Pomegranate, walnut and parsley salad (20 minutes)

By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Sources checked 2026-11-05

In this salad parsley is the main leaf, not the garnish. Two big bunches, chopped coarsely, with pomegranate seeds for sweetness and crunch, toasted walnuts and a sharp lemon and olive oil dressing. Think of tabbouleh without the bulgur.

It goes with almost anything rich: grilled or stewed fish, roast chicken, stuffed peppers, a pot of beans. In late autumn, when pomegranates are everywhere, it brings colour to a plate of brown and beige food.

Difficulty: Easy · Diet: Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free (vegan with maple syrup)

Pomegranate, walnut and parsley salad

A parsley salad with pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts, spring onion and a lemon dressing. 20 minutes, 4 servings as a side, gluten-free.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Salads

Servings 4 servings

Calories 209 kcal

Ingredients

  

Salad

• 2 large bunches flat-leaf parsley about 120 g leaves and tender stems, 2 cups chopped
• Seeds of 1 large pomegranate about 150 g, 1 3/4 cups
• 60 g walnuts about 1/2 cup
• 2 spring onions about 30 g, thinly sliced

Dressing

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 ml
• 2 tbsp lemon juice 30 ml
• 1 tsp honey 7 g
• 1/2 tsp fine salt 2.5 g
• Black pepper; a pinch of sumac or ground cumin optional

Instructions

 

• Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for about 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they smell toasty. Let them cool, then chop roughly.
• Wash the parsley and dry it very well in a salad spinner or a clean towel; wet leaves water down the dressing. Pull off the thick stems, then chop the leaves and thin stems coarsely with a sharp knife. A few passes are enough: you want pieces of leaf, not a paste.
• Cut the pomegranate in half across the middle. Hold one half cut side down over a bowl and tap the back firmly with a wooden spoon until the seeds fall out. Pick out any white pith.
• Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and a few turns of pepper (and the sumac, if using) in a small bowl.
• Just before serving, toss the parsley, spring onion and pomegranate with the dressing. Scatter the walnuts on top so they stay crisp.

Keyword autumn, gluten-free, parsley, pomegranate, salad, side dish, vegetarian, walnuts, winter

Nutrition per serving

Per serving, 1/4 of the salad, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) values per 100 g for each ingredient.

Data: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: parsley, fresh (FDC 170416); pomegranates, raw (169134); nuts, walnuts, english (170187); onions, spring or scallions, raw (170005); oil, olive (171413); lemon juice, raw (167747); honey (169640). Salt is calculated from the sodium in all ingredients x 2.5 and includes 0.62 g of added salt per serving. Pepper and the optional sumac or cumin are not included. The 30 g of parsley in each serving also gives about 492 µg of vitamin K and 40 mg of vitamin C (USDA 170416). Carbohydrate is USDA “by difference” and includes fibre.

Swaps and variations

• Make it a meal: add 100 g cooked bulgur and 100 g crumbled feta, and it becomes a light lunch for two.
• Other herbs: swap a third of the parsley for mint or dill.
• Nut-free: toasted pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts.
• Tarter: 1 tsp pomegranate molasses in the dressing instead of honey.
• Vegan: maple syrup instead of honey, or no sweetener at all.

Storage and reheating

Dress it only just before eating. Undressed, the chopped parsley, spring onion and pomegranate keep for up to a day in a closed container in the fridge, with a paper towel on top; keep the walnuts and dressing separate. Once dressed, the parsley softens within a few hours but is still good the same day.

Related

• Recipes: Mediterranean mackerel stew · Stuffed peppers with bulgur and feta · Baked figs with Greek yogurt and honey
• Encyclopedia: Pomegranate · Walnuts · Parsley
• Diet: Mediterranean diet · 7-day Mediterranean meal plan

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