Mango Arugula Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Jul 02, 2020, Updated May 23, 2022
Mango Arugula Salad with balsamic dressing is a refreshing summer salad with takes no time to put together and requires only a handful of ingredients! It is also vegan and gluten-free.
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This refreshing Mango Arugula Salad is just the perfect summer salad.
Tossed with a balsamic dressing, it is also vegan and gluten-free.
During summers, if there’s one thing that you would always find in my house, it’s the mangoes.
Since Sarvesh is a huge fan, he keeps ordering them from all stores possible (just to try his luck at the best tasting mangoes!).
So, while we eat a lot of them as such, we also make smoothies, milk shakes and salads with them.
This Mango Arugula salad with Balsamic dressing is my current favorite. It’s really easy to make and is so refreshing for summers.
If you have been looking for a nice side salad for 4th July, then look no further.
This Mango Arugula Salad
✔the perfect salad for your summer BBQ and parties.
✔comes together very quickly.
✔requires only a handful of ingredients.
My favorite part about this salad is the balsamic dressing. Of course the mangoes are amazing too but the dressing is what gives the salad so much flavor.
This balsamic dressing has- balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, garlic powder and black pepper.
I do the extra-step of making a balsamic glaze first by boiling the balsamic vinegar. This glaze has a lot of flavor and the extra step is worth it.
It is very simple, just boil the vinegar for 5 to 6 minutes until it becomes thick and coats the back of a spoon.
That’s all, once that’s done mix rest of the ingredients for the dressing and mix it up. The addition of oil and maple syrup will thin down the dressing a bit. If it becomes thick, just add little water to thin it out.
You might need to boil the vinegar for more time if you are doubling the recipe and using 1/2 cup of vinegar. Since, I used only 1/4 cup, it was thick enough and had reduced to half in volume in around 6 minutes.
The salad has arugula, mangoes and some toasted pecans for crunch. I roast the pecans on stove-top until they are aromatic and crunchy.
Be careful though, they burn very quickly, so make sure to stir often. You can also roast the pecans in the oven.
If you don’t have pecans, you can use walnuts or almonds in place.
I did not have any goat cheese on hand when I made this salad and so it became a vegan salad. But if you have some on hand, do add it.
Goat cheese will be really good here!
Add-ins: there are so many things that you can add to this salad. Dried cranberries, chia seeds (for that extra boost of nutrition), pumpkin seeds. These will be all great addition to the salad. Also you can eat this salad with quinoa for a more filling meal.
Hope you guys give this salad a try while sweet mangoes are in season!
More Summer Salads
Vegan Broccoli Salad with Blueberries
Cherry Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
If you’ve tried this Mango Arugula Salad Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Mango Arugula Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 60 ml
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin, 30 ml
- 1/2-1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, 15 ml, adjust to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 5 oz arugula
- 2 medium mangoes ripe and cut into cubes
- 1/2-3/4 cup pecans toasted and then chopped
Instructions
- Place 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in a pan on medium heat. Simmer around 5 to 6 minutes until it thickens and reduces in half to around 2 tablespoons.It should be thick and coat the back of a spoon.
- Transfer this to a bowl or measuring jar. Add olive oil, maple syrup, garlic powder, black pepper and salt to taste. Mix everything and set aside. If the dressing seems too thick (this can happen if balsamic vinegar gets cooked for long, then just add some water to thin it out).
- Meanwhile place 1/2 cup pecans (or 3/4 cup if you like more nuts) in a pan on medium heat. Roast for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring often (else nuts will burn) until browned and toasted.Then chop the pecans into bite size pieces.
- To a large bowl, add arugula, chopped mangoes, toasted pecans. Drizzle the dressing and mix.Serve the mango arugula salad immediately. You can also add some goat cheese on top before serving.
Notes
- You can use honey in place of maple syrup.
- Be careful with the balsamic vinegar, it shouldn't clump up. Stir often and boil only until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is out of the world recipe. Thanks so much for sharing this 🙏
glad to know