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While Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude, there’s no question that it’s unequivocally a food-centric holiday. While you can expect all the classic fixings including , sweet potatoes covered with marshmallows, , green bean casserole and dinner rolls, complete your feast with a crisp and crunchy Thanksgiving salad. While a salad doesn’t have to necessarily mean a bowl of leafy greens, there should be a strong vegetable component.
I consider the taste, texture and visual appeal of the salads to add, making sure there’s an assortment that checks every box. As a cook, I start thinking about months in advance. There’s no question that I’ll make a spatchcocked bird that I dry brine a few days in advance.
There will be plenty of cocktails and oysters to pass, and I can count on my friends to bring a bevy of pies and an opera cake (a new tradition we’ve started). While I love the tradition of Thanksgiving, it’s also a time for me to get creative. My favorite part of the meal is actually thinking about all the other dishes to incorporate to round out the meal.
To me, that means making sure there’s enough salad-inspired dishes to pass. Read on for 28 of our favorite salad recipes that deserve a spot on your Thanksgiving table. are almost a requirement at Thanksgiving.
Instead of roasting them, serve them thinly shaved and doctored up with dried apricots, hazelnuts and Pecorino. Bright and crunchy, this salad offers a reprieve to all the typically heavy Thanksgiving food. You can use whatever mix of herbs and sturdy greens you can get your hands on, all with varying degrees of bitterness like escarole, endive and radicchio.
This arugula salad is a celebration of autumn’s bounty. It’s studded with , hazelnuts and chickpeas. Better yet, this dish comes together in under 30 minutes, making it an ideal contender to slip into the Thanksgiving menu.
For an unexpected Thanksgiving salad, we turn to this black rice-based dish. The rice is tossed with collard greens, scallions, tomatoes, mango and cashews, which add brightness and crunch. Dress it in a coconut milk-based dressing spiked with lime juice and rice vinegar for a bright, punchy flavor.
It doesn’t take much to make shaved Brussels sprouts shine. Here, they’re tossed with a simple lemon and olive oil vinaigrette, which tenderizes the sprouts. Add walnuts and Manchego for richness and crunch.
We love a make-ahead salad and this one fits the bill perfectly for Thanksgiving. The quinoa can be cooked, vegetables can be roasted and the dressing can be mixed and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days before assembly. Our favorite part is the crispy quinoa that takes the place of a crouton, adding crunch to every bite.
Transform a cobb salad into an autumnal side with a few swaps. The usual romaine, tomatoes and bacon are all present, but so are turkey, cranberries and . For even more Thanksgiving flair, make a cranberry juice dressing.
This stunning salad could be a meal unto itself. Hearty farro is combined with roasted carrots and dressed with a simple vinaigrette. For the greens, combine kale and arugula, as well as a bevy of add-ins for color and texture such as tomatoes, almonds and scallions.
We love a salad that combines grains, creating a heartier dish than your everyday salad. Here, kale is tossed with quinoa, pecans, avocado and apples. Dress it all up in a punchy Caesar dressing that can be made the night before.
Lentils are a great choice if you’re looking for some filling vegetarian sides this . Served warm or cold, the lentils can be made ahead of time and hold their flavor thanks to warming spices like coriander, paprika and ginger. You can add in any seasonal vegetables, but we opt for carrots and spinach during the holidays.
This simple salad packs a ton of flavor, thanks to a bright citrus-forward dressing and salty Marcona almonds. Pro tip: use a mandoline (carefully) to make the prospect of shaving six pounds of Brussels sprouts go quickly. While simple in preparation, this salad is anything but.
Each ingredient — earthy sweet potatoes, creamy feta cheese, peppery arugula — all bring bold flavors to the mix. Serve it as a side dish or a vegetarian main. Like the name says, this salad is all about the crunch factor.
Kale is inherently sturdy, making it the ideal base for crispy croutons, creamy white beans, sunflower seeds and sweet tomatoes. For added creaminess, toss it with a spicy tahini dressing. Usually thought of as a summer salad, panzanella gets the autumnal treatment with this seasonal dish.
Instead of tomatoes, hearty root vegetables like , squash, beets and turnips are tossed with crusty bread. Drizzle with our favorite versatile vinaigrette before serving. This refreshing salad is a unique way to enjoy Brussels sprouts — and it makes a perfect companion dish to a variety of savory mains.
Shaved sprouts are dressed in a nutty vinaigrette, which creates the bed of the salad. Top it with avocado, blanched green beans and broccoli and a dusting of crispy quinoa. In addition to the usual romaine, kale gets added to this take on a classic Caesar.
Instead of croutons, swap in pumpkin and sunflower seeds for some crunch. While we love this salad on its own, it’s a great base for adding in your protein of choice like seared chicken, shrimp or even tofu. Sheet pan recipes are always winners in our book, thanks to their ease of execution.
This one takes fall’s favorite vegetables and roasts them alongside chickpeas before tossing them with a pile of arugula. Add in goat cheese, pistachios and pomegranate seeds to finish before drizzling with tahini dressing. Sunny Anderson’s Brussels sprout salad has the big flavors of the holidays — cranberries, pecans, rosemary, nutmeg — while still being fresh and light.
The sprouts are barely cooked to remove the raw flavor but still offer some crunch, making the salad come together in minutes. The combination of citrus, onions and olives is loved all around the Mediterranean. This take on the classic Turkish orange-and-onion salad is a favorite in cooler months when citrus is at its peak.
While the recipe calls for spicy red watercress, any peppery greens work well here. Panzanella transforms into a fall favorite with Lidia Bastianich’s recipe. Butternut squash and Brussels sprouts are roasted until tender before getting tossed with crusty bread and soaked in vinegar.
Toss the salad with kale before serving. It doesn’t get easier than this simple kale salad. Make the apple cider-based dressing in a large serving bowl, then add kale, sliced apples and pecorino and toss to combine.
Balancing crunch and sweetness, it’s the perfect last-minute addition to your Thanksgiving table. Instead of the usual raw Brussels sprout salad, this dish cooks them quickly with shallots and garlic. The results are melt-in-your-mouth sprouts that still retain crunch and brightness.
Keep the dressing light with a squeeze of lemon juice. Pear and pomegranate are the darlings of fall fruit. Here, they’re studded in a festive fall salad that plays on sweet and savory notes.
With walnuts, spinach and crumbles of feta, this colorful dish is a perfect Thanksgiving side. Squash and shallots are roasted until tender and jammy with balsamic vinegar, which are the real stars of this salad. Served on a bed of greens and sprinkled with seeds, the salad is dressed with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette.
This gorgeous salad works just as well as a side as it does a vegetarian main for Thanksgiving. The butternut squash is generously seasoned and roasted while Brussels sprouts are fried until crispy, adding great flavor and texture to the salad. Finish it with a roasted jalapeño and garlic confit vinaigrette.
Transform leftover roasted vegetables into a hearty salad with this easy recipe. Dressed with a punchy vinaigrette and studded with pomegranate seeds and feta, there’s sweet, salty and crunchy bits in every bite. Allowing raw tough greens like kale and collards to marinate in dressing tenderizes the leaves.
If you’ve never made your own breadcrumbs, now’s the time to start. While store-bought is fine, the homemade version adds an extra crunch and flavor that’s hard to beat. Here, they’re tossed with kale and dressed in a red wine vinegar vinaigrette.
The key to the success of this kale salad is to start by massaging the leaves with some olive oil, lemon juice and salt, which breaks down the kale, resulting in a more pleasant mouthfeel — and it’s easier to digest. Studded with apples, goji berries, pancetta and Parmesan, it’s as festive an addition as it is delicious. Riley Wofford is a freelance recipe developer and food stylist based in NYC.
She has spent the last decade in the culinary field, transitioning from large-scale catering to editorial and commercial food media. Previously, she was a food editor at and an in-house food stylist at Marley Spoon and Dinnerly. She loves teaching people how to cook, especially when it comes to plant-forward meals.
In her free time, she enjoys spontaneous road trips, baseball games, and hanging out in the park with her dog, Millie..
