These best salad recipes make eating colorful, nutrient-dense foods easy and delicious. The days of boring salads are over!
It’s salad time! The days of the boring salad are over. Salads can be some of the best ways to eat colorful, nutrient-dense foods. But it can be hard to find the right salad recipes that are easy and delicious enough to justify the effort. Here are 25 of our very favorite salad recipes that are guaranteed to be full of flavor and favorites for years to come. A note on seasonality: we’ve included salads for a variety of seasons, but most of the salad recipes below will work regardless of the season. We’ve noted when you’ll need to make sure you can get seasonal foods like ripe tomatoes and peaches.
Related: Dress up those salads with our Homemade Croutons Recipe.
And now, our best salad recipes!
The BEST Kale Salad Recipe
First up in our best salad recipes: are you ready for the BEST way to eat kale? Get ready to be amazed! Now, you might be wary of eating raw kale, which can sometimes have a bitter taste. But with this flavor popping Italian-style dressing of lemon, Parmesan cheese, and garlic, the bitter taste of the kale is mellowed and melds beautifully with the other flavors. Plus, the sturdy texture of the kale holds up well in a salad, and provides an extra crunch when eating. When Alex and I make this kale salad, we can’t stop eating it!
Wedge Salad with Potato Chips
Next up in our best salad recipes: wedge salad with a twist! Our version of this classic version uses smoky ranch dressing and yes, potato chips. The ranch is made with our classic and creamy Homemade Ranch Dressing, mixed with a bit of smoked paprika. Drizzle the dressing over a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce, then top it with sundried tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, chives, and a few crumbled potato chips. It’s an easy side dish recipe that takes no time to put together, but seems elegant and classy.
Classic Nicoise Salad
Strawberry Spinach Salad
This strawberry salad is one of our most popular salad recipes, pairing sweet strawberries with an insanely good strawberry vinaigrette salad dressing! Paired with crunchy red onions, toasted almonds, feta cheese crumbles, and those delicious sweet berries, this green salad is the perfect way to enjoy seasonal berries. You could substitute blackberries or raspberries for an equally delicious take. Or if you prefer, try our equally as delicious Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
This classic French main dish salad should be part of every list of best salad recipes. The word salad doesn’t even really come close to describing the taste treat that is Nicoise salad. Eggs, green beans, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, tuna, and tangy potatoes sit on crunchy lettuce with a zesty lemon vinaigrettethat makes you want to keep eating it for days. It’s filling enough to be a main dish, and it’s got the best summery vibe (just add frose!).
Caribbean Black Bean Salad
Next up in our best salad recipes: black bean salad! It’s tangy and delicious, perfectly seasoned with cumin, garlic, and vinegar, and mixed with colored bell peppers, green onions and rice. It’s kid friendly and a great healthy lunch idea or dinner time side. And, it’s perfect as an easy potluck recipe to take to a gathering. It’s totally plant based, vegan and gluten free, so it works for a variety of diets! Another feature of this black bean salad: it can sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 days without losing flavor, so it’s great for making ahead and eating off of all week.
Best Tossed Salad Recipe
Alex and I used to think it was easy to just “throw together” a good salad. But the more experienced we’ve gotten in the kitchen, the more I’ve realized that a good salad is not just a throw together type of thing! A good salad has got to have contrasts in texture, flavor, and colors. It’s got to make sense with the season and the occasion. And it’s got to have one mighty fine salad dressing to top it off. All in all, a best salad recipe is hard to come by! Here’s our best tossed salad recipe, complete with crunchy croutons and Creamy Avocado Dressing.
Radish Chopped Salad Recipe
Another favorite in our side salad recipes, this radish chopped salad is full of flavor! The creamy blue cheese dressing perfectly complements the crunchy radishes, and the flavors all meld together perfectly. The body of the salad is both green cabbage and romaine lettuce, which makes for contrasting flavors and textures, and it’s topped with blue cheese crumbles. This one is a fabulous compliment to any type main dish.
French Potato Salad
This French potato salad is incredibly tasty: the sum of its parts equal something much greater than the whole! The red potatoes are salty, tangy, and moist, mixed with just the right amount of salty capers and savory minced shallot. It’s one of those salad recipes where you can’t help but sneak bites while you’re making it: it’s just that good! This one is an adaptation of Julia Child’s classic French potato salad recipe.
Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
Did you grow up eating a cucumber salad like this one? This cucumber salad with vinegar is everything summer! It’s perfect for summer potlucks to patio barbecues to picnics, and it’s one of those salad recipes that accessorizes seamlessly with everything from salmon to a grilled burger. The thinly sliced cucumbers and onions are salty, tangy, and lightly sweet all at once, and totally addicting. This cucumber salad is vegan, plant-based, and gluten-free, so it works for lots of diets too. It’s one our
Italian Vegan Pasta Salad
This Italian pasta salad is full of zesty flavor, featuring lots of veggies, kalamata olives, capers, and crisp romaine. It’s like eating pasta and salad all at once! Not only is it delicious, but the romaine and veggies helps you feel satisfied eating less pasta overall. Instead of relying on cheese for flavor, this one is tangy and salty without the dairy! It’s one of our tried and true easy vegan salad recipes.
Easy Bean Salad
This bean salad is truly easy and has is a unique spin on the standard bean salad recipes! The secret to the flavor is the salad dressing: it’s made with a bit of tomato paste and ketchup, so it has an unexpected earthy undertone. Adding feta cheese brings in a savory flair! And the combination of green onions and chives adds just the right amount of complexity. We’ve optimized this bean salad to get the best flavors with the least amount of prep time and fuss.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
This main dish salad recipe was a reader request to recreate a Panera quinoa salad that she loved! A hearty tomato onion garlic sofrito blend is mixed into the quinoa for this quinoa salad, which adds an almost meaty flavor and texture to the quinoa. Some people complain about a bitter taste from quinoa, but the sofrito makes it taste tangy and almost sweet! The quino is served over greens and topped with cucumber, Kalamata olives, feta, and a tasty vinaigrette made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, and oregano.
Classic Potato Salad Recipe
Ready for the best vegan potato salad you’ve had? And we’re not just saying that. This classic American style potato salad is the result of years of research into what makes a perfect classic potato salad. You know, that potato salad your Grandma makes, or you get at the veggie deli counter? Except this one is made of plant based whole foods, and tastes even better than the mayo-laden glop that sometimes graces summer pitch-ins. Here, we’ll show you how to make vegan potato salad like your grandmother did it, but with a few tricks to make a better for you version (that’s also vegan).
Greek Salad
Classic Greek salad is a big pile of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and Kalamata olives (no lettuce) with a big block of feta on top. Sometimes you’ll find green pepper in the mix. It’s typically then drizzled with olive oil and just a little red wine vinegar, then sprinkled with some dried oregano! This one is our classic take after visiting Santorini, Greece a few years ago. It’s one of those salad recipes that tastes just like summer! Ripe, in season tomatoes work best here.
Farro Salad with Feta
This delicious farro salad features farro, apple, arugula, and tart cherries. Sprinkle a bit of feta cheese for a savory saltiness, and then cover the entire salad in a tart cherry vinaigrette. With the red and the green, it’s visually stunning, and it tastes incredible: tangy, tart, sweet, and savory all at once. Though it features lots of fresh ingredients: apples, arugula and cherries, it’s one of those salad recipes that can be eaten year round since many of these ingredients are available throughout the year.
Peach & Burrata Caprese Salad
This is one of the most stunning, simple salad recipes! The elements in this peach & burrata caprese salad recipe all work together to make magic. First, juicy, succulent ripe peaches and vibrant red, yellow and violet tomatoes that taste literally like summer. Then, burrata: fresh mozzarella cheese filled with shreds of mozzarella soaked in cream. It’s one of the best taste treats on the planet. Add some peppery garden basil and some crunchy, salty peanuts, and it’s one of those first bite Whoa moments. Save this one for when you can access super juicy ripe tomatoes and peaches.
Kale Caesar Salad with Cornbread Croutons
This kale Caesar salad looks quite impressive, but it’s secretly super easy to make. The dressing uses everyday ingredients like olive oil, mayo, and Worcestershire sauce and is ready in under 5 minutes thanks to the help of a trusty blender. It’s topped with crispy cornbread croutons: crispy cornbread drizzled with olive oil and baked for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
Apple Manchego Salad Recipe
This apple manchego salad is made simply of apples and manchego cheese cut into matchsticks, with a bit of olive oil and some sliced chives. Nothing pretentious — just pure ingredients combined in a simple way to make each shine. Manchego cheese has a unique flavor that can’t be substituted, so try to find it for this recipe! The way the apples and cheese are cut makes it hard to distinguish between the two – making it all the more fun to guess what will be part of each bite!
Rice & Lentil Salad
This lentil salad features French lentils, brown rice, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil, covered in a tangy smoky dressing of smoked paprika, sherry vinegar, and mustard. It’s incredibly taste, filling, and provides lots of plant-based protein. Many vegetable-based salads can be delicious but low on the filling factor. Combining this salad with a few other summer salads for a summer potluck can make for a filling summer meal; it’s also perfect alongside a vegetarian entree to fill in more protein.
Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate
Salad recipes like this shaved Brussels sprout salad are what healthy eating and adventurous cooking should be about. It’s a study in texture contrasts: the feathery shaved Brussels, the pop of the Pomegranate seeds, and the bright crunch of the apple. It’s vibrant and colorful, covered in a lightly sweet vinaigrette. And the flavor: it’s like eating a bowl of confetti, but the healthy kind! After noshing on it, you’ll truly feel a vibrant glow: and that’s not just fad diet BS.
California Salad with Avocado Oil Vinaigrette
We made up the name California salad, since it’s loosely based on a salad we had in LA while on book tour in California! While our salad ended up pretty different from the original one, it’s incredibly delicious and a perfect way to show off the flavor of the avocado oil and vinegar dressing. This salad recipe features greens, chickpeas, fresh dill, and a tasty avocado oil vinaigrette. If you can’t find ricotta salata cheese, feta crumbles work as well.
Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate
Meet your new favorite salad: the massaged kale salad. Massaging kale might sound a little strange, but massage tenderizes the kale and removes the bitter taste, leaving soft and lightly sweet leaves that are suitable as salad greens. Here the kale is paired with apple, pomegranate seeds, and an apple cider vinaigrette. It’s a
Simplest Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
This is one of our simplest salad recipes, and it’s totally customizable! It features a creamy homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing and mixed greens: then you can add your own dried fruit, cheese crumbles, and nuts! Try dried cherries or cranberries, feta, goat, or gorgonzola cheese, and walnuts, pecans, or pistachios.
Pea Salad with Lemon Dressing
This bright pea salad features radishes, crisp lettuce, and feta cheese crumbles, topped with a zesty lemon oregano dressing. This dressing is very easy to make, and uses fresh oregano to take the flavor over the top. Most mainstream grocery stores carry fresh oregano: or you can grow your own in pots at home. This salad recipe is all about bright, tangy flavor!
Beet and Apple Salad Recipe
This beet and apple salad recipes features roasted beets, crisp green apples and a creamy honey mustard dressing. Tossed over greens, the flavors and textures work so well together that it’s become one of our favorite side salad recipes! It works in many seasons: and you could omit the beets and just use apples depending on the season.
Vegetarian Cobb Salad
And the last in our best salad recipes: this delicious main dish vegetarian Cobb salad! This vegetarian Cobb salad uses coconut bacon instead of bacon: it’s smoky, crispy and rich, and tastes reminiscent of bacon! It’s perfect against the bite of the blue cheese crumbles and the juicy tomatoes. Then add hard boiled eggs for a hearty, protein packed bowl meal. It hardly tastes like a salad; the flavors are so bold and bright!
Looking for salad dressings?
Salad dressing is always better homemade. In addition to these incredible salad recipes, here are some of our favorite homemade salad dressings:
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Caesar Dressing Recipe
- Best Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Homemade Italian Dressing
- Best Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- Thousand Island Dressing
- 21 Vinaigrette Recipes That Your Salad Needs
And a few more salad recipes…
In case these best salad recipes are not enough, here are a few more for inspiration:
- Thai Cucumber Salad
- Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Salad
- Cabbage Salad with Apples & Walnuts
- Strawberry Summer Salad
- Dill Bean Salad
- Southwest Salad
- Burrata Salad with Arugula and Tomatoes
- Easy Salad Bar Ideas
- Shepherd Salad
- Beet & Blue Cheese Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Portabello Mushroom Salad
Salad Recipes
The BEST Kale Salad
This is the BEST way to eat kale! A dressing of lemon, garlic and Parmesan cheese transforms kale into tangy goodness in this Tuscan kale salad.
Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
This strawberry salad is one of our most popular salad recipes, pairing sweet strawberries with the acidity of a balsamic vinaigrette.
Wedge Salad with Potato Chips
Here the classic wedge salad is transformed with creamy ranch dressing, crushed potato chips, and blue cheese crumbles. It’s simple yet stunning!
Caribbean Black Bean Salad
This black bean salad recipe is full of healthy ingredients and tastes tangy and satisfying, perfect for everything from potlucks to easy lunch ideas.
The BEST Kale Salad + More Best Salad Recipes
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4 modest servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These best salad recipes make eating colorful, nutrient-dense foods easy and delicious. The days of boring salads are over!
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch Tuscan kale (about 8 ounces)*
- 1 very small or 1/2 medium garlic clove
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon (3 to 4 tablespoons juice, plus zest)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Homemade croutons (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the kale. Then destem and roughly chop the kale leaves.
- Peel and mince the garlic clove. Sprinkle it with the kosher salt, then holding the blunt edge of the knife, scrape the sharp edge of the blade over the minced garlic, holding the knife at an angle and mashing the garlic into a paste.
- Place the paste in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and fresh ground black pepper, and whisk to combine. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
- Toss the dressing with the kale leaves. Serve topped with lemon zest (and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired). If desired, serve with homemade croutons.
Notes
*1 bunch of kale makes a moderate serving size of 4: consider doubling the recipe if feeding hungry eaters.
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Best Salad Recipes, Salad Recipes
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
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