10 Thanksgiving Salads That Bring Color and Crunch to Your Holiday Table

When your table is covered with mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, and endless pies, everyone will be thankful for a fresh, palate-cleansing salad this Thanksgiving.

Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

On a table sagging under the weight of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and who knows what other dishes, a salad can easily go ignored. And it's especially easy to ignore it if the salad is an afterthought—something thrown together in a couple of minutes right before people sit down to eat.

But Thanksgiving dinner is a meal full of heavy dishes, and an artfully prepared salad can be a welcome addition to the spread, as both a palate cleanser and a delicious attraction in its own right. In that spirit, we've rounded up 12 Thanksgiving salad recipes worth saving room on your plate, whether it's crisp broccoli with a basil-pistachio vinaigrette, warm Brussels sprouts with bacon and hazelnut vinaigrette, or a toasted barley number with kombu and pepitas.

Roasted-Beet Salad With Horseradish Crème Fraîche and Pistachios

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Beet and horseradish is a classic combination, and this salad makes the most of it with tender, deeply sweet roasted beets and a crème fraîche–based horseradish sauce.

Get Recipe: Roasted-Beet Salad With Horseradish Crème Fraîche and Pistachios

Carrot Salad With Yogurt, Ghee, and Barberry Dressing

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This gorgeous (and easy) salad incorporates carrots both as thin strips shaved with a peeler and in larger, crunchy quick-pickled pieces. A dressing of warm spices, rich ghee, and tangy yogurt balances out the vegetal flavors of the carrots and dill.

Get Recipe: Carrot Salad With Yogurt, Ghee, and Barberry Dressing

Charred Brussels Sprouts and Leek Muchim With Coffee-Dijon Dressing

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This Korean banchan-style fall salad features charred Brussels sprouts and raw leeks in a punchy coffee-Dijon dressing. For the dressing, the bitterness of the coffee and Dijon are balanced out with ingredients like honey, cider vinegar, and toasted sesame oil.

Get Recipe: Charred Brussels Sprouts and Leek Muchim With Coffee-Dijon Dressing

Toasted Barley Salad With Kombu and Pepitas

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

For this grain salad, we reach for hulled barley and toast it in a dry saucepan to bring out its deep, nutty aroma. The barley is then simmered with kombu to give it a light seasoning.

Get Recipe: Toasted Barley Salad With Kombu and Pepitas

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad With Bacon and Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

The key to cooking sprouts is to use very high heat, giving them a nutty char. Here, we char the leaves in meaty bacon fat and dress them with a flavorful hazelnut and bacon vinaigrette.

Get Recipe: Warm Brussels Sprout Salad With Bacon and Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Broccoli Salad With Radicchio, Basil, and Pistachios

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Here, broccoli stems and florets are tossed with radicchio and a bold vinaigrette made from basil and pistachios.

Get Recipe: Broccoli Salad With Radicchio, Basil, and Pistachios

Salt-Wilted Brussels Sprout Salad With Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This salad uses shredded Brussels sprouts in two ways—half raw and half wilted. Both get paired with creamy goat cheese, crunchy toasted hazelnuts, and a winter-appropriate tangerine vinaigrette.

Get Recipe: Salt-Wilted Brussels Sprout Salad With Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese

Beet and Wheat Berry Salad With Pickled Apples and Pecans

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Hearty grain salads don't just keep well; they actually tend to get better after spending a few days in the fridge. That's certainly true of this salad, made with chewy wheat berries, sweet roasted beetroots, sautéed beet greens, toasted pecans, and pickled apples.

Get Recipe: Beet and Wheat Berry Salad With Pickled Apples and Pecans

Wild Rice Salad With Dried Cranberries, Pickled Apples, and Pecans

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Earthy and flavorful wild rice meets two bright and fruity elements in this salad—sweet-tart dried cranberries and tangy pickled apples. Toasted pecans add a rich and nutty note, while sautéed onion and celery contribute aromatic depth.

Get Recipe: Wild Rice Salad With Dried Cranberries, Pickled Apples, and Pecans

Roasted Pear Salad With Endive, Pomegranate, Blue Cheese, and Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This perfectly seasonal salad is packed with contrasting flavors and textures: sweet roasted pears, bitter endive, tart pomegranate seeds, funky blue cheese, and a hazelnut vinaigrette. The vinaigrette can be made a week in advance, and the pears can be roasted on Tuesday, but save everything else for right before serving on Thanksgiving.

Get Recipe: Roasted Pear Salad With Endive, Pomegranate, Blue Cheese, and Hazelnut Vinaigrette

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