This Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta is a festive salad for any winter meal or holiday potluck! Serve it as 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
- 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.
🔪 Instructions
- 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.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Make this holiday salad ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. Add avocado slices and drizzle with the slightly sweet citrus dressing just before serving.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Here are a few ideas for when to serve this holiday wreath salad!
Add it to your traditional turkey dinner, or serve it with one of these main dishes:
4 reasons to make this pomegranate mandarin salad soon!
There's no need to wait for a holiday dinner to make this beautiful winter salad. Enjoy it any day of the week!
- 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!
🗒 More Citrus Fruit Salad Recipes
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
and check these 15 Best Winter Salad Recipes, too.
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 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoon 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
This recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been updated with new photos and information.
Melanie
I made this for a summer party but substituted nectarines for mandarin oranges. It was a HUGE hit for a crowd of sophisticated foodies. The only thing I would do differently next time is reduce the oil in the dressing.
Elaine
That is such a great idea, Melanie! Thanks for sharing!
Breanne Barger
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
Thanks Breanne! This salad is always a popular one. I serve it often during the holidays! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Dierdre
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!
Teresa
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
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.
T
If you make this a head of time...how do you make sure the avocado doesn't turn brown?
Flavour & Savour
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!
Kari Peters
This salad is incredibly beautiful, perfect for entertaining during the holidays!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Kari!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs
Beautiful winter salad! It looks so bright and fresh.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks! The word "cheerful" springs to mind whenever I serve this one! Love all the colours. Thanks for stopping by.
[email protected]
This is such a beautiful looking salad. Love the presentation and would be perfect for the holiday table. Pinning for later.
Teresa
I love this kind of winter salad - full of healthy ingredients and flavour!
Trish
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
Thanks Trish! I love Christmas traditions, even when they're as simply as adding mandarin oranges to a salad!
The FoodOlic
This salad looks fantastic! A colorful, tasty and healthy dish is always a winning one!
Cathy
I love salads like this! Yours is especially beautiful. The wreath is a great idea! Pinned!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Cathy! We eat with our eyes first, right?
Bernice Hill
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
Absolutely!