This easy Mandarin Orange Salad combines spring mix, mandarin oranges, toasted walnuts for texture and crunch, dried cranberries, and feta cheese, all tossed with a tangy six-ingredient orange vinaigrette.
I love serving this side dish with grilled chicken breasts and air-fryer salmon. It is always a huge hit at potlucks, and there are rarely any leftovers.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Vinegar: champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- Orange juice: preferably freshly squeezed
- Olive oil: extra virgin
- Spring mix: spring greens blend assorted baby greens and baby lettuce. The young greens included in the mix could be arugula, green chard, kale, red chard, baby spinach, endive, or radicchio.
- Mandarin oranges: fresh or canned
- Nuts: walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pine nuts. Or try sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Dried cranberries: or dried cherries
How to Make Mandarin Orange Salad
This is just the nutshell version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and complete directions.
Combine the champagne vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, honey, Dijon mustard, and olive oil in a mason jar. Shake vigorously and season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Add the spring greens, mandarin orange segments, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, crumbled feta, and red onions to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat. For best results, serve promptly.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- Mix the dressing up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge an hour before preparing the salad.
- Substitute 1 (15-ounce) can of mandarin oranges drained for the fresh mandarin oranges.
- To keep it fresh, purchase a small block of feta and crumble it yourself. If you don’t like the flavor of feta, goat cheese, Parmesan, and cotija cheese are all good substitutions.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, but remember that the greens will wilt quickly.
Recipe Variations
- Greens: other salad greens that work well in this recipe are arugula and baby spinach.
- Dried fruit: diced apricots, dates, or figs.
- Cheese: blue cheese, gorgonzola, goat cheese, or Parmesan Cheese.
- Nuts: pecans, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or pepitas.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can assemble this Salad up to 24 hours in advance, but don’t add the feta, walnuts, and dressing until right before serving. Remove the dressing from the fridge an hour before tossing the salad. Before serving, shake well to emulsify the vinegar and oil before drizzling on the salad. Drizzle lightly and toss to coat.
If you don’t like the flavor of feta, goat cheese, Parmesan, and cotija cheese are all good substitutions.
More Salad Recipes
Mandarin Orange Salad
Ingredients
Orange Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salad Ingredients
- 10 ounces spring mix
- 6 mandarin oranges segmented
- ¾ cup toasted walnuts
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
- Combine the champagne vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, honey, Dijon mustard, and olive oil in a mason jar. Shake vigorously and season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
- Add the spring greens, mandarin orange segments, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, crumbled feta, and red onion to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat. For best results, serve promptly.
Notes
- Mix the dressing up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge an hour before preparing the salad.
- Substitute 1 (15-ounce) can of mandarin oranges drained for the fresh mandarin oranges.
- To keep it fresh, purchase a small block of feta and crumble it yourself. If you don’t like the flavor of feta, goat cheese, Parmesan, and cotija cheese are all good substitutions.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, but remember that the greens will wilt quickly.
Nutrition
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Paula
This salad was so refreshing for summer! Loved the sweet mandarins in it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Paula! So happy that you liked it!
Alexandra Goddard
The photo of the salad clearly has red onion, but none is listed in the recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the heads up. I will look at my notes.
Sandra
I really love the combination of flavors! Seriously amazing!
Erin
This was so good! It was a hit on our table! Everyone loved it.
Elizabeth
Such a delicious salad. The orange citrus dressing was fabulous! I will make this again and again.
Erin
This salad was absolutely fantastic! The orange vinaigrette complimented it perfectly.
Amanda
This salad would be perfect for those hot summer days that are upon us!
Edgar
I am such a big lover of salad. This is a new one to me and I am very ready to try it out with some beef, as a “road-test”! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Rose
What a great salad! We absolutely loved it. All the ingredients work so well together and taste was delicious.
Marysa
This sounds like such an interesting salad! I haven’t had mandarins in a salad before. Looks so yummy!
Amber
Looks amazing. I have been trying to eat more plant based meals and this looks I great addition to my lunch menus.
Michelle
This salad is so vibrant and tasty. Perfect as a main meal or side dish. It was a huge hit with my family.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Michelle! So glad that you liked it!
Jen Vinuya
This is such a great salad! Packed full of flavors! I will definitely make it again!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Jen!
Elizabeth
I love mandarin oranges, so this recipe hits the spot! The homemade vinaigrette is so easy to make. Can’t wait to bring it to my next church potluck meal.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Elizabeth! Enjoy!
Justine
This was so good. I loved that orange vinaigrette, it really tied the whole thing together.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Justine! I could not agree more!
Tara
Such a wonderful and refreshing salad! I absolutely love the variety of flavors and textures. So easy too!