This recipe for a Moroccan orange salad with cinnamon, mint, pomegranate, and pistachios makes our version of a Moroccan orange dessert that traditionally is quite simple: orange slices sprinkled with orange flower water and cinnamon. For more flavour, the orange slices are drizzled in a dressing of citrus juice, orange blossom water, pomegranate molasses, honey, and cinnamon, and for fragrance and texture, showered with fresh mint, pomegranate arils and pistachios. It’s as delicious as it is pretty.
If citrus fruits are as sweet and as affordable where you are as they are here in Australia, try this recipe for a Moroccan orange salad that we first tried in Marrakech on our first trip to Morocco over 25 years ago, and would eat countless times there over the years. In Morocco, an orange salad is traditionally a simple dish of sliced orange in orange blossom water with cinnamon, offered as a palate cleanser or dessert before pastries.
At fancy Marrakech restaurants, they’ll sprinkle on fresh mint leaves and/or pomegranate seeds and/or a handful of pistachios, or even all of the above, which is what I’ve taken inspiration from. I drizzle slices of mixed oranges in a dressing of citrus juice, orange blossom water, honey, pomegranate molasses, and cinnamon, which I shower with fresh mint leaves, pomegranate arils and crunchy pistachios.
You could serve this orange salad as a refreshing dessert at the end of a Moroccan meal. Kick things off with bowls of my hearty Moroccan harrira made with lentils or my husband’s spiced Moroccan chickpea soup. Terence learnt to make that heavenly broth from Moroccan cook Jamila in the kitchen of our Marrakech riad, off atmospheric market street Rue Bab Doukkala. Follow up with our lamb tagine with prunes and almonds or chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives.
Then make our Moroccan orange salad recipe to serve as a light dessert. You can make it ahead of time, even the day before. You really don’t need richer or heavier sweets after one of our filling soups and a wonderful tagine, although you could certainly serve this orange salad with dollops of cream or ice cream (rum and raisin would be scrummy). I’ve been eating leftover orange salad with creamy Greek yoghurt for breakfast and brunch.
Now before I tell you more about this Moroccan orange salad recipe, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve enjoyed our recipes, please consider supporting Grantourismo. You could buy a handcrafted KROK, the best mortar and pestle ever; or book a cooking class or meal with locals on EatWith; or buy something on Amazon, such as these cookbooks for culinary travellers, classic cookbooks for serious cooks, or gifts for Asian food lovers and picnic lovers.
Looking for more cooking inspiration? We’ve got thousands of recipes in our archives from around the world from places we’ve lived, worked, travelled, and loved. And note that you can save your favourite recipes in a private account by clicking on the heart on the right of the post. Now let’s tell you all about this Moroccan orange salad recipe.
Moroccan Orange Salad Recipe with Mint, Pomegranate and Pistachios
When this travel writer side has been grounded for as long as I have, taking care of my mother here in Australia, the food writer in me steps in and conceives and cooks dishes that transport me to the places that I’ve been longing to return to, suppressing my urge to jump on the next train, bus or plane to my favourite foodie destination — picking up my husband Terence back in Cambodia on the way, of course!
That was the case when I spotted one of the most impressive assortments of citrus fruits at our local supermarket that I’ve ever seen, that went beyond the popular Navel oranges and Valencia oranges that dominated the citrus market when I grew up in Australia. They were also heavily discounted (due to a glut, apparently), so I bought bags of orange varieties I’ve never heard of and made so many sweet and savoury orange salads, it’s a wonder I didn’t turn orange.
As it turns out, all those seemingly exotic orange varieties have been developed from those Navel oranges I grew up. And a couple of varieties I bought were actually grapefruits not oranges, which, along with a handful of grapefruits gifted to me by my Karen gardener friends resulted in me feeling dizzy, weak, tingly, and lightheaded for a couple of days, unaware that grapefruit and blood pressure meds are not a healthy combination.
I made so many orange salads, it’s a wonder I didn’t turn orange. Along with this sweet orange salad, I made savoury Moroccan orange salads that are typically served as sides to tagines, including a Moroccan orange salad with black olives, red onions and cumin seeds, and a Moroccan carrot salad with orange, radishes and fresh parsley. I’ll share recipes for both salads soon.
Because just as mangoes come to mind when I think of my adopted home, Cambodia, when I see oranges and smell their heady scent, I think of Marrakech. Oranges seem to be everywhere in Morocco. On a road trip from Marrakech to Mhamid, on the edge of the Sahara, that we took my mother on years ago, we spotted citrus orchards as far as the eye could see in some places — especially in the Souss-Massa region, south of Marrakech, between Agadir and Taroudant, Morocco’s orange heart.
You’ll also see orange trees in gardens and courtyards in Morocco’s ‘ochre city’ or ‘red city’ of Marrakech. The fruit and their flowers are celebrated in an annual spring orange blossom festival, the Zahria of Marrakech or Orange Blossom Moussem. ‘Zahria’ is ‘blossom’ or ‘flower’. The orange blossoms are harvested by Moroccan women, then distilled to create the orange flower water or orange blossom water that flavours pastries and desserts.
A ‘moussem’, or ‘mawāsim’ or ‘mawsim’ is a seasonal gathering or festival with sacred roots, historically tied to Sufi saints and harvests, for which people travel from far and wide. Along with religious rituals, poetry recitals, traditional games, music and song, food is central to seasonal festivals. Communal meals are shared around enormous platters of couscous, washed down with mint tea, and finished with cinnamon-sprinkled orange soaked in orange blossom water.
If you’ve been to Morocco, you’d recall spotting the ubiquitous orange cinnamon salad on most Moroccan restaurant menus. If you ordered a set menu that included dessert you probably would have been served an orange salad before Moroccan pastries. Or offered a complimentary dish of orange slices sprinkled with cinnamon as a palate cleanser while you perused the dessert menu.
While I always enjoyed that classic orange dessert, it’s much more restrained than the Moroccan orange salad my recipe makes, which is just as refreshing, but has more flavour, aroma and texture. I just adore this salad of orange slices doused in a dressing of citrus juice, honey, orange flower water, pomegranate molasses, and cinnamon, and showered with fresh mint, pomegranate arils and crunchy pistachios.
I only have a few tips to making this Moroccan orange salad with fresh mint, pomegranate arils and pistachios as it couldn’t be easier.
Tips to Making this Moroccan Orange Salad Recipe with Mint, Pomegranate and Pistachios
Just a few tips to making this Moroccan orange salad with fresh mint, pomegranate arils and pistachios as it’s a cinch to make and comes together quickly. Let’s start with the ingredients.
Ingredients
This is a versatile orange salad recipe. You could skip the orange blossom water and/or pomegranate molasses if you can’t source them. Rose water is wonderful for even more floral notes. Fresh baby lemon basil leaves are lovely. I also like almond slivers instead of pistachios. I include ground cinnamon in the dressing, but you can do as Moroccans do and sprinkle cinnamon on top — or nutmeg.
Citrus Fruits
You could use an array of citrus fruits if you can source them or simply make this orange salad with Navel oranges or Valencia oranges. Every time I make this orange salad I use different citrus fruit. When I made this for the photo shoot, I used a mix of oranges. I’ve also used slices of lemons and limes when I’ve served this as a sweet and savoury side salad.
Dressing
Traditionally, a Moroccan orange salad is doused in little else but orange blossom water. If you get to Morocco, especially to Marrakech, make sure to buy some orange flower water in the Marrakech medina souks. You’ll find it everywhere in north Africa and the Middle East. When we lived in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, we could buy orange blossom water and rose water in our supermarkets.
Here in Australia, orange blossom water and pomegranate molasses are sold at the major supermarkets in the ‘international’ aisles. Otherwise, you’ll be able to find orange flower water and pomegranate molasses at Middle Eastern grocery shops. Here in Bendigo, where my mother lives, we have half a dozen Asian supermarkets and grocery stores within a few blocks’ walk and two of them sell orange blossom water and pomegranate molasses.
I love the combination of orange flower water, citrus juice (orange juice for sweetness or lemon or lime juice for tang), honey, pomegranate molasses, and cinnamon. But you could also experiment with other citrus juices, rose flower water, and even ground nutmeg. Use whatever can your source and get creative.
Instructions
This orange salad recipe is quick and easy to assemble, so just a few tips.
Prepare the Oranges
Over a large bowl so no juice is wasted, slice the rounded ends off the oranges, peel each orange so all the skin is removed, slice the oranges thickly, and remove the pith and seeds if they’re not seedless oranges. If not assembling the salad yet, transfer the slices to a container and refrigerate.
Make the Salad Dressing
Pour the citrus juice left in the bowl through a strainer over a jug. To a small lidded jar, add the juice, honey, orange blossom water, pomegranate molasses, and cinnamon. Put the lid on, shake vigorously, taste, and adjust to suit your palate.
Assemble the Salad
When ready to serve, arrange the orange slices on a serving plate, evenly distribute the dressing over the salad, sprinkle on the pomegranate arils, pistachios, and fresh mint leaves, and you’re done.
Serve the Orange Salad
To serve as dessert, you can distribute the orange salad between bowls or serve the salad on a large plate at the centre of the table with small dishes of creamy Greek-style yoghurt or whipped cream for dolloping on top, along with crushed pistachios and more fresh mint leaves.
Moroccan Orange Salad Recipe with Mint, Pomegranate and Pistachios
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 oranges - mix of different orange types and other citrus if you like
- 2 tbsp citrus juice - orange juice left after peeling oranges or lemon juice if too sweet
- 2 tbsp honey - clear honey
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water - optional if you can't source it
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses - optional f you can't source it
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon - or more if you like
- 2 tbsp pomegranate arils
- 2 tbsp pistachios
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves - ideally baby mint leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the oranges: over a large bowl so no juice is wasted, slice the rounded ends off the oranges, peel each orange so all the skin is removed, slice the oranges thickly, and remove the pith and seeds. If not assembling the salad yet, transfer the slices to a container and refrigerate.
- Make the salad dressing: pour the juice left in the bowl through a strainer over a jug. To a small lidded jar, add the juice, honey, orange blossom water, pomegranate molasses, and cinnamon. Put the lid on, shake vigorously, taste, and adjust to suit your palate.
- Assemble the salad: when ready to serve, arrange the orange slices on a serving plate, evenly distribute the dressing over the salad, sprinkle on the pomegranate arils, pistachios, and fresh mint leaves. Moroccans sprinkle cinnamon over the salad; feel free to do this, too.
- Serve the salad: distribute between bowls or set the salad at the centre of the table for guests to help themselves. The salad can be eaten as is or you could serve dishes of Greek yoghurt or cream to dollop onto the salad.
Nutrition
Please do let us know if you make this Moroccan orange salad recipe with mint, pomegranate and pistachios as we’d love to know how it turns out for you.
