Salads can transition beautifully into Fall when you’ve got the right ingredients and the right attitude. These delicious and healthy salads will help you pivot from summer to fall without missing a beat!
What do we mean by Fall Salads?
A fall salad is characterized by the use of seasonal ingredients that reflect the cozy nature of the season. They’re earthy and hearty, with a focus on textures and warm colors. A fall salad can be just as inviting as a spring or summer salad, you just have to know what to look for. The greens are a little bit heartier, the fruits a bit richer, the cheeses definitely tangier. Nuts and seeds are a must.
tips for crafting fall salads
Lean into seasonal salad ingredients ~ here’s a great cheat sheet to choose from:
FALL FRUITS: Apples, Pears, Grapes, Pomegranate Seeds, Persimmons, Figs, Cranberries
FALL VEGGIES: Winter Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Beets, Cauliflower, Carrots, Cabbage
FALL GREENS: Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Frisée, Endive, Romaine, Mizuna, Watercress, Radicchio
FALL NUTS & SEEDS: Pecans, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds
FALL CHEESES: Goat Cheese, Blue Cheese, Gorgonzola, Brie, Feta
FALL GRAINS: Farro, Rye, Quinoa, Barley, Wild Rice
FALL DRESSINGS & FLAVORS: Balsamic Vinegar, Maple Syrup, Cider, Honey, Tahini, Mustard, Pomegranate
Kale and Fall Fruit Salad
Generous chunks of creamy camembert cheese keep this fruit and vegetable salad from feeling too lightweight. Kale leaves take the place of lettuce, and a beautiful array of late summer and fall fruits like apples, figs, and currants take center stage. But I think it’s the cider and poppy seed dressing that really takes it over the top!
Pear Salad with Creamy Walnut Vinaigrette
This show stopping salad can be made on individual plates or as one stunning platter! The creamy walnut dressing is unique and amazing.
Apple Salad with Celery and Walnuts
The quintessential fall salad featuring everybody’s favorite fall fruit and tons of crunch! Walnuts and celery add a hint of bitterness for a sophisticated flavor profile.
Charcuterie Salad
My charcuterie salad is the dictionary definition of a hearty salad!
Fig and Fried Goat Cheese Salad
Tomatoes, figs, walnuts, and irresistible little rounds of fried goat cheese make an unlikely but AMAZING combination in this salad.
Broccoli Honeycrisp Slaw
This hybrid slaw is a fabulous way to transition from summer to fall…
Wild Rice Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette
A classic wild rice salad with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, and Granny Smith apples!
Roasted Apple and Radicchio Salad with Bacon
I just love the mix of flavors here. Sweet, roasted apples and bitter, crisp radicchio work beautifully with the salty, savory bacon making this salad main-course-worthy.
Apple, Fennel, and Salami Salad
This unusual fall salad comes together in a flash ~ it’s perfect for those first chilly lunches of the season.
Black Rice Salad with Roasted Vegetables
If leafy green salads just aren’t your thing, this rice salad combines the best of late summer (cherry tomatoes, zesty fresh mint), with the best of early fall (roasted Brussels sprouts, beets, toasted hazelnuts and potatoes) for a super-satisfying meal.
Beet and Wild Rice Salad with Spiced Pecans
Delicious! You need to make this ultimate fall salad, if only for those pecans!
Kale and Butternut Salad with Maple Spiced Pecans
A fall salad that’s healthy and colorful ( with, yes, more pecans!) Shredding the kale makes it extra tender and butternut squash adds a touch of sweetness.
Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad
The last of the summer basil meets the first fall root crops and magic happens!
Rye and Carrot Salad
I love this simple earthy fall salad ~ the chewy rye berries go so well with the sweet tender carrots.
Wheat Berry Salad with Beets and Feta
This hearty grain based salad just seems to get better the longer it hangs out in the fridge!
Harvest Wild Rice Salad
It would be hard to outshine this colorful fall salad on a harvest table!
Caesar Salad
Without any classic seasonal ingredients, the classic Caesar salad is always welcome in Fall.
Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Nuts
3.46 from 184 votes
Simply delicious rustic wild rice salad with cranberries.
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Brussels Sprout Slaw with Maple Cider Vinaigrette
4.10 from 10 votes
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Mediterranean Artichoke Salad
5 from 10 votes
A delicious artichoke salad from the healthy Mediterranean diet is a pantry friendly side dish that goes with everything!
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Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh
3.91 from 43 votes
This is a light, bright, and healthy vegan salad that's always a conversation starter.
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Tuna and White Bean Salad
5 from 5 votes
This tuna and white bean salad is the very definition of a pantry meal ~ ready in 15 minutes!
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Russian Beet Salad
4.97 from 33 votes
Russian Style Beet Salad with Sour Cream and Dill is a pretty in pink and so delicious with sweet beets, a creamy dressing and lots of fresh dill!
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Packable Lunch: Wheat Berry Salad
4.67 from 3 votes
Packable Lunch: Wheat Berry Salad ~ as part of a new series I’ll be sharing easy, healthy, make ahead lunch recipes that keep well and pack well. This whole grain salad will energize you with good carbs,protein, fiber, andplentyof vitamins. And it costs just pennies to make!
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Vibrant Winter Slaw with Citrus Vinaigrette
3.47 from 56 votes
Vibrant Winter Slaw with Citrus Vinaigrette ~ a healthy high fiber side dish salad that brightens up any menu.
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Loaded Farro Salad
4.72 from 7 votes
Lunch Prep: Loaded Farro Salad ~ this healthy grain salad is packed with protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and lots of flavor and crunch, aka everything you need to deliciously power through your day.
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Jeweled Wild Rice
4.56 from 9 votes
My Jeweled Wild Rice Salad is a joyful gluten free vegan recipe and a make-ahead friendly side dish for your holidays. Bonus: whatever their diet, nobody at your table will feel like a second class citizen.
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Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad
4.20 from 15 votes
Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad ~ everybody loves chicken salad, but jazz it up with warm Indian spices, crisp apples, celery, raisins, walnuts, coconut, and grapes and it becomes a fork magnet.
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Shaved Vegetable Salad
3.63 from 8 votes
An elegant veggie salad with an epic crunch!
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Couscous Salad
4.60 from 10 votes
Couscous Almondine Salad is a completely new take on classic pasta salad ~ this no mayo recipe is a great side for summer barbecues, potlucks, and picnics.
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Moroccan Orange Salad
5 from 6 votes
A juicy Moroccan orange salad will freshen up all your winter meals!
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Hearts of Lettuce with Thousand Island Dressing
4.85 from 19 votes
Hearts of Lettuce with homemade Thousand Island Dressing is a vintage salad that deserves a comeback!
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Harvest Salad with Pomegranate Allspice Dressing
5 from 2 votes
Harvest Salad with Pomegranate Allspice Dressing is a healthy and colorful winter salad, perfect for the holidays!
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Lentil and Cucumber Salad
5 from 5 votes
Lentil Salad Recipe with Cucumber and Mint is a simple and refreshing side dish or light lunch. I'll show you how to cook healthy dried lentils so they're tender, not mushy!
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pomelo Salad
4.80 from 5 votes
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pomelo Salad from the great Yotam Ottolenghi. Wake up your next meal with this unique and healthy vegan salad.
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