This Honeycrisp Apple Arugula Date Farro Salad is a flavor-packed, texture-filled, sweet and savory fall salad! Complete with chewy farro, chopped apples, sweet dates, toasted pecans, shaved parmesan, and peppery arugula, this is a salad you will crave all season long. It’s tossed with an orange maple vinaigrette that will quickly become your new favorite homemade dressing!
I will never stop creating fall salads, even though the internet probably doesn’t need another one. I am unapologetically in love with every single thing about fall, including the food. Fall salads being one of the best. This apple salad is just the right amount of chewy, texture-filled, crunchy, crispy, sweet, and savory. It’s incredibly delicious and SUPER easy.
This is one of those salads that’s perfect for taking to a potluck, for meal-prepping, serving as a holiday side, a Friendsgiving side (is it bad that I’m already thinking about this?), or just to make for your wonderful fall-loving self.
It requires next to no effort, and the orange maple vinaigrette is drool-worthy.
Every ingredient adds so much to this apple salad in their own little way.
- farro – one of my favorite grains to add to salads and bowls – nutty, chewy, and delish!
- honeycrisp apple – the best apple variety EVER.
- dates – adds a little bit of caramelly sweetness!
- toasted pecans – one of my favorite nuts to add to fall salads (make sure you toast them!)
- shallot – I slice it super super paper thin, and it adds a mild oniony bite to this salad
- shaved parmesan – probably my favorite cheese – adds the salty bite that this salad needs!
- arugula – maybe my favorite salad green because it’s so flavorful and peppery!
All of the flavors are super balanced and it’s such a crowd pleasing salad too – I’ve fed it to people who are on the picky side, people who are the “meat and potatoes” type, and people like me who just love any and all salads, and everyone RAVES about it.
All of that being said, this salad can be super customizable too, depending on what you have on hand!
You could sub the farro for quinoa, arugula for kale or spring mix, honeycrisp apple for whatever your fave is, feta or goat cheese for parm, or walnuts for pecans! For the dates, you could even sub dried cherries or cranberries. You can’t go wrong with the formula for this salad, so feel free to make it your own too!
As long as you make the orange maple vinaigrette, anything you want to sub is fair game.
This dressing is pretty much the same as the dressing from my shaved brussels kale salad, and it ranks up there with the best homemade dressing I’ve ever made. And I’ve made a TON. I added a little cinnamon to this one, which plays really beautifully with the orange and maple.
You’ll flip over how good it is!
This vinaigrette and my fig balsamic vinaigrette both have permanent spots in my fridge this fall.
Not stopping with the fall salads anytime soon!
Honeycrisp Arugula Date Farro Salad
This Honeycrisp Arugula Date Farro Salad is a flavor-packed, texture-filled, sweet and savory fall salad! Complete with chewy farro, chopped apples, sweet dates, toasted pecans, shaved parmesan, and peppery arugula, this is a salad you will crave all season long. It's tossed with an orange maple vinaigrette that will quickly become your new favorite homemade dressing!
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 cups cooked farro*
- 1 large honeycrisp apple, chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted, chopped medjool dates
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1 medium shallot, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 3 cups baby arugula
- salt and pepper to taste
For the orange maple vinaigrette
- 1/2 of a medium shallot, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- juice of 1 navel orange
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the salad
Add the farro, chopped apples, dates, pecans, shallots, parmesan cheese, and arugula to a large bowl. Season with a pinch or two of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Toss to combine. Add desired amount of the vinaigrette and toss again to coat. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve with extra vinaigrette.
For the orange maple vinaigrette
In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, garlic, orange zest, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon, salt, and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until combined and season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Recipe Notes
*I like to use the quick cooking farro from Trader Joe's, because it's just that - quick! It only takes 10 minutes, and it's just as good as the stuff that takes longer to cook.
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