Holidays & Entertaining Holidays Thanksgiving 16 Thanksgiving Salads That You Can Make Ahead Prep a stellar make-ahead salad for a less stressful day holiday. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines and Sue Hughes Sue Hughes An award-winning author, magazine columnist, and accomplished aviation technical writer, Sue Hughes now lends her editing expertise to Real Simple. She also draws on her homesteading lifestyle in rural Oklahoma to contribute to articles on gardening, food, cleaning, and health. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 05, 2023 Close Photo: Roland Bello Thanksgiving salads, though often underappreciated, provide a fresh counterpoint to a celebration characterized by carb-heavy dishes. We rounded up Thanksgiving salad recipes you can make ahead, all of which elevate a sometimes boring requisite into an A-list star. You can make these salads—in whole or in part—a day or two in advance, reserving valuable oven real estate and precious time and energy for other Thanksgiving side dishes. Whether you're hosting Thanksgiving or contributing a dish, these make-ahead salads stay well clear of the typical warm-up-everything-at-the-last-minute chaos. While most of our featured salads can be served at room temperature, they're subject to a 2-hour limit. That's the maximum time the USDA recommends leaving perishable foods between 40 and 140 degrees F, an environment where bacteria quickly multiply. This limit applies to cold and hot foods, so before time's up, ensure you reheat, refrigerate, or freeze any food that's been sitting out. 01 of 16 Brussels Sprouts Salad Heami Lee Dried cranberries add a pop of color and flavor to this hearty veggie salad. They contribute sweetness to the mix of thinly sliced Brussels sprouts and bitter radicchio, while pecans add crunch. All this dish's components stand up to its honey-mustard vinaigrette, which you can make ahead to save time on T-Day. get the recipe 02 of 16 Make-Ahead Holiday Salad Greg DuPree Take a load off your Thanksgiving Day tasks by making this colorful salad the day before. The kale leaves and shredded Brussels sprouts stay crisp in the sweet-tart Dijon vinaigrette for hours—and even overnight. Hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds add more color and texture, and a last-minute flourish of croutons seals the deal. get the recipe 03 of 16 Citrus Salad With Almonds and Manchego Caitlin Bensel If you don't mind a salad getting more oohs and ahhs than your turkey, serve this attention-stealing dish. It pairs a medley of in-season citrus—blood oranges, grapefruit, and navel oranges—with radicchio. The citrus is then coated in a maple-Dijon vinaigrette. Prep the citrus and dressing up to two days ahead and store covered, separately, in the fridge and then toss just before serving. get the recipe 04 of 16 Green Salad With Cornichon Vinaigrette Victor Protasio Don't pass on this salad just because "cornichon" sounds scary! It's just a pickle, what you might know as a gherkin. Cornichons (pronounced "KOR-nee-shons") play a dual role in this punchy salad: They are chopped and mingled with mixed baby greens, and a bit of pickle juice is added to the vinaigrette dressing. Whisk and store the dressing in the fridge for up to two days ahead. get the recipe 05 of 16 Miso Caesar Salad Caitlin Bensel This recipe gives a classic salad an Asian twist with a rich, umami-packed dressing that swaps the usual mustard and Parmesan with miso paste. Make the yolk-free dressing and crunchy croutons the day before, leaving a simple assembly task for Thanksgiving Day. get the recipe 06 of 16 Celery-and-Apple Salad With Crispy Buckwheat Alison Miksch This multi-textured combo of celery, apple, and trendy buckwheat stands up to its apple cider vinegar dressing for hours without wilting. It provides a refreshing crunch amidst a table full of rich, heavy dishes. get the recipe 07 of 16 Green Bean and Celery Salad Greg Dupree You'd expect to find sesame seeds, green beans, and celery on a Thanksgiving spread, but the three together in one dish, in a salad? It works! This is a great candidate if you're tasked by the host to bring a dish. Cook the beans and mix the dressing a day or two ahead, combine before serving, and serve cold or at room temperature. get the recipe 08 of 16 Mustardy Kale Salad With Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Roland Bello This hearty Thanksgiving salad guarantees the taste of fall in every bite. It combines roasted sweet potatoes with kale, apple slices, and chopped almonds, all coated in a lemon mustard dressing and topped with shaved pecorino. Store covered in the fridge for up to a day ahead. get the recipe 09 of 16 Beet Radicchio Salad Christopher Testani This colorful salad provides a dramatic purple presentation on your Thanksgiving tablescape. Green arugula and orange slices add punches of contrasting colors to entice guests. Save yourself some stress by cooking the beets and blending this salad's lemony maple-miso vinaigrette up to two days ahead. get the recipe 10 of 16 Roasted Carrot Salad Greg Dupree This Thanksgiving dish walks the line between a salad and a side dish. It features roasted rainbow carrots but is tossed in a lemony olive oil dressing and can be served at room temperature, making one less dish to warm up at the last minute. get the recipe 11 of 16 Superfood Lentil Salad Victor Protasio This salad will be especially well-received by health-minded and vegan guests. With broiled zucchini chunks, earthy lentils, sweet golden raisins, and nutty sunflower seeds, it could be a meal in itself if it wasn't Thanksgiving. Store the completed dish in the fridge for up to 24 hours, and serve at room temperature. get the recipe 12 of 16 Roasted Sweet Potato and Bulgur Salad Charles Masters Is it a salad, a starch, or a veggie side? Yes! This whatever-it-is packs whole grains, nutrient-rich vegetables, creamy feta, and crunchy pistachios into a colorful one-side-fits-all dish for Thanksgiving. Cook the bulgur and sweet potatoes the day before and store each, separately, covered in the fridge. get the recipe 13 of 16 Grapefruit, Beet, and Radish Salad Greg DuPree It's not often that a salad steals the show at Thanksgiving, but this one just might. A vibrant mix of color and texture is dressed in just a smidgen of olive oil with salt and pepper. With the simple seasoning, the flavors of the fruit and veg really shine through. Store this completed salad covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. get the recipe 14 of 16 Green Bean Salad with Crispy Bread Crumbs Greg DuPree There's a lot to love about this dish besides how it tastes: It's green, it counts as a salad or a side, you can make it a day ahead, and it's served at room temperature. For a unique briny twist, it mates freshly cooked green beans with anchovies (but you can leave them out if you're not a fan). get the recipe 15 of 16 Tangy Broccoli Slaw Andrew Purcell Blurring the line between a slaw and a salad, this Thanksgiving dish starts with quick-broiled broccoli, giving it a light, crisp char. It finishes with the addition of sour cherries, sliced almonds, and shallots tossed in a probiotic-rich, kefir-based dressing. Store the completed salad in the fridge for up to 24 hours. get the recipe 16 of 16 Spiced Carrot Salad Greg DuPree Instead of a summery, mayo-dressed carrot salad, this fall recipe coats carrots and raisins in warm Moroccan spices, namely cumin and crushed red pepper. Shred the carrots up to four days ahead, and keep them covered in the fridge until serving (or buy them pre-shredded). get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit