Perfect Pomegranate Salad

This pomegranate salad is absolutely irresistible! It stars a sweet tart salad dressing and the vibrant crunch of pomegranate seeds.

Pomegranate is one of the most special foods on the planet: each bright pink seed has an irresistible sweet tart pop and crunch. Outside of downing the arils by the handful, our favorite way to eat them is this pomegranate salad! The crunchy seeds make a beautiful confetti over the top of leafy greens with tart green apple, toasted pecans, and goat cheese or feta crumbles. Drizzle with a zingy apple cider vinegar dressing or pomegranate vinaigrette, and it’s salad perfection.

Pomegranate salad ingredients

There are lots of ways to make a pomegranate salad! This is our very favorite combination of flavors: but you’ll see there are endless choices! Below we’ll talk through a few of the different variations you can use. Here’s what you’ll need for this tasty and easy side dish:

• Pomegranate seeds: we recommend seeding them from a fresh pomegranate. See below!
• Shallot
• Granny Smith apple or pear: either are tasty: or you could use both!
• Pecans or walnuts
• Mixed greens
• Goat cheese or feta cheese crumbles (optional)
• Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing or Pomegranate Vinaigrette (see below)

Use pomegranate seeds from a fresh pomegranate

These days, you can find pomegranate seeds already remove from the fruit in your local grocery. But for pomegranate salad, it’s best to buy a fresh pomegranate and cut and seed it yourself. Why? Pomegranate seeds from the fruit are much fresher than those sold shelled.

If you buy pomegranate seeds shelled and ready to eat, they only have a day or so of shelf life. We’ve even purchased some that went bad before we tried them! So a whole fruit is where it’s at. Here’s what to know:

• Cut the pomegranate in quarters, then remove the seeds in a bowl of water. This avoids a big mess of pink splatters all over your kitchen! We’ve got a great step-by-step tutorial: go to How to Cut a Pomegranate.
• Pomegranate seeds last up to 5 days refrigerated, but are best right away. So seed it right before you’re ready to make the salad.

Step it up with toasted or glazed nuts

This pomegranate salad features toasted pecans: and here’s a tip for you: always toast your nuts! It brings out the nutty flavor almost like salt brings out the flavor in savory foods. And it only takes a few minutes! You can absolutely taste the difference.

To take this salad over the top, make a batch of glazed pecans that have a sweet, crunchy exterior. It adds a new element to an already delicious salad! Here are a few ideas of the various nuts you could use:

• Pecans like toasted pecans or candied pecans
• Walnuts like toasted walnuts or candied walnuts
• Almonds like toasted almonds (sliced, slivered or chopped)
• Pine nuts like toasted pine nuts
• Pistachios

Pick a pomegranate salad dressing

There are also lots of variations when it comes dressing for this pomegranate salad! Whatever the case: homemade dressing is best. Of course if you’re in a pinch, you can absolutely use a store-bought dressing: there are many great high quality and organic salad dressings available these days. We created two different dressing options for this salad: and we have a few other ideas as well! Try the following pomegranate salad dressings:

• Apple cider vinegar dressing: Made with vinegar, Dijon mustard and olive oil, it’s perfectly tangy!
• Pomegranate vinaigrette: Want to double the pomegranate? Try this dressing made with pomegranate juice.
• Balsamic vinaigrette: Full of big tangy flavor, and one of of the best homemade dressings you’ll find.
• Pomegranate molasses plus olive oil: A great way to use this special ingredient! Dress the greens with olive oil, then drizzle with sweet tart pomegranate molasses. It’s incredible!

What to serve with pomegranate salad

This pomegranate salad is great because it’s so versatile! It’s more of a fall salad or winter salad since pomegranates are easiest to find in the cooler months. But since they’re becoming more available at grocery stores, you can eat it anytime! It’s perfect for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, or ideal for accessorizing any fall or winter dinner. Here are a few foods it pairs well with:

• Lasagna: Try it with our Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta or Perfect Zucchini Lasagna (gluten free)
• Pasta: Add it to Scallop Pasta, Creamy Shrimp Pasta, or Roasted Eggplant Pasta
• Salmon: Try it with Pesto Salmon or Broiled Salmon with lemon caper sauce
• Veggie Mains: Add it to Best Vegetarian Meatloaf, Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, or Vegan Pot Pie for an impressive meal

Vegan variation

Want to make this pomegranate salad vegan? No problem! All you have to do is omit the cheese crumbles. You’ll barely notice the difference! Some salads need an extra savory hit from cheese, but this one works perfectly without it.

And that’s it: our perfect pomegranate salad! Let us know what you think in the comments below.

More pomegranate recipes

Pomegranate season calls for making lots of vibrant recipes with special fruit! Here are some favorite pomegranate recipes:

• Make more salads like Brussels Sprout Salad or Kale Pomegranate Salad
• Blend up a creamy Pomegranate Smoothie or make Pomegranate Juice
• Make the tangy sweet drizzle, Pomegranate Molasses
• Use the juice for cocktails, like a Pomegranate Martini, Cosmo, Margarita or Mimosa
• Mix up a batch of homemade grenadine for cocktails

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Pomegranate Smoothie

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Pomegranate Molasses

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Pomegranate Juice

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Pomegranate Martini

This pomegranate salad recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the cheese crumbles.

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