Fall Cobb Salad

This vegan fall cobb salad has all of the fixings: roasted squash, coconut "bacon", apples, kidney beans, cranberries, pecans and a creamy maple mustard dressing! It's packed with flavor, textures and color for a stunning holiday side dish or a weeknight dinner.

Jump to:

• 🥗 Why We Love This Recipe
• 🥕 Ingredients
• 📋 Ingredient Notes
• 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
• 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
• 🍽 Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

🥗 Why We Love This Recipe

• Loaded with fall flavors: we're talking roasted sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, smoky coconut bacon, apples, pecans, and a super creamy maple mustard dressing!
• Vegan take on a cobb: okay, we're using the term "cobb" a bit loosely here. A traditional cobb salad is made with hard boiled eggs, bacon, tomatoes, cheese and sometimes avocado. We use coconut bacon in place of the real thing (it's SO good), beans in place of eggs, vegan cheese, and all sorts of fall produce.
• Make ahead components: you can easily make the roasted sweet potatoes, coconut bacon and the dressing up to several days ahead of time so you can easily assemble this fall cobb salad when you're ready to eat.
• Makes for a beautiful holiday side dish: with all of the different colors and textures, this vegan fall cobb salad is a great addition to your Thanksgiving menu! You can even prep the toppings and let everyone choose their own.

🥕 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need for this vegan cobb salad:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Sweet potato: feel free to substitute with butternut squash or another fall squash of choice. No need to peel the potatoes – it's up to you!
• Kale: you can also use spinach or a more traditional option like romaine or a salad mix.
• Apple: we prefer Granny Smith in this recipe since it's tart and crunchy, but Honeycrisps are also a great choice.
• Coconut bacon: this requires about 20 minutes of extra work to make, but it's SO worth it. It has all of the smoky, delicious flavor of bacon, without the meat. Plus, you can double or triple the batch and use in all sorts of other recipes.
• Optional toppings: pomegranate arils, figs (dried or fresh), pecans and vegan cheese are optional, but all add a different layer of flavor and texture to this salad. Feel free to customize with whatever you have in your pantry/fridge. This loaded fall cobb works with just about anything!

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

(1) In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, maple, olive oil, liquid smoke, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Pour over coconut flakes and stir well to coat. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, spread coconut in an even layer on tray.

(2) Bake for 12-14 minutes, stirring twice. Keep a close eye on the oven – it can burn quickly. Remove from oven and let cool completely. 

Increase oven heat to 375˚F.

3) In a mixing bowl, toss together diced sweet potato, shallots, olive oil, thyme, salt and cinnamon until well coated.

4) Transfer to a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, until fork tender and slightly crispy. Remove from oven and set aside. 

(5) Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss with dressing. 

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Coconut bacon: be sure to stir once or twice in the first 10 minutes of cook time to prevent burning. This also helps make sure the coconut crisps up evenly on all sides. After 10 minutes, don't stir the coconut again. Once it's finished, remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking it up. It may still look soggy when you remove from the oven, but it will harden up as it cools.
• If you don't like coconut: you can also try our vegan tofu "bacon". It contains more or less the same ingredients, but has a bit softer texture. We love it in a BLT or a breakfast hash, but it would also work well in this fall cobb salad.
• Make ahead: roast the sweet potatoes, make the coconut bacon, and whisk together the dressing up to a few days before serving. With those main components prepped, this fall cobb salad will only take a few minutes to assemble.
• Add a grain: for an even more filling salad, feel free to add in a cooked grain. Quinoa, farro and wild rice are all great options in this recipe.
• Storage: with all of the fresh ingredients, this salad definitely tastes best within 24 hours. If possible, store leftovers without dressing (otherwise it will get soggy). Enjoy assembled salad within 2-3 days.
• Make it faster: use a store bought vegan bacon alternative (instead of making your own) and grab roasted sweet potatoes from your store's salad bar (if they have one). You can even use a store-bought dressing if you're really short on time!

🍽 Related Recipes

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