Why you’ll love this pear arugula salad
- This salad offers the best of fall flavors – underutilized pears, maple glazed pecans and tart pomegranate.
- It’s simple to throw together. If you make your pecans ahead of time (or buy them pre-made) this salad is relatively easy to assemble. You don’t even need to make a separate dressing.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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- Arugula – This peppery green is perfect to pair with sweet ingredients. Feel free to use a mix of arugula and other greens if it’s too much for your taste buds.
- Pears – Make sure your pears are ripe, but not too soft.
- Red onion – These get thinly sliced, but I also like to rinse them in cold water to lower their intensity.
- Candied pecans – You can buy these pre-made or make them yourself. These are good option for store-bought that are dairy free.
- Pomegranate seeds
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make this pear arugula salad with pecans
Candy the pecans. Add pecan halves, maple syrup, cinnamon and a pinch of salt to a large skillet. Bring it to a simmer and let the maple syrup reduce until it’s almost crystalized. Stir as needed to prevent the syrup from burning.
When they are coated with a nice thick layer of maple, remove them from the heat and transfer them to a cooling rack topped with a piece of wax paper to cool.
Assemble the salad. Add the salad ingredients to a big salad bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Toss the salad to evenly coat it in dressing and season with a pinch of coarse salt & pepper, to taste. If desired, add vegan blue cheese before serving.
* Dairy free recipe tip
This salad is great with or without cheese, but a blue cheese does pair really nicely with these ingredients. I like to serve ours without and then put out some Follow Your Heart blue cheese crumbles and a small bowl of regular blue cheese for the dairy eaters.
Everything you need to know about pear arugula salad
When you’re picking pears for salads, go for ones that are still a bit firm and not overly ripe – this will help them keep their shape nicely in the salad. Bartlett pears are a good choice because they’re sweet and juicy but hold up well as long as they are not too ripe. You can also use other varieties of pears if you prefer, each has its own unique flavor.
To prevent pears from browning in a salad, toss them in fresh lemon juice, which slows down oxidation. If you’re making the salad ahead of time, store the pears separately and add them to the salad just before serving to maintain their freshness and color.
Candied pecans can become grainy due to overcooking or undissolved sugar in the syrup. To avoid this, ensure the sugar is fully dissolved, and watch the cooking process carefully to prevent over-caramelization.
One of the ways to prevent having bitter pecans is toasting them. The toasting process enhances their flavor and reduces bitterness – just be sure to watch them closely to avoid over-toasting – which can create a burnt/bitter taste.
More fruity fall recipes you should try
More dairy free salad recipes you will love
- Butternut squash and kale salad
- Thai noodle salad
- Shaved brussels sprouts salad
- Avocado, orange and beetroot salad
- Romaine wedge salad
Pear Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 4 – 5 ounces arugula, each bag was 4 ounces
- 1 pear, thinly sliced or chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/4 cup chopped maple pecans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Optional: dairy free blue cheese crumbles, such as Follow Your Heart
For the maple pecans:
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups pecan halves
- Pinch of cinnamon, optional
- Pinch salt
Instructions
To make the pecans:
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and begin to toast them. Once warmed through, add maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Stir to coat.
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup has thickened and there is no excess liquid in the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet (or cooling rack) to cool.
- In a large salad bowl, stir the balsamic vinegar, oil and maple syrup together. Add arugula, pears, pomegranate, red onion and pecans. Toss to combine and season with salt & pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.
- Optional: If desired, top with dairy free blue cheese crumbles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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