This Arugula Salad With Feta, Dates, and Pistachios pairs peppery greens with caramelized dates, tangy feta, and toasted pistachios, all tossed in a pomegranate molasses dressing. Broiling the dates is the step that makes this recipe work, giving them a chewy, caramelized edge that you won't get from raw fruit. I like serving this alongside Salmon With Pesto Sauce for an easy, dinner party-worthy Mediterranean meal.
Arugula Salad With Feta At A Glance
- ⏱️ Total Time: 15 minutes (10 min prep + 2-3 min broil)
- 🍽️ Servings: 6
- 🌍 Cuisine Type: Mediterranean / Middle Eastern-Inspired
- 🥗 Flavor Profile: Peppery arugula with caramelized dates, tangy feta, toasted pistachios, and a lightly sweet pomegranate molasses dressing
- 🌾 Dietary Info: Naturally gluten-free; contains dairy (feta) and tree nuts (pistachios); can be made dairy-free by swapping in a plant-based feta
- 📦 Storage Notes: Store without dressing in an airtight container for up to 2 days; dressing keeps refrigerated for up to a week; dates and pistachios can be prepped 1-2 days ahead
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Weeknight effort, dinner party result. The broiled dates are the detail that makes this taste like more work than it is.
Save And Summarize This Recipe
This salad has all of my favorites in it. I made this twice now.
- Jere
The dressing is what sets this salad apart. Pomegranate molasses and silan (date syrup), two fruit-based sweeteners common in Middle Eastern cooking, are whisked with Dijon mustard and shallots for balance rather than straight sugar. It has the same sweet-tangy backbone as a maple Dijon vinaigrette, like the one on my Maple Balsamic Brussel Sprouts, just built around Middle Eastern pantry staples instead. If silan is new to you, it is worth keeping on hand. I use it again in these Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates.
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If you love this kind of peppery, Mediterranean-inspired salad, a few others in the rotation are worth trying. The Arugula Quinoa Salad With Zucchini leans on a preserved lemon vinaigrette instead of pomegranate molasses, the Greek Lentil Salad swaps in lentils and olives for a heartier, protein-forward option, and the Arugula And Beet Salad With Goat Cheese takes the same peppery base in a sweeter, earthier direction with roasted beets and pecans.
Key Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Arugula Salad With Dates:
- Dates - Medjool dates work best here. They're softer than other varieties and hold up to broiling without drying out. I tested this with figs instead and didn't like it as well. Figs turned mushy under the broiler rather than caramelizing, and they lacked the deep, sticky sweetness dates bring to the dressing.
- Feta - A French sheep's milk feta gives the creamiest texture, but a solid Greek feta works well too. I'd skip the pre-crumbled feta here since it dries out more quickly. Either one works nicely in the Feta Tomato Pasta too, if you end up with extra.
- Pistachios - Toast raw pistachios yourself rather than buying them pre-roasted. A few minutes in a dry pan brings out more flavor than the bagged version ever does.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Variations
- Fresh Fruit - Adding in sliced pear, grapes, or apple would give this salad some added freshness.
- Protein - Crumbled cooked bacon or cooked chicken go nicely with this salad.
- Vegetables - add in some Marinated Artichokes or sliced onion to ramp up the flavor.
- Nuts - You can use any variety of nuts in this recipe. Pinenuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds all work well.
- Cheese - If you are not a fan of feta cheese, you can use goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, or any type of hard sheep's cheese, like a manchego.
How To Make An Arugula Salad With Feta: Step-By-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:
Step 1: Prepare the dressing by mixing all of the dressing ingredients together. Set aside.
Step 2: Toast the pistachios, chop them slightly and set aside.
Step 3: Preheat your broiler. Slice the dates and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the edges are slightly charred and the dates are caramelized.
Step 4: Place the arugula on a serving platter or in a bowl. Add the feta and the pistachios. Add the dates to the salad. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.
Gwen's Pro Tip
Don't skip broiling the dates. The caramelization is an amazing taste treat!
Arugula Salad With Feta FAQ's
If you need to use up arugula quickly, toss it into the food processor with some quality olive oil, nuts like pine nuts or walnuts, and grated hard cheese. Blend Parmesan, pecorino, or even aged Gouda for a vibrant pesto, like a Walnut Pesto, that tastes fantastic over pasta or spread onto bread for a delicious sandwich.
Whisk together balsamic vinegar and a little brown sugar or honey in roughly a 1:1 ratio. It won't taste identical, but it gives the dressing the same sweet-tangy backbone.
Keep the salad without dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The dressing keeps separately for up to a week.
Other Delicious Salads:
Arugula Salad With Feta
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Ingredients
Salad
- 8 cup baby arugula about 4 oz
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 4 large Medjool dates pitted and halved if small or quartered if large
- ½ cup pistachios toasted
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon silan (date syrup)
- 1 tablespoon shallots finely minced
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Dressing
- In a small bowl or mason jar, combine the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, date syrup, Dijon mustard, shallots, salt, and pepper. Shake or whisk until combined and set aside.
Salad
- Preheat the broiler.
- Slice the dates in half or quarters depending on size. Arrange the cut dates on a small foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the edges are charred and the dates are caramelized, about 2-3 minutes.
- Toast the pistachios, either in a pan on the stove or in the oven, until slightly golden brown. Chop into large pieces and set aside.
- Arrange the arugula on a serving platter or in a bowl.
- Using your hands, separate the feta cheese into bite-sized chunks and scatter on top.
- Scatter the dates on top of the cheese. Scatter the pistachios on top of the dates.
- Drizzle with the dressing and toss.
Jere says
This salad has all of my favorites in it. I made this twice now.
Megan says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit. Yum!
Gelliane says
This was so good!
Veronica says
I absolutely love the combination of flavors and textures. Such a perfect easy salad!
Jane says
So yum and very easy to make!
Lucy says
I wasn't going to make this until I read you had to broil the dates. I just had to try that and loved how they tasted with the char on them and caramelization. I also love pistachios. Loved the salad.
Esme Slabbert says
You said "Salad" and I am here, thanks I am saving this one
I visited you via The Country Cook. My entries are Easiest Crustless Quiche and 4 Basic Ingredient Drop Scones
Allie says
I made this for lunch this week - that dressing is so good! I am a huge fan of dates and they go so well with feta and pistachios.
Sage Scott says
An absolutely wonderful salad! I love the way the peppery arugula, creamy feta, sweet dates, and crunchy pistachios all work together to delight my taste buds!