Mandarin Almond Salad

an overhead shot of a bowl of romaine lettuce salad with mandarins and almonds.

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4.83 from 28 votes

This romaine lettuce based salad is so light, bright, and easy to make!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 187kcal

Author Tracy

Equipment

mason jar
colander

Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce approximately 8 cups
2 cups mandarin oranges approximately 2 10.5 oz cans with juice
1 1/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup green onions diced, about 1 bunch

Vinairgrette

1/4 cup olive oil high quality
1/8 cup mandarin orange juice
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Cut the Romaine Slice the head of romaine in half. Then cut out the core in each half. Cut the halves in half again, and then chop them into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces. Add pieces to a large colander, rinse with cold water and shake off excess water. Dry either in a salad spinner or pat dry with a paper towel.
Prep the Salad Add romaine lettuce, sliced almonds, mandarin oranges, and chopped green onions to a large bowl. Give it all a good mix. Note: Be sure to save a little bit of the mandarin juice for the vinaigrette!
Make the Vinaigrette add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a mason jar. Cover and shake very well until all ingredients are emulsified.
Finish the Salad. Pour some of the vinaigrette onto the salad and give it a good mix. Pour the rest and mix again so that it is all well coated.
Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Storage

Fridge: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, although the lettuce will wilt after it is dressed.

Prep in Advance

You can prep the salad ingredients a few hours before and the vinaigrette a day in advance and store them in the fridge (you may need to give another good shake), but don't add the dressing to the salad until you're ready to serve because the lettuce will begin to wilt and you want to serve it with nice crispy romaine lettuce. If bringing to a party, we suggest bringing the salad mixture and the jar of vinaigrette and then dressing and tossing when you arrive, if possible.

Substitutions

Romaine: While romaine is the best for this recipe, you can also use iceberg or butterhead. You can also use a 10 oz bag of precut romaine.

Mandarin Oranges: It's one of the very few times I'll say canned is preferred. But of course, you can use fresh if you would like and then just squeeze a bit of the fresh juice for the vinaigrette. For 2 cups of orange slices, you'll want 5 fresh mandarin oranges and then at least 1 more for the juice for the vinaigrette.

Almonds: Slivered almonds are also great.

Dijon Mustard: You can use another kind of mustard, but the Dijon really acts as the best emulsifier and also adds a great, subtle, kick of flavor.

Nutrition