29 Fall Salads That Will Nourish You
What makes a salad recipe a fall salad recipe? Well, first, what even is salad? According to Merriam-Webster, a salad is a cold dish made of either raw greens, vegetables, and toppings or small pieces of food such as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables. Either variation is usually served with a dressing of sorts. To make fall salads, then, is to use in-season salad ingredients and hallmark fall flavors such as dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, roasted butternut squash, apple cider vinaigrette, and the like.
Below we’ve collected a few of our most autumnal salads. If you have any favorites, please let us know in the comments. If you want to argue about the definition of salad—take it up with Merriam and Webster.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser1/29Beets and Farro With Honey-Garlic Goat Cheese
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni2/29Warm Chicken Piccata Salad
Turn classic chicken piccata into a salad by using the lemon-and-caper-spiked pan sauce as the base for a warm vinaigrette, then serve it with pleasantly bitter radicchio and crispy breadcrumbs.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones3/29Broccoli Spoon Salad With Warm Vinaigrette
We’ll let a few reviewers speak for this one. “I have made this recipe four times, and it keeps getting better! You know it’s good when the hosts of a dinner you’re invited to don’t ask you to take the leftovers home—I was informed they were chowing down on it the next morning for breakfast!” A second review says, “I used my food processor to cut down on chopping; the whole thing came together in about 10 minutes.” Are you sold yet?
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kay Boytsova4/29Sesame Caesar Salad
A classic Caesar salad is a perennial favorite, but to make it scream fall, why not trade romaine and croutons for bitter greens and toasted nuts? Or, go this route: swap the egg-based dressing for a nutty, earthy tahini one and add in juicy slices of Asian pear.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen5/29Pumpernickel Panzanella
Panzanella doesn’t need to go into hibernation in the fall; floral oranges can take the place of out-of-season tomatoes and toasted pumpernickel bread instead of the stale white stuff. Add some balsamic vinegar, which enriches the dressing, and chicories such as radicchio and endive to bring a bitter edge.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Sean Dooley6/29Raisin Vinaigrette Any Lettuce Will Love
If the Italian sweet-and-sour sauce agrodolce wanted to dress up like a classic vinaigrette, it’d look a little something like this. We think it’s the ultimate fall potluck move: Bring the dressing in a container, then spoon it over a bowl of simple greens and shower the whole thing with toasted nuts.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen7/29Herby Salmon and Potato Salad
Photograph by Chris Simpson, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker8/29Radicchio and Apple Salad With Mustardy Croutons
This bright and tangy fall salad features attention-grabbing radicchio. And if this one leaves you craving more radicchio—try this Radicchio Salad With Pickled Grapes and Goat Cheese next.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni9/29Laotian-Style Chicken and Rice Salad
10/29Raw and Roasted Dinner Salad
We like to call this our fall harvest salad. Cabbage? Check. Delicata squash? Check. Pears? Check. Pecans? Check. Frankly, you could riff on this one all season long: Try a Roasted Squash Salad With Crispy Chickpeas (One reader opted for acorn squash over delicata and red onion instead of scallions and had only good things to say in the comments) or this Squash and Radicchio Salad With Pecans.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Sean Dooley11/29Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad
“This recipe is worth my whole subscription,” says one of the most sensible reviewers we know. “I’ve made it at least a dozen times and could easily enjoy it every week. It’s a great platform to riff on as well; I’ve modified it with pretty much whatever is in the fridge. I just love this crunchy, varied, vibrant, and versatile salad!”
Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley12/29Divorce Salad
The end of summer can be a tough time emotionally for so many people, much like…um, some other times in our lives. Thankfully there are salads like this to help us get through them. Simply spoon marinated beans over romaine lettuce leaves and get yourself fed.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng13/29Bitter Greens With Cranberry Dressing
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker14/29Kale Salad With Roasted Tempeh and Mushrooms
The secret to a dinner-worthy salad? A deeply savory cooked element. Bake torn tempeh and mushrooms until caramelized, then give them a quick dip in a miso-soy glaze.
Photograph by Jenny Huang, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Martha Bernabe15/29Asian Pear Salad With Peanut-Lime Dressing
Photo by Gentl and Hyers, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Nina Lalli16/29Pomegranate-Parsley Tabbouleh
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro17/29Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Allison Ritchie18/29Wedge Salad With Toasted Sesame-Seaweed Ranch
The homemade ranch dressing on this crunchy salad is a vibe, but if you’re more of a classicist, you can’t go wrong with this Wedge Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen19/29Smoky Chicken and Avocado Kale Salad
Here’s one for the gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free folks: The acid from the lime and fat from the avocado tenderize rough leafy kale, making a flavorful base for smoky roast chicken breasts, jammy red onion wedges, and crunchy toasted pepitas.
Photograph by Julian Cousins, Food styling by Adriana Paschen20/29Radicchio, Bean, and Feta Salad
This bean, feta, and brussels sprout salad gets its bright flavor courtesy of a two-pronged citrus attack. First, the canned beans are marinated in olive oil infused with the zest and juice of a lemon. Just 15 minutes is enough time to permeate the beans. That marinade then transforms into this fall salad’s dressing.
Photograph by David Cabrera, Prop Styling by Adriana Bonin, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen21/29Citrusy Arugula Salad With Fennel and Parmesan
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski22/29Shaved Fennel Salad With Croutons and Walnuts
An antidote to every side salad that ever was, this fall salad has shavings of fennel that pleasantly bend and twist while keeping their refreshing crunch. To get the vegetable slices as close to paper-thin as possible, we suggest using a mandoline.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski23/29Dinner Salad With Radicchio and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
When you want a hearty fall supper that’s low on carbohydrates and cook time, this salad with its creamy roasted cashew dressing is the one. Or actually, our radicchio and white bean salad with feta cheese and thinly sliced raw brussels sprouts could be it. Oof! Sophie’s choice.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh25/29Bean and Vegetable Salad With Potlikker Vinaigrette
Alex Lau27/29Shaved Cauliflower Salad
Thinly sliced raw cauliflower, in season from late summer through fall, takes center stage in this salad, which gets dusted with everyone’s favorite vegan-friendly seasoning, nutritional yeast.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio28/29Charred Broccoli Salad With Figs
This recipe makes more broccoli-tahini purée than you need, but you can use the hummus-like condiment as a dip for warm pita or raw veggies. Another broccoli-heavy banger of a vegetarian fall dinner (plus lunch the next day): this Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa Salad.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua29/29Roasted Roots With Green Salsa
Gussy up roasted root vegetables—namely sweet potatoes and carrots—with a zippy green salsa in this weeknight fall salad recipe that cooks on a sheet pan.
