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This beautiful Christmas salad with crunchy red cabbage, sweet pomegranate, juicy raisins, crisp red apples, and crunchy candied almonds is my go-to each year.
Not only is it super delicious, but it is a gorgeous salad the whole family will love. Make it ahead of time, so you have more time to enjoy the festivities with your loved ones.
This easy recipe requires lime juice, which turns the red cabbage pink, making the salad even brighter and more festive. It pairs perfectly with any meal, and if one salad is not enough for your Christmas dinner, then serve it alongside an orange salad or salad wreath.
Christmas Salad Ingredients
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Red cabbage: A quarter cabbage is all you need.
- Pomegranate: Use half a pomegranate for this recipe. Use the remaining arils in your yogurt or enjoy them as a snack.
- Red onion: I use half an onion and slice it finely. Adjust to your preference.
- Apples: Red apples make the dish more festive, but any crisp apples will do.
- Raisins: Adds sweetness and pairs well with the peppery cabbage.
- Tomato: Cut out to make flowers and use to garnish (not pictured).
- Almonds, sugar, water: Combine unroasted almonds, white sugar, and water to make candied nuts for crunch.
- Olive oil, maple syrup, lime, sea salt, pepper: Mix for a sweet and sour dressing.
How to Make a Christmas Salad
- Prepare all the ingredients. Make the candied almonds, shred the red cabbage, slice the red onions, chop the apples, deseed the pomegranate, and cut out the tomato flowers.
- Mix the ingredients for the dressing.
- Assemble the salad. Top with candied nuts, vinaigrette, and tomato flowers.
Possible Variations
- Red cabbage: Use white cabbage, kale, radicchio, or endive.
- Raisins: Swap for sultanas, dried cranberries or cherries.
- Pomegranate: Blueberries are a great alternative.
- Apples: Try pears, oranges, or clementines.
- Candied nuts: Use any plain seeds or nuts to add crunch (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, etc).
- Dressing: Swap maple syrup for honey or balsamic glaze.
- Mint: Use other herbs such as parsley, basil, dill, or coriander.
- Add-ins: Try adding blue cheese, feta, shredded chicken, or chick peas.
FAQs
Yes, you can make this a few hours ahead, but wait to dress the salad and top it with the candied nuts.
Store the salad in a lidded glass container in the fridge. Enjoy within 1-2 days.
Best Christmas Salads
- Burrata Snowman
- Snowman Stick Platter
- Smiling Santa Caprese
- Snow Globe Burrata Platter
- Fine Dining Burrata Salad
- Santa’s Hat Platter
Christmas Salad
Ingredients
Candied almonds
- 50 grams almonds
- 25 grams sugar, granulated
- 25 ml water
Salad
- 1/2 pomegranate, deseeded
- 1/4 red cabbage
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 apples, red
- 4 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint
Dressing
- 20 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 18 ml maple syrup
- 1 lime
- sea salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
Candied Nuts
- Heat a medium-sized pan on medium-high heat
- Add the almonds, sugar, and water, and mix until the water evaporates and the sugar starts to look dry.
- When the sugar starts to melt, and most of the nuts are shiny, the candied nuts are done.
- Drop the nuts onto parchment paper. Use a wooden spoon to spread them out and let them cool.
Salad
- Shred the red cabbage finely on a mandolin.
- Slice the red onion and chop the apples and mint.
- Quarter the lime and pour the juice of one quarter over the chopped apples. Use a spoon to mix.
Dressing
- Mix olive oil, the remaining lime juice, maple syrup, sea salt, and pepper to taste.
To assemble
- Roughly chop the candied almonds.
- Add the shredded red cabbage, pomegranate, raisins, red onions, apples, and half of the chopped mint.
- Top with the dressing and mix well.
- Plate the salad and sprinkle the nuts on top.
- Cut out a few tomato flowers with the cookie cutter and scatter on top of the salad.
- Garnish with the remaining chopped mint.
- Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
