Recipe Roundup

29 Fall Salads to Get You in That Leaf-Peeping Mood

We’d argue that fall is an underrated salad season. These recipes prove our point.

By Joe Sevier and The Editors of Epicurious

September 5, 2023

Sheetpan roasted squash and feta salad on an oval white plate.

While summer salads are glorious, we have a soft spot for fall salads. The best versions are feats of balance, cutting the bite of bitter greens with mellow roasted squash or root vegetables, crisp apples, or supple figs, getting dressed up with toasty walnuts or buttery pecans, shavings of sharp cheese and hints of maple syrup. These salads often work as complete meals on their own—but they’re also ideal for accompanying whatever dinner you feel like roasting now that the weather has cooled enough to turn on your oven again. Scroll down for 29 must-make fall salad recipes to get started.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
1/29
Escarole, Pear, Parmesan, and Basil Leaf Salad
The best fall salads help the season’s produce shine, often balancing sweet and savory flavors. Here, fresh basil and pears add fragrance, while toasty hazelnuts contribute richness to offset the slightly bitter greens.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
2/29
Air-Fryer Brussels Sprouts Salad With Spiced Maple Vinaigrette
The air fryer treats your brussels sprouts right, coaxing out crispy edges and caramelized nubbins. This salad, with its earthy maple vinaigrette and dried cranberries or tart cherries, is ready to be the star of your new fall dinner rotation. It’s a hearty way to use up any cooked farro, barley, or quinoa that you might have around.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
3/29
Endive, Apple, and Celery Salad With Smoked Almonds and Cheddar
A mix of sweet, smoky, and pleasingly bitter notes gives this crisp, bright salad a modern flair.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
4/29
Sheet-Pan Roasted Squash and Feta Salad
This squash salad with radicchio could be a weekday dinner main course—or a showstopping Thanksgiving side dish. It offers all the fall flavors you want, with tons of satisfying texture too.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
5/29
Kale Salad With Brussels Sprouts, Apples, and Hazelnuts
You may feel like you’ve already got kale salads covered, but brussels sprouts, apples, Gouda, radishes, and hazelnuts turn this version into something special enough to serve to guests.
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Photo by Kate Schwager
6/29
Miso-Harissa Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts Salad
The savory power of miso meets the heat of harissa in this autumnal salad of squash and brussels sprouts. Serve alongside a roast chicken or pork tenderloin.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
7/29
Red-Wine-Poached Pears With Goat Cheese Sabayon, Pumpernickel, and Pine Nuts
Is it a salad? A cheese course? We’d say this spinach and pear salad is a bit of both: an elegant starter or coda for your next special occasion meal.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
8/29
Frisée and Carrot Ribbon Salad With Za’atar-Lemon Vinaigrette
The herbaceous spice blend lends complexity of flavor to this carrot salad. Green seedless grapes add a touch of sweet-tart brightness.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
9/29
Simplest Kale Salad
Memorize the recipe for this easy kale salad and make it your go-to side for any family dinner. Total time to get this on the table is just 30 minutes.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
10/29
Beet Salad With Pickled Mushrooms and Caramelized Shallots
Earthy beets and caramelized, pickled mushrooms give this salad plenty of wow factor. Instead of roasted beets, you’ll simply boil them here.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
11/29
Burnt Broccoli and Crushed Olive Salad
If you think broccoli is boring, you might just need better broccoli recipes. This broccoli salad gives you chargrilled flavor, minus the grill; deeply browning the broccoli in a cast-iron skillet instead. Squeeze some lemon juice over each serving at the table.
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Photo by Chris Court and William Meppem
12/29
Smoky Pumpkin, Spelt, Pomegranate, and Feta Salad
This fall grain salad combines spelt with kabocha squash that’s been roasted in a smoky paprika and pomegranate molasses glaze.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Jennifer Ophir
13/29
Autumn Kale Salad
This dish celebrates the colors and flavors of fall, adding sweet raisins and caramelized delicata squash to contrast the slightly bitter kale. It’s a winning combo that’s great for potlucks.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
14/29
Kale Salad With Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Seeds
Roasted garlic adds serious depth to the Dijon-mustard-and-maple-syrup-spiked vinaigrette used here. This is lovely as a side salad, but can also be prepped ahead for weekday lunches. Add the pumpkin seeds for crunch at the last minute.
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Photo by Johnny Miller
15/29
Farro Salad With Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Red Onion, and Goat Cheese
Sweet potatoes and red onions caramelize gorgeously in the oven, but the key to this fall harvest salad is the tangy goat cheese and zippy vinaigrette, which balance out the sweetness of those veggies.
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Photo by William Meppem and Chris Court
16/29
Honey-Roasted Vegetable Salad
This recipe from Donna Hay calls for pumpkin, cauliflower, and baby heirloom carrots, but it’ll work with any vegetables you like to roast. Follow our guide for vegetable roasting temps and times.
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Photo by Laura Dart and A.J. Meeker
17/29
Bitter Greens Salad With Melted Cheese
Baking a salad might make you nervous, but a quick moment in the oven will only wilt the greens slightly and yet melt the cheese so that it cloaks the greens nicely.
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Photo by Johnny Miller
18/29
Romaine Salad with Rye Crisps and Lemon-Pecorino Vinaigrette
If you like a classic Caesar salad, you’ll enjoy this update, which adds in mint leaves for freshness and toasty rye croutons.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
19/29
Som Thum Tua-Thai
If you cannot find green papaya to make the classic Thai salad, try this smashed green bean version instead.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
20/29
Tempura Kale Salad With Shiitake Mushrooms, Raisins, and Almonds
The crispy, crunchy tempura kale in this salad takes the place of breadcrumbs, adding a filling bite that will have you going back for more.
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Photo by Johnny Miller
21/29
Roasted Acorn and Delicata Squash Salad
Cooked wheat berries bulk up this peppery mustard greens and arugula salad.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
22/29
Shaved Carrot and Radish Salad With Herbs and Pumpkin Seeds
This gorgeous tumble of carrot ribbons and mixed herbs provides a crunchy, fresh counterpoint to any rich main dish.
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Photo by Nicole Franzen
23/29
Za'atar Sweet Potatoes and Garlicky Kale
Craving salad but want something warm? This dish of roasted sweet potatoes and kale dressed with olive oil, sesame seeds, sumac, dried thyme, and garlic is everything you want.
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Photo by Paul Grimes
24/29
Boston Lettuce Wedges With Zinfandel Vinaigrette and Stilton
Blue cheese fans: This elegant salad is ready for your fanciest dinner party.
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Photo by Lara Ferroni
25/29
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad With Arugula, Pancetta, and Hazelnuts
Tangled butternut squash ribbons embrace a mix of spicy arugula, savory pancetta, and toasted hazelnuts. Now all you need is a roast turkey with gravy for the ultimate fall meal.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Laura Rege
26/29
Grilled Chicken Salad With Romesco Sauce
We might think of summer as grilling season, but slightly cooler weather makes the whole process more pleasant. For this main course salad, you’ll purée grilled bell peppers, almond butter, sherry vinegar, and garlic to make smoky-sweet sauce that’s great served with garlicky grilled chicken, Little Gems or romaine, half-moons of cucumber, sliced red onion, and parsley.
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Photo by Nicole Franzen
27/29
Radicchio Salad With Pickled Grapes and Goat Cheese
Crunchy, bitter, acidic, juicy: If these words don’t make you think of salad, this gorgeous dish is about to expand your vocabulary.
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Hirsheimer & Hamilton
28/29
Kohlrabi and Apple Salad With Caraway
If you’re not sure what to make with kohlrabi, start with this refreshing salad, best served alongside ham, sausages, or a pork roast.
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Tara Donne, food styling by Diana Yen
29/29
Five-Spice Fall Fruit Salad
Fruit salads can be fall salads, too—it’s a great time for juicy plums and figs. This recipe takes advantage of the warm flavors of ginger and five-spice powder.
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Following stints at StarChefs and Saveur, Joe joined Epicurious in 2016 where he’s written about how to make the very best biscuits, the singularity of third-culture cooking, and the ultimate cream cheese frosting. Currently, he works across both BA and Epi as the senior SEO editor for cooking stories, which... Read more

Senior SEO Editor, Cooking

The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here.