Best Thanksgiving Salads for Festive Gatherings

Thanksgiving has a lot to offer at the start of the holiday season. I wait for it every fall to be with loved ones and unite in holiday spirit. A significant part of the Thanksgiving mood is the food and dinner parties; Thanksgiving salads are indispensable for a spot-on dinner table.

The versatility, freshness, and vibrant colors make Thanksgiving salads essential for a complete feast. This article lists the best Thanksgiving salad recipes, and there is something for everyone. Scroll down to find the most delicious Thanksgiving salad ideas.    

Waldorf Salad

A well-established culinary classic, Waldorf salad sophistically completes every holiday dinner. It’s a tasty combination of apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts traditionally served on a leaf of lettuce covered in a creamy dressing. Waldorf salad delicately brings together sour, tangy, sweet, and creamy in one bite.

Prosciutto Melon Mozzarella Salad

This light and refreshing salad is a delightful blend of sweet melon, savory prosciutto, and creamy mozzarella, making it a perfect starter for your Thanksgiving meal. It’s quick to prepare, beautifully presented, and sure to impress your guests with its balance of flavors.

High-Protein Cottage Cheese Salad

This Simple Cottage Cheese Salad is a refreshing addition to your Thanksgiving menu. It’s light, protein-rich, and complements heavier dishes wonderfully, making it a great choice for a balanced feast.

Healthy Kidney Beans Salad

Add color and nutrition to your Thanksgiving table with a Healthy Kidney Beans Salad. It’s a vibrant, satisfying dish that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate.

Autumn Apple and Pear Salad

Two of the season’s favorite fruits, apple and pear, transform into a delicious salad with an autumn apple and pear salad recipe. With feta cheese and bacon, this salad perfectly balances sweet and salty. It’s pretty straightforward to make and looks very appealing.

Sweet Potato Salad 

Baked sweet potatoes combined with a handful of other ingredients and a rich dressing make a yummy side dish for the dinner table. Sweet potato salad captures vibrant autumn colors. Served warm, it is a hearty choice for crowded gatherings. 

Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad

Autumn is associated with orange-colored specialties of Mother Nature, and butternut squash is one of them. Paired with spinach, this fall delicacy makes a tasty salad. This butternut squash and spinach salad recipe, enriched with pecans, cranberries, and pomegranate, is a great addition to Thanksgiving dinners.

Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is a classic treat for the holiday season. It’s an impressive salad with lots of vegetables, crispy croutons, cheese, and a special dressing. It pairs well with any protein, and also with vegetable and pasta dishes.

Coleslaw

It’s hard to imagine a holiday dinner gathering without coleslaw. The sweetness of cabbage and carrots, combined with onions, herbs, and the creamy dressing, creates a delicate balance of flavors. Another great feature of coleslaw is that you can make it ahead.

Apple Slaw

This apple slaw recipe is a variation on the classic coleslaw. It introduces apples to the cabbage-carrot duo and contains almonds for extra crunchiness. 

Easy Orange Pomegranate Salad

Just look at those bright, vibrant colors! This salad brings together fruits, vegetables, and nuts in the most appealing manner. It’s a healthy side dish with lots of flavor. 

Fall Harvest Vegan Pasta Salad

This salad is a hearty choice for those embracing a plant-based diet. Regardless of the diet, most people enjoy the tasteful combination of pasta with vegetables, pecans, and a silky dressing. Also, the leftovers make a perfect lunch. 

Orecchiette Caprese Pasta Salad

What is not to like an enriched caprese salad with pasta? Follow this orecchiette caprese pasta salad recipe, and learn how to transform basic ingredients into a super delicious and comforting side dish.  

Fall Harvest Salad

Although classified as a side dish, fall harvest salad is a dinner on a plate. Roasted chicken breasts and baked sweet potatoes mixed with salad base and vinaigrette make a satisfying meal.  

Broccoli Salad 

Broccoli salad is a Thanksgiving dinner special that simultaneously offers tasty and healthy food. This recipe uses raw broccoli. Bacon, cranberries, sunflower kernels, and red onion complete and elevate the taste of the star ingredient. Toss all ingredients in the mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar dressing, and you have a perfectly balanced, flavorful salad.  

Bacon and Brussels Sprout Salad

For those who want to serve something different, bacon and Brussels sprout salad can be a good choice. When raw Brussels sprouts meet cooked bacon, almonds, cheese, and citrus dressing, the result is a healthy salad hard to resist. 

Roast Pumpkin Salad with Pine Nuts

Roast a tray of pumpkins, mix with a few ingredients, and you have a simple yet elegant Thanksgiving salad. You can serve this salad warm or cold or prepare it ahead.

Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad with Tofu

This plant-based salad is a healthy yet satisfying choice for the Thanksgiving table. Sauteed Brussels sprouts and kale, combined with glazed tofu, make a delicious combination. The cooking process brings out all the extra taste and sweetness of the vegetables.

Classic Cauliflower Salad

Cauliflower is a healthy, hearty vegetable with lots of room for creativity. This classic cauliflower salad recipe is one of the most straightforward yet tasty dishes one can make with this fall/winter special. Roast the cauliflower until tender-crisp, and toss all the ingredients in a bowl. There, you have a delicious salad that compliments any dinner! 

Wild Rice Salad

Although technically not classified as “rice,” wild rice is a beloved North American kitchen staple. It is generally used similarly to other rice varieties, and this wild rice salad recipe is no exception. Cooked wild rice, some fresh ingredients, feta cheese, and a maple-infused dressing make a satisfying salad.

Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato

Grains make the heartiest salads; this brown rice salad is a great example. The combination of long-grain brown rice, sweet potatoes, pecans, dried cranberries, and an orange juice dressing is a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving dinner.

Fall Kale and Farro Salad

This plant-based salad is an excellent choice for vegans and healthy eaters. The nutty flavor of farro greatly pairs with the freshness of kale. Toasted walnuts, dried cherries, and the lemon oregano vinaigrette bring freshness, acidity, and crunchiness to perfectly complete the dish.

Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad

Cranberry apple quinoa salad is a tasty gluten-free alternative for the holiday feast. It is refreshing and almost effortless. Combine cooked quinoa with fruits, veggies, nuts, and dressing; that’s all! 

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad

This recipe transforms a seasonal treat, the vibrant delicata squash, into a layered and flavorful salad. The colors perfectly reflect the season’s spirit. 

Kohlrabi Slaw

This is another variation of coleslaw, using crispy kohlrabi as the main ingredient. Kohlrabi slaw is a good alternative for those looking for something different for the Thanksgiving feast.

Spiral Carrot and Orange Salad

Carrots and oranges reflect warm fall colors. And what can be more suited to the season than a salad combining these two? The sweetness of carrots and the acidity of oranges complement each other, and the extra ingredients enhance the flavor while adding taste layers.

These are Thanksgiving salad ideas from which anyone can find at least a few favorites. The creators of these flavorful, colorful, and festive recipes deserve appreciation. Thank you, guys! Happy holidays!