Blue cheese spinach salad with nectarines and fig vinaigrette
This spinach salad is packed with flavor from sweet, juicy nectarines, crunchy candied pecans, and salty blue cheese. Topped with a fig balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is great for a side, but hearty enough to stand on its own.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
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Blue cheese spinach salad with nectarines
Making a salad for dinner is a great option. The clean up is minimal and the ingredients are flexible – use it as a jumping off point for an idea. If there is an ingredient you don’t care for, swap it out for something you do like.
But, perhaps the most important reason to go with a meal that takes about 10 minutes from start to finish – being able to pile everything into a bowl and call it a day.
What you need to know
Because this spinach blue cheese salad only uses a handful of ingredients, get the best quality available to you. Fresh spinach, perfectly ripe nectarines, and a blue cheese that you really like will all make a big difference.
If you need to prep the salad ahead of time, you can assemble it a few hours before serving, but do not dress it.
Ingredients
- Spinach – I use baby spinach for this salad.
- Substitution: Arugula will give it a peppery bite, or baby lettuces like butter lettuce will give it a delicate, almost sweet base.
- Pecans – Candied pecans take it up a notch, but toasted pecans are also very good if you prefer not to candy the nuts.
- Substitution: Slivered or sliced almonds are a great substitute if you don’t have pecans.
- Figs – Dried figs are delicious and work really well here, but fresh figs are a terrific swap when they are available. Black mission figs are my favorite.
- Nectarines – You want perfectly ripe fruit. Do not use underripe nectarines, you’ll be incredibly disappointed.
- Blue cheese – Point Reyes is a great blue cheese. It is not overly assertive like some blues, yet it has just enough bite. It straddles the line between creamy and crumbly. If you prefer a sweeter, creamier option, try a gorgonzola dolce.
Fig Vinaigrette
- Balsamic vinegar – This bottle from TJ’s is very reasonably priced.
- Olive oil – Choose an oil that you like, you will taste it.
- Fig jam – Either homemade or store-bought jam give the vinaigrette its fig flavor.
- Shallot – A tablespoon of red onion can be used instead, in a pinch, but that will give it a stronger onion flavor.
- Thyme – You can use dried if that’s what you have.
- Mustard – Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard both work well.
- Salt and pepper – Season to taste.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make blue cheese spinach salad with fig vinaigrette. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
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- Prep – Make the dressing by combining everything except the oil in a jar or large measuring cup. I use my immersion blender for this. Then slowly drizzle in the oil until the dressing is emulsified.
- Make the candied pecan on the stovetop, then spread out on a silpat-lined baking sheet and allow to cool completely.
- Slice the nectarines, blue cheese and figs.
- Assemble on a large platter, or individual bowls and dress with vinaigrette.
Blue cheese spinach salad FAQ’s
As long as you haven’t poured vinaigrette on the salad, you can keep it stored, tightly covered, for a day. It may last up to 48 hours, but if you need to keep it that long, I would suggest keeping the ingredients separated, especially the juicy nectarines, to ensure the salad stays in good condition.
If your balsamic vinaigrette has ended up too thick, add a tablespoon of water. Do not add more oil.
Storage / Freezing Information
To store: To make the salad a few hours ahead of time, assemble on a platter, but do not add dressing. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
To freeze: Salad is not suitable for freezing.
Variations and substitutions
- Meaty – Add crispy prosciutto to this salad for even more flavor. Bake a handful of paper-thing slices until crispy, then scatter on top of salad.
- Mozzarella – For a different version of this salad, or if you are serving people who don’t like blue cheese, swap in some fresh mozzarella. Buffalo mozzarella, ciliengine, or torn chunks of fresh mozzarella would all be great options.
- Figs – If fresh figs are available, swap them out for their dried counterparts. The overlap of fig and stone fruit seasons happens in mid to late summer. Finding fresh figs can be hit or miss, but dried figs are always available.
Helpful tools and equipment
- An oval stoneware platter is the perfect way to showcase this gorgeous salad.
- Stainless steel salad servers – An updated version of the same pair in the photos.
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Nectarine Blue Cheese Spinach Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach 142g
- 6 figs sliced or quartered, fresh or dried figs
- 1 large nectarine pit removed and thinly sliced, or 2 small/medium nectarines
- 2 ounces blue cheese sliced or crumbled into bite size pieces / 57g
- ½ cup pecan halves toasted, or candied *see notes / 65g
For the Fig Vinaigrette
- ½ shallot diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 3/4 teaspoon, dried
- ¼ cup fig jam homemade or store-bought / 60ml
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 60ml
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon or whole grain mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup olive oil 180ml
Instructions
Make Vinaigrette
- In a blender, or with an immersion blender combine all ingredients EXCEPT oil. Blend on medium speed until thoroughly combined, then lower speed and slowly drizzle in olive oil until blended.If dressing is too thick, add a tablespoon of water to thin it out.
Assemble Salad
- Pile baby spinach on a medium/large platter. Season lettuce with salt and pepper, if desired.Arrange slices of nectarines, figs, and blue cheese on top of spinach.
- Scatter pecans over the top of the salad, and garnish with a few fresh thyme leaves.Drizzle the fig balsamic vinaigrette over the salad and serve immediately.
Notes
- Calorie count is actually lower than calculated – you’ll have leftover dressing.
- To add crispy prosciutto to this salad: Place a few paper-thin slices of prosciutto on a non-stick (Silpat) silicone baking sheet or parchment paper, on a rimmed baking (cookie) sheet and bake at 375°f degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.
- Fresh mozzarella works beautifully in this salad if you don’t like blue cheese.
- To toast pecans, place in a 350°f oven for 6 – 7 minutes.
- To make CANDIED pecans on the stovetop: In a small sauté pan, over medium heat – combine 1/4 cup sugar (white or brown) with about a tablespoon of water, whisk to combine. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and stir until the mixture begins to bubble a little. Dump in the pecans, stir to coat them, and let them cook in the sugar mixture for 5 minutes. Transfer the pecans to a silicone baking mat to cool completely.
Nutrition
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Originally published 7/8/18, most recent update 7/23/25.