• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Shutter + Mint
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Pear and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Apricot Vinaigrette

    October 3, 2023 by Lauren Leave a Comment

    This post may contain affiliated links. If you click a link and make a purchase, assume we make a commission.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Pear and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Apricot Vinaigrette is mild and sweet.  The flavors of this salad come together like magic!

    Thumbnail hero image: arugula and pear salad with apricot vinaigrette in a blue bowl.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients + substitutions
    • Apricot vinaigrette dressing
    • The process
    • Storage + make ahead
    • What to do with leftover salad dressing?
    • What to serve with pear and arugula salad?
    • Let's connect?
    • Arugula Pear Salad with Goat Cheese and Apricot Vinaigrette
    • Pin it!

    Pears are a fall fruit.  I love to roast them, add them to salads, and eat them as they are.  But my favorite way to enjoy pears is by far, in a salad.  They add a nice crunch and a sweet (but not too sweet) contrast to the sweet and peppery flavor of baby arugula.  

    Additionally, the vinaigrette is freakin’ awesome.  Apricot vinaigrette? Yes, please.  It also makes a fantastic chicken marinade if you have some left over..so definitely keep that in mind!

    You can certainly customize this salad to fit what you have available in your fridge and pantry.  I’ll discuss substitutions and variations that work well below, but for now let’s discuss the salad ingredients!

    Ingredients + substitutions

    • Baby arugula - has a mild, peppery, and slightly nutty flavor.  I love using it for fall salads and it is way less bitter than mature arugula leaves.  Baby arugula is definitely my go-to.  If you don’t have baby arugula you can use spinach or mixed greens. 
    • Red pear - this is a pear salad, and I’m using a red skinned pear because they have a sweet and mild flavor.  If you’d like to swap the red pear for a bosc pear, an anjou pear, bosc pears, or even apples.  
    • Feta - crumbled feta is the best choice for this salad because it’s mild and sweet. You can also swap it for goat cheese (although it’s much tangier). 
    • Dried cranberries - they add flavor, color, texture, and some slight tart-ness to the salad. 
    • Pumpkin seeds - (pepitas) add to the fall-theme of this salad. You can swap the pumpkin seeds for pine nuts if you’d like. 
    • Pecans - chopped pecans add some flavor and crunch to this salad. If you’d like to swap the pecans for walnuts that works well too! 

    Apricot vinaigrette dressing

    Apricot Vinaigrette dressing inforgraphic: photo of a mason jar with recipe text overlay.
    • Olive oil - a quality extra virgin olive oil is the best choice for this salad dressing. 
    • White wine vinegar - has a pretty mild acidity compared to some other vinegars making it the best choice for this mild and fruit salad.  It’s not overpowering at all. 
    • Apricot jam - a smooth, quality apricot jam is best, but if you have apricot preserves those will work fine but will have chunks of apricot.  
    • Dijon mustard - to emulsify the dressing and add flavor. 
    • Honey - to add thickness and sweetness to the dressing. 
    • Thyme - dry thyme is the best choice but if you don’t have it you can swap it for oregano. 
    • Kosher salt - always use kosher salt!

    The process

    Arugula salad process shot: arugula with nuts, and dried cranberries in a blue bowl.

    STEP 1: In a large salad bowl, add the arugula, red pears, crumbled feta, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and chopped pecans.  

    STEP 2: In a mason jar, combine: olive oil, white wine vinegar, apricot jam, dijon mustard, honey, thyme, and kosher salt.  Shake it until it’s combined.

    STEP 3: Gently toss the salad with some of the dressing or serve it on the side. 

    Blue bowl with arugula and sliced pears (process shot).

    Storage + make ahead

    You can certainly make this salad  up to a day ahead and save it in a covered bowl.

    Toss all of the ingredients together, except for the pear and keep the dressing separate. 

    When you’re ready to serve the salad, slice the pear and toss the salad with the dressing or serve it on the side. 

    Blue bowl of sliced pears and arugula with a side of dressing.

    What to do with leftover salad dressing?

    If you have leftover salad dressing, I always recommend using it as a marinade for chicken! 

    What to serve with pear and arugula salad?


    This salad is a great choice to serve alongside holiday spreads or heavy, meaty meals.  It’s also a great side for any weeknight dinner.  I recommend serving it with pulled chicken or apricot chicken.

    • Protein soda on a pink background
      Dirty Coke Protein Soda
    • Hero Image for Dutch Oven Tarragon and Dijon Mustard Chicken Thighs.
      Dutch Oven Tarragon and Dijon Chicken Thighs
    • The best house burger with homemade burger sauce.
      House Cheeseburger with Homemade Sauce
    • Hero Image of Yellow Coconut Curry Salmon in a black pan.
      Lent Friday Coconut Curry Salmon
    overheat shot of the salad tossed in a blue bowl with gold silverware.

    Let's connect?

    Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipe and food content!

    Overhead photo of pear and arugula salad (thumbnail hero shot).

    Arugula Pear Salad with Goat Cheese and Apricot Vinaigrette

    This Pear and Arugula Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette is mild and sweet. It's delicious and the perfect side for any weeknight dinner or holiday spread!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 1632 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    FOR THE SALAD

    • 6 cups baby arugula
    • 2 red pears
    • ¼ cup crumbled feta
    • 3 tbsp dried cranberries
    • 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds pepitas
    • 3 tbsp chopped pecans

    FOR THE APRICOT VINAIGRETTE

    • ½ cup olive oil
    • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
    • 2 tbsp apricot jam
    • 1 tsp dijon mustard
    • 1 tsp honey
    • ½ tsp thyme
    • Pinch of kosher salt

    Instructions
     

    • In a large salad bowl, add the arugula, red pears, crumbled feta, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and chopped pecans.
    • In a mason jar, combine: olive oil, white wine vinegar, apricot jam, dijon mustard, honey, thyme, and kosher salt. Shake it until it’s combined.
    • Gently toss the salad with some of the dressing or serve it on the side.

    Notes

    Storage + leftovers:
    You can certainly make this salad  up to a day ahead and save it in a covered bowl. Toss all of the ingredients together, except for the pear and keep the dressing separate.  Then when you’re ready to serve the salad, slice the pear and toss the salad with the dressing or serve it on the side. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1632kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 146g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 96g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 903mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 3002IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 7mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Pin it!

    Pin this recipe for later and be sure to follow me on Pinterest!

    Autumn pear and arugula salad pinterest infographic with text overlay.

    More Salads

    • CFA ranch dressing copycat hero image.
      Copycat Chick-fil-A Garden Herb Ranch Dressing
    • Blackberry salad with arugula in a blue bowl with homemade dressing on the side.
      Blackberry Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
    • Tossed black bean and Doritos taco salad with dressing on the side.
      Black Bean Dorito Taco Salad
    • Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

    About Lauren

    Lauren is the freelance writer, photographer, and recipe developer behind Shutter + Mint. Thanks for stopping by!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Lauren! Shutter + Mint is a food blog I created to help you create easy, practical recipes at home. Thanks for stopping by!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Hero image of boursin chicken and potatoes in a dutch oven.
      Boursin Chicken and Potatoes
    • Relaxing Tart Cherry Juice Sleepy Mocktail in a pink coupe glass with a lime garnish.
      Relaxing Tart Cherry Juice Mocktail
    • Dutch Oven Meatballs in Sauce.
      Dutch Oven Meatballs with Marinara
    • Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes in a dutch oven. In a staub Cookware braiser.
      Dutch Oven Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Meta

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact + Services

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Brunch Pro Theme