Fall Harvest Salad

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.

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.

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

More of the Best Salad Recipes

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• Berry Salad with Citrus Glaze
• Broccoli Salad with Bacon
• Grilled Chicken BLT Salad
• Warm German Potato Salad with Bacon
• Best Chicken Salad Recipe
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• More Winter Recipes
• Best Holiday 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.