56 Summer Salad Recipes Starring All the Seasonal Produce

1. Honeydew, Feta, Jalapeño and Lime Salad

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

This pretty platter is like a twist on the beloved watermelon and feta combination. It serves four as a substantial side salad, but you could also present it as a light appetizer to a larger crowd.

2. Celery Salad with Walnuts and Pecorino

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, low sugar
• Serves: 2 to 4

Poor celery has been demoted to a cocktail garnish for too long. It’s actually a great base for this crisp, punchy salad that comes together in almost no time. Swap the pecorino for Parmesan if it’s already in your fridge.

3. Strawberry, Basil and Arugula Salad with Lots of Black Pepper

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: low carb, ready in <30 minutes, no cook
• Serves: 4

Think of this as an updated version of the ’90s spinach and strawberry staple. The dressing—a combination of strawberry juices, vinegar and pepper—practically makes itself.

4. 20-Minute Burrata Salad with Stone Fruit and Asparagus

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

It’s basically no-cook, feeds a crowd and won’t wilt when you set it out in the summer heat. That’s what I call a triple threat. Use a mix of plums and peaches, or pick your favorite stone fruit.

5. Vegan Avocado Caesar Salad

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, low sugar, less than 500 calories
• Serves: 4

Is Caesar salad healthy? Instead of answering that question, I’ll present you with this plant-based version of the classic, which is lighter on calories but not on flavor.

6. Sweet Corn, Tomato and Zucchini Grain Salad with Peach-Dijon Vinaigrette

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, low sugar
• Serves: 4

When fruits and vegetables collide, they create this masterpiece worthy of the ’Gram. You’ll get bonus points if you add edible flowers, but they’re not strictly necessary.

7. Sumac and Fennel Fattoush

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, dairy free, ready in <30 minutes
• Serves: 4

Fattoush is a type of Levantine salad that involves toasty bits of pita bread and plenty of herbs and spices. Serve it with grilled chicken for a summertime feast.

8. Minty-Fresh Zucchini Salad with Marinated Feta

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes (+ marinating time)
• Why I Love It: no cook, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4

I was skeptical about raw zucchini too, but the way it soaks up the briny feta marinade is *chef’s kiss.* Prepare the feta in advance, so it can soak up as much flavor and oil as possible to dress the vegetables.

9. Sweet and Spicy Plantain Salad

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegan, gluten free
• Serves: 4

I like my salads the way I like my fro-yo: loaded with toppings. This summer salad recipe has sweet, spicy and tangy flavors, plus lots of texture from the beans, plantain, avocado and mango.

10. Greek Wedge Salad

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, vegetarian, gluten free
• Serves: 4

A lightened-up version of a classic. Because sometimes, I’ll admit, I don’t need all that bacon and blue cheese. Sometimes.

11. Corn and Tomato Salad with Feta and Lime

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian, gluten free
• Serves: 6

This one is more of a side dish, but if you add some crisp romaine, it can transform into a meal. Want to swap the cheese or add some jalapeño? Be my guest.

12. Chilled Cucumber Salad

• Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, no cook, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

When the temperatures soar into the 90s, there’s nothing more appetizing than a crisp, cool cucumber. (Well, nothing but this salad.)

13. Watermelon Salad with Almonds and Dill

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

It’s true: No barbecue, picnic or potluck is complete without watermelon. Instead of boring old wedges, trying turning it into this sweet and savory summer salad recipe.

14. Summer Millet Salad

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: low sugar, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

When the forecast is scorching—but you still crave something hearty—lettuce need not apply. This grain salad can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to five days.

15. Aran Goyoaga’s Niçoise Salad

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, ready in <30 minutes, gluten free
• Serves: 6

There are a few moving parts to this beauty (boiling eggs, cooking potatoes, whipping up a vinaigrette), but it comes together surprisingly fast thanks to canned tuna.

16. Melon Salad with Chili Powder, Mint, Lime and Flaky Sea Salt

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegan, gluten free
• Serves: 4

Once you try chili powder on a ripe slice of melon, you’ll never look back. For a variation on this dish, you could use either all cantaloupe or all honeydew; swap the mint for basil and the chili for crushed red pepper flakes; or add a drizzle of honey, mozzarella or prosciutto.

17. Mackerel Asparagus Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, low sugar, high protein
• Serves: 2 (as a side)

Tinned fish is a quick and low-effort way to turn a plate of lettuce into a high-protein salad. Mackerel is richer and milder than tuna, so it’s an ideal place to start.

18. Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Strawberries

• Time Commitment: 21 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegetarian, gluten free
• Serves: 8

The juiciness of the berries adds a cool and sweet-tart contrast to the slight spiciness of the peppers and the salty miso dressing. Yuo can make this summer salad recipe up to one day in advance; just toss the fruit in right before serving so it doesn’t get mushy.

19. Heirloom Tomato Salad with Cacao and Agave Dressing

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

If you leave the dressing to infuse for a few days, the cacao nibs will infuse the entire blend with tons of complex flavor. Bonus points if you grow the tomatoes yourself.

20. Black Fig and Tomato Salad

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, no cook, ready in <15 minutes
• Serves: 4

It’s like a portrait of summer’s finest treats. Pair it with cheese—like fresh mozzarella or ricotta—to take it over the top, or just sprinkle on some flaky salt and enjoy the simplicity.

21. Citrus, Shrimp and Quinoa Salad with Feta

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, make ahead
• Serves: 4

Meal preppers, rejoice: You can cook this summer salad ahead of time and it will hold in the fridge for up to two days. (If you don’t like shrimp, skip it or use thin slices of medium-rare steak instead.) Ingenious.

22. Black Fig, Mozzarella and Basil Salad

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, no cook, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

If I close my eyes and take a bite, it’s like I’m on vacation in Sicily. Figs are in season in September, so make this late summer salad to soak up all the last moments of the season.

23. Tomato Salad with Grilled Halloumi and Herbs

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, vegetarian, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Aka the best way to show off your farmers market haul. You’ll definitely want to go steady with this guy all summer long, since it takes ten minutes to make and calls for a mere seven ingredients (including salt and pepper).

24. Joanna Gaines’s Peach Caprese Salad

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, ready <15 minutes, vegetarian, gluten free
• Serves: 4

Joanna Gaines may have updated her style, but I hope she never changes this summer salad. For the ultimate dining experience, seek out the freshest, ripest peaches you can find.

25. Quick Guacamole Quinoa Salad

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why we Love It: vegan, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

So what if it’s basically a bowl of guacamole masquerading as a salad? It has 15 grams of protein and can be ready in no time if you have leftover quinoa to use up.

26. Prosciutto and Fig Salad Board

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
• Serves: 4

Forget the bowl, serve this salad on a big cutting board so that you can see (and access) all of the gorgeous toppings. One part fancy cookout side dish, one part work of art.

27. Roasted Peach and Arugula Salad

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

When you’re bored of croutons and iceberg, this should do the trick. There are juicy peaches, crunchy almonds and thin shavings of Parmesan for all the right texture and flavor notes.

28. Watermelon Cucumber Salad

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

Here, the sweetness of the melon is enhanced by all that salty feta. If you pick a ripe watermelon, the sweet juices will act as a dressing for the simple salad.

29. Avocado Peach Summer Salad

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Stone fruit and avocado? It sounds odd, but the tangy-buttery pairing works. The lemon Parmesan dressing ties everything together.

30. Triple Berry Chickpea Crunch Salad

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 4 to 6

Is it really summer if you haven’t eaten your weight in blackberries, blueberries and strawberries? I didn’t think so. And about those chickpeas: They’re seasoned with cinnamon and cayenne—try it, you’ll like it.

31. Couscous Summer Salad

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, dairy free
• Serves: 6

And before you know it, you’ll have made this four times in one week. It’s really that good. (You can make it about one day ahead, but the texture will be softer.)

32. Ginger Soy Herb Salad

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Serve it with grilled fish, shrimp, steak or chicken if you want a more substantial meal. (I’m going with steak for a restaurant-like vibe.)

33. Classic Greek Salad

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, Mediterranean diet–friendly, ready in <30 minutes, no cook
• Serves: 4 to 6

This is how you let those seasonal vegetables really shine. Add grilled chicken, chickpeas or tofu to make it more of a meal than a side.

34. Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

• Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: low sugar, high protein, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

It looks really time-consuming, but once you’ve gotten home from the farmers market, the most involved step is mixing up the marinade for the chicken.

35. Loaded Summer House Salad

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy
• Serves: 4

It’s so pretty, I think I have a crush. (And don’t get me started on the herby basil-chive-mint vinaigrette, which ties together the flavors of the peas, mango, corn, radishes and tomato.)

36. Mexican Street Corn Salad with Chipotle Crema

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, gluten free
• Serves: 6

Called equites, this bowl takes the flavors of elotes—fresh corn, lime juice, cotija cheese, and a mayo-based chipotle crema—and turns them into a salad.

37. Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

It’s like the chopped salads you get at your favorite restaurant…but tastier. If you’re curious how to shred Brussels sprouts for the best crunchy texture, all you need is a chef’s knife.

38. Chopped Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, vegan, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

I bet you’ve never fired up the coals for a salad before. You don’t need to wash any lettuce, and if you’re already making burgers, why even dirty a pan?

39. Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

TBH, I was hooked at the first mention of burrata, which coats every bite in creamy goodness when you slice in. The pesto and chicken are merely a bonus.

40. Blueberry, Corn and Avocado Chopped Salad

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 (large) or 8 (small)

Crunchy almonds, sweet corn, juicy blueberries and a little bit of feta all mingle together in a delicious lemon dressing. What could be bad about that?

41. Loaded Salmon Summer Salad with Creamy Tahini Vinaigrette

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, low carb, ready in <30 minutes
• Serves: 4

This is a big salad that would make Elaine Benes proud. If you don’t feel like cooking salmon, try using leftover rotisserie chicken in its place.

42. Green Goddess Quinoa Summer Salad

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 4 to 6

Sure, you can use bottled dressing for a shortcut. But this homemade avocado-cilantro version is worth the extra effort. (And by “extra effort,” I mean tossing all the ingredients in a blender and hitting a button.)

43. Summer Grain Bowl Salad with Green Goddess Feta Dressing

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: Mediterranean diet–friendly, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Part grain bowl, part veggies, 100 percent what I want to eat on my patio. Recipe developer Gaby Dalkin recommends using this summer salad recipe as a framework and grabbing whatever leftovers you have in your fridge to make it.

44. Summer Steak Salad

• Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
• Serves: 6

Make this as part of your next summer dinner party menu to wow the crowd. (FYI, it works with nearly any summer produce, from corn to zucchini.)

45. Shrimp Louie

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: dairy free, special occasion–worthy
• Serves: 4

This retro salad—kind of like a seafood version of the classic Cobb—is best served with a glass of chilled rosé and a warm summer night.

46. Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Raw Squash and Feta

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, Mediterranean diet–friendly
• Serves: 6

Or, what to do with that gigantic haul of zucchini. Serving the squash raw might sound strange, but if you slice it thin enough, it’ll soak up the dressing and turn into something magical (like a cucumber, but better).

47. Quinoa Cucumber Salad with Feta, Dill and Mint

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, vegetarian, Mediterranean diet–friendly
• Serves: 4

It’s crunchy from the cukes and radishes, creamy and briny from the feta and wrapped up in a punchy lemon garlic dressing—the opposite of a typical quinoa salad that’s one-note and saad.

48. Grilled Corn Salad with Vegan Chipotle Ranch Dressing

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, make ahead
• Serves: 4

It’s hard to believe, but it’s all ready to eat in 30 minutes. (And if you don’t feel like getting out your blender for the dressing, there’s an option for an easy vinaigrette too.)

49. Heirloom Tomato Salad

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegan
• Serves: 4

Heirloom tomatoes aren’t just pretty to look at. The jewel-like treats are more flavorful than any grocery store tomato you’ve ever tasted. Give them the spotlight they deserve in this simple, tasty summer salad recipe.

50. Chicken Bacon Avocado Chopped Salad

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, dairy free, high protein
• Serves: 4

It doesn’t taste like it’s healthy, and that’s a very high compliment. You can thank the dairy-free honey mustard dressing for that.

51. Southwestern Salad

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegan, gluten free
• Serves: 2 to 3

The creamy dressing suggests otherwise, but this one is vegan. (Thank you, cashews.) It gets its heat from a type of pepper called a Hatch chile, but Anaheim, poblano or canned, diced green chiles are are OK too.

52. Summer Glow Chopped Kale Salad

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, vegetarian, gluten free, make ahead
• Serves: 4

This chopped salad has it all: sweetness from the strawberries, creaminess from the avocado, saltiness from the feta, crunch from roasted pistachios. What more could you want?

53. Spicy Ranch Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, less than 500 calories, make ahead
• Serves: 4

What can I say? I’m a sucker for ranch (and corn, and tortilla strips). Since the base is cabbage instead of delicate lettuce, it can even be made ahead.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

It’s refreshing, crisp, juicy and savory with just the right amount of heat to bring you back for another bite. It’s also further proof that you don’t need lettuce to make a good summer salad, especially when the produce is this good.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <15 minutes, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Watermelon salads are a dime a dozen, but this one is different: It’s dressed in a sweet-tart vinaigrette that tames the raw onion and melds all the flavors together.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Arugula pairs nicely with the dressing thanks to its peppery bite. But you could drizzle the lemon concotion over any type of green. Try topping the salad with feta, frizzled prosciutto, summer berries or stone fruit, if you want to zhuzh it up.