Pomegranate Apple Salad (Parve) Recipe

By
Giora Shimoni
Giora Shimoni
A kosher food enthusiast and home cook with hundreds of published recipes, Giora Shimoni has worked in online publishing for over 20 years.
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Updated on 12/26/21
Pomegranate apple salad recipe

​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
504 Calories
30g Fat
60g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 504
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 39%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 309mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 60g 22%
Dietary Fiber 11g 39%
Total Sugars 47g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 24mg 121%
Calcium 93mg 7%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 821mg 17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Sweet-tart apples and pomegranates are complemented by a homemade poppy seed dressing that you can make ahead for convenience. Because both pomegranates and apples both have symbolic significance for the Jewish New Year, you should serve this salad for lunch on Rosh Hashanah, when guests appreciate a light meal after the previous night's often heavier holiday meal. It's also a fitting addition to Sukkot or fall holiday menus.

Because this is a simple salad, you'll want the best ingredients possible. Seek out your favorite local apple varieties to showcase. Choose a pomegranate that is firm and heavy for its size, with a leathery, unwrinkled skin.

Poppy seeds can go rancid quickly, so taste yours before you add them to the salad dressing. 

The original recipe made a rather large amount of dressing, and more than needed for several salads. We halved the ingredient quantities for the salad dressing, and still had plenty left over. If you're entertaining a large crowd and want more dressing, you can multiply the quantities. Just be sure to scale up the lettuce and apple quantities too (unless your pomegranate is small, you should have plenty of seeds, even if you make a bigger salad.)

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or unseasoned rice vinegar

  • 6 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or sea salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, or prepared Dijon mustard

  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped onion, from about 1/2 small onion

  • 1/2 cup canola oil, or other neutral-flavored oil such as grapeseed oil, or extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 3/4 teaspoons poppy seeds

For the Salad:

  • 1 large head lettuce, or 1 (5-ounce package) mixed baby lettuce, rinsed and spun dry

  • 1 pomegranate, seeded

  • 1 large green apple, cored and sliced or chopped

Steps to Make It

Make the Dressing

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for dressing
    ​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. In a blender or mini food processor, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard, and onion. Pulse several times until well blended. With the machine running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream and blend until emulsified.

    Combine vinegar, sugar, salt
    ​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Pour dressing into a jar or cruet. Add the poppy seeds and shake well to combine. Store in the refrigerator, shaking well before serving.

    Jar
    ​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Make the Salad

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for salad
    ​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Place the lettuce in a large bowl or arrange on a deep, wide serving platter.

    Greens
    ​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and add the apple slices or cubes. 

    Sprinkle
    ​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Just before serving, drizzle with about 1/4 of the poppy seed dressing and toss gently. Serve the remaining dressing on the side so guests can add more if desired. 

    Drizzle dressing
    ​The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Tip

  • The dressing can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge until it's time to serve.