Amazing Spinach Salad with Sweet-Spicy Nuts, Apples, Feta and Bacon
This really is the most amazing spinach salad ever! Loaded with sweet + spicy nuts, apples, feta, and bacon, it is a delicious showstopper.
This is my most favorite salad. Ever, ever, ever.
It’s chock full of everything I love.
- baby spinach
- crisp sweet apple slices
- tart dried cranberries
- tangy feta cheese
- baconbaconbacon
- sweet and spicy candied pecans
The combination of all those amazing, delicious ingredients is straight up incredible.
The simple dressing
The tasty vinaigrette for this amazing spinach salad can be made up to a week in advance.
It’s a throw-it-all-together-in-a-blender type of dressing. And it’s super tasty.
Which means you may not want to reserve it for this salad alone. It’s a great all-purpose dressing to keep in the refrigerator at all times.
Quick Skillet Candied Pecans
The other star of this salad show is the candied pecans. Not only because: CANDIED PECANS, but also because they are made in the skillet (easy!) and we’re also making them a little sweet and a little spicy.
The sweet + spicy + crunchy combo takes this salad over the top; they’re probably my favorite part of the whole salad.
I’ve simplified the skillet candied pecans in the recipe below. Lots of readers had issues with the pecans crystallizing (and so did I a times!).
This new (easier) method is foolproof.
Sugar and water simmer with the salt and cayenne. Throw in pecans (or walnuts), cook for a few minutes longer, and then spread onto parchment to cool completely.
Glazed. Crunchy. Perfect.
This salad is a magical sum of so many yummy parts, and it is a showstopper anytime I bring anywhere. Elegant, pretty, DELICIOUS!
FAQs for this Spinach Salad
The salad ingredients are very adaptable! I think as written, it’s the perfect combination of flavors, but feel free to play around with substitutions, leaving certain ingredients out, or increasing a favorite ingredient.
If you’re candied nuts, once cooled, are sticky instead of crunchy, they might benefit next time from another minute of cooking in the skillet so the sugar can cook longer.
You can definitely experiment! I’ve used half white wine vinegar and half red wine vinegar before with good results.
Amazing Spinach Salad with Sweet-Spicy Nuts, Apples, Feta and Bacon
Ingredients
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Sweet Spicy Nuts:
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup granulated or brown sugar
- Pinch cayenne pepper, more to taste if you want
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Salad:
- 16 ounces baby spinach or spring greens, or a combination
- ½ small red onion, slivered (see note about tempering the onion flavor)
- 6 to 8 slices bacon, regular or thick cut, cooked and chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbles, more or less to taste
- 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries, more or less to taste
- 1 to 2 honey crisp apples, cored and sliced thin
Instructions
- For the dressing, blend all the ingredients until smooth or combine in a jar and shake until well-combined. Refrigerate until needed (or up to several days)
- For the nuts, add the water, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper to a skillet set over medium heat. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute until the sugar is dissolved. Add the nuts and stir to coat. Cook for another 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring slowly but constantly. Spread the nuts evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool. Break into pieces.
- To assemble the salad, toss all the salad ingredients together along with the cooled nuts. Toss salad with the dressing OR serve the dressing alongside.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: barely adapted from my virtual friend, Kim (thank you!)
Recipe originally published January 2014; updated November 2020 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
I’ve made this salad dozens of times because it is sooooo yummy!!
Excellent salad which got raves from the entire family. Perfect combination of ingredients.
This was a hit. I made it during the holidays. So very yummy. And bacon. Mmmm.
I’ve made this twice and had the almost turn out both soft and chewy AND crunchy the next time. What I found made the difference was using a larger size skillet so the almost lay in a single layer. That really helped the second time.
Also, the dressing as written is VERY bitter. I ended up adding about 1/3-1/2 cup sugar and that was much better.
New way to do nuts doesn’t work. Tried it twice. Just a bunch of wet nuts.
Worked for me! 🙂
Oh how i wish i scrolled all the way down and noticed the old version of the nuts was there. I tried the new version and ended up with a bunch of wet pecans. I kept the sugar and water mixture way longer than the recipe says and it just did not work. I have never had issue with the old way.
My larger family never has a salad on Thanksgiving but I decided to make this one for my immediate family this year. It was so well-received that my son and daughter-in-law accepted the offer to take the remaining salad (in its bowl!) and the cruet of dressing home with them! It’s a keeper!
So happy to hear that, Lois! Thank you!
I’m thankful for salad! And for Mel’s delicious ideas and recipes!
#GiveThanks
Thanks, Amy!!
I am so excited about the new nut technique! Love this salad.
I have a similar salad pretty much every day. My son has started too. It’s delicious.
I made this salad for the 1st time last night and everyone loved it! I will definitely make it again! I used a combination of spinach and mixed greens. Thanks for the onion hack!
Happy to hear that, Mary! Thank you!
I had this for lunch today. I used a bit of pure maple syrup instead of sugar. And just roasted my pecans. My fave recipe also!
BEST SALAD EVER!! It’s on our Thanksgiving menu. It’ll be just our family of 5 this year 🙁
On the bright side, more of this salad for me:)
It’s pretty much a “Mel’s Thanksgiving” this year- Thank you Mel!! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank YOU, Tami!! Happy Thanksgiving!
I have found that making it with romaine in place of spinach makes it CRAZY good. By far the best salad I have ever tasted. Thank you, Mel. You make me great.
I’ll try that!
Tempering the onions… I had no idea there was more too it than just “chilling them” I love red onions! As for the candied nuts. I’ve done the maple syrup nuts in the non-stick skillet and always had good luck. Now I have a new flavor to try! yay!
You totally got me hooked on the candied pecans in a salad from the last time you posted them….can’t wait to try this new way, I, too, have 50/50 success with the last method. Thanks, Mel, adding this into our Thanksgiving celebration!
I have loved all of your recipes, and every one has turned out except for the nuts on this salad. I had the sugar on medium-low heat and nothing happened for over 30 minutes while I was standing there occasionally stirring. This recipe says it should take a total of 30 minutes. Please instruct me to what I was doing wrong. I finally added a little bit of water and that seemed to do the trick.
Thanks for getting back to me!
They had $50 down for salad which I think would be difficult- but I think I could go to $75 or $100 if needed.
Yeah- bacon would be nice!
Hi Mel- I’m in charge of the salad for the neighborhood dinner at our church for 200.
Considering budget, etc I am contemplating doing a version of this salad but simpler-
Here a couple of questions-
Could I use a spring mix or romaine or does it need to be spinach or maybe it could be a combo of two or three? I know Costco has big bags of spring mix but their big bags of spinach are not baby spinach and the leaves seem too big.
Can I leave out the onions and bacon?
Do I dare try to do nuts by myself for that many or is there a way to buy them in bulk (probably not sweetened or toasted)-
I guess I’m just asking- what would you do to keep it simple, budget friendly but yummy!
Or is there a whole other salad I should try?
It will be served at a dress up dinner, they are carving turkeys and hams, serving with French green beans, small baked potatoes and rolls with a variety of Bundt cakes for dessert.
And how do I do the apples so they don’t brown?
As you can see- I am a newbie to big crowds- help!!!
Thank you!
Hi Sarah – yes, you can use spring mix. I think leaving out the bacon is a travesty because it is so delicious with the other flavors and helps balance the sweet tartness of the other ingredients. I think you could do the nuts – they could easily be done over a couple of days and kept covered in a cool, dry spot. You could cut the apples and put them in a big bowl with lemon water so they don’t brown and then just dry the off before using. What’s your budget?
Yum, I suggest tasting the dressing before adding. For my taste I added a tablespoon of sugar to the dressing to sweeten it. Also, to make it easier I used prepackaged honey roasted pecans and just skipped the roasting and sweetening step in the recipe.
I substituted a couple of things to cater to the family. Store bought raspberry vinagrette, pecan pralines and whatever apple was in the basket. It is great, will def make again.
The dressing was very bitter, inedible. I used a different dressing and the salad was a hit.
This salad is outstanding!
This was as amazing as you said it would be! The flavors work so well together! For our Thanksgiving gathering, one and a half recipes was the right amount for 35 people using this as a side dish. . . But I planned on 4 times the recipe. So needless to say, we have a ton of leftovers, which we’re very happy about around here! It’s delicious!
Also, the sugared nuts worked out great for me. . . I just took time to melt the sugar slowly, then tossed in the nuts, stirring constantly into they smelled toasted (didn’t toast them first) then let them dry on some parchment paper. I chopped up the cooled nuts later into small bits and we all love them.
Thanks Mel! Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy you loved this one, Meg! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
When serving at a potluck, do you mix the salad and dressing or leave them seperate?
I mix it together when serving at a potluck type function.
The trick to the nuts is to add a tiny bit of water to the sugar. It works amazing!
Was a candied nuts tutorial ever posted? My sugar, I think, cooled in the 4 seconds it took me to grab my pan of toasted nuts and got really hard when I put the pecans in. Now it’s kind of hard and crumbly – definitely not a candied nut. Thanks for any help!
I haven’t posted a tutorial yet, but it seems like that part of the recipe has caused trouble for a lot of people. Sorry about that! I’ll try and add a note to the recipe and also get a tutorial or different variation posted soon.
Making this salad for Thanksgiving. How many servings in this recipe?
About 6.
I absolutely LOVED this salad!! I made it for my family and they really enjoyed it!!!
Definitely making this again!!
I was wary at first because this salad seemed to ha many strange ingredients. But they all actually go together amazingly. The salad is fresh, sweet, Tangy and salty.
My family loved this salad. I was skeptical at first but it was amazing!
My husband asked me to make a spinach salad for dinner. You had the prettiest picture so I made yours, and my husband won’t stop thanking me. Hehe! I used pre glazed pecans and a raspberry vinaigrette. Total hit, and I’m not giving you credit
This really was a delicious salad. Thank you for sharing.
I really love this recipe. In fact, I’ve been a little obsessed. I think I’ve made it 4 times in the last 2 weeks. My only suggestion is to double the dressing recipe.
This salad is awesome! I brought it to a church gathering and it was the first salad gone. My husband overheard several people saying how good it was. I left out the bacon so it would be vegetarian friendly. I also used a premade glazed walnut/craisin mix.
I have made my own candied walnuts before, and this is the best tutorial for all of you struggling (as I used to):
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/candied_walnuts/
Thanks, Jen! I have used this method successfully several times now, after mixed luck before I read your comment.
I love this salad!
Any wisdom on melting the sugar for the nuts? Temperature? Pan to use? I wait forever for it to melt and then in the matter of a few seconds it burns. Help!
I’m actually working on a tutorial for the nuts, Michelle (you aren’t the only one that had trouble). A heavy bottomed pan or skillet helps as well as moderating the heat lower (even though it takes longer).
Hint for nuts: toast nuts. Reduce Maple syrup, add toasted nuts, cook down, put on parchment paper to cool. Don’t touch! Break apart. Shiny and perfect!
Wonderful flavours. Made it tonight to serve with your cowboy pie. Perfect family dinner.
Hey Mel! This salad looks fab and I’m sure I’ll make it either way at some point, but I’m looking for a salad to go with Bbq in a few weeks…thoughts? Other food will be ribs, brisket, cornbread, cheesy potatoes, baked beans…I feel like the bacon in this salad could tie it right in. It seems like all my other really great salad recipes are either too summery or too fancy.
I think I’d go with this one: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/amazing-romaine-salad/
Thank you! That looks like a great option! 🙂
I made this salad to accompany your Italian Meatball subs for a party I hosted for my sister’s birthday in December. I expected everyone to love the subs but this salad walked away with the prize for most loved…delicious! I specifically came here for salad inspiration because you really do have the best recipes!! I also had trouble with the nuts but it didn’t even matter, all the other components were perfect. Tempered Onion = Life Changing! Thanks again!
Our new family favourite! Couldn’t get enough! I used pomegranate perils instead of dried cranberries/cherries and added more garlic! To die for!!
Edit to my post…
the candies nut recipe didn’t work out so I found one that did…
2 cups of your choice of nuts
3/4 cup Brown sugar
1 egg white whipped till frothy
1 tsp each cayenne and cinnamon for a spicy twist (optional)
In a bowl, Whisk egg white till frothy. Add remaining ingredients. In a preheated 225 degree oven, spread nuts evenly onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, turning over nuts every 15 mins.
Soooo good !
It´s rockstar good. You were right! I served it for xmas-dinner this year (I always have to make something new, which I heve never tried before, even with guests, though they say, you shouldnˋt) but everybody liked it very much. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I used goat cheese instead of feta (husband’s preference) and topped it with toasted quinoa. Great meal. Wonderful blend of flavors.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was great! I will definitely make this salad again. But like others, I had trouble with the walnuts. In light of some commenters’ difficulty, I made a test batch of walnuts before committing to putting this on my Thanksgiving menu. That batch went perfectly. But when it came time to make them for the actual salad for my guests, I had problems. (I was tripling the amounts, but would that have made a difference?) The first time the sugar formed lumps and never really melted properly. Then I tried again, with a better melt, but I could only get half of the walnuts in and had a lot of trouble stirring, then breaking up the huge clumps. I resorted to a hammer, but created a lot of dust. Other than the amounts, I can’t figure out what I did differently.
Yes, tripling could make a difference, especially with a “candied” recipe, but regardless, you aren’t the only one who has had issues. I’m in the process of getting a better tutorial up for the nuts!
Just made this, and liked it very much.
I tried melting the sugar as per the recipe and got nowhere. But I happened to have some simple syrup in the refrigerator, so tried toasting the walnuts in a skillet, then pouring a couple of tablespoons of the simple syrup over them, adding sugar and cayenne, and then just stirring over medium-high heat. The liquid in the simple syrup evaporated fast. Worked great!
Put Tablespoon or less of water in the sugar in the pan, while on the stove. Keep an eye on it. Reduce the heat. Give it time to melt.
This salad is one of our favorites! We plan to make it for Thanksgiving again this year. Thanks Mel!
So I’m attempting to make these nuts cause I was also curious that no butter was involved to liquify the sugar…do you not stir the mixture while it’s melting? I also found, as others mentioned, that the sugar would just clump and crystallize. Then I tried not stirring, but it looks brown…burned?…. also, do you use a stainless steel skillet, or non stick? Thanks! Love your site btw! 🙂
Hey Bethany – I’ve used a stainless skillet and a nonstick. I don’t stir the sugar while it is melting…I’ll try to get a video or better tutorial up for these pesky nuts!
What could be substituted for the nuts, as a granddaughter has a severe allergy.
I love your recipes!
You could just leave them out or try using sunflower seeds? Or pumpkin seeds?
Almonds work too…
This has become my “go to” salad on many occasions. Everybody loves it! I’ll often use mixed greens as well as spinach. I always have the dressing mixed up in my refrigerator to use on other salads. Thanks Mel!
Glad you love it, Deb! It’s my go-to salad, too!