Arugula Salad
- Jump to Recipe
- Pin
- Share
- Comments
- Save Saved
Simple Arugula Salad – it’s made with a tasty blend of peppery arugula, sharp parmesan, flavor concentrated dried cranberries, and nutty almonds. And it’s finished with a refreshing, tart and lightly sweetened dressing to highlight it.
Refreshing Arugula Salad
It may not be the first type of salad you’d think to make because those humble arugula leaves are so often unappreciated and skipped over. But they are a nutritious little leaf with big flavor and they make an incredible salad.
This is a great recipe to have on hand for a quick side, plus it’s handy to have during the holidays when the other more popular lettuce choices are picked over.
Here you can switch up the ingredients based on what you have on hand. It’s a forgiving recipe with plenty of room for substitutions.
For instance, I’ve made this with lemon juice then balsamic vinegar and I’ve loved both options so I’ve listed either one to be used here. I leave it up to you to pick your favorite.
Then dried sweetened cherries would also be delicious in place of the cranberries, and pecans will work in place of the almonds. And why not feta for the parmesan?
Another option here is to convert this into a main dish by adding a protein to it such as grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken. Lots of different variations here with this super easy, perfectly delicious salad!
Arugula Salad Recipe Ingredients
- 5 oz. baby arugula (full grown works too)
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds , toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (sweetened variety)
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan (1.5 oz)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or 2.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
How to Toast Almonds in the Oven
- To toast the sliced almonds preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread almonds out even on a baking sheet.
- Toast in oven until just barely golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes (for more even cooking you can toss halfway through).
- Let cool before using.
How to Make Arugula Salad
- Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill dressing for 15 minutes if time allows.
- To assemble salad: Toss the arugula with about 2/3 of the dressing then on a serving platter or individual salad plates layer half the arugula, half the almonds, half the cranberries and half the parmesan.
- Repeat layering then drizzle with remaining 1/3 of the dressing. Serve right away.
Make Ahead
- The dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in the fridge.
- Ingredients can also be prepped several days in advance just wait to toss dressing with salad until you’re ready to serve (otherwise the leaves will wilt and get soggy).
More Delicious Salad Recipes to Try
- Avocado Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Kale Salad
- Spinach Salad
- Tomato Salad
Follow Cooking Classy
16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes!(plus weekly recipe updates)
Arugula Salad
- Review Recipe
- Pin
- Save Saved
Ingredients
Salad
- 5 oz. baby arugula (full grown works too)
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (sweetened variety)
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan (1.5 oz)
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or 2.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 15 minutes if time allows.
- To assemble salad: Toss the arugula with about 2/3 of the dressing then on a serving platter or individual salad plates layer half the arugula, half the almonds, half the cranberries and half the parmesan.
- Repeat layering then drizzle with remaining 1/3 of the dressing. Serve right away.
Categorized:
- Appetizers & Salads
- Healthy
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Δ
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
- Tina How much salt & pepper do you start with? November 20, 2023 Reply Jaclyn Probably about a scant 1/4th tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. November 22, 2023 Reply
- Amanda My husband and I were disappointed to find this salad too sweet for our taste. I used the balsamic dressing variant and together with honey and cranberries, we felt it was too much. Perhaps using the lemon dressing or something else with the rocket instead of cranberries would balance the sweetness out. August 8, 2023 Reply
- A. Cole Bright, fresh, texturally interesting, this salad will go into my make-aga-n-and-again file. April 2, 2023 Reply
- DLS This salad is divine! Please everyone give it a try. You will fall in love. March 16, 2023 Reply
- Lena Quick, simple and delicious! (Used the freshly squeezed lemon juice.) March 8, 2023 Reply
- Belle Simple and delicious. I added thinly sliced apples. September 27, 2022 Reply
- Arielle You said either lemon or balsamic vinegar, which do you prefer? January 29, 2022 Reply Jaclyn Our favorite was the lemon but definitely can’t go wrong with either. January 29, 2022 Reply
- Rex Hutcheson Simple, easy, delicious. December 29, 2021 Reply Jaclyn I’m glad you think so Rex! December 29, 2021 Reply
Arugula Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 5 oz. baby arugula (full grown works too)
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (sweetened variety)
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan (1.5 oz)
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or 2.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 15 minutes if time allows.
- To assemble salad: Toss the arugula with about 2/3 of the dressing then on a serving platter or individual salad plates layer half the arugula, half the almonds, half the cranberries and half the parmesan.
- Repeat layering then drizzle with remaining 1/3 of the dressing. Serve right away.
Copyright 2026 Cooking Classy
