This Fall Harvest Salad is crunchy, sweet, salty, and hearty.  It’s loaded with apples, feta cheese, and candied pecans and tossed in a homemade honey mustard vinaigrette for the perfect Thanksgiving or holiday salad.

If you’re looking for even more autumn salad ideas, you can also try this Winter Fruit Salad, Ramen Cabbage Salad, or Warm German Potato Salad.

A large salad bowl full of this fall. harvest salad, topped with sliced apples, tomatoes, walnuts, and cheese.

Fall Harvest Salad Recipe

You will want to make some room on your Thanksgiving menu for this Fall Harvest Salad—it is always a major hit.  It’s got crunchy apples, sweet candied pecans, and salty feta cheese, all coated in a light and tasty honey mustard vinaigrette.

It’s also easy to adapt, swapping in kale for the spring mix, pepitas for the pecans or homemade croutons, or using apple cider vinaigrette instead of honey mustard.  For some more recipe variation ideas, see our suggestions below.  No matter what you do, just be sure and make plenty. 

And if you’re looking for salad dressing recipes, we’ve got you covered.

A hand pouring salad dressing over a harvest salad in a large white bowl.

Key Ingredients

  • Salad Greens – we suggest using a Spring Mix, but you can use any combination of lettuces, spinach, arugula or other salad green mixes that you like.  This would also taste great if you substituted kale.
  • Feta Cheese – buy crumbled feta, or crumble it yourself from a block.  You could also use goat cheese instead.
  • Candied Pecans – it’s easy to make your own candied pecans.  If you have a nut allergy, use toasted or candied pumpkin seeds instead.
  • Apples – we suggest a crisp, tart apple such as Granny Smith or Honey Crisp.  If you want to prevent them from browning, toss in a small amount of lemon juice just after cutting.
  • Honey – use your favorite type of honey or even substitute maple syrup.
  • Mustard – dijon mustard tastes best in this recipe.
  • Olive Oil – since this will be eaten raw and not for cooking, we suggest using a higher quality olive oil.
Small ramekins on a cutting board filled with ingredients for making honey mustard vinaigrette.

How to Make This Harvest Salad Recipe

  1. Add salad ingredients to bowl.  In a large bowl, add the Spring Mix salad greens, feta cheese, chopped candied pecans and sliced apples.  Gently toss.
  2. Make the honey mustard vinaigrette.  In a blender, combine the honey, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Turn on to medium speed then slowly add in the olive oil, giving it time to emulsify.
  3. Toss and serve.  Transfer the dressing to a pourable container and drizzle over the salad.  Toss, then serve.  Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

  • Add protein. Add bacon, prosciutto or sliced chicken.
  • Switch up the dressing. Use a different dressing, such as apple cider vinaigrette.
  • Add oven-roasted squash. Try adding diced roasted butternut squash.
  • Sprinkle in pomegranate seeds. These will give the salad a little extra crunch and color.
  • Switch up the salad greens. You can use baby arugula, spinach or any mixture that you like.
  • Make it nut free. Use toasted or candied pumpkin seeds instead of candied pecans for nut allergies.
  • Other mix-in ideas. Add other mix-ins such as dried cranberries, chopped figs, toasted pepitas or peanuts.
A large bowl full of autumn harvest salad with sliced apples, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and candied pecans.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

You can make parts of this salad ahead of time.  The vinaigrette can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.  Just before using, shake it well to re-emulsify, then drizzle over the salad.

You can also make the candied pecans 3 weeks in advance, as long as they are stored properly in the fridge.

Can I use kale instead of salad mix?

Yes!  This fall green salad tastes great with either regular or baby kale.  You’ll want to be sure and massage the kale first.  Just remove any tough stems and add the kale to a large bowl, along with a few pinches of salt, a bit of olive oil and lemon juice.  Massage forcefully with your hands until it turns darker green and is much more tender. 

How can I make the honey mustard dressing without a blender?

If you don’t have a blender, never fear!  Add everything but the olive oil to a large bowl, whisk together, then slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking until it emulsifies.

5 from 3 votes

Fall Harvest Salad Recipe

Author The Carefree Kitchen
This Fall Harvest Salad is crunchy, sweet, salty and hearty.  It’s loaded with apples, feta cheese and candied pecans and tossed in a homemade honey mustard vinaigrette for the perfect Thanksgiving or holiday salad.
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Yields6 people

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Spring Mix Salad Greens
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Candied Pecans, chopped
  • 2 large Honey Crisp or Granny Smith Apples, sliced thinly

Honey Mustard Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, add the Spring Mix salad greens, feta cheese, chopped candied pecans and sliced apples. Gently toss.
  • In a blender, combine the honey, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Turn on to medium speed then slowly add in the olive oil, giving it time to emulsify.
  • Transfer the dressing to a pourable container and drizzle over the salad. Toss, then serve. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 5676IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
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More of the Best Salad Recipes

This Fall Harvest Salad is made with crunchy apples, sweet candied pecans and salty feta cheese all coated in honey mustard vinaigrette. It’s the perfect salad to serve at Thanksgiving or any other fall feast.

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5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. This salad was a big hit with my family! I loved the dressing, so delicious.

  2. This was a great light meal after a weekend of indulging. Thanks for sharing!

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