Thanksgiving Salads – With all the heavy gravy and casseroles we enjoy on Thanksgiving, it’s nice to also have something lighter to go with the feast.
That’s why we compiled this list of amazing Thanksgiving Salad Recipes for you to add to your spread.
All of these great salad recipes include the flavors we often associate with fall, like squash, apples, nuts and more.
Go through all of these Thanksgiving salads, and see which ones you add to your spread!
The Best Thanksgiving Salads:
1. Thanksgiving Kale Salad
We’re starting this list of Thanksgiving salads with one of our favorites.
Add some color and freshness to your Thanksgiving spread with this delicious kale salad. The wide array of flavors combine for a salad that tastes as beautiful as it looks.
2. Fall Pasta Salad
Who says pasta salad is just a summertime potluck thing? Our Fall Pasta Salad is brimming with all the best flavors of autumn.
Roasted veggies, crisp apples, sweet dried cranberries, and so much more. This is one of those salads where every bite brings a new combination of flavors.
3. Wedge Salad
How about this classic wedge salad. Fresh, crispy and delicious. This is about as easy as you can get, and pairs wonderfully with your Thanksgiving feast.
4. Caesar Salad
If you want to master your salad game, this easy Caesar Salad recipe is a MUST!
Perhaps the most famous and popular salad on the planet, Caesar is so simple, yet so tasty. All you need is lettuce, croutons, parm cheese, and an awesome dressing. We have it for you!
5. Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables
This Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables is one of my new favorite Thanksgiving salad recipes.
It’s a great make ahead dish, and has a wide array of flavors.
6. Rainbow Pasta Salad
You can’t get easier than this Rainbow Pasta Salad. It’s another salad perfect as an appetizer on your Thanksgiving spread.
We love the final touch of feta in there…
7. Balela Salad
Let us present you Balela deliciousness!! So colorful, so easy, so delicious…
This hearty, colorful salad is bursting with flavors and textures. It works great as an appetizer, or light side dish for the big feast.
8. Zucchini Carrot Salad with Catalina Dressing
Ready for something new in your salad bowl? How about a spiralized zucchini carrot salad dressed with fresh, homemade Catalina dressing and mingled with toasted almond slivers and fresh mint leaves?
Your veggies take on a new look after spiralizing, and that homemade Catalina dressing…
9. Autumn Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Feta Salad
This colorful Autumn Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Feta Salad is a wonderful combination of sweet and savory, with great textures.
Wow the crowd with this amazing recipe.
Get the Recipe @ halfbakedharvest
10. Thanksgiving Salad with Wild Rice and Lemon Dressing
We just love this Thanksgiving Salad with Wild Rice. It’s light and refreshing, with a beautiful lemon dressing.
So good!
11. Classic Waldorf Salad
An oldie but goodie. The Waldorf salad has been popular for 100 years or so and is believed to have originated in the Waldorf hotel in New York city.
Simple salad with simple ingredients like apples, celery and mayo, with some grapes and nuts too. All goes so well together.
12. Pear Spinach Salad with Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette
This Pear Spinach Salad with Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette has many of the great flavors associated with fall.
It will be one of your favorite Thanksgiving salads, for sure!
Get the Recipe @ cookingclassy
13. Massaged Kale Salad
Make this fall salad your favorite!
This Massaged Kale Salad is full of flavors and textures, and topped with an amazing homemade orange ginger dressing.
14. Winter Fruit Salad
Who says fruit salads are only for summer? This great recipe featured winter crops like apples, oranges and pomegranates.
It has a lemon lime honey dressing that ties everything together.
Get the Recipe @ natashaskitchen
15. Butternut Squash Salad
How about creating a beautiful and tasty salad out of butternut squash? This salad is full of colors, textures and flavors.
Spiced, roasted butternut squash gets the company of pomegranates, goat cheese and spring mix and then all get drizzled with tasty cumin-date dressing. Simply delicious.
Get the Recipe @ loveandlemons
16. Citrus Fruit Salad
Here’s a great salad for when the best citrus crops are in.
It has a variety of different citrus fruits, as well as blueberries and fresh mint. It’s so good you’ll want to make it again and again.
Get the Recipe @ tastesbetterfromscratch
17. Roast Acorn Squash, Sweet Potato and Beet Kale and Quinoa Salad
If you love complex blends of flavors, this salad is for you!
It has roasted acorn squash, sweet potato, beet kale, quinoa, avocado, feta and pomegranate with a cilantro lemon tahini dressing. Wow.
Get the Recipe @ closetcooking
18. Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
This Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette is sure to be a winner with your guests.
It has a complex array of flavors, which are all tied together perfectly by the homemade dressing.
Get the Recipe @ halfbakedharvest
19. Autumn Glow Salad with Lemon Dressing
Your guests are going to swoon over this Autumn Glow Salad with Lemon Dressing!
It’s light and refreshing, a perfect contrast to all the gravy and casseroles.
20. Roasted Pumpkin Panzanella Salad
We’re wrapping up this list of Thanksgiving salads with everyone’s fall favorite ingredients… Pumpkin!
This fall themed twist on panzanella salad is a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner.
So many amazing Thanksgiving Salads to feed your guests! Which ones will you make this year?
Check out these other great recipe collections!
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Thanksgiving Desserts
Salad Recipes
Pasta Salads
Spinach Recipes
Kale Recipes
20 BEST Thanksgiving Salads
This collection of impressive Thanksgiving Salads will give you plenty of lighter pairings for your big feast. We love this easy kale salad:
Ingredients
Salad
- 12 oz kale
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 14.5oz can chick peas
- 2 small Granny Smith apples
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 8oz goat cheese
- 2 Tbsp shelled sunflower seeds
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Remove skin from butternut squash and cut flesh into cubes, approximately 3/4 inches square.
- Spread cubes of squash and drained chick peas on a tray lined with greased parchment paper, season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast 25 minutes. Check for doneness, you can always throw them in for a few minutes longer if the squash is not soft enough.
- In a large bowl, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to chopped kale leaves. Gently massage the leaves until they are slightly wilted.
- Slice apple into matchsticks.
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients.
- Spread kale on a large platter. Arrange squash, chick peas, apple, cranberries and goat cheese over the bed of kale. Drizzle dressing over salad and sprinkle on sunflower seeds.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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