What’s in Season? The Best Fall Fruits and Vegetables to Enjoy

Though it’s hard to say goodbye to the luscious fruits of summer, the change in the seasons means there’s all new produce to enjoy at the farmers’ market. Fall fruits and veggies are nutrient-dense and satisfying in the cooler days of autumn, whether you’re serving them as side dishes or using them in soups, salads, or baked goods.

Below are some favorite fall foods to put on your plate this season.

Fall Fruits and Vegetables

Sweet potatoes

Though so many people only eat sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, these nutritional powerhouses are worth adding to your regular rotation in fall and winter. Exceptional sources of vitamin A, sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin C, B6, manganese and fiber.

Sweet potatoes are excellent baked whole or cut into wedges and roasted as a side dish. You can also slice and season them like these cinnamon maple sweet potato rounds, or use baked sweet potatoes to make hearty salads like this sweet potato black bean salad or sweet potato and fig quinoa salad.

Sweet potatoes can also be made into nutritious noodles to use in veggie-centric dishes like this gluten-free pad Thai with sweet potato noodles. They’re also fantastic for baking. Try them in sweet potato brownies or paleo sweet potato cookies.

Other flavorful sweet potato recipes to try:

Air fryer sweet potato falafel

Sweet potato flatbreads

Stuffed breakfast sweet potato with coconut, figs, and mulberries

Here are lots more sweet potato recipes to explore.Brussels Sprouts

The unfairly maligned Brussels sprout deserves a second chance in your kitchen. One of the highlights of the fall farmers’ market, Brussels sprouts are absolutely delicious when roasted to bring out their natural sweetness.

Roasted with nothing but olive oil, they’re wonderful as a side dish or chopped and tossed with pasta and parmesan. You can also add spices and fall fruits like this roasted brussels sprouts with apples and walnuts. Or try them in one of these tantalizing recipes:

Black rice and Brussels sprouts salad

Roasted brussels sprouts and pomegranate salad

Grilled Brussels sprouts with maple, mustard, and garlicParsnips

Cousin to the better-known carrot, parsnips deserve way more appreciation! Parsnips are tasty roasted on their own or with other roasted vegetables, or you can use them to make a low-carb creamy parsnip mash in place of starchy potatoes.

Or try steaming parsnips with sweet fall carrots to make this savory Moroccan carrot salad.

Some creative cooks make noodles or rice from parsnips, akin to other spiralized veggie noodles and cauliflower rice.

Pears

Fall pears not only make a sweet snack, they’re terrific in numerous recipes. Naturally sweet pears are incredible dried or cooked into sauce. Try this spiced pear butter recipe and enjoy with a warm bowl of oatmeal or just eat it by the spoonful.

Baked or poached pears make easy, healthy desserts. No sweetener needed in this simple baked cinnamon pears with walnuts or these elegant poached pinot pears.

Pears are also wonderful in baked goods of all sorts. Add them to muffins and quickbreads, or give apples a rest and try this keto pear crisp recipe.

Winter Squash

So many yummy winter squashes make their appearance in fall. Whether you choose butternut, acorn, ambercup, or one of the other many types of squash in season in autumn, you can enjoy them in dozens of creative recipes. Tender delicatas with their edible skins are the easiest to prepare, and like most squash, the seeds can be roasted and enjoyed as a snack.

In addition to your basic side of baked winter squash, be sure to try some of the many more surprising ways to enjoy these nutritious veggies.

Adorable acorn squashes make lovely edible bowls. Try stuffing acorn squash with quinoa and other fall veggies, or try these festive acorn squash breakfast bowls. Or stuff a butternut squash with spinach, apples and other goodies and enjoy it as a hearty main course loaded with fall flavors.

Roasted squash adds a delicious sweetness to pizza and pasta dishes. Make your homemade pizza pie seasonal with this butternut squash pizza recipe. Butternut squash also works well in a lasagna or can be used to make a vegan “cheese” sauce.

Give salads a fall twist by featuring squash, like this chicken and kabocha squash spinach salad or this roasted squash salad with two kinds of squash and seasonal Brussels sprouts.

Butternut squashes can be quite large, so after you’ve made roasted butternut squash black bean tostadas, use the extra to bake into tasty spiced muffins like these vegan cinnamon-spiced butternut squash muffins.

Of course you can’t forget pumpkin, the most ubiquitous of the fall squashes. Pumpkin season means it’s time for pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup and so many other mouthwatering pumpkin recipes. Try new ways to cook with pumpkin, like a pumpkin curry or some chocolate covered no-bake pumpkin cookies.

Spaghetti squash is another well worth getting to know. Whether you make spaghetti squash lasagna boats or spaghetti squash lo mein, this low-carb substitute is a winner in all kinds of spaghetti squash recipes.

Here are many more squash recipes to explore.

Kale

If you’re trying to add more leafy greens to your diet, look no further than versatile kale. From addictive kale chips to hearty kale salads to warming kale white bean soup, nutrient-rich kale is a top green to eat more of this fall. Find many more possibilities for kale in this collection of kale recipes.

Another leafy green to look out for at autumn farmers’ markets: Spinach, which becomes astonishingly sweet in cold weather. Fall spinach is fantastic in salads, soups, pasta dishes, quiche, dips and so many other spinach recipes.

Try putting spinach in smoothies or make a satisfying green smoothie bowl. You can even add spinach to baked goods (like these gluten-free vegan spinach and banana muffins) for extra nutrition.

Excited to dive in to some fabulous fall foods? Whip up a fall harvest bowl featuring kale, sweet potatoes, wild rice, apples and pears to celebrate flavors of the season.