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This Apple Arugula Salad recipe is loaded with crunchy roasted maple pecans, sliced apples, goat cheese crumbles, figs and a balsamic dressing to pull it all together. This is the perfect fall salad to celebrate apple season and more. Comes together in just 20 minutes and complements so many dishes or easily a full meal with added protein!
If a salad at a restaurant includes sliced apples and toasted pecans, the rest is history because I need it. This fall harvest inspired apple and arugula salad has it all.
The crunchy maple pecans, crisp apples, creamy goat cheese, peppery arugula and so much more make this the salad of the season and beyond!
Pairs perfectly with this White Wine Chicken, Maple Citrus Glazed Salmon, or Maple Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops— a perfect complement to these and so many more!
Why You Will Love This Apple and Arugula Salad Recipe:
- Super simple to prep. This is such an easy salad to put together. It seems to basic but the flavors pull together and make such simple ingredients give the best pop of WOW!
- This salad is LOADED. This is not a boring salad by any means. Apples, pecans, figs, arugula, onion, goat cheese–so much flavor in every bite!
- Great for a gathering or party. This salad needs a spot on the spread for sure! It looks as beautiful as it tastes so will for sure be a show stopper at your next dinner party.
- Pairs well with so many dishes! So many possibilities to make this salad into a full meal with your favorite protein. Rotisserie chicken or sliced white wine chicken breast right on top, a perfectly grilled flank steak, or butter herb Instant Pot salmon–all great choices. It would also go well with a fancy pizza if you were up for it on pizza night!
Salad Ingredients:
- apples: for the best salad, use your favorite apples. I personally suggest either Fuji apples or gala apples. Those are my favorite and I use them in just about every apple recipe including these Apple Crumble Bars and this Puff Pastry Apple Tart. They are nice and crisp and sweet. Honeycrisp apples are amazing as well in this arugula apple salad.
- baby arugula: the peppery mustard flavor of arugula makes it the perfect green to pair with sweet, tart apples. Baby arugula is a bit milder than full grown arugula so it is typically the preference of most people.
- red onion: a touch of red onion, sliced very thin for subtle flavor
- figs: dried figs are used in this recipe versus fresh.
- goat cheese: goat cheese crumbles versus a goat cheese log or the smooth and creamy variation.
- pecans: raw pecan halves that you will roast in maple syrup. If you just have pecan pieces that is ok. If you want to save a bit of time, you can buy roasted pecans, or if you can find maple roasted pecans even better!
- maple syrup: pure maple syrup for this apple and arugula salad versus pancake syrup for best results
For the Dressing:
- olive oil: a high quality extra virgin olive oil is preferred for the balsamic dressing. I don’t suggest using another kind of oil in this recipe.
- balsamic vinegar: as with the oil, the same is for the balsamic vinegar, use a good quality vinegar. While I strongly suggest the use of balsamic, you could use apple cider vinegar and completely change the flavor profile of the dressing. Definitely an option!
- maple: real maple syrup just as used with the pecans. Honey can be used instead if desired.
- lemon juice: freshly squeezed is ideal, but bottled can work in this recipe.
- dijon mustard: for me this is a MUST in the dressing. It really rounds out the flavor so well.
- garlic: fresh garlic, minced versus garlic powder
- salt and pepper: you can certainly adjust the sea salt and black pepper in the dressing as desired.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the pecans with the maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt.
- Arrange pecans on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 5-7 minutes or until toasted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
- While the pecans are roasting, whisk together the balsamic dressing ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Add the arugula to a large mixing bowl or salad bowl. Arrange the sliced apples, figs, and other ingredients on top of the greens.
- Just before serving, drizzle about 1/2 of the dressing over top of the salad and toss. Serve and enjoy!
Keep Apples From Browning
The best way to keep apples from browning is lightly salted water. The lemon juice in the dressing is helpful, but if you really want the apples to keep from browning soak apple slices in a mixture of 1 teaspoon salt per cup of water for about 10 minutes. You can rinse and pat dry before adding to the salad. If doing this, the browning slows down and you are able to prepare the salad further in advance.
Recipe Tips
- For best results, add the apples to the salad just before serving. If you plan on making ahead, ideally you will want to wait to add the apples unless you soak them in salt water to prevent browning.
- Make this salad within an hour of serving for best results. For fresh, crispy apples, crunchy pecans and the freshest ingredients, make the salad within an hour of when you plan to eat it. That is not to say that you cannot make it further in advance, but the ingredients will be at their most presentable and best texture.
Storage:
This salad is best when eaten the same day it is made. However, even thought the apples may slightly brown, you can still eat it. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within about 2 days.
Possible Salad Add-Ins and Variations:
While there is not much room for much more in this salad, there are still some other ingredients you may love to add. Feel free to try!
- dried cranberries or golden raisins
- roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash
- halved red grapes
- toasted pumpkin seeds
- pomegranate arils
- sliced avocado
- roasted chickpeas
- use almonds or walnuts instead of the pecans
- vary the cheese–feta cheese is another great option!
- vary the greens and toss in some spring greens, baby spinach or another lettuce
Other Apple Recipes:
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Apple Arugula Salad With Maple Pecans
Ingredients
- 3 apples, sliced very thin
- 5 oz arugula
- 1/4 c red onion, sliced thin
- 1/2 c figs, chopped
- 1/2 c goat cheese crumbles
For The Maple Pecans
- 1 c pecan halves
- 2 T maple syrup
- pinch of sea salt
Dressing
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 T balsamic vinegar
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt, Or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the pecans with the maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Arrange pecans on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 5-7 minutes or until toasted and darkened slightly. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Whisk together the balsamic dressing ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Add the arugula to a large salad bowl. Arrange the sliced apples, figs, and other ingredients on top of the greens. Just before serving, drizzle about 1/2 of the dressing over top of the salad and toss. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition is based off of using half of the dressing in the recipe. Not everyone loves a salad with that much dressing, but the recipe makes enough for those who do!
- For best results, add the apples to the salad just before serving. If you plan on making ahead, ideally you will want to wait to add the apples unless you soak them in salt water to prevent browning.
-
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this salad for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Everyone loved it. Made it again a couple weeks later and added grilled chicken. It made a quick and easy meal. This is definitely a good one!
Yay! I am making it tomorrow for my dad’s birthday as well, we love this one too!
About the pecans, seems 350 is a bit low and 5-7 mins not long enough. I’m pushing 15+ mins on the pecans but keeping it at 350 to avoid burning.
Interesting–I left mine in just over 7 minutes recently and burned them! I imagine all ovens run a bit different, but that definitely seems to be a lot more time!
Your 2x and 3x buttons aren’t working
They seem to be working again. I had the same issue for a minute but it may have been a glitch.
I made this for our church Thanksgiving dinner. I couldn’t find dried figs, but did use dried cranberries. It was gone by the time I made it to the salad area. I will definitely be making this again. All the ingredients work so well together.
Wonderful to hear! And the cranberries sound perfect to me!
What type apple is best used for this recipie?
Hi! We love Fuji or Gala, but Honeycrisp are great as well. I would say go with one you love!
YUM I love this dressing seriously it was soooo good
Yay! Love love love to hear this!
Took this to Bunko tonight and got rave reviews! It’s a wonderful fall salad. Even the husband of the hostess loved it and ate a second serving!
One thing that made it easier was purchasing already candied pecans from Trader Joe’s!:)
Thanks for the great recipe.
Oh, good call on the pecans. I love TJ’s pecans!!!
This looks FANTASTIC! Thank you!