You’ll find this popular Michigan Cherry Salad on menus in restaurants all around Michigan. There is a reason this salad is so popular!

Michigan Cherry Salad features spring greens topped with Michigan apples, dried Michigan cherries, walnuts or pecans and blue cheese.

Since I can't do dairy, I use Follow Your Heart's Bleu Cheese and it's so tasty in this salad.

what makes a salad a Michigan salad?

For a Michigan salad, you'll need dried cherries. Michigan is known for their cherries. We have some of the best cherries in the country.

A Michigan salad features dried cherries. Since cherry season is very short, dried cherries are perfect because you can make this salad year round.

If you have been following the blog for awhile, you probably already know how much I love Michigan dried cherries. I always have a bag of dried cherries in my pantry.

I love adding the cherries to salads like this Michigan inspired salad, Broccoli Salad, Baked Chocolate Oatmeal, Apple Quinoa Stuffed Delicata Squash, and this Brown Rice Salad.

If you can't find dried Michigan cherries at your local grocery store, you can order them online! They are so much better than dried cranberries.

Sometimes I like to add thinly sliced red onions to the salad. This time I decided to leave them out. If you love onions in your salad, I definitely recommend adding them to the salad.

Michigan Cherry Salads are normally served with some sort of vinaigrette.

I love making homemade salad dressings. They are so easy to make and have no extra additives and preservatives. The best part of making your own salad dressings is that you can control the flavor to your personal taste.

Sometimes you'll see the salad with walnuts or pecans. I really love using walnuts in the salad. Either walnuts or pecans are delicious in this salad.

how to make a Michigan Cherry Salad

First add the greens, dried cherries, walnuts, cheese and apples into a large salad bowl.

Next, make the vinaigrette. Add the olive oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and vinegar to a small jar and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well to mix. 

Pour a little bit of the salad dressing over the top of the salad and toss to combine. Taste the salad and add more dressing to taste.

If you have any leftover salad dressing, it will keep for at least 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

More delicious and easy salad recipes:

• Pear Salad with Candied Pecans and Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Chickpea Celery Salad
• Vegan BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
• Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad
• Vegan 7 Layer Salad

Happy Cooking!
Jeni