Apple, White Cheddar, and Spinach Salad with Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette

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Spinach Apple Salad with Cheddar & Cranberries โ€” The flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy spinach salad! There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite you canโ€™t help but like it! 

spinach cranberry salad topped with grated cheddar in a white bowl

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    Table of Contents

    Easy Spinach Apple Salad Recipe

    There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite of this spinach apple salad, you canโ€™t help but like it. Itโ€™s filling, satisfying, and healthy.

    Hearty spinach, crisp juicy apples, salty cheese, chewy orange-flavored dried cranberries, and Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds for extra crunch.

    I made a simple shake-it-together vinaigrette thatโ€™s tangy-yet-sweet from the apple cider vinegar, honey, and mustard. It coats each and every bite perfectly. Dressings can make or break salads and this one is a keeper. 

    Honestly though, this is the food I crave day in, day out. I loved this healthy spinach salad and so did my family.

    If this salad looks like a good to you, also check out its cousin, which is made with chicken. Namely, this Apple, White Cheddar, & Grilled Chicken Salad.

    close up of a spinach apple salad topped with grated cheddar and dried cranberries in a white bowl

    Spinach Apple Salad Ingredients

    To make this spinach and apple side salad, youโ€™ll need: 

    • Spinach 
    • Apple
    • Grated white cheddar cheese
    • Orange-flavored cranberries
    • Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds
    • Olive oil
    • Honey 
    • Apple cider vinegar
    • Mustard
    • Salt and pepper 

    Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

    spinach salad dressing in a glass jar

    How to Make Spinach Apple Salad

    This easy spinach side salad with apples couldnโ€™t be quicker to prepare! Here are the basic recipe steps:

    1. Prep the salad ingredients and add to a large bowl.
    2. Add the dressing ingredients to a small container with a lid and shake vigorously to combine. 
    3. Taste the vinaigrette and tweak as necessary to taste before pouring it over the spinach apple salad.

    How Many Servings Does This Recipe Make?

    This recipe serves two generously or four more modestly. 

    spinach apple salad topped with grated cheddar and dried cranberries in a white bowl

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I Prep the Dressing in Advance? 

    Yes! You can shake up the dressing and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week. If the oil hardens somewhat in the fridge, let the dressing sit on your counter for 15 minutes before shaking it up and drizzling over your salads. 

    Can I Use Another Leafy Green? 

    Of course! I love eating this as an apple spinach salad, but kale, lettuce, or another leafy green will also work. 

    Whatโ€™s the best Type of apple for salads?

    Youโ€™re welcome to use any variety of apple youโ€™d like in this spinach apple salad. Just be sure to slice it very thinly so itโ€™s easy to eat. 

    What Type of dried cranberries should I Use?

    I found the orange-flavored cranberries at Trader Joeโ€™s. If you canโ€™t find them at your local grocery store, feel free to use regular dried cranberries.  

    How Long does homemade vinaigrette last?

    If you wind up with extra spinach salad dressing, itโ€™ll keep airtight in the fridge for a week.

    Spinach Apple Salad with Cheddar & Cranberries โ€” The flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy spinach salad! There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite you canโ€™t help but like it! 

    Other Dressings to Pair with Spinach and Apple Salad

    I love the apple cider vinaigrette in this fall spinach salad, but you can toss the salad with pretty much any dressing you like. Try one of these homemade salad dressings instead of the apple cider vinaigrette:

    Spinach Apple Salad with Cheddar & Cranberries โ€” The flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy spinach salad! There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite you canโ€™t help but like it! 

    What to Serve with Spinach Apple Salad

    Pair this apple spinach salad with grilled chicken for a more filling main course salad, or serve it as a simple side salad with one of the following entrees:

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    4.65 from 28 votes

    Apple, White Cheddar, and Spinach Salad with Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette

    By Averie Sunshine
    The flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy spinach salad! There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite you canโ€™t help but like it!
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings:
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    Ingredients 

    Salad

    • about 6 cups fresh spinach
    • 1 large apple, cored and sliced very thin (try Envy, Gala, Fuji, or similar)
    • 1 cup grated aged white cheddar
    • ยฝ cup dried orange-flavored cranberries, I use Trader Joeโ€™s; plain dried cranberries may be substituted
    • ยฝ cup Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds

    Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

    • ยผ cup olive oil
    • ยผ cup honey
    • ยผ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons mustard, I like either dijon or honey mustard
    • ยพ teaspoon salt, or to taste
    • ยพ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
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    Instructions 

    For the Salad:

    • To a large bowl or platter, add all ingredients in the order listed; set aside.

    For the Vinaigrette:

    • In a small glass jar or container with a lid, add all ingredients, put the lid on and shake vigorously until combined; taste vinaigrette and tweak as necessary to taste.
    • Drizzle over salad, toss to combine, and serve immediately.

    Notes

    • If you donโ€™t use all the vinaigrette, extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1, Calories: 750kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 48g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 30g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 1327mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 53g

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    More Easy Side Salads:

    Apple, White Cheddar, & Grilled Chicken Salad โ€” All the flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy salad!! The Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette doubles as marinade + salad dressing to save time!!

    overhead view of grilled chicken salad with a jar of dressing in the background

    Spinach Blueberry Superfoods Salad โ€” This Whole Foods Copycat salad is incredibly flexible based on what you have on hand and enjoy. There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite of this hearty salad filled with superfoods! 

    Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Salad โ€“ All the flavors of classic spinach and artichoke dip are in this HEALTHY salad!! The only thing thatโ€™s missing is tons of fat and calories! FAST, EASY, naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and tastes DELISH!!

    Kale Caesar Salad with Fried Chickpeas โ€” This isnโ€™t a traditional Caesar salad and thatโ€™s what I love about it. I used kale rather than romaine and fried chickpeas instead of croutons! 

    Kale Strawberry Avocado Salad โ€” Make a kale lover out of anyone with this kale strawberry salad! Itโ€™s topped with creamy avocado, juicy berries, and homemade strawberry vinaigrette! 

    Twelve Superfoods Salad โ€” This superfood salad is packed with 12 superfoods! This is a great clean out the fridge meal and is easily customized to suit whatever you need to use up.

    Strawberry Chicken Salad โ€” The grilled chicken is so JUICY and moist thanks to a homemade pecan butter marinade!! Sweet strawberries and crunchy pecans add extra texture and FLAVOR!!

    Post is brought to you by Fisher. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #thinkfisher

    Originally posted February 2, 2015 and reposted September 9, 2020 with updated text.

    4.65 from 28 votes (22 ratings without comment)

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    Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

    Recipe Rating




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    Comments

    1. 5 stars
      We really liked this. I did add a little extra apple cider vinegar to the dressing to make it a little less sweet. Very easy and good!

      1. Thanks for the 5 star review, Francine, and Iโ€™m glad you really enjoyed this โ€“ and yes with dressings and sauces, always tweak to your personal preferences like you did.

    2. 5 stars
      Wow this salad is so good! I made it on the weekend with some pork chops and potato wedges. My husband also enjoyed it and I have added this recipe to my favourites.

    3. 5 stars
      Wow this salad is so good! I made it on the weekend with some pork chops and potato wedges. My husband also enjoyed it and I have added this recipe to my favourites.

    4. 5 stars
      This salad is AMAZING and itโ€™s easy too. I made the vinaigrette in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until I was ready for it. Just make sure you shake it up again before using it. This salad is best served right after adding those apples because you donโ€™t want them to brown. Also, itโ€™s best eaten the day of. Once you dress that salad with the vinaigrette, it doesnโ€™t make for good leftovers because the spinach will become wilted. This really wasnโ€™t a big problem for me. You could easily make single servings of this salad and just dress individual bowls. I served the almonds on the side to be added to individual servings because we have someone with a nut allergy. With or without the nuts itโ€™s fabulous! I used the suggested Envy apple and it was just perfect. I just cut my apple up into bite sized pieces for ease of eating. Donโ€™t skimp on the cheese. You will want that aged white cheddar because it really goes so well with the apple and dried cranberries. I couldnโ€™t find orange flavored dried cranberries, so I used craisins and it worked out perfectly. Beautiful fall/winter salad I plan on making often!

    5. 5 stars
      This salad is AMAZING and itโ€™s easy too. I made the vinaigrette in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until I was ready for it. Just make sure you shake it up again before using it. This salad is best served right after adding those apples because you donโ€™t want them to brown. Also, itโ€™s best eaten the day of. Once you dress that salad with the vinaigrette, it doesnโ€™t make for good leftovers because the spinach will become wilted. This really wasnโ€™t a big problem for me. You could easily make single servings of this salad and just dress individual bowls. I served the almonds on the side to be added to individual servings because we have someone with a nut allergy. With or without the nuts itโ€™s fabulous! I used the suggested Envy apple and it was just perfect. I just cut my apple up into bite sized pieces for ease of eating. Donโ€™t skimp on the cheese. You will want that aged white cheddar because it really goes so well with the apple and dried cranberries. I couldnโ€™t find orange flavored dried cranberries, so I used craisins and it worked out perfectly. Beautiful fall/winter salad I plan on making often!