What’s the hardest part of making a good salad? Dressing and figuring out what the best dressing is for your salad ingredients. Today I’m going to share with you the best spinach salad and dressing recipe.
This spinach salad was first introduced to me by my mother-in-law, and after having it a million times at parties (it’s THAT good, always getting requested) I decided it was high time I learn how to make it at home.
It’s a spinach salad that has apples, pears, pecans and feta in it, and has the most amazing dressing.
Salads are something that I wish I would eat more of. The problem is, that unless I LOVE it, I don’t want it lol. When I find a salad I love, I can’t stop thinking about it and make it lots of times!
Just like my spinach salad with soft boiled eggs, bacon and a mustard vinaigrette which I’ve made more times than I can count (I’m even eating it for lunch this week), this spinach salad is one I rave about and have started making all the time.
What ingredients are needed to make the salad?
- Spinach
- Apples
- Pears
- Pecans
- Feta
Salads are awesome to serve when you have guests over, they add that special something to the meal to make it balanced.
Spinach salad ingredient swaps -salads are also something that are easily adaptable to what you have on hand.
- Don’t have pecans? No worries, add walnuts!
- Don’t have feta cheese? You could use goat cheese instead!
- Only have 2 apples or 2 pears instead of 1 of each? That’s ok, use double of one or the other!
- Don’t have spinach? Use other spring greens or arugula or kale.
Because this spinach salad is so amazing and versatile, I’ve left the title vague as ‘spinach salad & dressing’ (it also gives it a little mystery) instead of saying spinach salad with apples, pears, pecans, feta and a homemade vinaigrette, haha, because it could just as easily be called spinach salad with fruit, nuts, cheese and homemade dressing.
In the recipe below, I’ll share the recipe I used, and then the different adaptations you could make. I also love using a wooden bowl and wooden utensils to serve this salad.
Next time you’re in need of a truly wonderful spinach salad and dressing recipe, look no further!!
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- 5 Ingredient Spinach Hummus Feta Wraps
- The Best Vinaigrette Recipe
- Green Goddess Dipping Sauce/Dressing with Yogurt

Spinach Salad and Dressing Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
To make salad
- 8-10 cups baby spinach or other greens
- 1 apple cored and finely chopped
- 1 pear cored and finely chopped.
- 1/2 cup candied pecans or walnuts, or other nuts
- 1/4 lb crumbled feta or goat cheese, or blue cheese
To make salad dressing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a salad bowl, combine greens, fruit, nuts, and cheese.
- In a separate bowl (or blender) combine all the salad dressing ingredients (olive oil, vinegar, honey, dry mustard, garlic and salt) and whisk to combine.
- Pour dressing over salad and serve.
Fiona says
Made this tonight, loved it
Sweetphi says
I’m so so happy to hear this, thanks for leaving this awesome feedback!!
Sue says
Excellent recipe. I made it with pear, cranberries/walnut mix and blue cheese. So good! Thank you so much!
Sweetphi says
I love that you made this with pear/cranberries/walnuts and blue cheese – yum! Thank you so much for commenting and your feedback!!
Debby says
Delicious! I think I will be using this salad dressing on other salads too! So good compared to anything store bought 🤗
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness, thank you SO MUCH for the lovely feedback, I’m so glad you love this recipe as much as I do (and I couldn’t agree more, it’s so much better than store bought!)
Lisa says
Thanks for the recipe – sounds delicious! Is there a particular type of apple you recommend for this salad?
Sweetphi says
You’re so welcome, I think you’ll love this recipe!
I usually like a Granny Smith (tart) or a Pink Lady apple for this salad 🙂
Rebecca says
I used a spicy honey and only 1 tablespoon of it. This is a fantastic recipe!
Sweetphi says
Oh I love hearing about the modifications, so happy you loved it!!
Mrs. Crew says
Love this recipe! Thank you! Quick question regarding the salad dressing. How do you store it?
Sweetphi says
I store it in a mason jar or Tupperware container in the fridge
Mrs Crew says
Great! How long is it good for?
Sweetphi says
I’d say 2 weeks to a month 🙂
Sheryl Silagi says
I tried this recipe on spinach salad and used goat cheese-my husband loves-it was a hit! All loved but held the pears on one son’s salad. Delicious! Thank you:)
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for leaving your feedback, I’m so happy you liked it!! The goat cheese sounds amazing!
Nancy Truszynski says
I’m currently obsessed with spinach salad too. I put avocado, rotisserie chicken, almonds or pine nuts and cherry tomatoes in mine. Sometimes sprinkle with shredded parm, but want to try your dressing next.
Thanks.
Sweetphi says
I love using rotisserie chicken on the salad 🙂