Pear Walnut Blue Cheese Salad Recipe (with Lemon Dressing)

This Pear Walnut Blue Cheese Salad Recipe combines crisp mixed greens, sweet candied walnuts, juicy fresh pears, and tangy blue cheese with a bright lemon Dijon dressing. Ready in just 20 minutes, this elegant salad is perfect for fall and winter entertaining, holiday dinners, or a light weeknight meal.

This pear walnut blue cheese salad has been on my holiday table every year since I first shared it back in 2017, and it's still the recipe friends ask me to bring. Crisp greens, juicy ripe pears, sweet homemade candied walnuts, chewy dried cranberries, and tangy blue cheese crumbles, all tossed in a bright lemon Dijon dressing. It's the blue cheese salad that wins over people who swear they don't even like blue cheese.

After nearly a decade of making this salad for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and every dinner party in between, I've tested it with different pears, different greens, and every trick for keeping those pear slices from browning. The 4.9-star rating and dozens of reader reviews tell me y'all love it as much as my family does.

In this post, I'll show you how to candy the walnuts in five minutes flat, blend a dressing so creamy you'd swear it has cream in it, and prep everything ahead so assembly takes two minutes when guests arrive. Let's get started!

Why You'll Love This Pear Walnut Blue Cheese Salad

• Five-minute candied walnuts - One skillet, four ingredients, and they taste infinitely better than anything from a bag.
• A dressing that's creamy without cream - Blending the lemon Dijon dressing emulsifies it into a silky vinaigrette that clings to every leaf.
• Perfect texture in every bite - Crunchy walnuts, crisp greens, soft sweet pears, and creamy blue cheese hit every note at once.
• Holiday-worthy but weeknight-easy - It looks elegant enough for the Thanksgiving table but comes together fast enough for a Tuesday.

Ingredients You'll Need

Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe.

1. Mixed salad greens - Use your favorite spring mix. I love a combination of baby spinach, arugula, and radicchio for color and a little peppery bite, but any tender greens work.
2. Fresh pears - Ripe but still slightly firm pears slice cleanly and hold their shape in the salad. Green Anjou and Bartlett are my go-to choices. Bosc works but has a milder flavor that the blue cheese can overpower.
3. Walnuts - A quick homemade candy coating of butter, sugar, and water turns plain walnuts into the star of the salad. Store-bought candied nuts work in a pinch, but homemade takes five minutes and tastes far better.
4. Dried cranberries - They add a chewy, tart-sweet pop that balances the rich walnuts and creamy cheese.
5. Blue cheese crumbles - A little goes a long way. Use your favorite, Danish blue is mellow and creamy, gorgonzola is a touch sweeter and sharper.
6. Lemon Dijon dressing - Fresh lemon juice and zest, garlic, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and salt. Blending (instead of whisking) is the secret to its creamy texture.

👉🏾 See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.

How to Make Pear Walnut Blue Cheese Salad

Here's a quick overview of the process. Full step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Candy the Walnuts

Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the sugar, water, and walnuts and stir constantly until the sugar coats the nuts and turns glossy. Don't walk away, sugar goes from caramelized to burnt in seconds. Spread them on parchment in a single layer right away so they harden as separate pieces instead of one big clump.

Step 2: Blend the Lemon Dijon Dressing

Add the lemon juice and zest, garlic, Dijon, olive oil, and salt to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. The blender does something a whisk can't: it fully emulsifies the oil and lemon juice so the dressing turns pale, creamy, and thick enough to coat the greens instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Step 3: Slice the Pears

Slice the pears just before assembling so they stay bright and fresh. If you're working ahead, toss the slices with a little lemon juice, or use my favorite trick and give them a quick dip in lightly salted water, then pat dry.

Step 4: Assemble and Dress

Layer the greens in a large bowl or on a platter, then top with pears, candied walnuts, and cranberries. Drizzle on the dressing a little at a time and toss gently, you can always add more, but you can't take it away. Finish with the blue cheese crumbles on top so they don't smear into the dressing, and serve right away.

LaKita's Expert Tips

Here are my best tips for making this recipe turn out perfectly every time.

• Choose pears by feel, not color - Press gently near the stem; it should give just slightly. A rock-hard pear will ripen on the counter in 2-3 days next to a banana.
• Double the candied walnuts - They keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container, and they disappear fast as snacks. Future-you will thank present-you.
• Take the chill off the dressing - Cold dressing straight from the fridge is thick and dull. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and give it a shake before tossing.
• Salt the greens, not just the dressing - A tiny pinch of flaky salt over the assembled salad right before serving makes every flavor pop.
• Add the cheese last - Tossing blue cheese with the dressing turns everything muddy. Crumble it over the top after tossing so you get distinct, creamy pockets.
• Serve on a chilled platter for parties - Ten minutes in the fridge keeps the greens crisp on a buffet table twice as long.

Variations & Substitutions

This recipe is flexible, here are some easy ways to make it your own.

• Swap the greens - Baby arugula makes a peppery pear arugula blue cheese salad; baby spinach makes it heartier. Chopped kale (massaged with a little dressing first) holds up longest for potlucks.
• Try a different cheese - Goat cheese is the best swap if blue isn't your thing. Feta and shaved Parmesan also work beautifully with the sweet pears.
• Change the nut - Candied pecans are just as good as walnuts here, and the same 5-minute skillet method works for both.
• Use apples instead of pears - A crisp Honeycrisp or Fuji turns this into an apple walnut blue cheese salad, perfect when pears are out of season.
• Make it a meal - Top with grilled chicken, salmon, or sliced steak for a main-dish salad that serves 2-3.
• Add fresh fruit swaps by season - Sliced fresh figs in early fall or pomegranate seeds in December make it extra festive.