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 are the salad items list? ›

The list of salad vegetables includes broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, endive, escarole, green onions, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, bell peppers, chili peppers, radishes, romaine, spinach and tomatoes. Market them well to drive profits to your bottom line.

How many people eat salad on Thanksgiving? ›

Among US adults who celebrate Thanksgiving and contribute to making the meal, mashed potatoes are the most likely dish to be made from scratch (72%), followed by gravy (52%), salad (51%), and stuffing or dressing (50%).

What should be in a salad? ›

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.

Should salad be served at Thanksgiving? ›

Yes, people eat salad at Thanksgiving. About 28% of tables in the US will serve a green salad, 9% a Caesar salad. The people most likely to have a salad are on the West Coast and are spread all over the political spectrum.

What are 10 things to put in a salad? ›

Salad Topping Ideas
  • Vegetables. Asparagus, Beets, Artichoke hearts, Cucumbers, Peppers, Carrots, Broccoli, ...
  • Eggs. Hard-boiled, Poached, Soft-boiled.
  • Whole Grains. Couscous, Farro, Quinoa, Barley, Rice.
  • Seeds. Pepitas, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds.
  • Dried Fruit. ...
  • Vegetarian Protein. ...
  • Seafood. ...
  • Meat.
Feb 4, 2020

What are the 5 basic salad types? ›

The five basic types of salad are green salads (tossed or composed), bound, vegetable, fruit, and combination. The five basic salads that can be served throughout the course of a meal are starter, accompaniment, main course, intermezzo, and dessert.

What is the most important meal on Thanksgiving Day? ›

Key takeaways. Turkey reigns supreme as the nation's favorite Thanksgiving Day dish. Most folks think spending time with loved ones is the most important part of Thanksgiving.

Is potato salad Thanksgiving food? ›

Potato salad is a classic on the African American table for Thanksgiving. It brings soul and is the perfect leftover dish the next day. There's no Thanksgiving at my house without potato salad and mac and cheese. Technique tip: You want the potatoes not too firm and not too soft.

What are the top 5 Thanksgiving foods purchased in the US? ›

What are the top Thanksgiving Foods?
  • Turkey.
  • Mashed potatoes.
  • Mac and Cheese.
  • Stuffing.
  • Green Bean Casserole.
  • Sweet Potato Casserole.
  • Cranberry sauce.
  • Gravy.
Nov 3, 2023

What is the most important ingredient in a salad? ›

Choosing the Ingredients

"The most important thing for me in a salad is crisp, fresh greens," says Chef Joseph Buenconsejo, with whom I co-own Rooted Seeds Catering in Danbury, Connecticut. "They add texture and are the body of the salad." When shopping for salad ingredients, look for the freshest produce you can find.

What can I put in a salad to make it more interesting? ›

Add spices and flavours such as paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, harissa or parmesan. Add acidity or sourness with vinegar, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses to transform your salad.

What is traditionally served for Thanksgiving? ›

The classic Thanksgiving dinner includes old-time favorites that never change: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie. But the way these dishes are made or added to is everchanging because of food trends and different dietary requirements.

Should you skip lunch on Thanksgiving? ›

No, you should not skip breakfast (but do not overdo it).

You may be tempted to skip breakfast, or lunch if your Thanksgiving meal is at dinnertime, but resist that temptation. If you starve yourself ahead of time, you may be more likely to eat much more than you would have had you eaten beforehand.

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

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.

What are the most popular salad toppings? ›

Salad Toppings
  • Chicken.
  • Chicken sausage.
  • Cottage cheese.
  • Deli meat.
  • Edamame.
  • Eggs.
  • Ground meat, like beef, turkey, chicken.
  • Ham.
Mar 4, 2023

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