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A cozy, wintery house salad that fits right in with all your holiday favorites. It’s simple and so delicious—just a mix of fresh greens, sweet dried cranberries, spicy maple walnuts, and nutty Manchego cheese, all tossed in a quick maple vinaigrette. Easy to make, gorgeous on the table, and perfect with every single dish on your menu. This is one winter salad you’ll never get tired of.
I know salad might not seem like the must-have dish at a holiday dinner, but I make one every single year. With such a big family, I definitely have a few who would happily skip the greens, but most of us love something fresh to balance out all those cozy, indulgent sides.
And let’s be honest—Thanksgiving plates run on the heavier side. Over the years, I’ve learned to keep the dinner salad simple. I love a big, loaded salad with all the toppings (and plenty of dressing), but with so many flavors happening on Thanksgiving night, a classic, refreshing house salad is the way to go.
So this year, I’m sharing the easiest make-ahead—or throw-together-last-minute—holiday salad. It might be one of my simplest recipes yet, and we love it. I even left out the avocado. Simplicity is KEY here, and it’s absolutely delicious. I have a feeling this could become your go-to holiday salad year after year.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- shredded Brussels sprouts
- baby arugula
- dried cranberries
- candied walnuts
- Manchego cheese – or your favorite nutty cheese!
The Vinaigrette
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar – or try persimmon vinegar, I get this bottle from Flamingo Estates
- maple
- thyme
- orange zest
- salt, pepper, chili flakes
Kitchen Tools
Honestly, just a cutting board, a small mixing bowl, and your ingredients! Plus, a great big salad bowl that you love!
Hosting Tip:
Find a bowl that complements the colors of your salad. You can set the salad on the table as part of the tablescape for effortless and affordable entertaining.
The Steps
Step 0: Make the Candied Walnuts (Optional)
I’m calling this Step 0 because the recipe uses candied walnuts that can be store-bought or homemade. If you’ve got a favorite brand, go for it! Otherwise, making your own is so easy and so good.
Just toss raw walnuts with maple syrup (I love using leftover bourbon maple from my Gooey Pecan Cookie Bars), a little brown sugar, rosemary, and cayenne. Bake for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. That’s it!
Step 1: Toss the Greens
Add the shredded Brussels sprouts and arugula to a large salad bowl.
Step 2: Whisk the Maple Vinaigrette
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, fresh thyme, orange zest, salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili flakes.
It’s simple, but truly so delicious. The fresh orange zest brings a bright, tangy layer that wakes the whole salad up. I love citrus in winter, and the maple keeps everything cozy and just a little sweet. If you want more of that bourbon-infused maple flavor, use it here—vanilla bean maple would also be incredible.
Step 3: Toss and Finish
Pour the vinaigrette over the greens and gently massage it in. Add the Manchego cheese, candied walnuts, and dried cranberries. Toss again, taste, and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Serve and enjoy!
Make It Ahead
You can easily prep this salad before your holiday dinner.
-
Toss the greens with the Manchego, walnuts, and cranberries. Store, lightly covered, in the fridge.
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Mix the vinaigrette ahead and keep in a jar.
Right before guests arrive, pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss. Letting it sit for a few minutes helps the flavors soak into the greens—so good. I hope this easy Make Ahead Thanksgiving Salad makes your Thanksgiving dinner just a little easier—and a lot tastier.
Looking for other winter salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Super Green Sun-Dried Tomato Herb Salad
Citrus Avocado Salad with Orange Tahini Vinaigrette
Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas
Lastly, if you make this Make Ahead Thanksgiving Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Make Ahead Thanksgiving Salad
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 395 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
- 6 cups baby arugula
- 2 cups shredded Manchego cheese
- 1 cup candied walnuts
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Maple Cider Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider or Persimmon vinegar
- 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
Instructions
- 1. In a large salad bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts and arugula.2. To make the vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust as needed. 3. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad greens, tossing to combine. Top the salad with Manchego, walnuts, and cranberries. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Candied Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss 2 cups walnuts with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Bake for 1o minutes, until the walnuts are toasted. Remove from the oven and spread the walnuts in one layer. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
This post was originally published on November 17, 2025
What would you recommend as a substitute for the brussel sprouts here? Romaine lettuce or spinach or maybe a spring mix? I’m excited to try it!
Hi Lindsey,
Any green that you enjoy will work nicely for you!
I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
1/4 cup apple cider or Persimmon vinegar
If this is to be apple cider VINEGAR could you include it after apple cider?
Hi Joanne,
Yes, it is apple cider vinegar. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Is there a suggested substitute for brussels? They are too hard on my tummy 🙁
Hi Sabrinka,
You could use all baby arugula or another green that you enjoy.
I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Hi! Rae Brussels are sometimes hard on my stomach. Do you think it would be okay to roast the shaved Brussels a day before, let them cool, and prep the rest of the salad? Thank you! Looking forward to this!
Hi Marissa,
Sure, you could do that if you wanted. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
do you roast the shredded brussles before shredding?
Hi Lisa,
Nope, the Brussels sprouts are raw for this salad:)
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
This recipe looks amazing and I plan to make it for Thanksgiving dinner. I just had some questions. And the list of ingredients for the walnuts it calls for fresh thyme, and chili flakes. But in the instructions for the walnuts, it says to use fresh rosemary and cayenne pepper. Which one is best to use
Hey Danielle,
The recipe for the candied walnuts is different than the recipe itself. So for the dressing you will want to use thyme and chili flakes, for the homemade candied walnuts use rosemary and cayenne pepper. I hope this helps!
I’m so excited to make this! We are traveling next week and I was considering making the candied walnuts and dressing in advance. Do you have an estimate on how long the dressing will last, I was going to make it 5 days in advance and store in fridge until Thanksgiving. Thanks as always for another great recipe!
Hey Allison,
5 days in advance will be perfectly fine for you to do! Just keep the dressing in the fridge:) I hope you love this recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Can you substitute the orange zest for something else? Would lemon work? Thanks!
Hi Christy,
If you can do the orange zest I would recommend that:) Lemon should be just fine if you are in a pinch.
I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!
I didn’t care for the apple cider in the dressing. If it should be ACV, it should say vinegar after the apple cider…
Hi Alice,
So sorry to hear this! The recipe does call for apple cider vinegar:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
I just made this for a Friendsgiving lunch and it was delicious! Thanks for this wonderful fresh fall salad recipe!
Hi Lori,
Wonderful! Love that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for sharing back!
Is there a substitute for manchego cheese if I can’t find it?
Thank you
Hi Kitty,
Asiago would also work nicely here!
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe!
Why does walnut recipe call for 2 cups of walnuts & salad calls for 1 cup? You’re unnecessarily complicating this. Also, please specify if you mean apple cider or apple cider vinegar in all instances the item is mentioned.
Hi Jessica,
Sorry you feel this way:) You can use 1 cup for the salad and save the remaining one cup. You will want to use apple cider vinegar in this recipe.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Thank you for creating a Thanksgiving salad, Tieghan! I always end up eating most of the salad (haha, the rest of the family loves the heavier, cheesier items) so it is a must for our holiday table. I love and regularly make several of your fall salads and this one sounds amazing! I’ve been eyeing the persimmon vinegar on Flamingo Estate so maybe this is my sign to try it. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Thanks so much for your kind message, Natalie! I hope this salad is a hit this year:) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
“ 1/4 cup apple cider or Persimmon vinegar”
Is this apple cider vinegar or apple cider?
Hi Jan,
It’s apple cider vinegar:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
How do you shred the brussels?
Hi Sylvia,
Your local grocery store should have pre-shredded Brussels sprout in the produce area. You can also use a mandolin if you want to do it by hand.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Do you think pomegranate would work in place of cranberries? Or would it be too tart?.., thank you.
Hi there,
I think pomegranate would be delicious! I hope you love this recipe!