persimmon harvest salad

Persimmon Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

I was inspired to make this persimmon harvest salad with maple vinaigrette after watching a recent episode of House Hunters International. 

Persimmon Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Do any of you watch that show? It’s me and my sister’s favorite “reality tv” show. My sister will often come over just to watch the latest episodes with me; our favorite episodes to watch are the ones where they travel to France (obviously).

On one of the more recent episodes, there was a woman who was moving with her family from Iowa to France. Once they arrived, they visited a French farmer’s market and found themselves in for some culture shock.

They were amazed at all the fruits and vegetables that were available, and they were particularly confused over a batch of persimmons. They didn’t know they were actually persimmons, and instead thought they were some kind of odd tomato.

I absolute love persimmons, so watching that episode inspired me to create this salad so that persimmons become a regular on your grocery list during this time of the year. 

persimmon harvest salad

persimmon harvest salad

If you’ve never had a persimmon, you’re in for a delightful surprise. There are two common types: fuyu and hachiya. Fuyu persimmons are quite hard and crisp, like an apple. A hachiya persimmon should be extremely soft and juicy like a plum.

It’s important to know the difference because if you pick up a hard hachiya persimmon and assume it’s a fuyu persimmon, you’re in for an unpleasant experience. Eating an unripe persimmon is like eating a cotton ball, but worse.

It’ll immediately dry your mouth and make you desperate to spit the fruit out. So, just pay attention when you’re picking out the persimmon and make sure you’re getting the right type! 

persimmon harvest salad persimmon harvest salad

Because fuyu persimmons are so much like apples in their texture, you can understand why they’d make for a great salad ingredient. I like that fuyu persimmons are sweet but not overwhelmingly so. They also add gorgeous color to the leafy greens here, and they pair well with the sweet and tart cranberries that are mixed in too.

Another favorite addition to this salad are the spiced pumpkin seeds I tossed in. You can buy those at Trader Joe’s or make your own. They add a little bit of crunch to the salad while adding some of our favorite fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Perhaps the most appealing part of this salad, however, is the maple vinaigrette. It’s a simple 4-ingredient vinaigrette, and it’s absolute magic on this salad. Actually, I think it’s pretty much amazing on any fall salad. It’s made with maple syrup, mayo, olive oil, and white wine vinegar, and it’ll rock your world.

This salad has become my go-to salad this season, and I think it will become yours as well.

persimmon harvest salad

Persimmon Harvest Salad

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

A delicious fall salad made with seasonal persimmon, tart cranberries, and an irresistible maple vinaigrette. 

Ingredients

for the salad

  • 5 oz herb salad mix
  • 2 fuyu persimmon, peeled and cut into slices
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds, see note

for the dressing

  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp to 1 1/2 white wine vinegar, to taste
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl; set aside. To create the dressing, simply whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
  2. Evenly drizzle half the dressing all over the salad. Toss the salad and assess how much more dressing you’d like to add.

Notes

I use Trader Joe’s pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds, but you can use plain pumpkin seeds or make your own spiced version.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 288
persimmon harvest salad

Similar Posts

53 Comments

    1. Hi Margie! I personally love a crumbled goat cheese or I would do finely diced comté/gouda/manchego. 🙂

  1. 5 stars
    Made this to test out for a potential side dish for Thanksgiving (used your link to the homemade spiced pumpkin seeds) and it was awesome! I love having some lighter and not boring sides on offer to counter the heaviness of most dishes and this is perfect. Also takes no “day-of” oven time as I can make the nuts in advance. I’m new to your site and love it!

    1. Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kim! I love this salad as well and totally agree about having those oven-free recipes handy for the big day! <3

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *