Pear Goat Cheese Salad

By Sarah On September 16, 2014 | Updated: November 2, 2023

Loaded with sweet pear slices, tangy goat cheese, and lots of toasted pecans, this pear goat cheese salad is the perfect fall salad!

Everyone needs a good fall salad up their sleeve! Pairing sweet pears and funky goat cheese in this gem of a salad is the ULTIMATE combo and just screams fall.

It’s gorgeous, nice and loaded with the goods, and even comes with a killer maple orange vinaigrette that bumps all the flavors up a notch!

Hello, beauty…

The real win about this pear salad though is it’s SO easy to whip up at a moment’s notice and will absolutely shine on any holiday table as a centerpiece salad.

This Pear Salad features…

Juicy pear slices and tangy goat cheese
Soft golden raisins and rosemary toasted pecans
A sweet and tangy orange maple vinaigrette
Minutes to make and goes well with a variety of meals

Making the Pear Salad

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Unsalted butter
Pecans
Rosemary
Spring greens mix
Pears
Goat cheese
Golden raisins
Orange juice
Maple syrup
Whole-grain mustard
Apple cider vinegar
Olive oil

Tips for Perfect Pear Salad

Toast pecans with rosemary – let the pecans and rosemary toast in a little butter until fragrant and toasted. This adds a lot of depth of flavor to the salad!
Assemble salad just before serving – this keeps the pears from turning brown and keeps the greens fresh.
Make dressing ahead of time – whisk all the ingredients for the dressing and store in refrigerator until ready to dress salad.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.

Try a different cheese – try feta cheese, shaved Parmesan, or sharp cheddar in place of the goat cheese.
Swap out the pears – if you don’t have pears on hand, try using apples instead.
Use a different nut – you can omit the pecans completely or replace with sliced almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or walnuts.
Add chicken – top salad with shredded cooked chicken for extra protein.
Use a different dressing – try a balsamic, red wine, or Italian dressing in place of the homemade.

What to Serve with Salad

This salad goes well with a wide variety of dishes, but is also definitely hearty enough to stand alone as a lunch or dinner salad.

We love serving this salad alongside soups, crusty homemade bread, roast turkey or beef, or mashed potatoes.

The flavors and textures of this salad are absolutely a DREAM together! The juicy pears, tangy goat cheese, crunchy rosemary pecans, and sweet golden raisins all just work.

New salad go-to? I’m thinking yeah.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Try these other killer salads next!

Save To Recipe Box

Print Pin

4.50 from 2 votes