The best Fall Harvest Salad recipe topped with crisp apple, tender butternut squash, tart cranberries, and crunchy pumpkin seeds topped w/ Apple Cider Vinaigrette. This Autumn Salad is comforting, filling, and tastes so delicious.
Fall weather might still be a few weeks away in the mountains but that doesn't mean we can't start embracing some of the joyfully delicious flavors of the season. Today I'm sharing a vegetarian salad that just screams hay rides, golden leaves, and apple picking. Whether you serve this gorgeous bowl for a family dinner all fall or save it for the Thanksgiving dinner table it's sure to be a big hit.
Fall Harvest Salad recipe
This Fall Harvest Salad recipe features just a few of my favorite Autumn ingredients including perfect spiced and roasted butternut squash, apples, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and a sprinkling of blue cheese to bring all the flavors together. No pumpkin here but this bowl still celebrates the season with all kinds of style.
Why you'll love this Autumn Harvest Salad...
If you are thinking salads are just for summer... you are wrong. This Autumn Harvest Salad is a perfect seasonal plate that plays off the season with a bounty of textures and flavors that explode in your mouth. This all comes together as a cozy bowl of deliciousness the whole family will love.
The key to this hearty salad is perfectly roasted Butternut Squash. You roast it at 400 degrees until it browns just a little to bring out the flavors. The creamy, yet sweet vegetable is the perfect hearty topping to a Fall Harvest Salad. Did you know that butternut squash is full of vitamins like A & C? It's also a great source of magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Check out this post about I make my Butternut Squash. It includes step by step instructions on how to cut and break down your own squash.
You could also use sweet potatoes, but there is something special about the squash.
Ingredients in the Salad:
So what else is in this salad? Here's the list...
- Roasted Butternut Squash: This underrated orange squash is actually a superfood and the perfect way to add some heartiness to a Fall Harvest Salad.
- Apples: You can't have a fall salad without apples! I picked Honey Crisp for my bowl but use whichever variety you love.
- Dried Cranberries: Tart, dried cranberries have just the right about of chewiness and flavor.
- Blue Cheese: Rich blue cheese pair perfectly with all the other flavors. You could also use goat or feta cheese too.
- Pumpkin Seeds: Pumpkin seeds are crispy and add just a bit of crunch and texture to the salad.
- Greens: Pick your favorite greens as a base for this salad. I love this with spinach, arugula or even kale!
This Fall Harvest Salad recipe is packed with the most delicious seasonal ingredients.
How to make the Fall Harvest Salad...
- Start by roasting your butternut squash in a hot oven until it's tender and just starts to brown.
- Fill your bowl with your favorite greens and top with the apples, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and blue cheese.
- Top with one of my delicious homemade salad dressings!
Salad Dressing for Fall Harvest Salad
So what about the salad dressing for this lovely Fall Harvest Salad recipe? I specialize in creating and sharing homemade salad dressings and so many would-be delicious on this salad.
- Homemade Apple Cider Vinaigrette - This light and vibrant salad dressing showcase apple flavor making it the most obvious choice for this salad.
- Homemade & Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing - This light and creamy greek yogurt-based Honey Mustard Dressing is the perfect combination of tart and sweet to pair with this salad.
- Healthy Lemon Tahini Dressing - The creamy tahini pairs perfectly with the rich flavors of this salad.
Those three are my personal picks but if you want a more traditional vinaigrette, you might want to try my Healthy Greek Salad Dressing or Red Wine Vinaigrette.
Variation and Pro Tips:
- Use hearty curly kale to make this a Make-Ahead Fall Salad. The kale will not wilt and the other ingredients are also hearty so you could make it ahead and it would keep.
- Swap out the butternut squash or any other of your favorite fall root vegetables.
- Add some quinoa to it for more protein and to make it even more of a rounded meal.
- Put it on a large platter to impress everyone at your Thanksgiving table.
What is an Autumn Salad?
An Autumn Salad celebrates everyone wonderful about fall! This is the perfect Autumn Salad because it is bursting with all the best flavors of the season like squash, apples, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and blue cheese.
This Fall Harvest Salad recipe is really one unforgettable salad. It's so much more than your standard bowl of greens, packed with flavors and textures that will remind you of all the crisp morning and gorgeous changing leaves ahead.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
More Healthy Salad Recipes to Try:
- Baked Salmon Kale Salad
- Copycat Panera Strawberry Caprese Salad
- Hearty Vegan Cobb Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing
- Beet and Apple Salad
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
Fall Harvest Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups greens
- 1 cup roasted butternut squash
- ½ apple, chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Dressing Options:
Instructions
- Fill two bowls with your favorite greens. Divide the toppings and top the greens with the butternut squash, apple, dried cranberries, blue cheese and pumpkin seeds.
- Drizzle with the salad dressing.
- Serve immediatly!
Notes
Nutrition
Pin for later:
Alexis says
What a delicious salad and a perfect meal to enjoy on a warm summer evening. I love that I could add just about anything to this dish to make it more.
Sapna says
That is one healthy salad with amazon fall flavors. I am bookmarking it to try soon. Love tart cranberries and they sound so interesting in this salad.Nice share.
Sapna says
That is one healthy salad with amazon fall flavors. I am bookmarking it to try soon. Love tart cranberries and they sound so interesting in this salad.
Beth says
Roasted butternut squash is always so popular in my house, I know this salad will be a hit since we all love blue cheese, too.
Gail Montero says
This salad is loaded with everything I love about fall! Looks so filling and makes quite a healthy lunch option!
Sarah James says
What a delicious salad and perfect for this time of year. Love the cheese and apple combination, thanks for sharing.
Chef Dennis says
I made this salad for lunch today and it was a big hit with the whole family! Its going on our menu rotation
Kari Alana says
I love all the ingredients in you fall salad. This looks like such a fun and easy recipe to try so thank you so much for sharing!
Emily says
I love all the flavor combinations in this delicious Fall harvest salad, especially the blue cheese and apple!
Marta says
The sweet and savory combo of this salad made it a hit with us. I only had pecans, so I used them in place of the pumpkin seeds and it was still amazing.
Amy Liu Dong says
A perfect fall salad recipe to make, it so easy, delicious and healthy.I love it!
Jacqueline Debono says
I love autumn salads and this one is no exception. Great idea to add roasted squash.
Fred N says
That's a loaded salad with a lot of great health benefits! I'm gong to try this recipe soon because I like to take a break from meat. Thanks for sharing!
Fred N says
That's a loaded salad with a lot of great health benefits! I get tired of eating meats sometimes I think that will be the perfect time for this great recipe.
Jere Cassidy says
This salad looks amazing. I love all the ingredients and that roasted squash look so good. Can't wait to make this.
Lesli Schwartz says
I love all of the ingredients in this harvest salad! It's the perfect time of year for apple salads and your recipe really stands out! Can't wait to make this, healthy too!
Kushigalu says
Love fall season alot. This salad looks so perfect. Love the combination of ingredients. Perfect fall recipe
Taleen | Just As Tasty says
This truly looks like the perfect Fall salad! Love the idea of mixing butternut squash and apples together, sounds like a delicious combo!
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
so looking forward all the Fall flavors and colors! these look really yum and i like the flavors in this harvest bowl.
Angela Cardamone @marathonsandmotivation.com says
This is such a delicious combination of fall flavors! I can't wait to make this again, it was perfect for lunch and will be a great side at dinner!!!
Leslie says
You have created a true, fall, salad masterpiece! This fall salad looks heavenly with your variation of flavors and textures!
Deborah Brooks says
I love apples in my salads. Looks like another tasty winner!
Stine Mari says
I love using seasonal produce in my salads. This is definitely the perfect fall harvest salad!