Updated Nov 3, 2021

22 Fiber-Filled Thanksgiving Salad Recipes You’ll Be Extra Thankful To Eat

See a roundup of healthy Thanksgiving salad recipes, including salads served warm with seasonal faves, like sweet potatoes and apples.

22 Fiber-Filled Thanksgiving Salad Recipes You’ll Be Extra Thankful To Eat

See a roundup of healthy Thanksgiving salad recipes, including salads served warm with seasonal faves, like sweet potatoes and apples.

Updated Nov 3, 2021

Written by

Emily Laurence

Photo: A Simple Palate

Updated Nov 3, 2021

Written by

Emily Laurence

Turkey, baked mac-and-cheese, and stuffing are all Thanksgiving dinner showstoppers. But real talk: Unless you add some fiber to your plate, you may not be feeling all that festive the next day. And while fiber-rich Thanksgiving salad recipes rarely get the same level of accolades as other starring dishes, they really should. After all, a diet high in fiber is linked to a cornucopia of health benefits, including reduced inflammation, boosted metabolism, and a happy gut.

All the Thanksgiving salad recipes rounded up here are not only full of the nutrient, but they’re also quite delicious. Whether loaded with greens; made with other types of veggies, such as sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts; or even served warm, the following Thanksgiving salad recipes are sure to make for a table of thankful eaters.

The Best Healthy Thanksgiving Salad Recipes

1. Harvest Thanksgiving salad

Besides greens, this recipe from Foxes Love Lemons makes good use of seasonal produce, including acorn squash, pomegranates, and pears. Autumn is the only time of year these foods are in season, so enjoy them now while you can!

Get the recipe: Harvest Thanksgiving salad

2. Thanksgiving salad with wild rice

An easy way to make any salad feel more seasonal? Add grains, which also ups the fiber content, BTW. This recipe from Pinch of Yum also calls for mangos and a light lemon dressing, both of which work to brighten up the dish.

Get the recipe: Thanksgiving salad with wild rice

3. Pomegranate, pears, and pecan salad

Want to know the trick to turning a year-round salad into a Thanksgiving salad? Add seasonal heroes pomegranate and pears. This salad from Five Heart Home also includes brie and balsamic vinegar, a duo that’s a crowd pleaser no matter the time of year.

Get the recipe: Pomegranate, pears, and pecan salad

4. Harvest salad with pumpkin goddess dressing

Thought you had to wait until dessert for pumpkin to make an appearance on the Thanksgiving table? Not so with this recipe from the Seasoned Mom, which incorporates a tangy pumpkin dressing over a salad made with greens, apples, and pecans.

Get the recipe: Harvest salad with pumpkin goddess dressing

5. Kale salad with cranberry cinnamon vinaigrette

Delicata squash? Check. Apples? Check. Pomegranate? Check. So many seasonal gems all in one salad bowl! As it that wasn’t enough, it’s topped with a cranberry cinnamon dressing. Could this salad BE any more fall?

Get the recipe: Kale salad with cranberry cinnamon vinaigrette

6. Thanksgiving salad with goat cheese, pears, pecans, and maple-balsamic dressing

This salad takes less than 30 minutes to prep and make—a lifesaver if you have a table full of people to feed while that last side dish is still in the oven. Greens make up the base of this Thanksgiving salad while goat cheese, pears, and pecans give both sweet and savory taste notes. The maple-balsamic dressing on top makes for a sophisticated finishing touch.

Get the recipe: Thanksgiving salad with goat cheese, pears, pecans, and maple-balsamic dressing

7. Roasted Thanksgiving salad

If you’re looking for a salad recipe that’s as warming as it is healthy, you need to try this one from Chisel and Fork. Besides quinoa, this recipe calls for sweet potatoes, parsnips, red onion, and apples—all seasonal favorites. Rosemary, thyme, and sage add to the overall autumnal feel even more and ensure this salad pairs perfectly with everything else on your Thanksgiving table.

Get the recipe: Roasted Thanksgiving salad

8. Thanksgiving salad with thyme balsamic vinaigrette

Another trick to giving a salad a Thanksgiving twist is incorporating a few seasonal herbs and spices, as this one does with thyme. It also makes good use of pumpkin seeds, so if you’re making your pumpkin pie from scratch, be sure to save ’em!

Get the recipe: Thanksgiving salad with thyme balsamic vinaigrette

9. Apple pecan arugula salad

This recipe from Minimalist Baker proves that Thanksgiving salads don’t have to be complicated to be delicious. (The rest of the spread takes enough effort, am I right?) A minimalist plate of arugula, sliced apples, pecans, and red onion can be enough—especially when paired with a lemon-maple dressing, like this one is.

Get the recipe: Apple pecan arugula salad

10. Spinach salad with dried cranberries, almonds, and goat cheese

Cranberries shouldn’t be regulated to one singular side—especially when they can add a refreshing tartness to your salad bowl. They’re a starring ingredient in this simple spinach salad from Kalyn’s Kitchen, which also includes almonds, goat cheese, and an agave-balsamic dressing.

Get the recipe: Spinach salad with dried cranberries, almonds, and goat cheese

11. Roasted vegetable Thanksgiving salad

This is the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink of Thanksgiving salad recipes. It makes good use of whatever produce you have leftover from cooking the other entrees and sides. Just roast ’em and serve them on top of a bed of greens. The dressing is balsamic-based, which as you might have noticed by now, is a Thanksgiving salad mainstay.

Get the recipe: Roasted vegetable Thanksgiving salad

12. Apple pomegranate harvest salad

In case you ever doubted a salad was IG-worthy…Made with crisp apple slices and tart pomegranate seeds, this salad from A Simple Palate is busting with a whole spectrum of seasonal tastes and colors.

Get the recipe: Apple pomegranate harvest salad

13. Roasted pear salad with lemon vinaigrette

This bright salad will help balance out some of the heavier sides on the table. Roasting the pears is what makes it *really* delicious, adding a warming touch to the greens.

Get the recipe: Roasted pear salad with lemon vinaigrette

14. Roasted Brussels sprouts and cinnamon butternut squash salad

How glorious does this plate of charred Brussels look? Paired with butternut squash and pecans and seasoned with cinnamon, the sweet-savory combo will have Thanksgiving eaters eagerly reaching for seconds.

Get the recipe: Roasted Brussels sprouts and cinnamon butternut squash salad

15. Pomegranate avocado salad

What would a Thanksgiving salad recipe roundup be without the healthy food everyone is most thankful for: avocados! This recipe gives the healthy fat a fall twist by teaming it up with pomegranates and candied pecans.

Get the recipe: Pomegranate avocado salad

Check out the video below to see all the reasons to be extra thankful for avocados:

16. Balsamic broccoli salad

For a more unexpected salad, use broccoli instead of leafy greens like Brewing Happiness does. Combined with butternut squash, lima beans, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette (of course), it delivers on all the traditional Thanksgiving taste notes in an out-of-the-box way.

Get the recipe: Balsamic broccoli salad

17. Thanksgiving kale salad with maple-lemon tahini dressing

While most Thanksgiving salad recipes call for balsamic, this kale- and sweet potato-based salad has a dressing that’s equal parts savory, sweet, *and* tart thanks to the tahini. The result is a more complex flavor profile that will have eaters licking their forks.

Get the recipe: Thanksgiving kale salad with maple-lemon tahini dressing

18. Roasted pumpkin salad with kale and wild rice

This salad from Feasting At Home adds whole grains in the form of wild rice for more staying power and a bit of extra fiber. Pro tip: add pecans for crunch!

Get the recipe: Roasted pumpkin salad with kale and wild rice

19. Cranberry apple Brussels sprouts salad

Shredded Brussels sprouts are here to liven up your salad bowl. (PSA: You’ll need a food processor for this one.) Used here with butternut squash and apples, it’s the autumnal side that proves salads don’t need to be made with your usual bag of greens.

Get the recipe: Cranberry apple Brussels sprouts salad

20. Poached pear Thanksgiving salad

This isn’t your average Thanksgiving salad, it’s a *fancy* Thanksgiving salad; how elegant do these pears look plated? The fruit is poached in water spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and maple syrup, which gives them a candied taste. It’s then place atop a bed of greens with walnuts, and blue walnut crumbles. Definitely show-stopping material!

Get the recipe: Poached pear Thanksgiving salad

21. Arugula Salad

Looking for a new way to use an acorn squash? Try adding it to a salad, like this arugula and squash salad recipe, which Mariah Gladstone, founder of Indigikitchen, says in an episode of Cook With Us, is “a great way to use acorn squash for something other than a hot, roasted dish.” It features a half-and-half blend of spinach and arugula, pre-cooked acorn squash, and a few other easy ingredients (hint: one of them is everyone’s favorite fruit).

Watch the full video here to get the full recipe.

22. Roasted Beet and Squash Salad

alt — Photo: Getty Images / The Picture Pantry

This roasted beet and squash recipe is a Thanksgiving salad that is so complex on the palate and yet simple to assemble. In an episode of Cook with Us, chef Nyesha Arrington of Top Chef fame uses seasonal ingredients, including its namesake roasted beets and delicata squash.

Watch the video to get the full recipe.

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Food Nutrition

Published Mar 7, 2025

Hold Up: Is Your Nutrition App Working Against You?

Here are 6 warning signs experts say to watch out for when using nutrition and fitness apps.

Hold Up: Is Your Nutrition App Working Against You?

Here are 6 warning signs experts say to watch out for when using nutrition and fitness apps.

Published Mar 7, 2025

Written by

Korin Miller

Photo: Getty

Published Mar 7, 2025

Written by

Korin Miller

Fitness and nutrition tracking apps provide an easy way to keep tabs on your health data. But new research suggests that you could accidentally work against your health goals when you use these platforms.

The scientific review, which was published in the journal Body Image, analyzed data from 38 studies on fitness and diet apps, along with symptoms people had while using them. The researchers ultimately found that people who used health and fitness apps regularly were more likely to struggle with disordered eating, body image concerns, and compulsive exercise.

While it’s hard to say whether the concerning habits or apps came first, mental health professionals aren’t shocked by the findings. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll fall into damaging health habits if you use one of these apps, but this is an important association to at least be aware of, according to Hillary Ammon, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety & Women's Emotional Wellness.

Below, mental health providers break down why fitness apps can work against your health, plus warning signs that your use is venturing into unhealthy territory.

How are tracking apps working against your health goals?

There are a few things that could be happening here. “We don't necessarily know that diet and fitness apps ‘cause’ symptoms of disordered eating, body image concerns, and compulsive exercise,” says Isabella Anderberg, lead study author and researcher at Flinders University. Meaning, it’s entirely possible that people who already have concerns around eating and body image are drawn to the apps as a way to manage this, Anderberg says.

But some apps can also create an environment that can be stressful, says Rebecca Boswell, PhD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and director of psychiatric services at Penn Medicine. “Diet and fitness apps set rules about how people should and should not eat and exercise,” she points out. “They are designed to provide praise for eating less and punishment for eating more.” Boswell also notes that these apps are also designed to encourage activity to compensate for eating.

Certain apps also offer guidelines that can be customized without flagging goals that aren’t medically or nutritionally sound, Boswell says. “Apps often default to very low-calorie recommendations, e.g. 1,200 calories, the recommended intake for a toddler, and do not raise flags when people lower their ‘budgets,’” she says. “They rarely focus on the quality, balance, and nutritional density of foods.”

These apps tend to center around numbers and setting goals, which can be “unhelpful” for some people, Ammon says. Some even contain images that push thinness as an ideal body type, which excludes the rest of the population, she adds.

Who does this impact?

Again, plenty of people use fitness and wellness apps with no issue, and the link between problematic health behaviors and this tech is still being explored. But certain people may be more susceptible to developing unhealthy behaviors while using fitness apps than others.

People with a previous history of disordered eating or body image concerns should probably steer clear of these apps, Ammon says. “This is because these apps can bring greater focus to their eating habits, caloric intake, and weight,” she explains. “Individuals with disordered habits tend to track caloric intake or caloric deficits, as a means of controlling weight [and] these apps can enhance those tracking habits with real time metrics and reminders.”

People who have struggled with overtraining in the past may also be at risk of using these apps in an unhealthy way, says Eric Storch, PhD, professor and vice chair of psychology at Baylor College of Medicine.

But even if you don’t have a history of disordered behavior around food or exercise, Ammon says it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on how you react to fitness and health apps—especially if you tend to be very goal-oriented or have a type A personality. Boswell agrees. “People who are prone to perfectionism may have a harder time flexibly using these apps, especially because of their greater sensitivity to reward and punishment,” she says. “It’s very hard for some people to get feedback that they’re not getting an A+ in health behaviors, even when the healthier behaviors might be striking a balance and setting more moderate goals.”

What are the signs your app isn’t helping?

There are a few clues that your app isn’t being a positive force in your life.

1.
Being rigid around your app is a big red flag. “When you start to seem like you ‘have to’ work out daily or ‘have to’ track every single calorie ingested or burned, it may be teetering with an unhelpful focus on these habits,” Ammon says.
2.
Feeling frazzled about not meeting certain goals can also be a warning sign that something is off, she says. “If you notice yourself getting anxious or distressed because you didn’t hit your move goal for a day, it may be worth exploring why you need to hit that goal daily,” Ammon says.
3.
Guilt is also an emotion to be wary of, Anderberg says. Meaning, while it’s OK to feel a little disappointed that you didn’t make a goal on any given day, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.
4.
This is more indirect, but is still important: Boswell recommends keeping tabs on your internal monologue when using these apps. “If you can’t stop thinking about food or activity, it’s time to take a break and listen to your body instead of an app,” she says.
5.
Negative lifestyle impact is also a big warning sign that this isn’t a good fit for you, according to Ammon. She cites examples like staying up late to burn 500 calories before the end of the day because you feel pressure to, or cancelling plans with friends because you feel like you need to fit in a workout that day as being problematic.

How to use an app in a productive, healthy way

Ammon points out that there are risks and rewards to practically every decision you make in life, including using health and fitness apps. “Rewards can be an improved lifestyle and improved physical health,” she says. “For many, these apps can act as an accountability system with virtual rewards.” Focusing on the positive—as in, you’re doing the best you can to support your health and wellness—is a productive way to view these apps, she says.

Storch also recommends trying to be flexible in how you use these apps, looking at them as more of a guide than what you have to do on any given day. “Approach these apps as a tool to achieve goals, but ones that should be used flexibly versus rigidly, and without angst motivating their use,” he says.

Of course, if you start using an app and you find that you don’t have a good relationship with it, it’s OK to stop. “It’s important to approach them with some level of caution,” Boswell says. “However, not everyone will have a negative experience with diet and fitness apps, and some might find them to be a helpful tool.”

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The Best Healthy Thanksgiving Salad Recipes

1. Harvest Thanksgiving salad

2. Thanksgiving salad with wild rice

3. Pomegranate, pears, and pecan salad

4. Harvest salad with pumpkin goddess dressing

5. Kale salad with cranberry cinnamon vinaigrette

6. Thanksgiving salad with goat cheese, pears, pecans, and maple-balsamic dressing

7. Roasted Thanksgiving salad

8. Thanksgiving salad with thyme balsamic vinaigrette

9. Apple pecan arugula salad

10. Spinach salad with dried cranberries, almonds, and goat cheese

11. Roasted vegetable Thanksgiving salad

12. Apple pomegranate harvest salad

13. Roasted pear salad with lemon vinaigrette

14. Roasted Brussels sprouts and cinnamon butternut squash salad

15. Pomegranate avocado salad

16. Balsamic broccoli salad

17. Thanksgiving kale salad with maple-lemon tahini dressing

18. Roasted pumpkin salad with kale and wild rice

19. Cranberry apple Brussels sprouts salad

20. Poached pear Thanksgiving salad

21. Arugula Salad

22. Roasted Beet and Squash Salad

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How are tracking apps working against your health goals?

Who does this impact?

What are the signs your app isn’t helping?

How to use an app in a productive, healthy way

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

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All Stories

Your Daily Horoscope for March 10, 2025

25 Immune-Boosting Comfort Food Recipes

Yes, You *Do* Need a Pair of Barrel Jeans—Because They Look Amazing on Everyone

The Best Wellness Sales This Weekend: Athleta, Cozy Earth, and More

It’s Time To Stop Believing These 7 Myths About Endometriosis

Yes, You Do Need a Pair of Barrel Jeans—Because They Look Amazing on Everyone