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The Winter Salads You Need to Make Before the Season Ends

Whether you're in the mood for citrus, apples, or a charred Caesar, we've got all the best winter salad recipes right here.

While salads may seem like a dish best enjoyed on a hot summer day—perhaps poolside with a glass of lemonade in hand—winter vegetables make for hearty salads that will have you eating your greens all year long.

In the cooler months, we see ingredients like chicory, pomegranates, apples, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and more come into season. Whether you shred up a combination of these fresh greens for a side salad or toss them into a hot pan for a wilted warm version, the options for crunchy and flavor-packed winter dishes are endless.

This wintry wedge combines buttermilk, lemon juice, and black pepper for a bright dressing, topped with pomegranate seeds and fresh chives. For a warm side, heat a cast iron and char some radicchio, which boast a bitter flavor that turns a bit sweet when cooked. This warm radicchio salad is topped with ricotta salata, a firm and sliceable style of ricotta, a drizzle of honey to amp up the sweetness, and crushed pistachios for texture.

Waiting around for Brussels sprouts to roast can take far longer than you may want to spend on a simple side dish. If you haven’t tried the vegetable raw and shredded, consider this salad, which mixes pecorino and tangerines—it’s the perfect recipe to start you off. Or, if you’re into meal prepping, roast a big batch of Brussels sprouts at once before storing them in the fridge to toss into salads like a charred Caesar that combines sprouts and crisped kale with romaine hearts. Find all of our favorite salad recipes to make with winter ingredients below.

Favorite Winter Salad Recipes

1 /21 Thomas J. Story

Chicories with Dates, Parmesan, and Walnut Vinaigrette

“This salad is all about texture. The crispy chicories, jammy dates, and crunchy walnuts are very satisfying,” says Kelly Mariani, chef at Scribe Winery, in Sonoma County.

2 /21 Thomas J. Story

Winter Panzanella

Refreshing yet comforting, a winter panzanella offers the key to low-stress holiday hosting. It’s simple, quick, and an all-around favorite, so you can easily switch out ingredients and make it what you want. Bonus: The sturdy radicchio won’t wilt, so you can prep this in advance.

3 /21 Thomas J. Story

Little Saint Healdsburg Beet Salad

“The pairing of beets with pistachios and citrus is a classic blend of flavors in the California cuisine repertoire, and we [often] take a twist on this combination with the addition of mandarins that are bursting with salinity, spice, and heat,” explains Bryan Oliver, who is chef de cuisine at Little Saint. “Roasted baby beets are tender, sweet, and earthy, allowing the bright flavors of spring mint from the farm to round out the dish. [In the restaurant] we make our own pickled mandarin for this dish using California mandarins, but [here] store-bought pickled lime can be used as a substitute for similar results.”

4 /21 Thomas J. Story

Grilled Treviso with Pancetta Vinaigrette

“Radicchio is an incredibly versatile ingredient in the kitchen. I love the way the outer leaves crisp up on the grill, and the inner leaves get perfectly tender,” says Sonoma-based chef Kelly Mariani of Scribe Winery.

5 /21 Thomas J. Story

Chicory and Beet Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette and Saffron Aioli Drizzle

Bittersweet chicory and luscious beets are napped with saffron aioli in this delicious salad.

6 /21 Diana Koenigsberg

Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Chive Dressing and Pomegranate Seeds

Who doesn’t love a salad you can eat with a knife? A garnish of pomegranate seeds and minced chives brings color to the plate.

7 /21 Courtesy of Cafe Gratitude

Kale, Persimmon, Maple, and Walnut Salad

This salad from Cafe Gratitude’s executive chef and featured in the Cafe’s cookbook, Love is Served, is perfect for cold months, with pomegranate, maple, and walnuts all coming together on a bed of kale under a blanket of balsamic dressing. The combination of fresh, crisp greens and sweet walnuts and dressing make this a delightfully cozy salad and a perfect way to start meals and gatherings of any size.

8 /21 Thomas J. Story

Cabbage Salad with Citrus Dressing and Radishes

Slice cabbage thicker than you would when making a slaw, giving it a substantial crunch that remains even after it’s drenched with tangy, creamy dressing.

9 /21 Thomas J. Story

Grilled Treviso Radicchio Salad

The bitterness of the charred radicchio is balanced with a generous drizzle of spicy-sweet honey and wisps of salty cheese. If you can’t find treviso, use any kind of radicchio, hearts of romaine, endive, or escarole. More is more with this salad so go to town with the toppings.

10 /21 Thomas J. Story

Roasted Beets with Tahini

“Even if you don’t like beets, you’ll love this salad,” promises Denver chef Alon Shaya. “The nutty flavor from the sesame in the tahini pairs well with the earthiness of the beets.” Shaya suggests adding Aleppo peppers for a spicy kick or substituting orange juice for lemon to add more sweetness.

11 /21 Courtesy of Peninsula Beverly Hills

Charred Caesar Salad

This delicious charred Caesar salad from the Peninsula Beverly Hills is roasty and toasty in the very best way. Dressed with a pepper anchovy dressing and topped with croutons, it’s a perfect indulgent lunch or stay-at-home date night dish.

12 /21 Thomas J. Story

Fennel, Almond, and Pecorino Salad

When he’s cooking in the wild, Elias Cairo, head salumist of Olympia Provisions in Portland, likes to make a heartier salad using ingredients that stay beautiful even if they get banged around a bit in the cooler.

13 /21 Annabelle Breakey

Corned Beef Salad

This salad is a light but still festive way to serve corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day—or to use up leftovers the next day.

14 /21 Thomas J. Story

Arugula Pear Salad

A dinner party of bold, salty tapas gains an element of freshness from this slightly sweet, crunchy salad created for us by chef Ryan Pollnow of Aatxe restaurant in San Francisco. You’ll have a bit of leftover vinaigrette for your next salad.

15 /21 Thomas J. Story

Citrus Salad with Spiced Vanilla Syrup

This easy fruit salad looks especially striking made with multiple varieties and colors of blood oranges and grapefruit, but it’s just as delicious with a single kind of each. You’ll have enough syrup leftover for flavoring sparkling water or lattes.

16 /21 Iain Bagwell

Crab Posole Salad

The ocean flavor of Dungeness meets earthy hominy in this twist on the Mexican soup posole, from chef Aniedra Nichols of Elway’s Cherry Creek restaurant in Denver. “Dungeness crabmeat has a natural orange-red hue from the shell that makes the salad look vibrant,” she says. You could also use shrimp, scallops, or fat flakes of Pacific cod.

17 /21 Thomas J. Story

Chicory Salad with Pickled Squash

Chefs Jaret Foster and Mona Johnson of Tournant catering in Portland created this bright, tart salad as a counterpoint to a rich Thanksgiving dinner. Whole parsley leaves are tossed with mixed chicories, slices of pickled winter squash, and an apple cider vinaigrette for nice palate-cleansing acidity.

18 /21 Erin Kunkel

Roasted Kabocha Squash with Farro and Mustard Greens

We love the play of savory-sweet flavors and big textures in this hearty winter salad from Rocky Maselli of A16 Rockridge in Oakland—and his foolproof technique for cooking farro.

19 /21 Annabelle Breakey

Candied Pecan, Pear, and Spinach Salad

A little corn syrup is the secret to keeping the candied nuts in this salad from crystallizing. (And they make a great quick appetizer or gift from your kitchen, too.)

20 /21 Annabelle Breakey

Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Pears and Hazelnuts

Time: 30 minutes. Both pomegranate juice and seeds go into this salad.

21 /21 Annabelle Breakey

Apple-Fennel Salad with Walnuts

Annabelle Breakey likes to use La Tourangelle walnut oil, which you can find at well-stocked grocery stores, for this fresh salad.

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