Persimmon Brown Rice Arugula Salad with Tahini Dressing

Persimmon Brown Rice Arugula Salad with Tahini Dressing: A Colorful Vegan Fall Salad

Celebrate fall’s most colorful flavors with this Persimmon Brown Rice Arugula Salad with Tahini Dressing—a vibrant, nourishing dish that’s as stunning on the table as it is satisfying to eat. Sweet, juicy persimmons pair beautifully with peppery arugula, hearty brown rice, and protein-rich chickpeas, while crunchy pistachios add the perfect finishing touch. Drizzled with a silky, lemony tahini dressing, this salad is a delicious balance of texture and flavor. Naturally vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and plant-based, it’s an easy, wholesome recipe that shines during the fall and holiday season—whether you serve it as a festive side dish or a nutrient-packed main course.

This Persimmon Brown Rice Arugula Salad with Tahini Dressing is inspired by my garden, which is filled year round with arugula, plus the addition of crisp fresh persimmons that are in season during the fall and winter. In fact, I have a persimmon tree which bears hundreds of fruit, pictured above in my kitchen.

How Do You Use Persimmons?

Here’s a note about persimmons: there are two main types of persimmons: hachiya and fuyu (pictured above salad). The fuyu are squat and round, looking a bit like an orange tomato. These can be eaten crisp before they are fully soft and mature, which is what you want in this salad recipe. Hachiya persimmons must be eaten soft and ripe in order to let the tannins soften, so they aren’t good in fresh salads (though they are fabulous in baked goods, preserves, and smoothies!). Learn more about cooking with persimmons here.

You can easily swap out a different type of whole grain for the brown rice, such as quinoa or farro, and even a different type of bean, such as black beans or cannellini for the chickpeas. Make this salad for a filling, balanced, meal-in-one, to serve with a bowl of soup, or as meal prep to take along healthy meals to work all week long. This recipe is also perfect for your next potluck or even holiday menu. Enjoy!