31 Fall Salad Ideas That Will Nourish You
As much as we associate autumnal cooking with nursing Dutch ovens, leafy greens deserve a spot in your repertoire too. These fall salad ideas offer ample proof, boasting loads of seasonal produce like roasted butternut squash, colorful bitter greens, and crisp apples, all married by zingy dressings featuring mustard, maple syrup, and more. Even better, many of our favorite salad recipes are vehicles for warm proteins like chicken and salmon, promoting them from supporting side to main dish status. Others are baked entirely on a sheet pan, making for warm, hands-off salads that are perfect for back-to-school season. So break out your favorite salad bowl and get tossing.
Photograph by Chris Simpson, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker1/32Radicchio and Apple Salad With Mustardy Croutons
This bright and tangy fall salad idea 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 Thu Buser2/32Beets and Farro With Honey-Garlic Goat Cheese
We love precooked beets, which you should be able to find in your local produce department—and which significantly cut down your total time spent making this fall salad.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran3/32Crispy Rice Salad With Spicy Tahini Dressing
Leftover rice hanging out in the fridge? Turn it into this feel-good, chock-full salad that won’t leave you longing for your next meal after a couple hours. An unbeatable combination of avocado, edamame, radish, cabbage, and mango keeps things filling and fresh (and recipe developer Nina Moskowitz suggests subbing in Asian pear for mango to compensate for out-of-season mangoes).
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley4/32Roasted Cauliflower Salad With Feta And Dates
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni5/32Warm 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.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Sean Dooley6/32Raisin 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 Aaron Barton, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon7/32Maple-and-Bacon Fall Chopped Salad
Precut butternut squash from the market is a true weeknight time-saver here, cooking alongside bacon on a single baking sheet. As soon as the bacon is done, chopped walnuts take their place on the sheet pan to toast in the oven. Hard-boiled eggs and cheddar add heft, while fall’s crisp apples bring a sweet crunch.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen8/32Pumpernickel Panzanella
Panzanella needn’t hibernate in the fall; use floral oranges in 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.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams9/32Quinoa-Bean Salad With Lots of Dill
The dressing in this nutrient-dense bean salad features Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and sumac—tangy enough to revive writer Annah Feinberg after giving birth.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh10/32Bean and Vegetable Salad With Potlikker Vinaigrette
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones11/32Broccoli 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 Boytsova12/32Sesame 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 Allen13/32Herby Salmon and Potato Salad
Photograph by Jenny Huang, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Martha Bernabe14/32Asian Pear Salad With Peanut-Lime Dressing
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro15/32Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Sean Dooley16/32Bob’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 Joe Lingeman, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco17/32Festive Red Cabbage and Radicchio Salad
Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley18/32Divorce 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 Leng19/32Bitter Greens With Cranberry Dressing
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni20/32Laotian-Style Chicken and Rice Salad
21/32Raw 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.
Photo by Gentl and Hyers, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Nina Lalli22/32Pomegranate-Parsley Tabbouleh
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker23/32Kale 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 Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Allison Ritchie24/32Wedge 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 Julian Cousins, Food styling by Adriana Paschen25/32Radicchio, 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 extra-virgin 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 Paschen26/32Citrusy Arugula Salad With Fennel and Parmesan
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski27/32Shaved 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.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen28/32Smoky Chicken and Avocado Kale Salad
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski29/32Dinner Salad With Radicchio and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
When you want a hearty vegetarian fall supper that’s low on cook time, this salad with 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 Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua32/32Roasted Roots With Green Salsa
Gussy up roasted root vegetables—namely sweet potatoes and carrots—with a zippy green salsa in this weeknight fall salad idea that cooks on a sheet pan.
