This Thanksgiving Salad will be a complete show stopper on your holiday table. And yes, it tastes as good as it looks with fresh honey crisp apples, pumpkin seeds, pecans, crispy prosciutto and rich feta cheeses all crumbled over crunchy and flavorful arugula and romaine lettuce.
The Most Flavorful Thanksgiving Salad
There are a lot of thanksgiving salad recipes to choose from, but this one has all the fall produce making it the perfect complement to the heavier dishes you might have on the table. Sweet, savory, bright colors, and a flavor packed homemade champagne vinaigrette dressing that will have your guests asking for the recipe after their first bite. Add this salad to your Thanksgiving menu for the freshest flavors and pop of color.
What You Will Need
Champagne Vinaigrette
- champagne vinegar – Adds a sweet, light, and crisp taste.
- extra virgin olive oil – A mild flavored oil to help spread out all of those flavors in this creamy dressing.
- dijon mustard – A vibrant addition that adds a punch of flavor.
- shallots – To allow for that onion flavor that we know and love, but on a bit smaller scale.
- lemon zest – Helps to brighten the entire dressing.
- garlic – Because can you really have a recipe without garlic?
- fresh thyme – An herb that instantly has us thinking about the holidays!
- kosher salt & black pepper – Just a bit to elevate all the flavors.
- honey – Just a touch of sweetness.
Thanksgiving Salad
- romaine lettuce & arugula – Adds a lovely crunch and bright green colors.
- fresh apples – We love using honey crisp for their crisp texture and sweet flavor.
- avocados – The creamy texture balances out the more robust ingredients.
- red onions – Adds a kick and a bit of zest in each bite.
- crispy prosciutto – Crisp these up in the oven to get the best crunchy and savory bites.
- candied pecans & pumpkin seeds – These crunchy seeds and healthy nuts add texture and a mild nutty flavor.
- crumbled feta – A bold cheese to deepen the flavor profile.
How To Make The Best Thanksgiving Salad
Start by assembling the champagne vinaigrette ingredients and blend them all together in a small food processor. Give it taste once blended and add any additional salt or other ingredients as needed and set the dressing aside.
Prep the remaining ingredients for easy assembly. You could even do this in advance and store everything in the fridge until its time to serve.
How To Serve a Thanksgiving Salad
If you’re wondering if people serve salad on Thanksgiving, the answer is a big YES! It helps to balance out the heavier dishes and adds a lovely bright pop of color to your table. In terms of how to serve it, you’ve got two options. You can divide the ingredients between individual bowls for each guest OR assemble all the ingredients into a large serving bowl with the dressing on the side.
What To Serve With A Thanksgiving Salad
There are so many great thanksgiving side dishes out there, but here are a few of our favorites that would pair perfectly with this healthy thanksgiving salad; sweet potato casserole, ultimate mashed potatoes, wild rice stuffing, green bean casserole, butternut squash soup, and of course the main dish, the Thanksgiving turkey!
We like serving our homemade vinaigrette on the side knowing that everyone has their own preference with how much or how little dressing to use on their salad.
Recipe FAQs
Make this recipe dairy-free by using dairy-free feta cheese.
The amounts that we provided are simply suggestions. Use as much or as little of each ingredient as you see fit.
This dressing is so good that you might just want to make a double batch to have some to use throughout the week.
Made this colorful salad and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Hearty Salad Recipes You Might Like
Thanksgiving Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Counter Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Thanksgiving Salad Recipe – the BEST Thanksgiving Salad recipe with homemade champagne vinaigrette! Light and delicious!
Ingredients
Champagne Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 1/2 cup light extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
Thanksgiving Salad:
- 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 cups arugula
- 1–2 honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
- 1–2 avocados, sliced or cubed
- 1/4 red onion
- 2–4oz crispy prosciutto, crumbled
- 1/2 cup candied pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta, regular or dairy-free
Instructions
- Vinaigrette: Add ingredients to a small food processor. Blend until fully combined. Taste and adjust salt or other ingredients, as desired.
- Prepare Ingredients: chop lettuce, slice apples, make the crispy prosciutto, etc.
- Build Salad: Divide ingredients between bowls OR combine in large serving bowl with dressing on the side.
- Serve: serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use a dairy-free feta.
- Ingredients: the amount of each ingredient is a suggestion – feel free to add more apples, avocado, proscuitto, etc. – feel free to make it your own!
- Double it: feel free to double the dressing if you want extra.
- Holiday Salad: if you are looking for another holiday salad, try our Brussel Sprout Salad + Citrus Vinaigrette!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz
- Calories: 246
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 167.9 mg
- Fat: 22.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.7 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 2.6 mg
Meagan says
I made this for our night before Thanksgiving meal and it was so good that I’m making it again tonight for friends! The flavors are so great and it looks beautiful!
Liz says
So. Much. FLAVOR! This salad is drop dead gorgeous with flavors to match. And be sure to add the dressing. It’s light, yet crisp and wintery thanks to the fresh rosemary. Will definitely be making this much more often than just on the holidays. Thanks!
Haley says
Brought this for Thanksgiving & everyone loved it!! So good! Looked amazing and tasted just as good!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Haley!!
Heather says
Everyone loved this salad! My boys assembled it while dinner was also ready. Delicious and the perfect fall salad to highlight local produce! I meant to give 5 stars!
Erin says
Thanks so much, Heather!! So happy to hear that!!
Whitney Morris says
Made this salad for Thanksgiving and it’s not only beautiful but tastes amazing! It was a hit with the family! I changed it up a bit and marinated the onions in olive oil and red wine vinegar and it was delicious. Will definitely be making this again!
Erin says
Oooh I love that idea for the onions!! Glad you enjoyed it, Whitney!
Amanda Williams says
Oh my goodness! This was so beautiful!!!
Erin says
Thanks, Amanda! And thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Stefanie T says
My favorite thanksgiving dish this year! I made this for lunch since it was super filling. The flavors were great. Never made crispy prosciutto before. I can’t wait for more. The champagne vinaigrette is divine. Thank you Erin for a great recipe!!
Erin says
Yay!!! So happy to hear that 🙂 Thank you so much for the review – I appreciate it!
Linda says
The dressing was SO good (very tangy) and the salad was a hit! Highly recommend!
Erin says
Yay!! Love to hear that! And thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I really appreciate it!