Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta

Published: Dec 6, 2021 · Updated: Dec 8, 2019 by Elaine · This post may contain Amazon affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This blog generates income via ads · 39 Comments

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This Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta is a festive salad for a winter meal or holiday potluck! Serve it as a Christmas salad in a holiday wreath shape, just for fun.

Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta - Christmas Salad (1)

Winter holidays always make me crave mandarin oranges. While I love eating them as a healthy snack, adding them to salads like this Pomegranate Mandarin Salad (or this Kiwi Mandarin Spinach Salad) perks up my daily dose of leafy greens as well.

This gorgeous orange and romaine salad is bursting with Vitamin C-rich fruit, crunchy pecans and creamy avocado. It's topped with crumbled feta or goat cheese.

Make it festive by serving it as a holiday wreath in a round serving dish, decked out with cheerful coloured fruits and nuts, tiny pomegranate jewels and sprinkled with a little feta "snow" on top.

Fresh, crisp and colourful! This is a 5-star Christmas salad!

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❤️ 4 reasons to make this pomegranate mandarin salad soon!
🛒 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
🔁 Possible Substitutions
❓Readers' Questions
⏰ Can I make this Christmas Wreath Salad ahead of time?
🍽 Serving Suggestions
🗒 More Citrus Fruit Salad Recipes
🗒More salad recipe ideas
📖 Recipe

Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta - Christmas Salad (2)

❤️ 4 reasons to make this pomegranate mandarin salad soon!

There's no need to wait for a holiday dinner to make this beautiful winter salad with oranges. Enjoy it any day of the week!

It tastes amazing. A romaine salad with oranges is always a popular choice!
Every bite is fresh, juicy and nutritious.
It looks beautiful on a holiday buffet table.
It will brightenup any dull winter day!

🛒 Ingredients

Upcoming potluck or holiday dinner? Let's make this Holiday Wreath Salad! You'll find ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

romaine lettuce: I like the crispness of romaine or butter lettuce in this salad as it supports the other ingredients and prevents them from falling to the bottom of the bowl. You can also add in a few other mixed greens or even some massaged kale if you'd like, but I recommend starting with a bed of crisp greens.
mandarin oranges: Or any of the sweet easy-to peel varieties of oranges, like Satsuma, clementines or tangerines. Use organic if they're available where you live.
cucumber: Scrub the cucumber, but leave the peel on for added colour.
avocado: Peel and slice just before serving to prevent browning, or dip in a little diluted lemon juice.
pomegranate arils: These look like little festive holiday lights brightening up this potluck winter salad!
pecans: Lightly toasting them brings out their natural flavour.
feta cheese: Crumbled on top, it resembles snow! Substitute goat cheese if you'd like, or leave it off to keep this salad vegan and dairy-free.
vinaigrette: Asimple citrus vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, shallots, Dijon and a touch of honey dresses this Christmas salad beautifully.

Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta - Christmas Salad (3)

🔪 Instructions

Arrange healthy crisp greens in a round shallow bowl or platter around a central dish that will hold the citrus vinaigrette.
Then, top with mandarin orange segments (or other varieties of orange), cucumber, sliced avocado and pomegranate arils. If you're not serving this salad right away, add the avocado just before serving.
Finish by sprinkling with toasted pecans and a light dusting of feta cheese crumbles.

🔁 Possible Substitutions

If you can't find a pomegranate or fresh or frozen pomegranate arils, you can substitute blueberries or raspberries or even dried cranberries.
Use a mix of salad greens instead of romaine. You can mix fresh spring greens with butter lettuce, iceberg lettuce or chopped, massaged kale.
Use whatever fresh oranges are available where you live. If that's not an option, you could use canned mandarin oranges.
Substitute goat cheese for the feta cheese if you'd like.
Keep the red and green holiday theme by substituting shelled green pistachios for the pecans!
This holiday wreath salad is also absolutely delicious with slightly sweet poppyseed dressing! You'll find my dressing recipe in this Strawberry Kale Salad with Poppyseed Dressing.

Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta - Christmas Salad (4)

❓Readers' Questions

How do you remove the white pith from mandarin orange segments?

Running the peeled oranges under cool running water and using a soft vegetable brush helps make this job go a lot faster. Sometimes a sharp paring knife will work, too.

Removing the white pith is probably the most time-consuming part of making this wreath salad!

⏰ Can I make this Christmas Wreath Salad ahead of time?

Yes! You can make the citrus vinaigrette up to three days ahead of time. Make this holiday salad a day in advance, then cover and refrigerate. Add avocado slices and drizzle with the slightly sweet citrus dressing (or poppyseed dressing) just before serving.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Here are a few ideas for when to serve this holiday wreath salad!

Add it to your traditional turkey dinner, or serve it with one of these main dishes:

Air Fryer Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast - so convenient!
Cranberry-Rosemary Boneless Chicken Thighs - oh-so-good!
Easy Baked Lemon Chicken - always a favourite.
Pistachio-Crusted Salmon - salmon for a change!
Easiest Chicken Saltimbocca - an elegant but easy chicken dish.
Cranberry Glazed Chili Chicken Wings - easy to make and festive!
Paleo Hoisin Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs - always a popular choice.

🗒 More Citrus Fruit Salad Recipes

If you love adding citrus fruit to salads as much as I do, you may like these too!

Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
Orange and AvocadoSalad with Parmesan Crisps
Baby Bok Choy Salad with Ginger Orange Dressing
Shrimp Salad with Grapefruit and Mint
and check this collection of 15 Best Winter Salad Recipes, too.

Enjoy every healthy bite!

🗒More salad recipe ideas

Thai-Style Coleslaw with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Blackberry Spinach Salad with Blackberry Balsamic Dressing
Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Nutritional Yeast Dressing
How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing

When you make this Christmas Wreath Salad, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!

This recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been updated with new photos and information. The recipe remains the same!

📖 Recipe