This easy Autumn salad recipe is a great way to throw together the season’s best produce and all the most wonderful Fall flavors in one simple dish! It’s easy enough for a weeknight meal, but pretty enough for your Thanksgiving table. Tossed in a nutty, creamy, delicious walnut vinaigrette. 

Why You’ll Love This Autumn Salad Recipe

I love a good salad any time of year. But a fall salad needs to feel like a fall salad and this one is it. You have lots of freedom to add whatever else you like.

I was hoping to squeeze this beautiful salad recipe in before the Jewish holidays, but it just didn’t happen. The good news is that Fall is just getting started which means we’ll have fresh apples for a bit more! Yes, apples have a season (more reason to make this Olive Oil Apple Cake or this Skillet Apple Fritter Cake). Yes, I know we see them all year. But they are freshly picked from August through October. The rest of the year the apples have been picked in the fall and kept in cold storage.  In my opinion, apples are the tastiest right now!

I always like to have a take-away tip with every recipe I teach. For this one, it is about the dressing. When I come up with a salad recipe, the dressing is what requires tinkering to get it right (like this Easy Fall Salad with Fig-Balsamic Vinaigrette!) The salad components can really be flexible and fluid. So essentially you can take this dressing and make up your own salad based on what you have in your fridge and pantry, and what’s in season. One thing that I feel strongly about is that salads should represent what is in season!

I wanted to make a dressing with walnut oil but I didn’t want to buy a bottle. So I just used whole walnuts blended in the dressing and ta-da! I got the flavor of walnuts AND all the nutrients, fiber, and protein in the walnuts to boot. Plus, walnuts add a nice creaminess to the dressing which you can see from the image above. If you’re loving walnuts this season, try my Endive & Pear Salad with Walnuts next!

Ingredient Notes

Walnut Vinaigrette 

• raw apple cider vinegar

• walnuts: Have you ever tried blending walnuts into a vinaigrette? It imparts a nutty flavor, but also makes it creamy!

• pure maple syrup or honey

• sea salt

• black pepper

• ground cinnamon: There’s also a pinch of cinnamon in the dressing to lend that Fall warming spice to the mix. 

• extra-virgin olive oil

Autumn Salad Ingredients

• green leaf or red leaf lettuce

• tart apples: Like Granny Smith apples. Feel free to add some sweetness with a sweet-tart apple like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, or Gala. Apples with flaky salt is not to be overlooked. So good!

• toasted pumpkin seeds

• fresh mint leaves: I used mint here but I also love using basil, chives, and dill in salads.  Fresh herbs added to greens are one of my favorite salad tricks to add a new, unexpected flavor.

• flaky sea salt

• additional options: I highly recommend cheddar or manchego cheese, cooked beets, and/or roasted fall squash.

Please see the full recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Blend the salad dressing ingredients in a blender until creamy—taste for seasoning. Set aside.

Step 2: Arrange the salad greens and mint (if using) in a large bowl or serving bowl—core and thinly slice the apple. Toss the greens lightly with the dressing. Arrange the apple slices and pumpkin seeds on top and drizzle with a little extra dressing and flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

• If you have a nut allergy, you can try blending sunflower or pumpkin seeds in the dressing, but they don’t get as creamy as walnuts. It would be better to try a little sunflower butter.

Recipe Variations

There are so many fun customizations and ways to enhance this delicious autumn salad recipe. Other additions could include: 

• • Cheese: Such as manchego, creamy goat cheese, tangy feta cheese, cheddar cheese, or blue cheese crumbles. 
  • Grains: Cooked quinoa, wild rice, or farro grain.
  • Healthy Fats: Creamy avocado, nuts, or sunflower seeds. 
  • Other Veggies: Cooked beets, roasted butternut squash or Delicata squash, and/or sweet potatoes.
  • Protein: Cooked lentils, cooked chicken breast, 

• Fruit: Pomegranate arils, sweet cranberries (dried), and/or Honeycrisp apples (in addition to the tart green apple).

• Leafy Greens: You can use arugula, baby spinach, baby kale, or other fresh greens you prefer. 

Storage Tips

If you have leftover salad components, I recommend storing them in an airtight container without the dressing. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days and dress the salad when ready to serve. 

This dressing stays good in the fridge for at least 5 days, but it will solidify so make sure you plan for time for it to sit at room temp to become liquid again. Store it in a mason jar with a lid and give it a good shake before serving. 

The Best Fall Salad Recipes

Make any of these as a side dish this Fall season! They’re perfect for your holiday table or a family dinner– you can’t go wrong. 

• Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad 
• Fall Harvest Salad with Cornbread Croutons
• Harvest Chopped Salad
• Easy Fall Market Salad

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a star rating and review! I have started a weekly Monday newsletter with tips, musings, new recipes not published here, fun new finds, and more. Subscribe for free here.

For more delicious recipes and to learn how to be a better cook, check out my monthly online cooking classes. I have been teaching people for 15 years how to cook healthy food that their families love!  Join me!

 

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