This healthy vegan salad features all the best Fall and Winter ingredients. Topped with maple tahini dressing, it’s a standout salad that’s always a hit!

Bowl of kale salad with squash, beets, brussels sprouts, walnuts and pomegranate.

Features

  • dietary features: vegan, gluten-free, can be nut-free, can be oil-free
  • holidays: while wonderful anytime of the year, this beautiful salad makes a great addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal
  • nutritious: includes a wide range of colourful plant-based ingredients that are packed with nutrients and make a complete meal

Ingredient Notes

Various ingredients for in bowls for making a Fall salad, labelled with text overlay.
  • kale – any variety is suitable
  • squash – butternut, kabocha and acorn all work well here
  • apple – any variety works but I recommend something nice and crisp like Fiji or Honeycrisp
  • pomegranate – they do a take a little work but if you can find one and want to go for it, they add such a fun flavour and texture to this salad!
  • walnuts – use plain, raw walnut with no added oil or salt, pecans, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds make a suitable substitution

Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Roast the brussels sprouts, squash and beets.

  • Preheat the oven to 425 F
  • Cut the ends off the brussels sprouts and cut into halves (if very large, cut into quarters)
  • Peel and dice the squash
  • Peel and dice the beet
  • Add 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
  • Roast for 30-45 minutes under tender

Quick Tip: For oil-free roasted vegetables, omit the olive oil and toss on the pan 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth instead!

Chopped bussels sprouts, beets and squash on a roasting pan.
Plate of roasted brussels sprouts.

Step 2. Make the dressing by blending the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Tahini, garlic and maple syrup in a blender container.
Jar of creamy sauce with a spoon in it.

Step 4. Prepare the kale by washing well then removing the leaves from the thick stems and finely chopping. You’ll also need to:

Chopped kale in a bowl

Assemble the salad starting with a bed of kale then adding the rest of the ingredients and topping with the dressing. Mix well and enjoy!

Drizzling a spoon of sauce over a salad with roasted vegetables and kale.

Notes and Tips

  • Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
  • Make in Advance: Tahini sauce can be prepared up to 6 days in advance, thin with water if it’s too thick after storing. Vegetables can be roasted up to 4 days in advance. Let cool then store in a sealed container until ready to prepare the salad.
  • Nut-Free Option: Replace walnut with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
  • Oil-Free Option: Toss vegetables with 2-3 tbsp vegetable broth and a pinch of salt and pepper before roasting. A dash of balsamic vinegar and/or maple syrup is yummy too!
  • Squash: To make things easier, you can roast the squash in large wedges instead of peeling and dicing first. After it’s cooled a bit, the skin is super easy to peel off the you can dice and add to the salad.
Colourful Fall salad with kale, roasted vegetables and tahini sauce on a plate.

Related Recipes

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Drizzling a spoon of sauce over a salad with roasted vegetables and kale.

Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

This Fall harvest salad features the best Fall flavours: squash, apple, kale, brussel sprouts, beets, pomegranate and cranberries. All that topped off with a sweet and tangy tahini maple dressing? Perfection.

★★★★★

5 from 20 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 4 cups halved brussel sprouts
  • 4 cups peeled and diced, butternut or acorn squash
  • 4 small beets, diced
  • 1 tsp olive oil for roasting
  • 2 cups tightly packed, finely chopped kale
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils

For the Tahini Maple Dressing

  • 5 tbsp (75 g) tahini
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 4–6 tbsp water, to reach desired consistency
  • pinch of salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper (you may need two trays).
  2. Cut the ends off the brussels sprouts and cut each in half. If there are any large-sized ones, cut them into quarters. 
  3. There are a few ways you can roast the squash. I like to de-seed it, slice into large chunks then roast and remove the skin and dice after roasting. You can easily peel the skin off after it cools a bit. Alternatively, cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and roast face down on a pan until you can pierce with a fork. Let cool until you can handle, then remove the skin and dice. And lastly, remove the seeds, peel and dice and roast on the pan with the brussels sprouts. 
  4. For the beets, you can peel, dice and roast with the brussels sprouts and squash. Dice on the smaller side since they take a bit longer to cook then the other vegetables. Alternatively, they can be be cut into chunks and boiled or steamed stovetop until you can easily pierce with a fork. After they’re tender, run under cool water and slice for the salad.
  5. Add all the chopped veggies (if you’re roasting everything) to the baking tray, add 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until everything is tender. 
  6. Wash the kale and remove the leaves from the thick stems. Finely chop and add to a large mixing bowl.
  7. Blend all the dressing ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
  8. Once the vegetables are roasted, add all ingredients to the bowl with the kale. Top with the dressing and mix well. Serve immediately.

Notes

 

Oil-Free Option: Toss vegetables with 2-3 tbsp vegetable broth and a pinch of salt and pepper before roasting. A dash of balsamic vinegar and/or maple syrup is yummy too!

Nut-Free Option: Replace walnuts with sunflower seeds or pepitas. Pecans also work, though not nut-free.

Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Make in Advance: Tahini sauce can be prepared up to 6 days in advance – thin with water if it’s too thick after storing. Vegetables can be roasted up to 4 days in advance. Let cool then store in a sealed container until ready to prepare the salad.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
    • Calories: 482
    • Sugar: 38 g
    • Sodium: 100 g
    • Fat: 21 g
    • Carbohydrates: 73 g
    • Fiber: 14 g
    • Protein: 12 g

    Keywords: fall salad, healthy fall salad, winter salad

    Originally published on November 15, 2017. Updated with new photos and text on October 2, 2020.