This Maple Dijon Vinaigrette recipe has been getting 5-Star reviews, and for good reason! I created this salad to pair perfectly with it—featuring tender mixed greens, crisp apples, toasted pecans, and savory bacon. It’s just as delicious with your own twist: swap in pears for apples, try a different toasted nut, add avocado, or mix in any of your favorite fall ingredients. This autumn salad is perfect for entertaining, holiday dinners like Thanksgiving or Christmas, or even a casual meal at home. The sweet and savory dressing takes it to the next level!
Ingredients Needed for the Salad
Ingredients amounts in the recipe are a rough estimate. Simply make to taste!
- mixed spring greens or spinach
- apple – I love a good honeycrisp! They can be expensive, but you really only need 1 large one so I feel it’s worth the splurge.
- bacon – cooked crisp and crumbled. I prefer cooking a whole pan of bacon in the oven and reserving it for other recipes, but you can also pop a few slices in a skillet.
- pecans – toasted. Toasted almonds work just as well. Using the oven to toast your nuts is ideal because an oven provides uniform, even heat, which means that the nuts are going to be toasted from the inside out, but toasting in a pan on the stove top works too. Just watch the pan carefully!
Ingredients Needed for the Dressing
- pure maple syrup
- apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- canola oil – or substitute your favorite oil, such as olive or avocado
- grated onion
- garlic – grated on microplane or fine-hole grater
- kosher salt
- black pepper
With vinaigrette dressings, I recommend tossing the whole salad together before serving. With creamy dressings like my homemade ranch, it works well to have people dress their own salads on the plate, but it’s challenging to toss a salad like this in individual servings and it tastes better when it all has a lovely light coating of dressing.
How to Make Bacon, Apple, Pecan Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
This autumn salad is so simple to put together! This is just a synopsis, the full recipe can be found below.
- Blend together all dressing ingredients, and set aside.
- Combine all salad ingredients and drizzle on dressing to taste, tossing to coat everything.
- Serve immediately.
Storage & Other Tips
Salad
- To prevent sogginess, mix the salad ingredients and add the dressing right before serving.
- If you anticipate leftovers, store the salad and dressing separately. Place the salad greens, apples, bacon, and pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- For optimal freshness, consume the stored salad within 2-3 days. Note that apples may brown over time, and bacon can lose its crispness.
Vinaigrette
- Store the vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- For best quality, use the dressing within 1-2 weeks.
- If the dressing separates, simply give it a good shake before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prep the components in advance—cook the bacon, toast the pecans, and make the dressing—but assemble the salad right before serving to keep the greens fresh and the bacon crisp.
Crisp, slightly tart apples like Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Granny Smith work well for a good balance of flavor and texture.
Yes! Walnuts, almonds, or even candied nuts are great alternatives.
Stored in an airtight container, it should last 1–2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Dijon mustard is recommended for its smooth texture and tang, but you can use yellow mustard in a pinch—it will change the flavor slightly.
Yes, honey can be used as a substitute for maple syrup, though the flavor will be different (a bit less earthy and more floral). We’ve never tried it this way, so we can’t guarantee the results.
Absolutely! Add grilled chicken, roasted turkey, or even chickpeas for a more filling main-course salad.
Bacon, Apple, Pecan Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 mixed spring greens or spinach large bowl
- 1 apple large, chopped; I love honeycrisp
- 4-5 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- ½ cup pecans toasted
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons canola oil or sub your fave oil like avocado, olive, etc.
- ½ tablespoons onion grated
- ½ clove garlic grated on microplane or fine-hole grater
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously until combined. Set aside.
- Combine all salad ingredients and drizzle on dressing to taste, tossing to coat everything.
Notes
- This salad is also great with pears, toasted almonds, and avocado! Or try any other combination that sounds great to you.
Questions & Reviews
I love this salad, the dressing is the best! But I have a question: When I go to print the recipe I have to sign up for emails. I already get your emails. Do I have to re-sign up every time I want to print a recipe?
I’m so glad you loved it! And no worries — it won’t send you extra emails. The print feature just asks for an email each time, even for existing subscribers.
I discovered this recipe a few years ago and it is my families favorite. I don’t buy dressing anymore; we use this dressing for all our salads. Plus when I take this salad to events I always get rave reviews.
This salad was perfect for Thanksgiving last year! Thank you!
I have been making this salad for some time now and we love it. I take it to parties and always get comments on how good it is. I use this dressing for all my salads now. I can say enough good about it!