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This fall salad is everything—crisp, fresh, and packed with the best of the season. Drizzled with a creamy pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette, it’s the ultimate sweet, tangy, and savory combo. (Plus, it couldn’t be easier!) Trust me, once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without this recipe.
save this recipe!This fall salad recipe is about to become your go-to on cool autumn nights (but let’s be honest, you’ll be making it all winter, too). We’re talking crispy roasted carrots (yup, just like our viral smashed baby carrots), chickpeas, Brussels sprouts, apples, and a pomegranate vinaigrette that ties it all together with a sweet-tangy bow.
Not only is it ridiculously easy to throw together, but it’s loaded with texture and flavor in every bite. Grab your biggest serving bowl, and watch this become the salad you can’t stop thinking about.
You’ll Be Making This On Repeat
- Perfectly Balanced: It’s packed with veggies, healthy fats, and protein to keep you full and energized for hours.
- Totally Customizable: You can swap out ingredients based on what’s in your fridge or your personal favorites (toasted pecans, anyone?).
- Meal-Prep Friendly: Make a big batch and enjoy this fall salad all week long (it tastes just as delicious cold as it does warm!)
Grab These Ingredients
- Crispy Mix-Ins: Smashing and roasting carrots with chickpeas creates the ultimate texture combo. You can use any ol’ can of chickpeas (or learn how to cook chickpeas from scratch!).
- Fresh Additions: To give this salad layers of flavor, we’ll add freshly shredded Brussels sprouts, peppery arugula, and sweet, crisp apple slices.
- Cheese: We’ve got a generous amount of cheese here (because…cheese). Parmesan provides that sharp, nutty goodness, while crumbled feta cheese adds creaminess to each bite (goat cheese would also work well!).
- Vinaigrette: Pomegranate juice adds a burst of tartness, while red wine vinegar and honey balance it out. If pomegranate juice isn’t in the juice aisle, check near the fresh juices in the produce section! You can also use apple cider vinegar or maple syrup if you prefer.
- Dried Cranberries: To tie everything together, we’ll need some dried cranberries (aka tiny bursts of tart, chewy amazingness).
Choose The Right Apple
For the best crunch in your salad, choose a firm apple variety that holds its shape well. Honeycrisp apples are a great choice here because they have a crisp texture and sweet-tart taste. If Honeycrisp apples aren’t available, your next best options are going to be Fuji or Gala apples.
Making This Salad Is So Simple
- Smash the carrot rounds after steaming them.
- Bake the carrots and chickpeas with Parmesan until crispy and golden.
- Mix the dressing ingredients until smooth and emulsified.
- Shave the Brussels sprouts using your shredding method of choice.
- Serve the salad with arugula, apple, feta, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and chickpeas before tossing with dressing.
Roasting Tip
For ultra-crispy results, give the carrots and chickpeas plenty of space on the baking sheet. Over-crowding can lead to steaming instead of roasting!
Why This Recipe Works
By now, I think it’s clear that this salad is about to become your fall go-to. If not, here are a few more reasons.
- Seasonal Perfection: It’s all the best flavors of the fall harvest in a bowl!
- Impressive Enough For Guests: Yet so easy, you can whip it up on a weeknight without breaking a sweat!
- Texture Heaven: This salad has all the right textures—crispy, crunchy, chewy, tender, and refreshing!
Pair This With
This fall salad is a meal in itself, but for the ultimate ‘autumn vibes’ experience, pair it with these cozy dishes to complete the spread.
- Vegan Butternut Squash Soup: Nothing beats a creamy, comforting bowl of this soup for a classic soup and salad meal.
- Stuffed Acorn Squash: There’s a reason this hearty, Thanksgiving-approved main dish is one of our reader favorites!
- Butternut Squash Risotto: Can you think of a cozier dish than cheesy, tender risotto infused with sweet butternut squash?
Harvest Fall Salad With Crispy Smashed Carrots
Ingredients
Crispy Carrots & Chickpeas
- 3 medium carrots
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided, 30 mL
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and patted dry, 425 g
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup pomegranate juice, 60 mL
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 60 mL
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Salad Fillings
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts, 450 g
- 2 big handfuls arugula
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- ½ to 1 cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Smash Carrots: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Cut 3 medium carrots into ½-inch thick rounds. Put them in a microwave-safe bowl with a splash of water, cover (with plastic wrap or with a plate), and microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes, or until fork-tender.Transfer carrots so they are in a single layer, taking up half of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a cup to gently but firmly smash each carrot to flatten. Drizzle carrots with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil.
- Prep Chickpeas: Spread chickpeas onto the other side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp salt, tossing to coat.
- Bake: Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle 1 cup finely grated parmesan evenly over the carrots. Toss around the chickpeas. Return the pan to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parmesan is melty and a bit browned at the edges.When finished, break the parmesan carrots into bite-sized pieces.
- Dressing: Combine all vinaigrette ingredients by whisking in a bowl or shaking them in a jar.
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts: Using either a knife, mandoline, or the slicing attachment of your food processor, shred 1 lb Brussels sprouts finely.
- Serve: Into a large salad bowl layer 2 big handfuls arugula, 1 apple (sliced), ½ to 1 cup crumbled feta, ¼ cup dried cranberries, shredded Brussels sprouts, and the crispy carrots and chickpeas. Toss to mix everything, then drizzle with dressing before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Ahhhh that looks amazing! I’ve never thought of putting pomegranate in my salad before… I’ve got to try this sometime!
How does this have 45.5 g fat per serving? Doesn’t seem like it would be so high??
Hi Sean! The nutrition for this recipe includes if you were to use all of the vinaigrette, which you probably won’t end up doing (but I wanted to include the full amount because I can’t know how much you will actually end up using). With 5 Tbsp of olive oil total (dressing + salad) and the feta cheese, 45g is about right (just double checked!) Thanks for bringing that up! 🙂
Your thanksgiving dinner on a sheet pan was fabulous!
Eager to try something else now…keep them coming.
Thanks, lori
Hi – I was about to make the fall salad and I noticed the ingredients for the dressing list honey twice. once as a teaspoon and one as a tablespoon. Can you please tell me which one it should be and also if one of these was supposed to be a different ingredient, please LMK what that ingredient is. Thanks very much. Can’t wait to try this!
Oops, thanks for pointing that out, Vivian! It should be 1 Tbsp honey and 1 tsp Dijon mustard 🙂 Happy eating!
Hey the calories don’t make sense how many servings is 1 salad?
This recipe makes 6 servings / salads 🙂
Thanks.
The mustard would have been missed …Glad you saw this and answered.
I will make this tomorrow.
Vivian
This is a really good salad. I try all the chickpea recipes on this site since I tried the Marry Me Chickpeas.
Yay! SO happy to hear it was a hit 😀
Nothing to Add, just try it 😉
😀 Happy you loved it, Sanne!!