These fall salad recipes highlight the best the season has to offer! Autumn produce makes hearty and delicious salads everyone will love.
When the weather starts to get cooler, our minds drift immediately to cozy squash, feathery Brussels sprouts and tart apples. It’s fall salad time! While summer salads have their place, there’s something about autumn salad that has our heart. Maybe it’s the way sweet tart vinaigrettes pair with sweet potatoes and pomegranate seeds?
Whatever the case, here are all the best fall salad recipes to enjoy autumnal eating! There’s something with just about every ingredient of the season. From leafy greens to root veggies, they’re all beautifully bright, healthy and utterly delicious.
And now…the best fall salad recipes to try!
Here’s a dreamy fall salad if there ever was one: this brilliant Pear Salad! It’s a study in contrasts: fresh, juicy pear against funky gorgonzola cheese; bright pomegranate against savory shallot. Throw in some toasted pecans and cover it in tangy poppy seed dressing, and well: it’s absolutely irresistible.
Here’s a standout fall salad starring everyone’s favorite ingredient: Butternut Squash Salad! This one is a symphony in a bowl: hearty sweet squash pairs with crisp apple, chewy cranberries and a citrusy orange vinaigrette. All the best flavors of fall and winter ingredients sing together in perfect harmony!
Fall is time for Brussels sprouts! Did you know you can slice it raw and use it like salad greens? Salads like this shaved Brussels sprout salad taste so incredible, it’s hard to believe they’re also good for you! This fall salad is like the best treat: feathery shaved Brussels sprouts, the vibrant burst of dried cherries and a tangy sweet vinaigrette.
Beets are seasonal in the autumn once weather turns cooler, and one of the best ways to use them is in a salad! This beet salad stars roasted beets: and man is it good. It has all the right elements: baby greens, creamy goat cheese and a tangy balsamic beet dressing. Basically, it’s salad perfection! As a time saver, use Instant Pot beets.
Here’s a fantastic fall salad: pomegranate salad! Crunchy pomegranate seeds make a beautiful confetti over the top of leafy greens. Add tart green apple slices, toasted pecans, and goat cheese or feta crumbles, and it’s a true symphony of flavor! Pick from a few different dressing choices: our favorites are apple cider vinegar dressing or pomegranate vinaigrette.
Looking for a delicious winter salad featuring everyone’s favorite root vegetable? Try this Sweet Potato Salad! You won’t be able to stop shoveling in bites of this healthy side dish. The contrast of garlic roasted sweet potato cubes, feathery baby arugula, cranberries and creamy goat cheese hit it out of the park. Top it with tangy honey mustard dressing and well, you’ll want to park yourself in front of the bowl.
Here’s one that’s on our new favorite back pocket concept: the Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula and Apples! It’s simple and comes together quickly, but my does it deliver on flavor! The crunch of the apples, creamy goat cheese, and fluffy arugula are the ideal pair for the tangy sweet dressing. We couldn’t stop eating this one!
Looking for a stunning fall salad? Enter: this Cozy Fall Squash Salad! This is no ordinary green side salad. This is something special, a hearty and healthy salad perfect for weeknights or parties. Try it with delicata squash, which roasts in just 20 minutes (no peeling required!), or go classic with roasted butternut squash. Add pomegranate seeds, crunchy pistachios, and tangy honey mustard dressing and yep: it’s a stunner.
Here’s a fall salad idea that’s flavorful and versatile: arugula beet salad! It features jewel-toned roasted beets with baby arugula, all covered in a zingy citrus vinaigrette. Add thin-sliced shallots and toasted walnuts, and it tastes sophisticated with minimal effort. As a time saver, make this with precooked beets you can find in many stores these days. Usually we roast our own…but it saved a massive amount of time. Either way: this salad needs to be part of your side dish repertoire!
Leafy greens start to appear in fall: and what better way to use them in a fall kale salad? This is one of the BEST kale recipes we know of: we promise! Tuscan kale has the power to transform the minds of kale haters everywhere. After you taste this kale salad you’ll agree that kale smothered in a lemony, garlicky Parmesan dressing can only be one thing: over the top delicious.
Here’s a fantastic fall salad: farro salad with apples! This hearty grain is chewy like barley, but is much quicker to cook. To the farro, add apple, arugula and tart cherries. Sprinkle a bit of feta cheese for a savory saltiness, and then cover the entire farro salad in a tart cherry vinaigrette. With the red and the green, it’s visually stunning, and it tastes incredible: tangy, tart, sweet, and savory all at once.
This refreshing apple manchego salad is a total fall treat! It stars apples and Spanish Manchego cheese cut into matchsticks, dressed simply with a bit of olive oil and chives. The way these ingredients are combined in such a simple way makes each shine! The way the apples and cheese are cut makes it hard to distinguish between the two – making it all the more fun to guess what will be part of each bite!
Cabbage is great for fall salad recipes! This cabbage recipe features Savoy cabbage, a mild cabbage with frizzled leaves. When thinly sliced, the leaves look like beautiful confetti. They’re perfect in this salad with apples and walnuts, Pecorino Romano cheese, and a tangy sweet tart dressing. Make sure to find Savoy cabbage for this one: it’s a treat! Step it up: use Glazed Walnuts or Glazed Pecans.
Kale and pomegranate are the perfect fall combination. Here massaging the kale before eating it in this salad makes it taste tender and sweet, instead of bitter! All you do is use a little olive oil and massage the leaves so they become softer. The massaged kale is paired with pomegranate seeds and an apple cider vinaigrette: it’s sweet, tangy, and so, so good.
Last up in our fall salad recipes is a go-to fall salad that will become your favorite too: Spinach Apple Salad! It’s got a tangy balsamic dressing and crunchy maple-glazed walnuts (or pecans). No one will believe it took only minutes to put together! It’s that good.
More fall inspiration
Need more fall recipes? We’ve got you covered. Here are more great recipes for eating in autumn:
Description
This pear salad recipe is full of contrasts, with gorgonzola, toasted pecans, and a tangy poppy seed dressing. It’s a showstopper!
For the pear salad
- 1 ripe pear
- 1 shallot
- ½ cup pecan pieces
- 8 cups mixed baby greens
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ⅓ cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles (or feta cheese or goat cheese; omit for vegan)
For the dressing (makes ¾ cup; use approximately 6 tablespoons for 4 servings)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (or honey)
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup grapeseed oil* (or other neutral oil like organic vegetable or canola)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, white vinegar, dry mustard, onion flakes, and kosher salt. Gradually whisk in the grapeseed oil about 1 tablespoon at a time until a creamy emulsion forms. Whisk in the poppy seeds. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container or jar until serving (allow to come to room temperature if refrigerated).
- Prep the fresh ingredients: Slice the pear into thin slices. Thinly slice the shallot. See How to Cut a Pomegranate for instructions on removing pomegranate seeds.
- If time, toast the pecans: Place the nuts in a dry skillet (no oil) over medium heat. Heat, shaking the pan and stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the nuts are fragrant and slightly darker brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stay at the stove because the nuts can easily burn! Remove immediately from the heat and transfer to a plate to stop the cooking.
- Serve: Place the greens on a plate or platter. Top with the pear slices, shallot, toasted pecans, pomegranate seeds, and gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Drizzle with the desired amount of dressing and serve (use approximately 6 tablespoons for 4 servings; store the remaining dressing refrigerated).
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Fall
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Fall salad, Fall salad recipes, Autumn salad