This pear salad recipe uses fresh pears, crisp arugula or spinach, salty gorgonzola cheese, sweet cranberries, and crunchy pecans. Finished with a homemade vinaigrette, it’s a quick and easy way to enjoy autumn’s flavors.
Why I Love Harvest Pear Salad
Throughout the growing season, I enjoy making fresh vegetable sides, such as green bean salad or broccoli salad. But we also enjoy a large salad every day for lunch. I especially love when I can incorporate orchard fruits growing fresh in the yard. I’ve already shared my fresh peach salad, and this pear salad also deserves an honorable mention.
Though we can grow greens year-round to enjoy our daily salads, winter feels long without fresh fruits and vegetables. I truly feel that eating as much ripe produce as we can in the autumn prepares our bodies for the long wait for spring.
However, with my freeze dryer, I have been experimenting in freeze drying peach, pear and apple slices so I can enjoy this recipe year-round! Check out our freeze drying archives for all of our recipes and tutorials.
As with most salads, this recipe can be modified to suit what you have on hand. I have listed suggested ingredients as well as additions I love, but your garden and pantry should be your guide!
The Best Pears for Salad
Choosing the right pear is entirely up to your personal preference. The chart below is a general description of different pears’ characteristics to help guide you in selecting pears for your recipe.
Homesteading Hack: Did you know that pears ripen off of the tree? Don’t wait for your pears to fall to the ground! Harvest them after the first pear falls to the ground (indicating they’re ready). Then, when you’re ready to make this recipe, choose pears that are firm but give a little when pressed. This means they are ripe and ready to add freshness and flavor to your salads.
| Pear Variety | Description | Best Use |
| Anjou | Crisp texture, sweet and juicy | General salads, mixed greens |
| Bosc | Honey-sweet flavor, firm texture | Fruit salads, cheese pairings |
| Bartlett | Soft, buttery consistency, aromatic | Simple salads, smoothie bowls |
Pear Salad Recipe Variations
Pear salad is easily customizable to fit whatever you have on hand. Don’t be afraid to get creative to develop your own signature flavors. Use this chart as a guide to get you started with some common ingredient swaps.
| Ingredient | Variation |
| Cheese | Gorgonzola, Bleu Cheese, Feta |
| Additional Veggies | Roasted Winter Squash, Red Onion, Snap Peas, Cucumbers |
| Additional Fruit | Pomegranate Arils, Apple Slices |
| Protein | Grilled Chicken, Hard Boiled Eggs, Chickpeas |
| Nuts and Seeds | Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas), Sunflower Seeds, Walnuts, Almonds |
| Dressing | Honey Mustard, Citrus Dressing |
Pear Salad Recipe Tips
Making the perfect salad is an art of mixing just the right flavors and textures that complement each other well. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you select your customized ingredients for your salad.
- Make Sure Your Fruit Is Ripe – Start with ripe pears. They taste and feel the best. Look for soft spots near the stem to check if they’re ripe. Don’t pick pears that are too soft, or they’ll be mushy and won’t hold up well in the salad.
- Use Quality Vinegar – All vinegars are not created equal. Investing in higher-quality balsamic vinegar will make a noticeable difference in your vinaigrette. Use aged balsamic for a deeper flavor.
- Don’t Get Too Complicated – Keep your dressing recipes simple. A mix of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and honey is great. It matches the sweet pears well.
- Consider Texture and Flavor – Texture is as equally important as flavor in salad preparation. Make sure your greens are crisp, and you combine soft ingredients like goat cheese to balance the crunchy texture of the nuts.
In The Homestead Kitchen
This pear salad recipe was featured in issue No. 37 of In the Homestead Kitchen Magazine. As a new homesteader, I remember feeling confused and frustrated when trying to prepare and preserve my food. I wanted to make healthy, delicious meals from scratch that my family loved.
It took years of researching and practicing (and a lot of trial and error) to master my homestead kitchen, and it became my passion to develop a tool to help you shorten your learning curve.
This led to the creation of In the Homestead Kitchen Magazine, a monthly digital magazine with original recipes, inspirational stories, step-by-step tutorials, and plenty of homesteading tips and hacks.
My next goal? To give you the comfort and warmth of home in the palm of your hand. The response has been so huge that in 2025, In the Homestead Kitchen is going to print, so subscribe today to lock in your low digital price and get instant access!
Supplies Needed
- Bowls – You will need a small bowl to whisk the dressing and a large bowl to prepare and serve the salad.
- Whisk – A wire whisk works best for emulsifying the dressing ingredients. You can alternatively use a bottle or Mason jar with a lid to shake the ingredients together.
- Paring Knife – Learn knife sharpening basics to make sure your tools are in good working order and safe condition.
- Cutting Board – Protect those countertops! We love this made in the USA cutting board.
Ingredients Needed
FOR THE SALAD:
- Mixed Greens – I like to use a mixture of kale, spinach, lettuce, and arugula.
- Firm, Ripe Pears – Refer to the above table to select the type of pear that suits you best.
- Goat Cheese – If you don’t have goat cheese on hand, you can use bleu cheese or gorgonzola.
- Thick-Cut Cooked Bacon – Bacon should be cooked crispy and crumbled.
- Dried Cranberries – I like the juice-sweetened varieties you can purchase in bulk from Azure Standard. Homesteading Hack: If you’re a first-time Azure Standard customer, use coupon code “HOMESTEADINGFAMILY15” at checkout for 15% off your order of $100 or more!
- Roasted Pecan Halves – Walnuts make a good substitute if you don’t have pecans.
- Optional Ingredients – For a one-dish meal, add protein options such as grilled chicken, hard-boiled eggs, or chickpeas.
For the Dressing:
- Olive Oil – When it comes to salad dressing, I typically use 100% pure olive oil, but you can also use avocado oil or sunflower seed oil.
- Balsamic Vinegar – A higher quality balsamic will yield the best flavor. Alternatively, you can try lemon juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice or even orange juice.
- Molasses – You might think the main purpose of molasses is to temper the tang of the balsamic vinegar, but it is also key to emulsifying all the ingredients together.
- Dijon Mustard – If I don’t have Dijon on hand, I use our homemade grainy mustard.
- Maple Syrup – You could also try honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or even stevia or monk fruit sweetener for a keto option.
- Salt – You know how we love our Redmond Real Salt because it contains no additives. (Using that link for Redmond Salt will automatically give you 15% off your order!)
- Ground Black Pepper – To taste.
- Garlic, Minced – If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, you can use freeze-dried garlic or ½ teaspoon of granulated garlic.
How to Make Harvest Pear Salad
- Whisk or shake together dressing ingredients in a bottle or jar.
- Once the ingredients are entirely combined, set the dressing aside.
- Wash and dry mixed greens and tear them into bite-sized pieces if necessary.
- Place clean greens in a large salad bowl. Top with pears, cheese, crumbled bacon, cranberries, and pecans.
- Pour on the desired amount of dressing and toss gently to coat.
- Top with any additional protein.
- Serve with additional dressing available on the side.
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. Then snap a photo and tag us on social media @homesteadingfamily so we can see your pear salad!
FAQ
Pears are sweet and pair well with many foods, such as cheese, nuts, apples, and chicken. They enhance the other flavors of salads and add a special touch.
To stop the pears from browning, toss them in a bowl of water with a bit of lemon juice before adding them to the salad. This keeps them fresh and looking good.
A ripe pear will be soft when you press it gently near the stem. If it’s too hard, it’s not ready. If it’s too soft, it’s overripe. You want them just right for the salad.
To ripen pears quickly, put them in a paper bag at room temperature. This traps ethylene gas, which helps them ripen faster so you can enjoy ripe fruit sooner.
Yes, you can! Try using blue cheese instead of gorgonzola, or add pomegranate arils for more flavor. Make it your own!
Other Posts You May Enjoy
- Easy Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe
- Green Bean Salad – Refreshing and Delicious Summer Dish
- Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing (That Doesn’t Separate!)
- Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe – Simple & Delicious Appetizer
- Fresh Peach Salad
Harvest Pear Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Bowls one large, one small
- Whisk
- Pairing Knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 12 cups mixed greens torn
- 2 whole pears ripe and thinly sliced
- 6 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup pecan halves roasted
- optional protein see recipe notes for examples
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons molasses
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- pinch salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
Instructions
- Whisk or shake together dressing ingredients in a bottle or jar.
- Once the ingredients are entirely combined, set the dressing aside.
- Wash and dry mixed greens and tear them into bite-sized pieces if necessary.
- Place clean greens in a large salad bowl. Top with pears, cheese, crumbled bacon, cranberries, and pecans.
- Pour on the desired amount of dressing and toss gently to coat.
- Top with any additional protein.
- Serve with additional dressing available on the side.
Notes
- For a one-dish meal, add protein options such as grilled chicken, hard-boiled eggs, or chickpeas.
- Nutrition facts are calculated with the entire dressing used for the recipe (and no optional protein added). You likely won’t use it all, so just keep that in mind when reading the nutrition facts.
