Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
This pear and gorgonzola salad is perfect for fall! With candied pecans and a tangy apple cider vinaigrette, it has just the right balance of flavours and it comes together in only 15 minutes.
Hooray for fall salads! Spring and salads go great together, but fall salads are probably the best kind. You all seemed to really love my vegan apple, pecan, and feta salad, so I know you’ll love this pear and gorgonzola salad too. It’s easy, crunchy, sweet, tasty and those candied pecans are the best way to top it all off.
Why You’ll Love This Pear and Gorgonzola Salad Recipe
- The perfect combination of sweet and savoury. This salad has the best balance of sweet and savoury flavours, along with a tangy vinaigrette and pungent (vegan!) blue cheese.
- Easy to make in just 15 minutes. I love pear and gorgonzola salad as a quick side or light weeknight dinner. It’s a breeze to put together!
- Great for fall gatherings and holiday meals. With its festive colours and flavours, this salad is an excellent addition to your holiday dinner table. I’ve made it for Thanksgiving a few times and everyone loves it!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
Salad:
- Kale – Hearty, earthy kale is the perfect green for a fall salad.
- Pear – Make sure your pear is juicy and ripe for the best flavour. When you press near the stem, it should have some give without feeling mushy.
- Dried cranberries – Tart and sweet, these also add a chewy texture to this pear and gorgonzola salad.
- Candied pecans – Use store-bought or my recipe for candied pecans.
- Vegan blue cheese – Follow Your Heart has vegan blue cheese crumbles. If you can’t find it near you, I recommend buying a block of vegan Parmesan and shaving it. The flavour is obviously different, but it has a nice nuttiness and large shavings add more flavour than grated or shredded cheese.
Dressing:
- Vegan honey alternative – Can’t find this? Agave nectar, date syrup, or maple syrup can be substituted.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
- Assemble the salad. Add the salad greens to a bowl, then add everything else on top. You can either layer it all (kind of like a Cobb salad) or toss it all together.
- Make the dressing. Whisk all the ingredients together.
- Dress the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.
Tips and Variations
- Don’t dress the salad until you’re ready to serve it. If you plan to serve this salad later, keep the dressing separate until it’s time to eat. This will prevent your greens from becoming soggy.
- Give it a protein boost. Crispy roasted chickpeas, slices of vegan chicken, or this marinated tofu would all be delicious and make this pear and gorgonzola salad into a filling meal.
- Add some grains. Cooked farro or wheat berries add some hearty flavour and give your salad more staying power.
- Experiment with different fruits. While pears and cranberries are classic fall flavors, consider adding other fruits like apples, pomegranate arils, or figs.
What to Serve With Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
I love having this salad with butternut squash soup or pumpkin soup. It’s also good with a side of crusty olive bread. If you’re serving this salad for a holiday meal, it’s great paired with dishes like mashed sweet potatoes and tourtière.
How to Store
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, keeping the dressing separate if possible. (While kale does hold up well to being stored with dressing, the liquid from the dressing with melt off the coating from the candied pecans, so I like storing them separately!)
Enjoy friends! If you make this pear and gorgonzola salad, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups kale, de-stemmed, washed and torn
- 1 pear, sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons candied pecans
- 3 tablespoons vegan blue cheese, crumbled
Vegan Honey-Apple Vinaigrette Dressing
- 2 tablespoons vegan honey alternative, or agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Salad
- In a bowl, place the salad greens. Add the pear slices, cranberries, candied pecans and vegan blue cheese on top – if you'd like, toss the toppings together in a bowl first then sprinkle on top of greens.
Vegan Honey-Apple Vinaigrette Dressing
- Whisk the ingredients together and pour over the salad.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
So autumnal, tasty and beautiful! Well done, Jessica.
Thanks so much Angie!! 🙂
You don’t have to twist my arm. You have captured fall in the best way!
Hahaha! Thanks so much Tonya!!
Looks so delicious!!!!
I only wonder, if I substitute Kale, What can be better to use? baby spinach or romaine lettuce?… Can´t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Nayeli! Baby spinach would definitely be the best substitute!
How many does this recipe serve?
Hi Stephnie! Thanks so much for reading. It actually serves 2. I hope this helps.
This was delicious! Great recipe! And can I just say how much I love your website for the feature that allowed me to select the number of servings I needed and updated the quantities before I printed the recipe! LOVE IT!
is there a vegan replacement for the gorgonzola cheese. I am allergic to cheese, I can tolerate vegan cheese.
Hi Andrea,
Yes vegan blue cheese is the best substitute for this! Several brands have it but follow your heart is widely available. Enjoy so much!