Spinach salad with cranberries makes a great side salad for the holidays or other special occasions. An easy-to-prepare recipe with a homemade balsamic dressing.

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I love fancy Christmas salad recipes for a dinner party or a holiday table. This Arugula Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes is a fave along with this colorful Fattoush Salad. Check out all of our delicious Salad Recipes.

Why we love this recipe

This classic spinach salad features both tart and sweet flavors which is such a pleasing combination. It is tossed with a homemade balsamic dressing that pulls it all together.

The inspiration for this spinach salad with cranberries and walnuts came from my bookshelf. Does anyone remember Downton Abbey? Well, I sure do! So much so that I bought the cookbook. haha

I also planned a Downton Abbey garden party a few years ago. Can you say superfan?

Downton Abbey was the big Brit hit about a decade ago before The Crown took over the reins. I’m sure The Crown will have its own cookbook soon and when they do you know I’ll be buying it!

Until then let’s start with this fancy spinach and cranberry salad with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

spinach salad with cranberries on a plate.

Ingredients

The ingredients are for both the dressing and the salad itself. A freshly made dressing is the foundation of any good salad, especially a fancy one! It may seem like a long ingredient list but a bulk of these things are pantry items and mostly for the dressing. Here is what you’ll need:

white vinegar
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
fresh lemon juice
shallot – finely minced red onion works too
mustard – I like a grainy variety
maple syrup
dried cranberries
baby spinach leaves
pears – ripe but firm!
toasted walnuts
goat cheese

Instructions for this recipe

First, the book explains how the kitchen staff in a house like Downton Abbey would inspect each and every leaf of the salad to ensure perfection.

After you have inspected all of the clean spinach leaves (or not ;)) and placed them in a large bowl, the next thing to do is get the cranberries soaking.

I mentioned this salad is fancy and this is another bougie element – balsamic cranberries.

Soaking the cranberries in a couple of tablespoons of balsamic dressing makes them really pop in this salad.

In addition, I love a bit of crunch with my salad and toasted nuts are the BEST way to do that. For this recipe I use walnuts. I always have a Costco-sized bag of various nuts on the go.

You can substitute any nut you like for this recipe. If you need a how-to post on how to toast nuts on the stovetop in a skillet, I have you covered.

Now we add some sweetness and texture to the salad with some delicious pears. You want to choose ripe pears for an extra sweet taste. You want them to be firm, but ripe.

sliced pears on top of a bed of spinach in a bowl.

Next, the rest of that yummy dressing gets tossed with the leafy greens and pears. I pour it right out of the mason jar that I mixed it in.

balsamic dressing being poured over pears and spinach.

Once the greens are coated with the dressing add the toasted walnuts and balsamic-soaked cranberries to the serving bowl and toss again.

It all starts to come together nicely.

walnuts, dried cranberries, pears and spinach in a bowl.

Finally, the finishing touch is the tangy creaminess of crumbled goat cheese. You know me. There must be a cheese element present somewhere!

In this case, it is soft goat cheese and I just can’t get enough. Spinach salad and goat cheese really go hand in hand.

This will be the perfect salad to impress during the holidays!

Serving Suggestions and Substitutions:

My best homemade salad dressing tip is to use a small mason jar! Just add all the ingredients and shake the heck out of it.
Swap out the walnuts for pecans or almonds.
Add some grilled protein like salmon, shrimp, or chicken to make this salad a meal.
Substitute the goat cheese for an ounce or two of gorgonzola cheese or feta cheese.
Serve it on fancy plates and embrace it. Use the good china, polish the silver collection, and dust off the crystal stemware if you have it. ?

More Healthy Salad Recipes:

**This recipe was originally posted on November 12, 2020, updated on December 19, 2021, and again on October 15, 2022, with recipe notes, writing, and photos.**

If you’ve tried my Spinach Salad with Cranberries, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.