This Kiwi Mandarin Spinach Salad has a winning combination of healthy greens, oranges, avocado and pomegranate, rich in Vitamin C to boost your immune system! Delicious with a Creamy Avocado Dressing, it makes a beautiful salad for dinner or lunch. Vegan, Paleo and Whole30 compliant.
Add healthy greens to your diet with this Kiwi Mandarin Spinach Salad!
No matter what time of the year it is, I try to stay healthy by loading up on iron-rich greens and fruit and veggies high in vitamins and minerals. Making sure I have a salad at least once a day is a priority, so I try to make them interesting and varied to make them tempting.
Who wouldn't be tempted by a pretty kiwi spinach salad like this one?
Loaded with kiwifruit, mandarin oranges, avocado and pomegranate arils all nestled in a bed of baby spinach, I drizzle this salad with my favourite Creamy Avocado Dressing.
In the spring, I make this Kiwi Cucumber Salad with Walnuts and Fresh Mint and later in the year I love this Blackberry Kiwi Salad with Oranges. Today's recipe also uses kiwi and oranges with tiny jewel-like pomegranate arils.
This kiwi orange salad makes a spectacular side salad for your dinner or a lunch-to-look-forward-to!
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🛒Ingredients
You'll find a complete list of ingredients for this recipe in the recipe card below. Here are a few notes about what you'll need.
avocado: You'll need one large avocado. You'll use half for the salad and the remaining half to make the dressing.
kiwi fruit: Use four. Slice two for the salad and cut the remaining two into kiwi flowers for garnish. It's surprisingly simple! Watch this video to learn how to carve a kiwi into a flower. It makes cutting a kiwi into a flower shape so easy!
oranges: Choose mandarin or any variety of sweet oranges that happen to be in season.
pomegranate arils: You can remove these from a pomegranate yourself, or buy them frozen. Sometimes they're sold in plastic clamshell packages.
🔪 Instructions
- Cut 2 kiwi fruit into kiwi flowers, if desired. Slice the remaining 2 kiwi fruit. You can peel them first if you'd like, but it's not necessary unless the skin is tough.
- Add washed and dried spinach leaves to a large shallow bowl or rimmed platter.
- Arrange kiwi fruit, orange sections, avocado and pomegranate arils on top.
- If you're not serving it right away, add the avocado just before serving to prevent it from turning brown.
- Blend the avocado dressing ingredients together in a food processor, drizzle on the salad and serve.
🔁 Possible changes to this kiwi salad with mandarin oranges
Make it your own!
- Use a different fruit, like fresh pineapple cubes.
- Add some crunch with mild-flavoured grated kohlrabi or jicama.
- Toss in some Caramel Spiced Pecans, or Maple-Glazed Walnuts to add protein.
- Add a handful of leafy greens like watercress or butter lettuce leaves.
- Best of all, drizzle this salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing just before serving time!
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
You don't have to peel the kiwifruit if you don't want to unless the skin of the kiwi you have is tough. It's an excellent source of fiber. Organic kiwi fruit is often available. Wash and wipe the skin first to remove any little hairy bits.
Removing the pith from orange segments can sometimes be difficult. Soaking the segments in cool water for a few minutes helps a bit. While removing it makes the oranges look more appetizing, the pith is also full of fiber and flavonoids which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Seek organic oranges when possible.
To prevent browning, add the avocado cubes just before serving.
How long will the avocado dressing stay fresh?
This Creamy Avocado Dressing does NOT go brown, as it contains lime juice. It will keep its beautiful colour for days when stored covered in the fridge.
Can you eat the skin of a kiwi?
Yes! It is full of fiber, vitamins and minerals! Simply wash it as you would any other fruit and wipe it clean. However, it's fuzzy brown texture can be off-putting, so you may want to peel it first before slicing and adding to this salad.
How to cut kiwi flowers for garnish
Watch this video to learn how to carve a kiwi into a flower. It makes cutting a kiwi into a flower shape so easy!
🗒More healthy salad recipes
- Watermelon Radish and Satsuma Spinach Salad
- Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
- 6 Dinner Salads that Will Fill you Up
- Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
- Blackberry Kiwi Salad with Oranges
When you make this kiwi salad with mandarin oranges, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Thanks in advance!
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📖 Recipe
Kiwi Mandarin Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 cups washed spinach leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 4 medium kiwifruit
- 2 medium mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
- ½ large avocado* peeled, pit removed and cubed. *save the other half for the avocado dressing
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
Creamy Avocado Dressing:
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
- ½ large avocado*
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, from ½ lime
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Cut 2 kiwifruit into kiwi flowers, if desired. Slice the remaining 2 kiwifruit, peel if desired, but it's not necessary unless the skin is tough.
- Add washed and dried spinach leaves to a large shallow bowl or rimmed platter. Arrange kiwifruit, orange sections, avocado and pomegranate arils on top.
- Blend avocado dressing ingredients together in a food processor, drizzle on salad and serve.
Jen
I just thought I would let you know that I make this salad on repeat. It’s excellent! Thank you.
Elaine Benoit
Wow! What a beautiful, healthful-looking salad. Great combo of flavors and textures (go, pomegranate!). Love how thick and creamy the dressing is too, Elaine.
Heidy L. McCallum
This salad has so many wonderful flavors going on and I really could go for a salad right now. I might have to rush out and buy a few things to make this
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Heidy! Healthy salads are always welcome when we're faced with so many sweets at this time of year! Thanks for commenting.
Michelle
This salad looks so refreshing! I always have to have something like this with the heavier holiday foods this time of year!
Flavour & Savour
Totally agree, Michelle! Thanks for commenting!
Jessica Formicola
I love all of the colors and flavors of this salad! And that dressing sounds amazing!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Jessica! That creamy avocado dressing is a favourite in our house!