This Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta is a festive salad for any winter meal or holiday potluck! Serve it like a Christmas or holiday wreath, just for fun.
Winter holidays always make me crave mandarin oranges. While I love eating them as a healthy snack, adding them to salads like this Pomegranate Mandarin Salad perks up my daily dose of leafy greens as well.
This gorgeous orange and romaine salad is bursting with Vitamin C-rich fruit, crunchy pecans and creamy avocado. It's topped with crumbled feta or goat cheese. Make it festive by serving it as a holiday wreath in a round serving dish, decked out with cheerful coloured fruits and nuts, tiny pomegranate jewels and sprinkled with a little feta "snow" on top.
Fresh, crisp and colourful! This is a 5 star Christmas salad!
If you're my age, you'll probably remember that mandarins were only available for a short time every winter, and never until the beginning of December. They came individually wrapped in thin green tissue papers in small wooden (yup, wooden) boxes.
To us kids, their arrival in the stores meant that Christmas couldn't be far behind, and that in itself was cause for great excitement. At school, our Christmas gift from our teacher was always a mandarin orange and a candy cane.
It was a big deal to see who could remove the peel from their orange in one piece.
Today, the boxes are smaller, they're made of cardboard, but the oranges are just as sweet and delicious!
Upcoming potluck or holiday dinner? Let's make this Christmas Wreath Salad !
Ingredients for Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta
- romaine lettuce: I like the crispness of romaine in this salad as it supports the other ingredients and prevents them from falling to the bottom of the bowl. You can also add in a few other mixed greens, if you'd like, but I recommend starting with a bed of romaine.
- mandarin oranges: Use organic if they're available where you live. Removing the white pith is probably the most time-consuming part of making this wreath salad! Running the peeled oranges under cool running water and using a soft vegetable brush helps make this job go a lot faster.
- cucumber: Scrub but leave the peel on for added colour.
- avocado: Peel and slice just before serving to prevent browning, or dip in a little diluted lemon juice.
- pomegranate arils: These look like little festive holiday lights brightening up this potluck winter salad.
- pecans: Lightly toasting them brings out their natural flavour.
- feta cheese: Crumbled on top, it resembles snow! Substitute goat cheese if you'd like, or leave it off to keep this salad vegan and dairy-free.
- vinaigrette: A simple citrus vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, shallots, Dijon and a touch of honey dresses this Christmas salad beautifully.
Make this holiday wreath salad to add fun to your winter meals!
- Arrange healthy crisp greens in a round shallow bowl or platter around a central dish that will hold the citrus vinaigrette.
- Then, top with mandarin orange segments, cucumber, sliced avocado and pomegranate arils.
- Finish by sprinkling with toasted pecans and a light dusting of feta cheese.
Make ahead!
Make this holiday salad ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. Add avocado slices and drizzle with the slightly sweet citrus dressing just before serving.
What to serve with this Holiday Wreath Salad
Add it to your traditional turkey dinner, or serve it with one of these main dishes:
- Cranberry-Rosemary Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Easy Baked Lemon Chicken
- Pistachio-Crusted Salmon
- Easiest Chicken Saltimbocca
- Cranberry Glazed Chili Chicken Wings
- Paleo Hoisin Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs
4 Reasons to make this Pomegranate Mandarin Salad today!
- it tastes amazing. A romaine salad with oranges is always a popular choice!
- every bite is fresh, juicy and nutritious
- it looks beautiful on a holiday buffet table
- it will brighten up any dull winter day!
Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta
Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce with other crisp mixed greens, if desired
- 1 long English cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
- 2 mandarin oranges peeled and sectioned, pith removed
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup pecans toasted
Citrus Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
- 1 small shallot finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon each, sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- To make a wreath-shaped salad, place a small bowl for the vinaigrette in the centre of a larger round shallow bowl or platter.
- Arrange bite-sized pieces of romaine or other greens in the bowl around the small dish. Top with remaining ingredients, finishing with feta cheese and pecans.
- Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together and pour into the small bowl in the center of the serving bowl.
- Serve and drizzle vinaigrette over all just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
If you love adding citrus fruit to salads as much as I do, you may like these too!
- Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
- Citrus Avocado Salad with Shrimp and Smoky Vinaigrette
- Orange and Avocado Salad with Parmesan Crisps
- Baby Bok Choy Salad with Ginger Orange Dressing
- Shrimp Salad with Grapefruit and Mint
This recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been updated with new photos and information.
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Bernice Hill says
Hi Elaine.
I'm excited because I think I have all the ingredients to make this salad!! yay!
Do you thing herbed crumbled feta would work as well?
Flavour & Savour says
Absolutely!
Cathy says
I love salads like this! Yours is especially beautiful. The wreath is a great idea! Pinned!
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks Cathy! We eat with our eyes first, right?
The FoodOlic says
This salad looks fantastic! A colorful, tasty and healthy dish is always a winning one!
Trish says
Lovely salad..... I love Mandarin's too.. My mom always puts them in her salads around the holidays. Totally a Christmas thing for me too.
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks Trish! I love Christmas traditions, even when they're as simply as adding mandarin oranges to a salad!
Teresa says
I love this kind of winter salad - full of healthy ingredients and flavour!
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says
This is such a beautiful looking salad. Love the presentation and would be perfect for the holiday table. Pinning for later.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Beautiful winter salad! It looks so bright and fresh.
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks! The word "cheerful" springs to mind whenever I serve this one! Love all the colours. Thanks for stopping by.
Kari Peters says
This salad is incredibly beautiful, perfect for entertaining during the holidays!
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks Kari!
T says
If you make this a head of time...how do you make sure the avocado doesn't turn brown?
Flavour & Savour says
Oh that's such a good question, so thanks for asking! I either toss them with a little lemon juice first, or even better, add them just before serving. I've added that to the recipe notes. There's nothing less appealing than brown avocados!
Teresa says
I made this recipe for a family gathering last weekend. It was very well received and I was also asked for a copy of the recipe. I halved the oil content for the dressing as my family aren’t keen on oily dressings.
Does anyone know if you can freeze pomegranate seeds as they are not available all year round and I think they really made this delicious recipe as well as adding colour.
Flavour & Savour says
Hi--Great question! Yes, you can freeze pomegranate seeds. Treat them as you would blueberries: pat them dry, spread them out on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then store in an airtight bag or container. They will last for several weeks in the freezer.
Dierdre says
I'm pinning this for Christmas! It's so pretty and full of everything my family likes. I like the idea of putting it in a wreath shape. Thank you for a great recipe!
Breanne Barger says
This salad looks stunning and I can taste all the goodness right now. Making for Thanksgiving. PS thank you for having a "jump to recipe" button at the top. I have also pinned!
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks Breanne! This salad is always a popular one. I serve it often during the holidays! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!