35 Festive Christmas Salads to Brighten Up Your Holiday Meal
Easy Christmas salad recipes for a crowd! These festive holiday salads are simple and healthy, and make the perfect addition to your Christmas lunch or dinner.
When it comes to Christmas dinner, you might keep your meal mostly the same every year.
But why not mix things up with a light, fresh salad?
Salads can add some much-needed crunch and bright flavor and color to your holiday table.
I put together a list of the best Christmas salad recipes, so you feel extra inspired to try something new.
These Christmas salad ideas include healthy green salads, heartier grain-based recipes, and delicious fruit, pasta, and potato salads.
There’s something for every type of celebration – and every kind of salad-making “skill level.”
So whether you’re hosting a Christmas lunch or dinner, or attending a potluck, these holiday salads make fun and festive side dishes.
Let’s check ‘em out!
(🎄 Need more delicious holiday food ideas? You’ll love these festive Christmas breakfast casseroles, unique holiday dinner ideas, fun Christmas appetizers, quick and easy Christmas treats, and irresistible holiday cheesecakes!)
Christmas Salad Ideas
Fig Salad With Rosemary Vinaigrette
This gorgeous Fig Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette is easy to prepare and takes only minutes to assemble.
Fresh figs, sour mizythra cheese, and beet leaves dressed in rosemary balsamic vinaigrette make for a beautiful sweet and sour salad.
Caprese Christmas Wreath
Caprese Christmas Wreath is the ideal addition to your festive table.
Not only is it a delicious and popular salad, but it makes an attractive table centrepiece.
Christmas Quinoa Salad
This healthy Christmas Quinoa Salad is packed with a plethora of flavors, textures, and colors!
And you can have this vegan side dish ready in about 15-20 minutes.
Christmas Tree Salad
This festive, easy, Christmas Salad with a Cranberry Vinaigrette (made in a Mason jar) will be the talk of your holiday party.
Shape this salad like a Christmas tree and decorate it with "garland, ornaments, and snow" toppings.
Christmas Pear Pomegranate Salad with Candied Pecans
Everyone will love the festive colors and winter flavors in this pear and pomegranate salad with homemade poppy seed dressing.
It makes a great side dish for any holiday menu.
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
This easy 5-ingredient Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad takes just minutes to make and is positively packed with flavor.
The colorful dish also looks beautiful on your table!
Christmas Salad with Citrus-Champagne Vinaigrette
A vibrantly beautiful salad that’s truly fit for a celebration!
Pretty greens are studded with crunchy pistachios, sweet and tangy pomegranate arils, and juicy oranges.
Antipasto Salad Christmas Wreath
Need a show stopping appetizer or side dish for the holiday season?
Look no further, this Antipasto Salad Christmas Wreath is as festive as it is delicious!
Holiday Panzanella Salad
Turn a classic bread salad into a Holiday Panzanella Salad with butternut squash and baby kale and maple vinaigrette.
Bread, butternut squash, dried cranberries, baby kale and a maple dijon vinaigrette make an amazing combination.
Beet and Sweet Potato Salad
Beet and Sweet Potato Salad has such a nice balance of sweet and savory flavors.
Beetroot and sweet potatoes add sweetness, texture, and gorgeous color to this salad.
Arugula adds a peppery flavor that balances the sweetness of the dressing and root vegetables nicely, and the toasted pecans add richness and crunch.
Pear Blue Cheese Salad
Pear Blue Cheese Salad combines the flavors of juicy pears with sharp blue cheese, toasted walnuts and a tangy walnut oil vinaigrette.
This intense flavor combination atop a bed of mixed greens and sprinkled with dried cranberries.
Christmas Caprese Salad Candy Cane
Christmas Caprese Salad features juicy tomato slices, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves arranged in the shape of a candy cane.
It’s a bright flavor profile to balance the heavier holiday foods.
Ultimate Potato Salad
No holiday is complete without potato salad, and this Ultimate Potato Salad is a classic potato salad that includes hard boiled eggs, crunchy celery, onion, and more tossed in a creamy, tangy dressing.
Prepare for everyone to ask you for the recipe, because it might just be the best potato salad they’ve ever had.
Holiday Fruit Salad
This vibrant Holiday Fruit Salad is a mix of the season’s best fruits, perfect for any meal on your holiday table.
Bursting with color, flavor, and healthful benefits, this salad is a perfect blend of sweet, juicy, and crisp.
Chicken Cobb "Christmas Tree" Salad
The beloved, classic chicken Cobb salad gets a fun holiday twist!
Hearts of romaine lettuce are perfectly suited to become a “Christmas tree,” complete with tomato-ornaments, a golden pepper-star … even packages under the tree.
This Holiday Salad is surprisingly simple to make, and can even be made ahead.
Pear & Pomegranate Spinach Salad
Pear Pomegranate Spinach Salad is both sweet and savory, and looks stunning on your holiday table.
Fresh baby spinach is mixed with red anjou pears, pomegranate seeds, caramelized pecans and gorgonzola cheese, then finished off with a homemade pomegranate vinaigrette dressing.
Italian Tortellini Salad
Italian Tortellini Salad is made with cheese filled tender tortellini, uncured salami, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mozzarella and pepperoncini.
Then it all gets tossed in the BEST Italian dressing!
Christmas Broccoli Salad
This fresh, bright Christmas Broccoli Salad is made with broccoli, cauliflower, red onion and cherry tomatoes mixed with a creamy dressing.
It’s the kind of salad that salad lovers heap on their plate. They'll love each crisp, crunchy and creamy bite.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Mediterranean Lentil Salad is full of bright flavors and fresh veggies, with incredible layers of flavor.
Protein and fiber rich, the crisp veggies add bright colors and texture, and the sun dried tomato dressing adds a nice boldness.
Apple Pecan and Bacon Salad
Light, nutritious and simple to prepare, Apple Pecan and Bacon Salad has a simple and oh-so delicious apple cider vinaigrette.
It is a beautiful side dish for fall dinners, the holidays, or any time of year.
Christmas Jello Salad
More like a dessert than a salad, this Christmas Jello Salad is an inconic retro recipe filled with holiday nostalgia.
Roasted Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Salad is the best combo of sweet and savory.
With tender oven roasted sweet potatoes, creamy goat cheese, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries and is drizzled with a thick balsamic reduction, it’s packed with flavor and easy to make.
Radicchio Salad
Take a bite of this scrumptious Radicchio Salad with homemade vinaigrette.
You’ll love the mix of clean-tasting green leafy vegetables, bitterness of the radicchio, crunchy slices of pear, and a sprinkle of dried cranberries to give it a hint of sweetness.
Butternut Squash Couscous Salad
Butternut Squash Couscous Salad is a healthy and flavorful dish that features tender roasted butternut squash, nutty pearl couscous, and tangy dried cranberries.
It’s simple to make and takes just 30 minutes.
Mexican Christmas Fruit Salad
Traditional Mexican Christmas Fruit Salad is a mixture of apples and other fruits covered in a dreamy and creamy dressing.
Broccoli Apple Salad
This Broccoli Apple Salad is a healthy and delicious version of classic broccoli salad.
The slightly bitter broccoli complements the sweetness of the apple, tart cranberries, tangy cheese, and honey mustard dressing.
Warm Butternut Squash Brussel Sprout Salad
Warm Butternut Squash Brussel Sprout Salad is chock full of fall flavors thanks to the butternut squash and brussels sprouts.
The maple miso dressing is also to die for, it is the perfect salty sweet combination.
And since this is a no lettuce salad it can also be stored with dressing and not get soggy.
Christmas Wreath Salad
It's so fun and easy to make a Christmas Wreath Salad like this one.
I love how EASY it is to make a basic everyday salad look super festive for the holidays. It'll look absolutely stunning at your holiday table!
Vegetarian Christmas Salad
This super colorful Christmas Salad is perfectly festive, and an excellent vegetarian option for your holiday meal.
It's filling with grains, beans and veggies, but also full of treats like pomegranate seeds, honey pecans and crumbled blue cheese.
Roasted Beet and Orange Salad
Roasted Beet and Orange Salad features roasted beets and fresh oranges arranged on a bed of mixed greens.
It is then brightened with an easy and refreshing homemade orange vinaigrette.
Fruity Wild Rice Salad
Wild Rice Salad with apples and pomegranates is a celebration of fall flavors.
Containing pine nuts, dates, and a tangy vinaigrette, it's wonderful for lunch meal prep, dinner, or as a holiday side.
Layered Christmas Fruit Salad
A beautifully layered Christmas Fruit Salad with festive stripes!
This features holiday favorites like pomegranates, dried cranberries and pistachios, along with apples and grapes, plus a luscious dressing and crunchy topping.
Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Cranberries
If you haven’t tried wheat berries, you’re in for a treat.
This Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Cranberries is toothsome, flavorful, and healthy.
Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with Salami
This easy Italian pasta salad has homemade Italian dressing, so its the perfect dish to bring to crowd-pleasing holiday salad.
The dressing goes perfectly with the fresh crunch veggies, olives, tomatoes, and mozzarella.
Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad
Spicy, sweet, savory, and nutty, this Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad is surprisingly approachably exotic.
Roasted veggies top a bed of steamed lentils and are then sprinkled with pistachios, golden raisins, and crumbled goat cheese before being drizzled with tart and spicy harissa salad dressing.
Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Dressing
Harvest Salad is made with fresh apples, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, feta or blue cheese, crispy bacon all tossed with arugula or spring mix in a homemade apple cider vinegar dressing.
Ready to try some new Christmas salads?
I hope this list of festive Christmas salad recipes has given you tons of fresh ideas for side dishes to make for the holidays.
There are people at every gathering who really appreciate a salad, and these recipes are delicious enough that everyone will love them!
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