Easy Orange Pomegranate Salad recipe with an Orange Vinaigrette

Published Mar 5, 2021Modified Feb 5, 2022

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Fresh and juicy with a zesty punch, this Orange Pomegranate Salad with Orange Vinaigrette is an easy side salad to throw together! It's prefect for all occasions, from summer BBQs to Thanksgiving, when pomegranates and oranges are in season. You'll want to add the homemade orange vinaigrette to all of your salads!

Hearty salads make awesome side dishes as well as light lunches or dinners in the summer! Our Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Poppy Seed Dressing is creamy, crunchy, sweet and tart, and our Strawberry Spinach Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing is one that even my kids request for dinner, along with some Grilled Chicken!

Fact: If I'm going to eat a salad, it cannot be boring. It's just not allowed. They must be full of fun ingredients and flavors for me to make it or want to eat it. A plate of wilted lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes tossed on top? Thank you, next. You know what I mean?

This Orange Pomegranate Salad recipe is anything but boring. Fresh, crispy romaine lettuce is the perfect bed for zippy oranges, sweet and tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy candied almonds and tangy feta. It all gets tossed with this amazing homemade orange vinaigrette, which is rich, a little spicy with mustard, and somehow creamy as well.

Although salads are typically eaten in the summer (and this salad is GREAT with all-things-grilled), this orange and pomegranate salad recipe is perfect year-round, especially for fall as that's when pomegranates and oranges are in season.

Between the mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and dinner rolls, adding this pop of color to your Thanksgiving spread will give your table a "wow" factor, and who can resist these refreshing flavors between all of that comfort food?

Ingredients for Orange Pomegranate Salad

Salad

Romaine lettuce: Fresh and crunchy romaine lettuce is the perfect leafy green for this salad! Other lettuces like leaf lettuce or butterhead would work as well.
Oranges: The star of the dish, oranges are sliced with the pith removed to avoid any bitter flavor.
Pomegranate: Pomegranate seeds add a burst of sweet crunchiness. You can buy whole pomegranates and segment them yourself, or pick up the containers where the work is done for you.
Feta cheese: Creamy and tangy, feta is so good in this Orange Pomegranate Salad recipe!
Candied Almonds: I make my own candied almonds but you can use store-bought if preferred.

Orange Vinaigrette

Olive oil: Vinaigrettes are usually made with a mixture of olive oil and vinegar. If you're not a fan of the flavor of extra virgin olive oil, feel free to use light!
Apple cider vinegar: I chose this vinegar as it adds a little flavor along with the tartness. The acidity in ACV isn't as hard as other vinegars.
Orange juice & zest: Freshly squeezed orange juice brings in plenty of orange flavor which is then amped up with orange zest.
Honey: Although the orange juice is sweet, this orange vinaigrette needed just a little more sweetness. Honey is the perfect choice as it goes with all of these ingredients so well.
Dijon mustard: Adds another layer of flavor, as well as a little heat.
Salt and pepper: Just to balance everything out.

How to Make Orange Vinaigrette

This stuff is so delicious you could practically drink it. Homemade salad dressings really make a giant difference in upping your salad game.

Juice the oranges. First, squeeze the juice out of the oranges with a squeezer or a juicer.
Mix it up! Secondly, combine the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a shaker jar or bowl. Shake or whisk together, then place in the fridge to chill until you are ready to serve.

How to make Orange Pomegranate Salad

Prep the ingredients. Firstly, slice and chop the oranges, lettuce, and almonds, and remove the pomegranate seeds from their peel.
Assemble and serve. Next, assemble the salad by combining the romaine lettuce, oranges, pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, and chopped candied almonds in a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the dressing and toss to coat, then serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

Orange vinaigrette being poured over Orange Pomegranate Salad

How do you peel a pomegranate?

It's easier than you think! One method I use is to cut the pomegranate in half, and tap (or whack!) the pomegranate peel until the seeds fall out.

It's also easy to deseed them in water. Slice the pomegranate in half and pour water into a medium-large bowl. Hold the pomegranate in the water and gently remove the seeds. This method will also help to keep your hands from staining!

What can I serve this Orange Pomegranate Salad with?

This is a great side salad for summer grilling! Here are a few of my go-to grill recipes:

Is Orange and Pomegranate Salad seasonal?

Oranges and pomegranates are technically fall and winter fruits, making this Orange and Pomegranate Salad recipe perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas, however, we like it year-round, especially in the summer when you want a nice, light meal to make you feel cool and refreshed.

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Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.