This grapefruit salad is the right winter salad with a mix of spicy arugula, avocado, blue cheese and juicy grapefruit. Serve it as a aspect salad or add protein for a full meal.
I’m a Valentine’s Day child, so the vacation has all the time felt further particular — crammed with chocolate, hearts, and sweetness! That stated, going out on February 14th is usually a trouble. Eating places are packed, menus are restricted, and the whole lot feels overpriced.
That’s why Isaac and I often have fun at dwelling with a home made dinner, and this avocado grapefruit salad was born from a type of cozy nights in. Grapefruit, in season through the winter, provides a pop of colour that’s good for Valentine’s Day vibes. It’s an important aspect salad to serve alongside for a full meal.
The mix of spicy arugula, creamy avocado, tangy blue cheese, and juicy fruit is a complete winner. Serve it as a starter, aspect salad to my my cottage cheese pasta or penne alla vodka or add protein like grilled shrimp, grilled rooster, or air fryer salmon to make it the star of your meal!
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- Fast and straightforward – With only a few easy elements and no cooking required, this salad comes collectively in minutes.
- A stability of flavors and textures – You’ve obtained all of it: candy, tangy, creamy, and crunchy in each chew.
- Good for any event – Whether or not you’re making a fast lunch, serving it as a dinner aspect, or including it to your vacation unfold, this salad matches proper in.
- Customizable – Swap elements to match your preferences or what you’ve gotten available —it’s tremendous versatile!
Elements Wanted
- arugula – the peppery chew of arugula provides a daring, recent base for this salad.
- grapefruit – juicy and tangy, grapefruit brings a refreshing citrusy pop that pairs completely with the opposite elements. I used a purple grapefruit for this salad, however be at liberty to make use of your favourite number of grapefruit.
- avocado – creamy avocado provides richness and balances the tartness of the grapefruit.
- walnuts – chopped walnuts present a satisfying crunch and a dose of wholesome fat.
- blue cheese – crumbled blue cheese provides a tangy, creamy taste. If you happen to’re not a fan, swap it out for feta, goat cheese, and even shaved parmesan.
- dried cranberries – candy and chewy, these add a contact of pure sweetness that ties the flavors collectively.
- balsamic dressing – a easy balsamic dressing enhances all of the flavors on this salad, bringing a contact of tangy sweetness to each chew.
Recipe Variations
- Make it extra filling: Flip this salad into a whole meal by including this apple cider vinegar rooster, grilled shrimp, or my air fryer salmon bites. For a plant-based possibility, strive roasted chickpeas or baked tofu. You could possibly additionally add quinoa or one other grain of selection like farro to assist beef up this salad.
- Use a unique inexperienced: If you happen to’re not a fan of arugula or don’t have it available you should utilize spinach, child kale or blended greens.
- Swap the citrus: As an alternative of grapefruit, use oranges, blood oranges, or mandarins for a sweeter citrus taste.
- Swap the walnuts: Swap walnuts for pecans, almonds, or pistachios. Or strive sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds for a nut-free possibility.
- Use a unique cheese: If you happen to’re not a fan of blue cheese be at liberty to skip it or swap it with goat cheese or feta cheese. Each are nice substitutes!
The way to Make Avocado Grapefruit Salad
This grapefruit and avocado salad is tremendous simple to make! With only a few minutes and a few easy elements, you’ll have a recent salad able to take pleasure in. Right here’s the best way to make this grapefruit salad recipe:
Step 1: Mix the balsamic dressing elements or shake them in a jar till mixed.
Step 2: Add all of the salad elements to a big bowl, drizzle with dressing, toss gently, and serve.
Brittany’s Suggestions!
- Grasp the grapefruit – Take your time when segmenting the grapefruit. Use a pointy knife and thoroughly lower away the peel and pith — no person needs bitter bites! Belief me, it’s well worth the effort for these juicy, clear segments. See my ideas beneath on the best way to lower a grapefruit for this salad.
- Decide the right avocado – You need an avocado that’s simply ripe and smooth sufficient to be creamy however not so mushy that it falls aside while you slice it. If it’s underripe, you’ll miss out on that dreamy texture!
- Toast these walnuts – Toasting the walnuts takes their taste to the subsequent stage and provides a heat nuttiness to the salad. Simply a few minutes in a dry skillet makes an enormous distinction.
- Gown it up final – Wait to drizzle the balsamic dressing till you’re able to dig in. This retains the greens recent and prevents any unhappy, soggy bites.
The way to Reduce a Grapefruit
You’ll need to lower the peel off the grapefruit so there’s no bitter rind or pith. Right here’s how I like to chop the grapefruit for this salad:
- Reduce off each ends of the grapefruit so it has a flat base to face on.
- Stand the grapefruit up and slice off the peel and pith (the white half), following the curve of the fruit.
- As soon as the peel is off, maintain the grapefruit over a bowl (to catch the recent juice) and slice alongside the membranes to take away the segments. Segmenting the grapefruit removes the bitter pith and makes for a candy and juicy smoothie with none bitter aftertaste.
The way to Retailer Leftovers
This grapefruit avocado salad is finest loved recent, however when you have leftovers, retailer them in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 1 day. To maintain it recent, retailer the dressing individually and add it simply earlier than serving.
The way to prep prematurely: You possibly can prep the person elements prematurely. Section the grapefruit, chop the walnuts, and make the balsamic dressing forward of time and retailer within the fridge till you’re able to eat your salad. Assemble the salad and slice the avocado proper earlier than serving to maintain it wanting and tasting its finest.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Grapefruits are in season from November by way of June, with the height season being from January-March, relying in your location. That stated, you possibly can often discover grapefruits 12 months spherical in most grocery shops.
Sure! Merely skip the blue cheese or exchange it with a plant-based cheese various.
After all! Whereas balsamic dressing is a traditional selection, be at liberty to make use of your favourite dressing. A citrus French dressing, lemon French dressing or white balsamic French dressing could be scrumptious, however olive oil with a squeeze of lemon juice would additionally work fantastically. Be happy to take a look at all of my salad dressing recipes for extra concepts.
Extra Salad Recipes
Make sure you take a look at all of my salad recipes on EBF!
If you happen to loved this recipe, please contemplate leaving a ⭐ star score and let me know the way it went within the 📝 feedback beneath.
This put up was initially printed on February 8, 2019 and republished on January 22, 2025.
