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Cinnamon Apple And Red Grape Salad With Toasted Pecans

Cinnamon apple and red grape salad with toasted pecans is a crisp, juicy side dish tossed in a cinnamon-honey yogurt dressing. Dice apples, toast pecans, and chill briefly for a fresh, coated bite with a sweet-tart finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Chill time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad base
  • 3 apples Cored and diced; mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp
  • 1 cup red seedless grapes Halved
  • 0.5 cup celery Thinly sliced
  • 0.25 cup dried cranberries
  • 0.5 cup pecans Toasted
Cinnamon-honey yogurt dressing
  • 0.25 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.0625 salt Pinch

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Toast the pecans
  1. Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and lightly darkened at the edges (visual cue). Cool completely so they stay crunchy.
Mix the salad
  1. Combine the diced apples, halved grapes, thinly sliced celery, and dried cranberries in a large bowl (visual cue of evenly distributed fruit).
Make the dressing
  1. Whisk the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt together until smooth and glossy, with no yogurt streaks (visual cue).
Toss and finish
  1. Pour the dressing over the fruit mixture and toss gently just until everything looks evenly coated (visual cue: clinging dressing on fruit surfaces).
Add pecans and chill
  1. Fold in the toasted pecans just before serving to keep them crunchy, then chill for 15 minutes if desired (visual cue: salad looks slightly set and colder).

Notes

Pro tip: cool the toasted pecans completely before folding them in—this preserves crunch. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days; add fresh toasted pecans right before eating for best texture. Freezing isn’t recommended because grapes and celery soften. For a lighter option, replace mayonnaise with an equal amount of extra Greek yogurt.