This easy Harvest Apple Salad recipe is loaded with tangy apples, bacon, pomegranate seeds, and pecans. It’s fresh, sweet, salty, crunchy – all my favorite textures and flavors! The best part is it goes perfectly with everything else on the Thanksgiving table.

Do you love fun salads?  Try this Cozy Winter Salad recipe with roasted butternut squash!

When it is time to think of a salad to make for Thanksgiving are you stumped like I am?  It can’t be an ordinary run-of-the-mill salad.  It needs to complement the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, but also look beautiful and be seasonal.

Loaded with awesome fall flavors, this Thanksgiving salad is perfect for holiday dinner.  Fresh apple slices and crunchy toasted pecans are added to store-bought salad mix for the ultimate side dish.

Pair this fall salad with your favorite protein and savor all the flavors the season has to offer.

Ingredients Needed

• Shaved Brussel Sprout & Kale Mix-This mix is called Sweet Kale salad kit and it has the poppy seed dressing included inside the kit.
• Bacon-Sliced thinly and adding the perfect bite, bacon is also salty and delicious.
• Easy Salted Buttered Pecans– Toasted to perfection for awesome flavor.
• Apple-I love to use a Honey Crisp apple because it is both a bit sweet and sour.  Sliced thinly it is such a great seasonal addition.
• Pomegranate Seeds-Another awesome seasonal ingredient, pomegranate seeds and great texture and color to the salad.
• Shaved Parmesan-For a sharp taste and fun texture, shaved parmesan is perfect.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make Harvest Apple Salad

1. Remove the packet with the dressing and other ingredients from the Sweet Kale salad mix.  Keep the packet of poppy seed dressing and save the pumpkin seeds and cranberries for another time.
2. Pour the salad mix into a large bowl.
3. Top the greens with toppings {thinly sliced bacon, butter pecan halves, shaved parmesan cheese, pomegranate seeds and sliced apples}.  
4. Pour the poppy seed dressing over the top of the salad and mix to combine.
5. Serve and Enjoy.

Expert Tips

• Render the bacon and thinly slice it ahead of time.  Using cold bacon that has set up works much better than a warm bacon in this easy salad recipe. 
• Don’t cut the apples into slices until right before serving.  Because the apples can turn brown easily, cutting them at the last minute keeps them super fresh and juicy.  If you need to cut them early, brush the apples with a small amount of lemon juice to keep them from oxidizing. 
• Place all of the individual ingredients in separate zipper bags and then into the large bowl you are going to use to serve.  This allows you to combine everything quickly.

Recipe Variations

Cheese-There are so many different kinds of cheese that can be used in this fall inspired salad.  Goat cheese, bleu cheese, feta or even cubes of cheddar cheese would all be super tasty.

Apples-I love a good honey crisp apple and so that is what I reach for but you could use any kind of apple that you like.  If you want a sweet apple, a Fuji or Gala would be a great addition.  While a Granny Smith or even a braeburn would be a nice tart apple to use.

Nuts-In the fall I always want to add pecans to everything I make but there are so many different nut varieties that would work wonderfully.  Almonds, pistachios or even walnuts are all great options for this easy to make harvest salad.

Meat-Everything is better with bacon in my opinion but if bacon isn’t your favorite then substitute it with prosciutto or even chicken.

Make Ahead & Storage Tips:

Make your Thanksgiving Harvest Salad Ahead:

One of the very best things about this awesome Thanksgiving Salad is that it can easily be made ahead of time.

While the salad shouldn’t be put together completely, all of the elements can be prepped.  That way the salad will come together in minutes when it is time to serve. 

Salad Leftovers:

Cover the leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. It will lose some of its fresh flavor and textures but for the most part this salad keeps well.

Do you need side dishes for your Thanksgiving?  Try these recipes…

Side Dishes

Roasted Melting Potatoes Recipe

Salads

Broccoli Crunch Salad with Bacon

Side Dishes

Sweet & Yukon Gold Potato Au Gratin Skillet

Side Dishes

Frozen Vegetable Casserole Recipe

Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below and tag @practicallyhomemade on Pinterest!