Roasted Fennel and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Home » COOK » Recipes » Recipes By Course » Salads »This Roasted Fennel and Grapefruit Salad with avocado and pistachios and topped with a citrus vinaigrette is a taste sensation you don’t want to miss! This salad is a great vegetarian or vegan main meal and works well as a side dish with fish or chicken.

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Roasted Fennel and Grapefruit Salad
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
Fennel is a unique looking vegetable with stalks growing out from a bulbous end, with feathery leaves at the tip of the stalks.
The stalks tend to be a bit fibrous to eat but the delicate leaves can be used as a herb in salads, dressings, sauces, and marinades.
The bulb is used most often in recipes, either raw in salads or crudité, or It can be braised, sautéed, grilled, or roasted. The latter of which is what we are doing in this fennel and grapefruit salad.
Creamy avocado compliments the aromatic, caramelized flavor of the roasted fennel and grapefruit, and these three ingredients are arranged on a bed of mixed greens.
A honey-mustard citrus dressing is poured over the salad and the sprinkling of pistachios adds a delightful crunch.

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It doesn’t include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, and pepper, as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen already. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Red Grapefruit, Fennel, Avocado, Lemons, Mixed Salad Greens, Oranges.
- Raw Cane Sugar – also known as Turbinado Sugar, or Demerara Sugar in the UK.
- Pistachios
- White Balsamic Vinegar
- Honey – try to buy locally produced honey if possible.
- Dijon Mustard
- Garlic Powder
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).

More Recipes Using Fennel
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is fennel, so here are some more recipes using the same:
More Salad Recipes
Looking for more salads to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Orange Pomegranate Salad with Goat Cheese, Avocado & Pecans
- Raspberry Chicken Salad with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese
- Chicken Strawberry Salad with Feta and Pecans & Homemade Dressing

Recipe Tips
- Chop up the fronds to use as a garnish for this salad. You can use the stalks to make a vegetable or fish stock.
- Why not try adding some raw fennel to the salad for added flavor and texture? Roast some as in the recipe, then thinly slice the rest and toss with the salad greens.
How Do I Make Roasted Fennel and Grapefruit Salad?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.

Roasted Fennel & Grapefruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large red grapefruit skin and pith removed
- 1 large fennel bulb white part only*
- 2 Tbsp raw cane sugar demerara sugar
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 large avocado pitted and sliced
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups mixed salad greens
- 3 Tbsp pistachios shelled and roughly chopped
For the Citrus Vinaigrette
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
- Divide the grapefruit in half and slice into equally thick sections, as shown. Arrange grapefruit slices on one side of the prepared baking sheet.
- Slice the fennel bulb from top to bottom into equally thick slices, as shown. Arrange on the other half of the prepared baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the sugar over the grapefruit slices, then drizzle the olive oil over the fennel. Season the fennel with salt and black pepper, to taste. Tip: Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the fennel with the oil after drizzling.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, turning the fennel once halfway through, or until the fennel is golden brown and fork-tender.
- While the fennel and grapefruit are roasting, prepare the citrus vinaigrette by combining all the ingredients in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cover tightly and shake until well combined. Set aside.
- Toss the avocado slices in a medium bowl with the fresh lemon juice to prevent browning and set aside.
- When the fennel and grapefruit are done roasting, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool slightly.
- Arrange the mixed salad greens on a large serving platter and top with the roasted fennel, grapefruit, and sliced avocado. Top with the pistachios and some chopped fennel fronds, if using.
- Serve immediately with a little citrus vinaigrette drizzled on top and the rest on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Full Meal!
Salads often work well as starters/appetizers, as well as main or side dishes, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Appetizer: How to Assemble An Italian Charcuterie Board For Parties & Entertaining
- Main Dish: How to Make Lemon Pepper Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
- Beverage: Grapefruit Screwdriver Cocktail
- Dessert: Poached Pears with Honey Mascarpone Cream in 30 Minutes!
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!