Juicy, fruity, and crunchy, this Orange Salad with Honeyed Hazelnuts is perfect for the holidays!
Step over boring salad side dishes this holiday season: this Orange Salad with Honeyed Hazelnuts is sure to be your family's new favorite Christmas green salad recipe!
You will love this salad because it comes together easily, is made with all clean ingredients, and is naturally gluten-free-- all while being crunchy, juicy, and just the right amount of naturally sweet!
It's always around this time of year that I start beelining for the citrus aisle of the produce section at the grocery store.
By being spoiled by my Grandma sending me boxes of Florida-fresh citrus for my December birthday in college, I have been trained to crave the sweet and juicy fruit when the days are the shortest.
So, this year when planning out what recipes to share for the holidays, I knew an orange salad had to be on the menu.
Given my love for citrus, I knew this salad had to let the fruit shine. All of the other ingredients could only complement and enhance the oranges, not overwhelm or hide them.
Because of my love for texture, I knew I wanted to add some crunch to this salad. When browsing the internet one night, I saw a salad with honeyed pine nuts on top. Done! I knew I needed some type of honeyed nut to top this citrus salad.
Next, I knew an herbal salad mix would enhance the flavor of the oranges and shine alongside the sweet nuts. So, I decided on the herbed salad mix from Trader Joe's.
Toss all of this in a rich and nutty sherry vinaigrette and top the salad with some creamy avocado and my new favorite holiday salad recipe is served.
And I hope it's your family's favorite salad, too. Happy holidays, friend!
Table of contents
- This orange salad recipe is...
- Recipe ingredients
- Ingredient substitutions:
- Where do you buy sherry vinegar?
- Is this salad gluten-free? Vegan?
- How do you segment an orange?
- How do you toast nuts on the stovetop?
- How do you dice an avocado?
- How to make this orange salad recipe:
- How do you serve this salad?
- How do you store leftovers and how long do they last?
- Tools needed to make this salad recipe:
- Other healthy holiday side dish recipes you'll love:
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This orange salad recipe is...
- Fresh
- Juicy
- Fruity
- Crunchy
- Tangy
- Healthy
- Naturally gluten-free
- Ready in a snap
- Easy to double or triple!
- The perfect recipe for holiday or dinner party entertaining
If you're looking for a new recipe to spice up your Christmas recipe spread, look no further!
Recipe ingredients
- Herbed baby salad - I love Trader Joes' bagged variety, but you can also use a bag of baby greens with a handful of fresh baby dill and cilantro
- Navel oranges
- Blood oranges - or, all navel or Cara Cara orange if you have trouble finding blood oranges
- Belgian endive - adds a touch of crunch and bitterness that rounds out the salad
- Avocado - brings the perfect creamy and nutty element
- Hazelnuts - dry roasted or raw are just fine; I share directions for both on the recipe card (below)
- Honey - preferably raw
- Sherry vinegar - rich and nutty while being a tad sweet, this vinegar elevates the salad to a new level. See my notes below on where to find the vinegar and what vinegars substitute the best.
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard - smooth mustard is the best
- Dried tarragon - grassy with a light licorice finish, this herb complements the oranges and hazelnuts like a dream
Ingredient substitutions:
- Oil - avocado oil can work in place of the olive oil
- Vinegar - Sherry vinegar is definitely a huge part of making this salad what it is, but red wine vinegar can work in its place in a pinch.
- Oranges - you can use 2 cups of any combination of navel, blood, or Cara Cara oranges for this recipe
- Endive - an extra cup of baby lettuce can substitute for the endive, though I do like the subtle bitter profile that the endive adds.
- Hazelnuts - pine nuts or walnuts can work in place of the hazelnuts. If using pine nuts, only toast the nuts for a few minutes, or until they just start to golden, before adding the honey.
Where do you buy sherry vinegar?
You can find Sherry vinegar at most major grocery store chains, some Target supermarkets, and on Amazon.
Is this salad gluten-free? Vegan?
This salad is naturally gluten-free. It does use honey, however, so it is not vegan, unfortunately.
I tested the recipe with maple syrup substitute but the nuts didn't harden up after glazing them. So, I am sad to report that I can't recommend a honey substitute. 😔
How do you segment an orange?
Segmenting an orange may sound intimidating on first thought, but it really isn't that difficult! Just be diligent with your knife strokes and you'll be set.
Here's how to segment an orange:
- Slice the top and bottom off of the orange
- Place the orange on one of the sliced off ends. Going around the curve of the orange, slice down right underneath the orange skin, removing as much of the white pith as possible.
- Going around the rest of the orange, slice the orange skin off of the fruit.
- The fruit will now be peeled. Rest the orange on its side and cut in on both sides of the white lines that run down the orange. Gently remove the orange pieces from the sections until all the fruit is removed.
How do you toast nuts on the stovetop?
Here's how to toast nuts on a stovetop:
- Add the dry nuts (i.e. no oil or any other ingredients) to a pan.
- Heat the nuts in the pan over medium or medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan to stir every minute or so, or until the nuts smell nutty, turn golden, and make a light sizzling noise.
See? Pretty simple. The most important part is to keep an eye on the nuts as they toast so they don't burn.
How do you dice an avocado?
My favorite way to dice an avocado is as follows:
- Slice the avocado around the length of the avocado, cutting through to the pit of the fruit.
- Separate the avocado halves.
- Very carefully tap the nut with the sharp part of the knife, until the knife lodges into the nut. Gently turn your knife until the pit releases from the avocado flesh.
- Place the halves of avocado on a cutting board, skin side down.
- Gently run the knife through the avocado, cutting down to but not through the skin, in a criss-cross pattern. Repeat with the other avocado half.
- Using a large spoon, gently scoop the avocado chunks out of the peel, scooping down to the skin to get all of the fruit.
- Use the fruit as soon after dicing as possible, so it doesn't brown.
How to make this orange salad recipe:
- Preheat a non-stick pan over medium or medium-high heat. Prepare an 8-inch square sheet of parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Add the nuts to the preheated pan and toast for 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan to stir every 4-5 minutes, or until the nuts are fragrant, turning golden, and starting to make a sizzling noise.
- Remove the pan of nuts from the heat. Drizzle the honey over the nuts and toss the nuts in the honey until covered with a silicone spatula.
- Turn the nuts out onto the parchment paper or silicone baking mat and, working quickly, spread them out to cool for 5-10 minutes, or until the honey and nuts harden.
- While the nuts cool: whisk the salad dressing ingredients together in a small mixing bowl or measuring cup.
- Add the salad ingredients to a large salad bowl. When the nuts have cooled, gently break them up over the salad.
- Drizzle the salad with salad dressing, toss it gently until combined, and serve immediately!
How do you serve this salad?
This salad is perfect served as part of a holiday dinner spread, but it also is impressively served at a dinner party.
Specifically, I love to serve it with:
- Roast turkey
- Prime rib
- Ham
- Lobster
- Grilled shrimp
- Fresh-baked bread
- Classic holiday side dishes
But, of course, don't hesitate to serve it for a weeknight dinner, either (it's so good topped with roasted salmon, grilled pork chops, or chicken!).
How do you store leftovers and how long do they last?
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator undressed and separate from the avocado. Leftovers will last 2-3 days.
A special note about the avocado: if you know you will have leftovers, only slice the amount of avocado you will need for the recipe. Store the remaining avocado covered with the pit touching the flesh and slice up the avocado as you need it.
Tools needed to make this salad recipe:
- Non-stick skillet -- I like Ozeri and Caraway (both have non-toxic non-stick!)
- Silicone spatula
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Whisk
- Cutting board
- Chef knife -- I use the Victorinox chef knife. Seriously the best chef knife I've used so far and it's only $30!!
- Large salad bowl
- Salad tongs
Other healthy holiday side dish recipes you'll love:
- Healthy Sweet Potato Soufflé
- Kale Salad with Butternut Squash
- Healthy Mashed Potatoes
- Healthy Carrot Souffle
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Savory Bread Pudding
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Orange Salad with Honeyed Hazelnuts
Step over boring salad side dishes this holiday: this Orange Salad with Honeyed Hazelnuts is sure to be your family's new favorite Christmas green salad recipe!
Ingredients
Honeyed Hazelnuts
- ⅓ cup raw or dry toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey, preferably raw
Salad Dressing
- 5 oz. herbed salad greens
- ½ avocado, diced
- 2 navel oranges, segmented
- 1 blood orange, segmented
- 2 Belgian endive, trimmed and segmented
Sherry Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallots
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
Instructions
- Preheat a non-stick pan over medium or medium-high heat. Prepare an 8-inch square sheet of parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Add the chopped nuts to the preheated pan and toast for 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan to stir every 4-5 minutes, or until the nuts are fragrant, turning golden, and starting to make a sizzling noise. Note: toast the nuts on the shorter side if using dry roasted nuts and on the longer side if using raw nuts.
- Remove nuts from the heat. Drizzle the honey over them and toss the nuts in the honey with a silicone spatula until covered.
- Turn the nuts out onto the parchment paper or silicone baking mat and, working quickly, spread them out to cool for 5-10 minutes, or until the honey and nuts harden up.
- While the nuts cool: whisk the salad dressing ingredients together in a small mixing bowl or measuring cup until combined.
- Add the salad ingredients to a large salad bowl. When the nuts have cooled, gently break them up over the salad.
- Drizzle the salad with salad dressing, toss it gently until combined, and serve immediately!
Notes
1. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator undressed and separate from the avocado. Leftovers will last 2-3 days.
2. An avocado storage pro-tip if you know you will have leftovers, only slice the amount of avocado you will need for the recipe when serving. Then, store the remaining avocado covered in the refrigerator with the pit touching the flesh and slice up the avocado as you need it.
3. Red wine vinegar can work as a substitute for the sherry vinegar in a pinch, but I highly recommend finding sherry vinegar if you can.
4. I buy my herbed salad mix at Trader Joe's. You can use baby salad with a handful of baby dill and cilantro as a substitute.
5. The quality of the oranges you use is more important than what type of oranges you choose; therefore, use 2 cups of any combination of navel, blood, or Cara Cara oranges for this recipe.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 287Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 0mgSodium 71mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 7gSugar 16gProtein 4g
This nutrition breakdown is just an estimate of the nutritional value of this recipe and cannot be taken as facts. The owners of Mae's Menu are not nutritionists or dietitians and therefore cannot be held accountable for this nutrition estimate. Please contact your nutritionist or medical professional for a nutritional breakdown of this food. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
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