Apple Walnut Salad with Endive and Dates

This 15-minute apple walnut salad combines crisp apples, bitter endive, sweet dates, toasted walnuts, and creamy goat cheese for an elegant vegetarian side that works for weeknights and holidays alike.

A Crisp, Colorful Salad for Cooler Days

Chillier temperatures don’t have to mean the end of salad season. I swap delicate lettuces for Belgian endive, a crisp winter green with a pleasantly bitter bite, then add peppery arugula and thin slices of sweet-tart apple.

Dates bring a pop of chewy, honey-like sweetness, while crumbled chèvre softens into the tangy apple cider vinaigrette and lightly coats the greens. That mix of crisp, creamy, sweet, and bitter is what makes this apple walnut salad irresistible to me. It feels special enough for a holiday table but is simple enough to serve with a weeknight soup or chicken dinner.

What is in Apple Walnut Salad?

This salad gets its restaurant-worthy appeal from the contrast between crisp, creamy, sweet, peppery, and pleasantly bitter ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Apple Cider Vinaigrette: This tangy-sweet dressing combines apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. You’ll need only 2 to 3 tablespoons for the salad. Transfer the rest to a jar and refrigerate for up to 7 days, or use it to make Roasted Beets with Labneh and Chives.
• Belgian endive: Belgian endive is a compact, crisp winter green with pale leaves and a pleasantly bitter flavor. It balances the sweetness of the apples and dates and stands up well to creamy goat cheese.
• Baby arugula: Arugula brings peppery flavor and adds color to the salad.
• Pink Lady or Gala apple: Both varieties have a crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor. I especially like Pink Lady apples for their rosy color and because they do not brown as quickly as some other varieties.
• Deglet Noor or Medjool dates: Deglet Noor dates have a firm texture and honey-like flavor that make them easy to slice. Medjool dates are larger and softer but work equally well. For more ways to use them, see our collection of sweet and savory date recipes.
• Toasted walnuts: Toasting brings out the walnuts’ rich, buttery flavor and makes them even crunchier.
• Chèvre: Chèvre is the French word for goat cheese. Its tangy flavor and creamy texture soften the bitterness of the greens. Keep it cold until you are ready to crumble it.
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: A final pinch brings the vinaigrette and salad ingredients into balance.

The Best Apples for Apple Walnut Salad

Pink Lady is my first choice for this apple walnut salad. It has a crisp texture, rosy skin, and a sweet-tart flavor that balances the bitter endive and tangy goat cheese. Gala apples also work well, as do other firm, crisp apples you already have on hand. Empire and Cortland are good options if you can find them.

Whichever variety you choose, cut the apple into thin slices so it is easy to pick up with the greens and gets some vinaigrette in every bite.

How to Prevent Apples from Browning

Slice the apple just before you assemble the salad, then toss and serve it promptly. The vinaigrette helps coat the slices and limit their exposure to air.

If you need a little more time, toss the sliced apple with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. The citric acid slows the browning that begins when cut apples are exposed to air.

How to Make Apple Walnut Salad 

If your walnuts are already toasted and the vinaigrette is ready, this salad comes together in about 15 minutes.

• Toast the walnuts. Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Spread 1/2 cup walnuts on a small baking sheet and toast until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let them cool completely, then roughly chop.
• Make the vinaigrette. If you do not already have it prepared, whisk together 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Stir in 1 minced garlic clove. Whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Prepare the greens. Rinse 2 medium heads of endive and pat them dry. Clean and dry 2 ounces of baby arugula, if necessary. Halve the endive lengthwise and cut a small triangular notch around each core to remove it. Slice the endive crosswise into strips and add it to a large salad bowl or serving platter with the arugula.
• Add the fruit, walnuts, and cheese. Pit and thinly slice 1/4 cup dates. Add them to the salad, along with 1 thinly sliced apple, the toasted walnuts, and half of the crumbled goat cheese.
• Dress and serve. Drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinaigrette and toss gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among plates and finish with the remaining goat cheese.

Tips for the Best Apple Walnut Salad

• Let the walnuts cool completely. Toasting brings out their flavor, but they should be cool before they meet the greens and goat cheese.
• Keep the cheese cold until you need it. Chilled chèvre is firmer and much easier to crumble.
• Slice the apple last. This gives it less time to brown before the salad reaches the table.
• Dress just before serving. The salad is best when the endive, arugula, apples, and walnuts are still crisp.
• Use a light hand with the vinaigrette. 2 to 3 tablespoons should lightly coat the ingredients without weighing down the greens.

Easy Ways to Change It Up

The combination of sweet and bitter flavors with crunchy and creamy textures is what makes this salad work. Keep that balance in mind, and you can make any of these simple changes:

• Try different greens: Replace the endive and arugula with peppery watercress and bitter radicchio.
• Change the cheese: Use crumbled feta, shaved Parmesan, or salty ricotta salata instead of goat cheese.
• Use pears: Replace the apple with a ripe but firm pear. Bosc pears hold their shape particularly well when sliced.
• Switch the nuts: Toasted hazelnuts are slightly sweeter than walnuts and bring plenty of crunch.

What to Serve with Apple Walnut Salad

This salad brings plenty of flavor and texture, so it pairs best with a simple main course. For an easy weeknight dinner, serve it with juicy lemon garlic chicken cooked quickly on the stovetop.

Soup and salad is another natural match when the weather turns cool. Try a bowl of warmly spiced one-pot potato soup or hearty mushroom barley soup with tomatoes and fresh herbs.

For a holiday or dinner-party menu, serve the salad alongside Greek lamb kleftiko. Its rich, slow-cooked flavor pairs well with the salad’s fresh apples, bitter greens, and tangy vinaigrette.

Make Ahead

You can prepare several components ahead, but wait until the final moments to assemble the salad. Make the Apple Cider Vinaigrette and toast the walnuts in advance, keeping them separate from the greens.

Just before serving, slice the apple and dates, assemble the salad, and toss it with 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette. This keeps the apples fresh and the endive, arugula, and walnuts crisp.

More Fall and Winter Salads to Try

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Endive Salad with Rosemary Croutons and Citrus

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Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

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Winter Fruit Salad

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Radicchio Salad