- In a small bowl, stir together the pear and lemon juice until the pear is well coated– this will help prevent it from browning.
- Add the arugula to a large bowl and drizzle over ⅓ of the dressing. Toss to combine.
- Add the pear, pecans, and pomegranate seeds to the arugula and toss to combine.
- Next, crumble over the goat cheese over the arugula pear salad and enjoy immediately, with extra dressing on the side.
Storage Instructions
This arugula pear salad tastes best if eaten shortly after preparation. Do not prepare the salad too far in advance, since the pears will brown and the arugula will start to wilt.
FAQs
Arugula has a peppery flavor that pairs well with sweet, tangy, crunchy, and creamy flavors and textures. Try adding ingredients like goat cheese, feta, pomegranates, dried cranberries, almonds, parmesan, pears, apples, or balsamic vinaigrette.
Baby arugula is the same plant as arugula — the leaves are just smaller and harvested when they are more tender. This arugula is typically milder in flavor when compared to regular arugula.
You can make arugula less bitter by massaging the greens with a bit of dressing before serving. You can also add olive oil and lemon juice to soften the greens and make them more mild in flavor.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- This arugula pear salad is completely customizable so feel free to use what you have on hand! Arugula can be substituted for your favorite salad greens, such as baby spinach, mixed greens, endive, etc. Pear can be substituted for apple, strawberries, or figs. Pecans can be substituted for toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or omitted if needed. Pomegranate seeds can be substituted for dried cranberries or omitted.
- Don’t want to make homemade dressing? Use your favorite bottled vinaigrette. You’ll need about ½ cup for this arugula pear salad .
- I love the crisp texture and flavor of Bartlett pears with this arugula pear salad, but feel free to use your favorite pear. Anjou or Bosc pears would also work. Just make sure the pears are ripe and juicy!
- Fresh goat cheese logs have much more flavor than pre-crumbled goat cheese so I highly recommend buying a log and crumbling it yourself. Just make sure to keep the goat cheese cold so it crumbles easily. Feta cheese would also be delicious in this arugula pear salad, if you aren’t a fan of goat cheese.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try this arugula pear salad, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Pear & Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
For the Maple Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon grainy country-style mustard
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ⅓ cup olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 bartlett pear thinly sliced or diced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 bag 7 ounces baby arugula
- 1 cup candied pecans
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- 4 ounces cold goat cheese freshly crumbled
Instructions
For the Maple Vinaigrette
- Place the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, dijon mustard, grainy mustard, salt, and pepper in a large jar and use an immersion blender to blend them together until combined. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender, a food processor, or a whisk!
- With the blender on low speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue blending until the dressing is fully emulsified– about 15 seconds. Set aside until ready to use.
For the Salad
- In a small bowl, stir together the pear and lemon juice until the pear is well coated– this will help prevent it from browning.
- Add the arugula to a large bowl and drizzle over ⅓ of the dressing. Toss to combine.
- Add the pear, pecans, and pomegranate seeds to the arugula and toss to combine.
- Next crumble over the goat cheese and enjoy immediately with extra dressing on the side.
Notes
- This salad is completely customizable so feel free to use what you have on hand! Arugula can be substituted for your favorite salad greens, such as baby spinach, mixed greens, endive, etc. Pear can be substituted for apple, strawberries, or figs. Pecans can be substituted for toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or omitted if needed. Pomegranate seeds can be substituted for dried cranberries or omitted.
- Don’t want to make homemade dressing? Use your favorite bottled vinaigrette. You’ll need about ½ cup.
- I love the crisp texture and flavor of Bartlett pears but feel free to use your favorite pear. Anjou or Bosc pears would also work. Just make sure the pears are ripe and juicy!
- Fresh goat cheese logs have much more flavor than pre-crumbled goat cheese so I highly recommend buying a log and crumbling it yourself. Just make sure to keep the goat cheese cold so it crumbles easily. Feta cheese would also be delicious in this salad if you aren’t a fan of goat cheese.
This is perfect for fall and winter holiday parties! It’s light, slightly sweet. and fresh!
Absolutely lovely recipe! Super delicious. Thank you.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit. Very yummy!
I’m so glad you liked it!