15 Thanksgiving Salad Recipes (2024)

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When it comes to epic Thanksgiving dinners, it's all about balance. You have your heavy and filling main dish and an assortment of comforting side dishes, so you need a healthy light salad to balance it all out, right? So if you are wondering what easy Thanksgiving salad to add to your holiday dinner table that takes just minutes to throw together, then you are in the right please. We are sharing over 15 of our most popular and best Thanksgiving salad recipes including butternut squash salads, seasonal apple salads, warm salads with roasted vegetables, everything kale, and more!

15 Thanksgiving Salad Recipes (1)

Best Thanksgiving Salads

Butternut Squash Salad

Butternut squash salad is a light meal that's loaded with fall flavors — roasted butternut squash, baby kale, walnuts, dried cranberries, and feta.

Apple Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Throw together crisp apples, crunchy walnuts, and sweet cranberries for a taste of the holidays in this fall apple walnut salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad

Roasted brussels sprouts salad with creamy potatoes, crispy string beans, tender brussels sprouts, is tossed in a delicious homemade dijon vinaigrette.

Fall Harvest Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple

Fall harvest salad with roasted butternut squash and apple is the only salad recipe you need this fall or winter. It's healthy, wholesome, and nourishing.

Arugula Salad with Apple and Pecan

Arugula salad with apple and pecan is a quick and easy fall salad made with fresh seasonal ingredients in just minutes. Perfect for a holiday dinner table.

15 Thanksgiving Salad Recipes (6)

Winter Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette and Spiced Pecans

Cozy winter kale salad with apple cider vinaigrette is easy to make with crispy apples, tangy goat cheese and crunchy spiced pecans in under 10 minutes.

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad is a delicious fall salad packed with fresh sprouts, apples, cranberries, and crunchy seeds, tossed in a homemade vinaigrette.

Thanksgiving Salad

This simple and healthy Thanksgiving Salad is loaded with greens, seasonal veggies, pomegranate seeds, and pecans, all tossed in a homemade vinaigrette.

Arugula and Roasted Carrot Salad

Arugula and roasted carrot salad is one of the best spring salads, packed with a delicious combination of sweet and sour flavours, plus easy to make.

Warm Lentil Salad with Butternut Squash

This warm lentil salad with butternut squash and shiitake mushrooms is the most comforting salad. Add it to your holiday dinner this fall.

Sweet Kale Salad

This Sweet Kale Salad is loaded with hearty greens, veggies, and homemade poppy seed dressing — inspired by the Taylor Farms salad kit from Costco.

Quinoa Spinach Salad

Take a bite into this refreshing, gluten-free quinoa and spinach salad bursting with colourful tomatoes, cucumbers and raisins.

Mandarin Orange Salad

Mandarin orange salad is fresh, vibrant, tangy, and sweet, bursting with flavour, and topped with a delicious orange salad dressing.

Lemon Kale Salad

Lemon kale salad is a simple, flavorful, and healthy meal that’s thrown together in just minutes with fresh ingredients. The perfect quick lunch or dinner.

Goat Cheese and Tangelo Winter Salad

Healthy and light, goat cheese and tangelo winter salad with creamy caesar dressing is flavourful, crunchy and takes just minutes to prepare.

Tips for Storing Thanksgiving Salads

  • Make ahead instructions:Almost all of these Thanksgiving salads can be made ahead of time. When making ahead, I recommend storing the ingredients separately from the dressing, and toss when ready to serve. To prep ahead of time, chop up all the ingredients and store in anairtight containerin the refrigerator.
  • How to store:Most Thanksgiving salads can be stored in anairtight containerin the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Refer to the specific recipe post for complete storing instructions.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

  • 30 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers
  • 50 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
  • 25 Warm and Cozy Fall Soup Recipes
  • 40 Best Thanksgiving Main Dishes
  • 25 Best Thanksgiving Desserts
  • 15 Thanksgiving Bread Recipes

Did You Make Any of These Thanksgiving Salad Recipes?

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of these easy Thanksgiving salad recipes at home. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

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15 Thanksgiving Salad Recipes (17)

15 Thanksgiving Salad Recipes

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  • Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings
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Description

Over 15 popular best Thanksgiving salad recipes including butternut squash salads, apple salads, warm salads with roasted vegetables, kale salad, and more!

Ingredients

  • Butternut Squash Salad
  • Apple Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
  • Fall Harvest Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple
  • Arugula Salad with Apple and Pecan
  • Winter Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette and Spiced Pecans
  • Warm Lentil Salad with Butternut Squash
  • Arugula and Roasted Carrot Salad
  • Quinoa Spinach Salad
  • Mandarin Orange Salad
  • Lemon Kale Salad
  • Goat Cheese and Tangelo Winter Salad

Instructions

  1. Pick the Thanksgiving salad recipe you want to make for your holiday dinner.
  2. Gather the required ingredients and prep them.
  3. Assemble the salad and serve.

Notes

Make ahead instructions:Almost all of these Thanksgiving salads can be made ahead of time. When making ahead, I recommend storing the ingredients separately from the dressing, and toss when ready to serve. To prep ahead of time, chop up all the ingredients and store in anairtight containerin the refrigerator.

How to store: Most Thanksgiving salads can be stored in anairtight containerin the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Refer to the specific recipe post for complete storing instructions.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Tossed
  • Cuisine: Various

Nutrition

  • Calories: 120

15 Thanksgiving Salad Recipes (18)

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15 Thanksgiving Salad Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is a list of salad items? ›

A typical salad starts with raw greens, such as lettuce, spinach, kale, mixed greens or arugula. However, you can also add several other raw vegetables. Some popular raw veggie toppings include chopped carrots, onions, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms and broccoli.

What ingredients should be in a salad? ›

leafy greens such as romaine, arugula, kale and spinach. whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice and bulgur. chopped or shredded vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, cabbage, and beets.

Should salad be served at Thanksgiving? ›

A Thanksgiving salad is a great way to add color to your holiday plate. Plus, who doesn't appreciate a few bites of something light and refreshing between forkfuls of stuffing?

What can I put in my salad to make it taste better? ›

12 Easy Ways to Make Salad Taste Amazing – Seriously
  1. Make Your Salad a Spectacle. ...
  2. Mix and Match Leaves. ...
  3. Upgrade Your Salad Dressings. ...
  4. Massage Your Salad Greens. ...
  5. Toss in Cooked Veggies. ...
  6. Add Fresh Herbs. ...
  7. Sweeten with Fruit. ...
  8. Heat Your Salad Dressing.
Mar 9, 2022

What are the 5 main salads? ›

salad, any of a wide variety of dishes that fall into the following principal categories: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads.

What are the 7 basic types of salad? ›

7 Types of Salad to Add Color and Crunch to Your Plateau
  • Caesar Salad.
  • Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salata)
  • Caprese Salad.
  • Cobb Salad.
  • Waldorf Salad.
  • Nicoise Salad.
  • Macaroni Salad.
  • Coleslaw.
Sep 5, 2023

What does a simple salad contain? ›

Easy Green Salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and a quick balsamic vinaigrette. This simple salad recipe is the perfect side dish for any meal.

What is the healthiest salad to eat? ›

Best: Black Bean-and-Avocado Salad

The beans are a good source of disease-fighting antioxidants, and they have protein and fiber, as well as energy-boosting iron. Avocado adds creaminess and fiber. Plus, its fats help your body take in nutrients, including heart-healthy lycopene.

What is the most important ingredient in a salad? ›

Obviously, every salad needs a base, some type of leafy greens. Choose a salad green that's loaded with health benefits… and STAY AWAY from that iceberg lettuce. You can also use a mix of these to give your salad a little more variety.

What is the most important food on a Thanksgiving table? ›

We know that the turkey is the showstopper on the table, but we're mostly here for the stuffing. Check out all of our favorite stuffing recipes; our classic stuffing is the undisputed champ of the bunch.

What is traditionally served for Thanksgiving? ›

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing (or “dressing”), and some kind of pie for dessert, typically pumpkin, apple, or pecan. Common sides are green bean casserole, scalloped corn, and roasted sweet potatoes.

How do restaurants make salads so crisp? ›

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

What makes a salad tastes delicious? ›

Chefs balance flavors and textures in salads with a mix of cooked and raw ingredients, proteins, grains, veggies, fruits, herbs, and dressing, Herpin said. Think about all of these components (as well as color!) to make the perfect bowl.

What salad fills you up? ›

Dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale and romaine are packed with fiber. Fiber is what makes us feel full, so be sure to choose salads that contain these greens. If you don't care for spinach or kale, you can stick to iceberg lettuce, but be sure to add protein to your greens.

How many items are in a salad? ›

One, two if including dressing. A green salad is simply greens: romaine, spinach, iceberg, whatever strikes ones fancy. Imagination is the key. Pasta salads include pasta plus vegetables/meat and dressing.

What are the 6 major salad categories? ›

6 Classification of Salads
  • Appetizer Salads.
  • Accompaniment Salads.
  • Main course Salads.
  • Side Dish Salads.
  • Separate Course Salads.
  • Dessert Salads.

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