My go-to recipe for a fall salad is festive, easy, and delicious. Salads can get really boring really fast but there are endless ways to spice them up (pun intended.. because it's fall) and keep your taste buds interested.

How to Make a Festive Fall Salad
My fall salad is with classic autumn foods - butternut squash, walnuts (or pecans), and dried cranberries. I also tossed in some goat (or feta) cheese and pulled chicken. To top everything off, I used a pumpkin hummus dressing that has such a unique flavor and switches up your normal go-to salad dressing. The key to great salad is the toppings and dressing, and this festive fall salad recipe has all of the above.
Ingredients
- Kale + lettuce - I love using a combination of a dark green lettuce (like kale, baby spinach, mixed greens, etc.) and crunchy lettuce (romaine, butter lettuce, even iceberg). This combo will provide a variety of textures as well as nutrients!
- Roasted butternut squash - butternut squash is like THE fall squash but you could also use pumpkin or sweet potatoes! Adding a complex carb (like butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato) will making this salad filling and give you steady energy.
- Dried cranberries - any time I buy dried fruit, I always look for the "no sugar added" option. Dried fruit will always have sugar because it's fruit, but I like to limit the amount of sugar that's added to the naturally sweet fruit. You could use raisins, golden raisins, or fresh apples or pears!
- Walnuts - adding nuts to salads provides a great crunch and nutty flavor, as well as those healthy unsaturated fats. You could use pecans or slivered almonds in lieu of walnuts!
- Goat cheese - what's a salad without cheese?! Goat cheese is one of my fav cheeses to toss in a salad, especially this fall salad. Feta cheese would work great as well! I look for low-fat cheeses to cut back on saturated fat (fat-free cheese is just not tasty in my opinion so I go for low-fat).
- Shredded chicken - since I love a good entrée salad, I always add a protein source like chicken, shrimp, salmon, turkey burger, or beans! Adding at least 3-4oz of protein will make this a filling meal. Since it's a festive fall salad, turkey would work great! Hellooo Thanksgiving leftovers idea - kinda like this salad here!
- Pumpkin hummus vinaigrette - yep, it's a thing (at least I just made it a thing). This is the perfect fall salad dressing because #pumpkin but any flavor of hummus will work! I love using hummus in salads because it contains fiber and healthy fats. This is my favorite hummus recipe that we used to make this dressing!
Recipe FAQ
A common reason people say they don't like salads as a meal is because they get hungry an hour later. Adding lean proteins like chicken, seafood, and turkey in addition to healthy fats like nuts, hummus, and seeds will make a salad more filling, keeping you fuller longer!
I am a huge fan of making my own salad dressing because I control what goes in it (and thus less preservatives). I recommend choosing vinaigrettes and oil-based dressings over creamy dressings. My hummus vinaigrette is great because it tastes like a creamy dressing without the dairy!
Use your favorite fall ingredients! I loaded our easy fall salad recipe with common fall foods like butternut squash, dried cranberries, and walnuts, but you can swap those out for your favorite add-ins (see what I recommend above)!
Other recipes you may like
If you love my easy festive fall salad recipe, you will love these too:
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Thanksgiving Leftovers Salad
- Honey Lime Vinaigrette Recipe
- Best Hummus Recipe
- Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Rate & Review
If you made my festive fall salad, please rate and review my recipe below! I would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag me on insta @theperfectpearr so I can see your creation!
PrintFestive Fall Salad
My fall salad is with classic autumn foods - butternut squash, walnuts (or pecans), and dried cranberries. I also tossed in some goat (or feta) cheese and pulled chicken. To top everything off, I used a pumpkin hummus dressing that has such a unique flavor and switches up your normal go-to salad dressing. The key to great salad is the toppings and dressing, and this festive fall salad recipe has all of the above.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 salad 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cups (40g) kale
- 2 cups (74g) butter greens or romaine lettuce
- ⅓ cup (57g) roasted butternut squash
- 2 Tbsp (19g) no sugar added dried cranberries
- 1 Tbsp (15g) chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1oz (27g) goat cheese
- 4-6oz shredded chicken or turkey
Dressing
- 1 cup (265g) pumpkin hummus
- ½ cup (55g) apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup (66g) high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp (8.5g) honey
- ¾ tsp (3g) seasoned salt like Tony's (or ½ tsp cayenne pepper + ¼ tsp salt)
Instructions
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk all dressing ingredients until fully combined.
- Drizzle 2-3 Tbsp dressing over salad and toss.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes one large entree salad but could be divided in half for side salads! You could also omit the chicken if you're pairing it with another protein source.
- Any salad dressing will work, I just love this pumpkin hummus!
- I recommend eating right away but the salad will keep in the fridge for one day (it will last longer if you wait to put the dressing on until right before you eat it).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salad
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 17
- Sodium: 476
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 15
- Protein: 44
- Cholesterol: 88
Keywords: fall salad, easy fall salad, autumn salad, easy autumn salad, easy fall salad recipe, healthy fall salad recipe, healthy salad recipe, festive fall salad, healthy fall salad, healthy autumn salad
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