These autumn salad recipes are absolutely perfect for the fall season.
If they don’t get you in the mood for sweater weather, nothing will.
Most are quick and easy and come together in just a few minutes. They’re ideal for a light lunch or a side dish for dinner.
It doesn’t matter which fall staple you like best – pumpkin, apples, walnuts, or something else. I guarantee one of these salads includes it.
They range from somewhat sweet to entirely savory. They also include plenty of crunchy, juicy, and creamy ingredients.
Autumn salad recipes for the win!
1. Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad
This 30-minute recipe mixes elements from traditional leafy green salads with pasta. (And a zesty, homemade dressing!) The result?
A leafy green, totally tangy PASTA salad!
There are also apples, cranberries, mandarin oranges, and lemon juice. So you could actually make an argument for fruit salad, as well.
It’s hard to beat a three-in-one plate of deliciousness. Especially once you sprinkle feta cheese across the top.
2. Creamy Grape Salad
Grape salad may not be the kind of salad you were expecting. Still, it’s technically a salad, and I love it. So, it earned a spot on this list.
Cool, creamy, sweet, and slightly tart, it’s one of my favorite fall salads. Of course, I also enjoy it in the spring, summer, and winter.
It’s kind of an all-occasion treat. 🙂
3. Autumn Kale Salad with Fennel, Honeycrisp, and Goat Cheese
Of the seven ingredients in this recipe’s salad dressing, two are maple syrup and Dijon mustard.
They provide the dressing with a rich, robust flavor that’s just a bit zestier than sweet.
The salad itself contains only six ingredients, half of which are in the title! The salad is refreshing, crunchy, and full of things that are good for you.
4. Autumn Chopped Chicken Salad
This delightful chicken salad is a salad in the lettuce, veggies, and dressing sense of the words. Not the “spread it on crackers” version.
It’s cool, crisp, and the ideal combination of sweet, tangy, and savory.
The tender chicken breast packs the perfect garlicky punch. The spicy Dijon mustard balsamic adds its own unique flair.
The final result is a protein-packed salad with relatively few carbs and calories.
5. Autumn Glow Salad
I’m not sure why this is called a glow salad. Here are my guesses:
A.) Because it’s full of yellow, orange, and white ingredients. All the colors we associate with glowing suns, moons, and stars.
B.) Because it’s rich and comforting, it makes you glow when you eat it.
Both are good guesses, but I’m leaning toward option B. Either way, it’s a delicious salad the whole family will love.
6. Autumn Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Maple Cider Vinaigrette
This rich, savory dish is another fall salad the entire family will enjoy. It takes about 50 minutes to make, but it’s worth it.
The dressing is fall in a bottle. The salad has plenty of autumn staples, too. There are sweet potatoes, apples, pecans, bacon, and more.
You’d pay big bucks for this salad at a chic cafe. Luckily, you can make it at home for a lot less.
7. Autumn Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
I love this sweet salad because it tastes marvelous AND is colorful and gorgeous to boot.
It’s primarily sweet. However, the bacon, feta, and spinach help tone that down a bit.
The cranberries and maple Dijon vinaigrette also add a bit of tartness and tang. It’s a great combo and would make an excellent Thanksgiving side.
8. Fall Harvest Spinach Salad
This vibrant salad features plenty of greens, oranges, and brownish-reds. It’s also full of flavorful fall ingredients.
It contains butternut squash, cooked quinoa, pumpkin seeds, apples, dried cranberries, and spinach.
It’s hearty, healthy, and high in protein and fiber. Plus, the zesty tahini-based dressing might just become your new favorite.
9. Autumn Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Mixing up the balsamic vinaigrette dressing is the hardest part of making this salad. Luckily, you can do that early and eliminate most of your work.
Like many others on the list, this salad perfectly balances sweetness with tanginess.
Of course, you must enjoy pears for this one. Other than the dressing, that’s the taste that really comes through.
10. Autumn Pearl Couscous Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
This dense, filling salad is somehow simultaneously sweet and full of garlic and herb flavor. Surprisingly enough, it works!
I’ve never thought garlic and onions go well with cranberries, orange juice, and honey. So, I’m not sure HOW it works.
But trust me when I tell you that it does.
It’s also exceptionally colorful and has plenty of crunch. It’s delicious and will make your table look lovely.
11. Cranberry Chicken Salad
Remember earlier when we had the lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing kind of chicken salad? Well, this is the other kind!
It’s a cool, creamy chicken salad perfect for smearing on crackers or your favorite sandwich bread.
It’s savory and packed with umami flavor. You’ll also notice pops of color and tart sweetness from the cranberries. In short, it’s incredible.
12. Southern Cornbread Salad
Cornbread salad is one of the strangest autumn salads on this list. The first time I heard of it, I was understandably skeptical.
Cornbread? In a salad? What kind of crazy Southern recipe is that?!
But, of course, I tried it, and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a type of seven-layer salad — refreshing, colorful, and cool. You’ll dig it.
13. Chicken Waldorf Salad
This chunky chicken salad is similar to the cranberry chicken salad above. Instead of cranberries, though, this one incorporates grapes into the mix.
Along with the walnuts, celery, raisins, and apples, grapes are an excellent choice. They give the salad a delightfully balanced, sweet-savory flavor.
And if those big chunks of juicy chicken don’t fill you up, nothing will!
14. Creamy Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salad is another of my favorite autumn salads, and I have several recipes for it. There’s Amish broccoli salad and Paula Deen’s broccoli salad.
This slightly sweet, creamy version is probably my favorite, though. It has everything a good broccoli salad needs.
There’s bacon, raisins, red onions, and a sweetly tangy dressing. It’s pretty close to perfect.
15. Roasted Beet & Carrot Lentil Salad
Looking for a salad that’ll fill you up and keep you that way? This roasted beet and carrot salad should do the trick.
With lentils, almonds, an herby yogurt sauce, and salty feta cheese, this salad is packed with protein.
It’s also high in fiber and other nutrients your body needs. It’s proof that nutritious doesn’t have to mean boring.
16. Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
What if I told you I had a recipe to make your kids love kale and Brussels sprouts? Hard to believe, right? It’s true, though!
I’ve tested it with a whole group of nieces and nephews, and they LOVED it. Seriously! It’s just so unbelievably flavorful and full of goodness!
Every bite has cranberries, greens, onions, nuts, cheese, and more!
17. Autumn Caesar Salad with Delicata Squash Croutons
I’m a big fan of Caesar salads, but they aren’t the most fall-friendly side dish. Unless you tweak the ingredients a little.
This recipe does precisely that! It zhuzh’s up the regular old Caesar by adding pine nuts and croutons made of delicata squash.
If you’re a fall food lover, you’ll appreciate everything about this salad.
18. Salad with Pears, Gorgonzola, and Candied Pecans
This colorful, festive salad looks like autumn on a plate. But it’s actually deceptively easy to make.
You’ll candy some pecans and whip up the vinaigrette. Then, just throw together some greens, pears, and Gorgonzola cheese.
Top it off with the pecans and dressing, and you’re all set!
19. Kale Sweet Potato Salad
You can’t go wrong with sweet potatoes when making fall dishes. They taste great in everything from pies to casseroles.
This sweet potato salad is no different.
It’s sweet, savory, earthy, and herby. It’s a literal explosion for your tongue’s tastebuds.
And that’s WITHOUT the honey mustard dressing. Add that, and you’ll knock this recipe right out of the park.
20. Warm Farro Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
If you enjoy plenty of colors and textures in your food, you’ll love this salad.
It has everything from shallots and farro to pistachios and goat cheese.
Plus, you’ll top the salad off with an absolutely divine fig vinaigrette. Trust me, there’s nothing else like it.
It’s so good that it’ll make you weak in the knees.
21. Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Have leftover rotisserie chicken you need to use up? This eight-ingredient chicken salad is perfect for that.
It comes together quickly with absolutely no cooking and can feed up to six people. It tastes great by itself or on crackers, bread, or a bed of greens.
Thanks to the heavy whipping cream, it also has the most phenomenal creamy texture.
21 Best Autumn Salad Recipes
4
servings15
minutes15
minutes436
kcalThese autumn salad recipes will put you in the spirit of the season. Don’t know where to start? Try this recipe for my favorite autumn chicken salad.
Ingredients
- For the honey mustard vinaigrette
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
- For the chicken
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon onion powder, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
- For the salad
4 cups salad greens (kale, lettuce, spinach, etc.)
1 medium apple, chopped
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- For the honey mustard vinaigrette
- Select a medium-sized bowl and rub the sides and bottom of it with the halved garlic clove.
- Add the mustard, honey, and white wine vinegar. Whisk vigorously to combine. Then, slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking continuously.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- For the chicken
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the oil to a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until hot. Then, add the chicken breasts and cook for 3-5 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then, slice them into strips.
- For the salad
- While the chicken finishes cooking, prepare the salad ingredients. Combine them all in a large bowl.
- Then, top the salad with the sliced chicken.
- Drizzle the salad with the honey mustard vinaigrette. Then, use tongs to thoroughly toss the salad.
- Serve with extra dressing on the side and enjoy!
Notes
- For an extra crunch and flavor, lightly toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant before adding them to the salad.
- If you prefer a milder onion flavor, soak the chopped red onions in cold water for about 10 minutes before adding them to the salad.
Nutrition
- Calories: 436kcal
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Protein: 18g
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Cholesterol: 38mg
- Sodium: 1045mg
- Potassium: 34mg
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 11g
- Calcium: 58mg
- Iron: 2mg
