Mandarin Orange Salad (With Mandarin Vinaigrette)
This bright, pretty mandarin orange salad is fresh, colorful, and well-balanced with sweet, juicy mandarins and pomegranates, creamy avocado and goat cheese, and crunchy nuts. An easy mandarin vinaigrette (with an optional miso-ginger upgrade) pulls it all together without making it too sweet.
What to expect
- A fresh, savory mandarin salad – not the sweet fluffy kind
- The mandarin vinaigrette is not overly sweet, and you’ll find an optional miso-ginger upgrade in the recipe notes.
- A mix of textures and flavors – crunchy, creamy, sweet, juicy, and tangy.
- Easy recipe, ready in 10-20 minutes, depending on the add-ins and upgrades you choose.
- Centerpiece-worthy for a holiday table or simple enough for more casual meals.
- Naturally gluten-free. Easily vegan and dairy-free if you skip the cheese
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Mandarins: These are sweet, easy-peel, small orange-like citrus fruits. Clementines and tangerines are types of mandarins. Fresh mandarins are best, but a can of mandarin oranges (packed in juice) works well too if drained and patted dry.
- Greens: any leafy greens or combination work well, such as mixed greens, mesclun, spring mix, arugula, baby spinach, and chopped romaine lettuce.
- Mandarin vinaigrette: mandarin juice (fresh or canned), mandarin zest (or orange zest), apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup (or honey), neutral oil, salt and pepper.
- Add-ins: avocado slices, walnuts (or other nuts), crumbled goat cheese, pomegranate seeds (arils).
Substitutions
- Mandarins: use oranges instead, peeled and sectioned.
- Nuts: try pecans, pistachios, macademia, or sliced almonds.
- Goat cheese: use feta cheese (tangier and saltier) or ricotta cheese (milder).
- Pomegranate seeds: use dried cranberries or other chopped dried fruit.
Optional Upgrades
- Dressing: Make a mandarin miso-ginger dressing by adding 1-2 teaspoons of white miso paste and 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger to the vinaigrette for a more savory twist.
- Nuts: Use store-bought candied nuts or make your own with a quick 5-minute stovetop method (see recipe card notes).
Variations
- Extra fruit: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries,
- Onion: chopped green onions or thinly sliced red onions
- Other dressings: poppy seed dressing, honey-lemon dressing, Italian dressing (with a touch of maple syrup), or raspberry vinaigrette. Tip: Avoid creamy dressings as they tend to dull the colors and overwhelm the flavors in the salad.
- Add a protein: such as cut-up grilled chicken or fish for a complete light meal.
Step-by-step instructions
Tips
- Add the dressing just before serving so the greens stay crisp.
- If using canned mandarins, drain well and gently pat dry to prevent a watery salad.
- Toasted nuts add the best flavor.
- Remember to zest one mandarin before juicing or peeling (she says from experience 🙂 )
Shortcuts
- Canned mandarins don’t have to be peeled and sectioned – very convenient.
- Nuts – buy candied nuts or use plain nuts.
- Pomegranate seeds – many stores sell the seeds fresh in small containers – pricier but convenient. You can also skip the seeds and use dried cranberries.
- Skip the avocado, which requires peeling and slicing at the last minute (or brushing with citrus juice) to avoid it turning brown.
- Buy pre-washed salad greens.
What to serve with mandarin orange salad
This salad goes with any protein main dish served for lunch or dinner. Here are a few favorites:
Recipe FAQs
Is there a difference between mandarins, tangerines, and clementines?
When a recipe says mandarin, it’s usually referring to any small, easy-peel orange, including clementines and tangerines. Clementines are very sweet, usually seedless and milder (less acidic). Tangerines are larger and can have seeds.
Are fresh mandarins better than canned mandarins for salad?
Yes, fresh mandarins have a brighter flavor and firmer texture, but canned mandarins packed in juice are a convenient and reliable option if well drained.
Can I make the mandarin vinaigrette without fresh mandarins?
Yes. Use 3 tablespoons juice from canned mandarins (packed in juice). Skip the mandarin zest and add a little lemon juice or orange zest to brighten it.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
You can prep the components up to a day ahead and store them separately. Assemble and dress the salad just before serving for the best texture.
More salad recipes with fruit
Fruit pairs beautifully with salads, especially with a light, fresh, complementary salad dressing. Here are some favorites.
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Mandarin Orange Salad
A fresh, colorful mandarin orange salad with juicy mandarins, pomegranate, creamy avocado and goat cheese, and crunchy nuts, tossed in a bright mandarin vinaigrette.
Servings: 6 or 4 large servingss
Ingredients
- 5 -6 fresh mandarins (~ 1 ½ cups mandarin sections) (or one 11-ounce can mandarins, packed in juice, drained well and patted dry)
- 6 ounces salad greens, Note 1 (~ 6 cups)
- ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds (arils), Note 1
- ⅓ cup walnut pieces, Note 1 See Note 2 to make quick candied nuts
- ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled, Note 1 (or more to taste)
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced, Note 3 to prevent browning.
Mandarin Vinaigrette (makes ~ ½ cup/118 ml)
- 1 teaspoon mandarin zest – from 1- 1½ mandarins (sub orange zest if needed)
- 3 tablespoons mandarin juice, fresh or canned (from 1 mandarin)
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- ¼ cup neutral oil canola, peanut oil, non-extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Optional: If you are making your own candied nuts, do that now, Note 2. This will add an extra 5 minutes to the recipe time.
- MAKE MANDARIN VINAIGRETTE: First, zest mandarin(s), the squeeze out juice to get 3 tablespoons. Add to a small jar or container with a lid. along with all other vinaigrette dressing ingredients, place lid on container, and shake until well combined. Taste and adjust if needed, adding more vinegar if too sweet and more maple syrup if too tart. Set aside.
- ASSEMBLE SALAD: Lay greens in a large shallow bowl. Arrange mandarins, nuts, goat cheese, avocado slices and pomegranate seeds over the top. Just before serving, drizzle on mandarin dressing. You may not need it all.
Recipe Notes
- Substitutions
- Mandarins: Use oranges instead, peeled and sectioned.
- Walnuts: Swap in pecans, pistachios, macadamia, or sliced almonds. Toasted are best.
- Goat cheese: Use feta (tangier and saltier) or ricotta (milder).
- Pomegranate seeds: Use dried cranberries or other chopped dried fruit.
- How to make quick candied nuts (5 min): Cook ½ cup nuts with 2 tbsp sugar (or 1 ½ for less sweet), 1 tbsp water, an optional pinch of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until coated and glossy (3 – 4 minutes). Transfer to a plate to cool before using.
- Prevent avocado from browning: Brush all exposed surfaces with lemon, orange or lime juice. Without this, avocado will turn brown within 15-20 minutes.
- Dressing upgrade
- For a more savory twist, make a mandarin miso-ginger dressing by adding 1-2 teaspoons of white miso paste and 1 teaspoon grated ginger to the vinaigrette in the recipe above.
- Variations
- Other add-ins: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, chopped green onions or thinly sliced red onions
- Dressing options: poppyseed dressing, honey-lemon dressing, Italian dressing (add a touch of maple syrup), or raspberry vinaigrette. Tip: Avoid creamy dressings – they dull the colors.
- Make ahead: The dressing can be made 3 days ahead and the toppings can be prepped up to 1 day ahead. Tips: Assemble the salad up to 30 minutes before serving and add dressing just before serving to prevent the salad from wilting. This salad does not keep well once dressed as it becomes soggy (but it still tastes good!).
Nutrition
Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 396mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 491IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
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