Simple Winter Citrus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Elevate your salad game with this stunning citrus salad! A beautiful combination of citrus fruits, goat cheese, and avocado.

Winter is citrus season! Those colder winter months are when other produce is less abundant, making it the perfect time of year for these gorgeous citrus fruits to shine! These ingredients bring freshness and vibrancy to any winter meal! I’m here to tell you that a salad is more than just greens, croutons, and a little dressing — a simple citrus salad is a delicious way to begin any meal!

Why we love this Winter Citrus Salad

There’s nothing like the vibrant burst of tangy flavors and zest of citrus fruits. Their tangy sweetness and refreshing acidity awaken the senses, making them perfect candidates for creating a delicious salad with simple ingredients. 

This simple citrus salad is low in calories but full of flavor, making it a great choice for people looking for something light yet fulfilling. Additionally, the vibrant colors of citrus fruits—like orange, yellow, pink, and red—create an eye-catching and appetizing dish, and the creamy avocado and goat cheese pairs so beautifully with those citrus flavors.

They’re packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients that boost immunity, support skin health, and provide an energy boost.

Citrus season is at its peak in winter, when other fresh fruits can be harder to come by. They add a burst of gorgeous color
and freshness during dreary January.

Key Ingredients to a Winter Citrus Salad

This citrus salad is different than your typical green salad. Simply put, a citrus salad is a variety of sliced citrus fruits beautifully arranged on a plate!

You can use any mix of your favorite citrus fruits! Here’s what I used:

• Cara Cara oranges – also known as red-fleshed navel oranges, is an early-to-midseason navel orange believed to have developed as a spontaneous bud mutation on a Washington navel orange tree. It is extremely sweet with a tinge of raspberry or cranberry zing and a hint of cherry and rose. You could also use mandarin oranges for this winter citrus salad.
• Blood oranges – these are hard to come by because they’re mainly produced in Italy, and only grow through the months of December to May. Their color is stunning and adds such a beautiful color to this salad!
• Red Grapefruit – in peak season November through May, it’s known for being sour to semi-sweet, and slightly bitter in flavor. I like the combination of sweet and bitter in the salad.
• Avocado – when you add a healthy fat like avocado to this salad, its creaminess tends to “mellow out” the tart acid from the citrus and adds its own flavor to the salad. The perfect balance makes this the perfect citrus salad recipe!
• Goat cheese – I added this because I’m a huge fan, but similarly to the avocado, it helps to balance out the citrus, and adds a beautiful contrast in color. If you’re not a goat cheese fan, feel free to substitute feta cheese.

• Champagne Vinegar –  Champagne vinegar is milder and less acidic than other vinegars like red wine or apple cider vinegar. Its soft tang allows the natural sweetness and brightness of the citrus fruits to shine without overpowering them.
• Olive Oil – using a good quality olive oil in a champagne vinaigrette is essential because it acts as the foundation of the dressing, providing flavor, texture, and balance.
• Shallot – Shallots have a mild, slightly sweet flavor compared to onions, which can be too pungent. They provide a gentle allium note without overpowering the other ingredients. This makes the vinaigrette more balanced and sophisticated, complementing delicate greens, citrus, or other salad elements.
• Optional herbs for garnishes – In my opinion, the garnishes are almost as important as the main ingredient, however, in winter they may be tough to find. For this citrus avocado salad, I garnishing with fresh mint because oranges can accentuate the flavor of fresh herbs, and orange and mint pair so well together. You could also do basil!

When you cut the winter citrus fruit, cut them in 1/4″ rounds with the peel on. Then cut off the peel, getting as much white pith
as you can off, with a knife on a cutting board, creating a hexagon shape.

What should I pair with this salad?

This healthy salad is perfect with these dishes:

Sweet Corn Risotto – Sweet corn, mascarpone cheese, basil, and arborio rice all come together in this creamy Instant Pot Sweet Corn Risotto to create a filling dish that will have you dreaming of more! 

Slow Cooker Cauliflower soup – so delicious and SO easy to make. Get ready for creamy cauliflower soup like you’ve never had it before!

Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Pizza – the perfect balance of salty and sweet! Slice it up and serve with some sparkling wine at your next gathering!

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