This healthy pomegranate salad is a 10 minute holiday salad of crisp romaine and endive, pomegranate seeds, pecans, Gorgonzola, cucumber, red onion and tangerine, tossed in a fresh pomegranate juice dressing.
Pomegranate season is the best time for this one. For more fall and holiday salads, try my winter salad with kiwi and persimmon or this pomegranate salad with roasted persimmon and brussels sprouts.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: none
- ⏳ Total Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 to 4
- ⚡ Calories: 643kcal per serving for 2 servings, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: romaine, endive, pomegranate seeds, pecans, Gorgonzola, cucumber, red onion, tangerine and mint, plus pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar, honey and olive oil for the dressing
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet-tart pomegranate, salty blue cheese and crunchy pecans
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no cooking
Quick Answer
Whisk 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Combine 3 cups chopped romaine and 3 cups chopped endive with ¼ cup pomegranate seeds, ½ cup chopped pecans, ½ cup Gorgonzola, ½ cup diced cucumber, ¼ cup diced red onion and the segments of 1 peeled tangerine. Top with the pomegranate dressing, garnish with mint leaves and serve.
Jump to:
The colors and flavors of fall are fully enjoyed in our home right now. One of those flavors includes pomegranates. My in-laws have a few pomegranate trees where they live with a plethora of this antioxidant fruit that needed picking. We brought those babies home for salad.
So I had a full basket of fruit and decided to make it into a holiday salad. This is so simple to make and is refreshing, delicious and a well balanced meal. A well dressed salad comes with tasteful satisfying dressing.
Why This Pomegranate Salad Works
Click to see why it works
- Sweet meets salty. Juicy pomegranate seeds and tangerine balance the salty Gorgonzola.
- Two kinds of crunch. Romaine and endive stay crisp under the dressing, and the pecans add a nutty bite.
- Fresh-squeezed dressing. Pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar and honey make a bright dressing in minutes.
- Mint on top keeps every bite fresh.
- Easy to make a meal. Add grilled chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken for a heartier salad.
Why You'll Love This Holiday Salad
- Ready in 10 minutes with no cooking at all.
- Holiday colors of red pomegranate, green lettuce and orange tangerine.
- Gluten-free and refreshing next to a heavy holiday plate.
- Serves 2 to 4, and it doubles easily for a crowd.
- Homemade dressing made with fresh pomegranate juice.
Key Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce and endive - chopped, for a crisp base.
- Pomegranate seeds - buy them ready to go or seed your own fruit.
- Pecans - chopped.
- Gorgonzola cheese.
- Cucumber and red onion - quartered and diced.
- Tangerine - peeled and separated.
- Dressing - pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Mint leaves - for garnish.
See recipe card for quantities.
The Pomegranate Mess in My Kitchen
I usually buy pomegranate seeds instead of the whole fruit because when I try to remove the seeds myself, it looks like a bloody murder mess in my kitchen. No joke, there was red EVERYWHERE! On every wall, counter top, my face and my shirt. I warn you, if you are going to remove seeds from your pomegranate fruit, do it with OLD clothes on. Or watch this simple video on how to seed a pomegranate properly.
How to Make Pomegranate Salad
1Make the dressing. For the dressing I suggest cutting the pomegranate in half and then squeezing the juice out into a bowl. Combine the pomegranate juice with the red wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.
2Prep the salad. Chop the romaine and endives, dice the cucumber and red onion, chop the pecans and peel and separate the tangerine.
3Combine. Combine all ingredients on a tray or large mixing bowl.
4Dress and serve. Top with the pomegranate dressing and garnish with mint leaves and enjoy!
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Wear old clothes if you seed your own pomegranate, or buy pomegranate seeds to skip the mess.
- Squeeze your own juice. Cut a pomegranate in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl for the dressing.
- Make it heartier with grilled chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken.
- Dress it right before serving so the greens stay crisp.
- Serving a crowd? The recipe serves 2 to 4, so double it for a holiday table next to my healthy Thanksgiving side dishes.
More Fall and Holiday Salads
Winter salads: Winter Salad with Kiwi, Persimmon and Walnuts, Pomegranate Brussels Sprouts Salad, Kale Salad with Chickpeas, Cranberry and Persimmon and Apple and Blue Cheese Kale Salad.
More salads to try: Roasted Beet Kale Salad, Arugula Strawberry Feta Salad, Chopped Kale Salad and Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad.
Pomegranate Salad FAQs
Cut the pomegranate in half and squeeze the juice out into a bowl.
Wear old clothes, because the juice splatters. You can also buy pomegranate seeds ready to use.
This salad uses Gorgonzola, a blue cheese, for a salty contrast to the sweet pomegranate and tangerine.
It serves 2 to 4. The nutrition on the recipe card is calculated for 2 servings.
Yes. Add grilled chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken for a heartier salad.
Yes. Every ingredient in the salad and the homemade dressing is naturally gluten-free.
More Winter Salads
Try Winter Salad, Kale Persimmon Salad or Apple Blue Cheese Kale Salad next. I hope you enjoy this Healthy Pomegranate Salad! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
10 Minute Healthy Pomegranate Salad
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus get latest recipes and emails.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
- 3 cups endives chopped
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- ½ cup Gorgonzola cheese
- ½ cup cucumber quartered and diced
- ¼ cup red onion quartered and diced
- DRESSING: Combine all below ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tangerine peeled and separated
- Mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients on a tray or large mixing bowl. Top with Pomegranate dressing & garnish with mint leaves & enjoy!
Leave a Reply