1. Home
  2. Recipes
  3. Pecan Apple Salad

Pecan Apple Fall Salad

Featured in Nutritious and Delicious Healthy Recipes.

This Pecan Apple Fall Salad brings a mix of fresh and hearty textures, blending massaged kale, crisp apples, smoky bacon, and crunchy candied pecans. Dried cranberries add sweet bursts while the tangy dressing with honey and mustard ties everything together. Feta crumbles boost the savory kick in this easy dish, great as a starter, side, or light meal for any autumn gathering.

Pin it Share it Send it Print it Jump To Recipe
Mena
Updated on Mon, 17 Mar 2025 01:33:16 GMT
Pecan Apple Fall Salad Pin it
Pecan Apple Fall Salad | delishdocket.com

Mix up your autumn dining with this Fall Harvest Bowl. It blends crunchy bacon bits, tart dried cranberries, and sweet glazed pecans with tender kale and juicy apple chunks for an amazing combo of crunch and flavor.

INGREDIENTS
  • Bacon: 3 slices, chopped and fried crisp for rich flavor
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: ¼ cup, creating zippy dressing foundation
  • Shallot: 1 medium, minced for subtle oniony notes
  • Dijon Mustard: 1 tbsp, adding kick to your dressing
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: ⅓ cup, for smooth dressing texture
  • Honey: 1 tbsp, cutting through the sour notes
  • Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: To taste
  • Kale: 1 large bunch, ribs removed and leaves torn up
  • Apple: 1 medium, chopped for juicy sweetness
  • Celery: ½ cup, cut thin for extra snap
  • Dried Sweetened Cranberries: ½ cup, for tart-sweet bursts
  • Feta Cheese: ½ cup, broken up for tangy creaminess
  • Egg White: 1 large, for coating the nuts
  • Sugar: ⅓ cup, to sweeten pecans
  • Kosher Salt: ¾ tsp, to enhance nut flavor
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice: ½ tsp, for cozy autumn taste
  • Cayenne Pepper: ⅛ tsp (optional), for subtle warmth
  • Pecan Halves: 2 cups, for sweet crunchy topping
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Fry the chopped bacon in a pan over medium-high heat until crispy, roughly 6-8 minutes. Move to a paper towel to soak up extra grease.
Step 2:
Mix apple cider vinegar, chopped shallot, and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Wait 5 minutes. Slowly mix in olive oil and honey. Add salt and pepper how you like it.
Step 3:
Put torn kale in a big bowl and rub it with the dressing for about a minute to make it softer.
Step 4:
Add the bacon bits, apple chunks, celery slices, cranberries, feta chunks, and sweet pecans on top of the kale.
Step 5:
For sweet pecans, heat oven to 300°F. Beat egg white till foamy. Stir in sugar, salt, pumpkin spice, and cayenne if you want. Toss in pecans until they're coated. Spread on a parchment-lined tray and bake 25-30 minutes, stirring once halfway. Let cool totally.
Serving and Storage Tips
  • Eat right away for best crunch and freshness.
  • Keep what's left in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  • You can make pecans crunchy again with a quick warm-up in the oven.
Helpful Notes
  • Skip the bacon if you don't eat meat.
  • Try using goat cheese instead of feta if you want.
  • Make it less sweet by cutting back on honey or trying different dried fruits.

Tips from Well-Known Chefs

  • Anne says a little lemon juice works wonders when you're softening the kale.
  • Thomas thinks you should lightly brown the pecans first for even more crunch.
Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad Pin it
Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad | delishdocket.com

Pecan Apple Salad

A crisp mix of apples, kale, pecans, and sweet cranberries, paired with bacon and finished with tangy-sweet dressing. A great choice for cozy fall dinners.

Prep Time
20 Minutes
Cook Time
30 Minutes
Total Time
50 Minutes
By: Mena

Category: Healthy Eating

Difficulty: Intermediate

Cuisine: American

Yield: A big salad to share

Dietary: Gluten-Free

Ingredients

01 3 strips of bacon, chopped small.
02 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar.
03 1 diced medium shallot.
04 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
05 1/3 cup of good olive oil.
06 1 tablespoon honey.
07 A pinch of kosher salt and some ground black pepper.
08 1 big bunch of kale, stems discarded and leaves sliced thin.
09 1 diced medium apple.
10 1/2 cup thin-sliced celery stalks.
11 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries.
12 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled.
13 1 large egg white for the candied pecans.
14 1/3 cup sugar for the candied pecans.
15 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt for the candied pecans.
16 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning for the pecans.
17 A tiny pinch of cayenne (optional, for extra-spicy pecans).
18 2 cups pecan halves (for candying).

Instructions

Step 01

Put a skillet on medium-high heat, toss in the chopped bacon, and let it cook till crispy—this usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Drain off the fat and lay the crispy pieces on a paper towel to cool.

Step 02

In a bowl, blend apple cider vinegar, diced shallot, and Dijon mustard. Let it sit for 5 minutes to take the sharp edge off the shallot. Then drizzle in honey and olive oil, stirring constantly. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper.

Step 03

Grab a large mixing bowl and toss the kale in. Pour in the dressing and get your hands dirty—massage it all together for about a minute until the greens feel a bit tender.

Step 04

Lay the bacon, apple chunks, celery slices, cranberries, feta crumbles, and pecans on top of the dressed kale. You're ready to dig in!

Step 05

Set the oven to 300°F. Whip the egg white in a bowl till it's foamy. Add sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne if you like some heat, then throw in the pecans. Mix well. Spread it all on a baking sheet covered in parchment and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cool before using.

Notes

  1. This tasty, crisp salad brings sweet, salty, and crunchy flavors together—great for autumn get-togethers.
  2. Massaging kale with the dressing makes the leaves more tender and ups the flavor.
  3. You can make the candied pecans a few days in advance. Keep them sealed up tightly.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

It is important to consider this information as approximate and not to use it as definitive health advice.
  • Calories: ~
  • Total Fat: ~
  • Total Carbohydrate: ~
  • Protein: ~