31 Winter Salads We’re Loving Right Now
Who says salad season ends when the temperature drops? These winter salad recipes prove a big bowl of produce can be just as cozy as any stew. Think kale, roasted squash, and cabbage—hearty, cold-weather vegetables that shine when tossed with sharp vinaigrettes, creamy dressings, or a little salty cheese. Mix bitter lettuce varieties like radicchio and endive with tender greens, add something substantial like lentils or roasted sweet potatoes, and finish with bright pops of pomegranate or dried cranberries. Whether you’re after a quick lunch, a side for roast chicken, or a satisfying weeknight dinner, these winter salad recipes bring warmth, crunch, and color to the colder months.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne, prop styling by Stephanie De Luca1/31Hot-Smoked Salmon Noodle Salad
This Niçoise riff uses store-bought smoked fish as the focus of a winter salad with hearty soba noodles. The dressing ingredients include Japanese hot mustard and toasted sesame oil for an eye-opening, deeply savory flavor.
Photo by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christina Allen2/31Happy Fridge Salad
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Thu Buser3/31Radicchio Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist4/31Winter White Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni5/31Warm Chicken Piccata Salad
Classic chicken piccata goes green—or, um, red—with radicchio dressed in the lemon-and-caper-spiked pan sauce, which becomes the base for a warm vinaigrette.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen6/31Smoky Chicken and Avocado Kale Salad
Once you mash avocado into raw kale, you might never eat the hearty leafy green any other way.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca7/31Classic Caesar Salad
We’ve got classics, like this Caesar, and riffs. For example, swap out the romaine for a mix of bitter greens in this Chicory Caesar Salad. Explore your Japanese pantry for a version with black garlic and shiso leaves. Or, try a Tex-Mex Caesar with Cotija, oregano, and red chile powder.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran8/31Crispy Rice Salad With Spicy Tahini Dressing
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng9/31Bitter Greens With Cranberry Dressing
If you’re not a cranberry sauce family, but Thanksgiving doesn’t feel complete without some form of cranberry, go for this bitter greens salad. Grocery store-bought canned cranberry sauce is just one ingredient in the dressing.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon10/31Beet-Salmon Salad With Horseradish Yogurt
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Erica Lutz11/31Stacked Muffuletta Salad
This towering salad—built with the components of a muffuletta sandwich like mortadella and an olive dressing—is ready for a party.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro12/31Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova13/31Charred Kale With Citrus and Green Tahini
A quick char in a hot skillet softens the edge of raw kale and balances its vegetal flavor; meanwhile, a mix of winter citrus keeps things bright, and a shower of store-bought crispy onions adds savory crunch.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Sean Dooley14/31Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker15/31Kale Salad With Roasted Tempeh and Mushrooms
The secret to a dinner-worthy salad? Incorporating a savory cooked element like the miso-roasted tempeh and mushrooms in this dish. If you’re looking for a kale salad with more brightness, try this green and pink number with grapefruit.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams16/31Halal Cart Chicken Salad
The winter salad’s best friend is a warm store-bought rotisserie chicken. (Though you can, of course, roast a chicken yourself if the spirit moves you.) Here, we’ve deployed it in a dinner salad inspired by the street cart lunchtime favorite.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco17/31Festive Red Cabbage and Radicchio Salad
This vibrant pink blend of radicchio, cabbage, red onion, citrus, and pomegranate arils is eye-catching, crunchy, and fresh—just what your holiday table needs.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams18/31Quinoa-Bean Salad With Lots of Dill
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley19/31Frizzled-Onion Cabbage Salad
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou20/31Tuna Salad With Crispy Chickpeas
Make your lunchtime tuna salad much more enticing with crispy chickpeas and ruby red endive. One trepidatious reader remarked, “I didn’t like endive before trying this; now I’m obsessed.”
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley21/31Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad
This dish transforms old-favorite lemon pepper chicken into a 20-minute salad featuring broiled chicken thighs, crunchy celery, and a creamy dressing.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen22/31Pumpernickel Panzanella
24/31Raw and Roasted Dinner Salad
This squash, chickpea, cabbage, feta cheese, and apple salad is crunchy, creamy, sweet, salty, and highly satisfying. The lightning-fast tahini and honey dressing doesn’t hurt, either.
Photograph by Paola + Murray, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophia Pappas25/31Napa Cabbage Wedge With Sesame Ranch
Iceberg’s reign over the wedge salad stops here. Slice crunchy Napa cabbage into thick rounds and dress them with a savory miso-tahini dressing. (Some things should never change, though: The bacon stays.)
Alex Lau26/31Classic Spinach Salad
Mature spinach has a stronger flavor than baby spinach and holds up better to this creamy dressing. And when we say creamy, we mean it: It’s a triple-threat mixture of buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski28/31Dinner Salad With Radicchio and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This roasted sweet potato salad with crunchy raw fennel, bitter radicchio, and a spicy cashew dressing is not just a sidekick. It’s a full meal, thanks in part to the addition of hard-boiled eggs.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio29/31Roasted Squash Salad With Crispy Chickpeas
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng30/31Kale Salad With Pecan Vinaigrette
