If you need an easy fall salad for a crowd, look no further! This salad has the perfect mix of flavors, texture, and crunch. It’s super easy to whip up in just a few minutes, using store-bought poppy seed dressing or you can take a few minutes and make your own homemade poppy seed dressing. Either way, this simple fall salad is always a crowd pleaser, not to mention quite aesthetic!

Need more crowd-pleasing salads? Don’t miss this delicious fall harvest salad, this easy Parmesan brussels sprouts salad, this festive fall fruit salad, or this yummy fall harvest salad with spinach and sweet potatoes.

Fall salad for a crowd on a large white serving platter.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this easy fall salad for a crowd:

For the salad

Mixed greens
Apples
Dried cranberries
Almonds or pecans
Sunflower seeds
Feta cheese or blue cheese
Poppy seed dressing

ingredients needed to make a fall salad for a crowd.

Ingredient Notes, Substitutions & Variations

Mixed greens: Swap for spinach or use a combo of both.

Dressing: You can use a store brand poppy seed dressing such as Briana’s, or take five minutes and whip up this homemade dressing.

Feta cheese: Feta can be a very polarizing ingredient, so feel free to substitute it with a milder cheese like cotija. You can also use blue cheese or goat cheese. Blue cheese is my fave in this fall salad!

Apples: Granny smith apples are my favorite because the tartness balances with the sweetener dressing.

Dried cranberries and nuts: This salad isn’t fussy, so feel free to use whatever nuts you have on hand to top your salad. You can also substitute raisins or dried blueberries for the cranberries. To make it super easy, use a pre-made blend like this Mariana’s Sweet & Tangy Salad Topper (shown in the photo above).

Fall salad with apples and mixed greens on a fork.

Expert Tips

Since this simple fall salad literally takes 5-10 minutes to make, don’t stress about making it ahead of time. Make it and drizzle on the dressing right before you are ready to serve it.
I love Brianna’s brand of poppy seed dressing, but feel free to make your own homemade poppy seed dressing!

More Salad Recipes You’ll Love

Arugula ad spinach salad on a white plate. — Spinach and Arugula Salad

Beetroot and feta salad on a large serving platter. — Beet, Feta and Spinach Salad

Did you try this recipe?

Let us know your thoughts on this fall salad by leaving a star rating below or sharing it on Instagram!

Thank you! ~ Casey