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This collection of vibrant and satisfying summer salads will keep your taste buds happy and your body well-fueled! These are some of our favorite recipes to make the most of gorgeous summer produce, whether for lunch, dinner, or a side. There’s something for everyone here!

This collection of vibrant and satisfying summer salads will keep your taste buds happy and your body well-fueled! These are some of our favorite recipes to make the most of gorgeous summer produce, whether for lunch, dinner, or a side.

Best Summer Salads!

As a kid, I associated the word salad almost exclusively with a small bowl of iceberg lettuce, peeled cucumber, and perhaps a half-moon of tomato. It was, I thought then, pale, flat, and boring.

Thank goodness times changed! A decade or three later, I know how exciting salad can be: crunchy, flavorful, vibrant, and suited to any taste or cuisine you might crave. Making stand-out salads part of your regular meal plan has lots of nutritional benefits, too, and last but not least, helps keep the fridge clutter in check, as you can toss in bits and bobs from the crisper with nearly reckless abandon.

Simple Tools to Make Your Salads More Fun:

Of course, another reason to love salads is that they rarely require cooking, in the traditional sense, or any special equipment. This said, a few small investments have significantly improved my salad game over time and are worth sharing:

  • Ventilated storage containers for greens. I resisted these for a long time, but once I started eating salad most days for lunch, I just had to try something to help keep a week’s worth of greens. These really work! I often buy pre-washed to save time and try to open the bag right away and toss into a large produce keeper. This delays the “slimy lettuce” effect by up to a full week! If I have a few extra green onions, shredded cabbage, etc., I’ll combine it with the greens right in this box so we have a good salad base all ready to go.
  • Tongs to toss. For a single serving, I’ll just mix everything with a fork, because I am lazy, but for a larger salad, I say tongs are the way to go. Easy, one-piece, can do it one-handed.
  • Small jars for shaking together a dressing. These cute Mason jars are the perfect size for most homemade salad dressings, but you can also use cleaned-out jam jars as long as the lid still fits tightly. Free and easy!
  • Primal Kitchen dressing for a shortcut. I love making a homemade salad dressing, but I keep this brand in the fridge for emergency situations and love it. The balsamic with avocado oil is my favorite!

Without further ado, enjoy this collection of my favorites!

Large plate filled with a chicken spinach salad with berries, pecans, and feta.
Greek salmon salad served on a white platter.

Meal Salads:

These salads are designed around some serious protein, whether in the form of chicken, salmon, or plant-based chickpeas and nuts, so they can keep you going all the way until the next meal-time.

  1. Santa Fe Chicken Salad
  2. Berry Pecan Chicken Spinach Salad
  3. Spinach Blackberry Salad with Balsamic Chicken
  4. Balsamic Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
  5. Greek Salmon Salad
  6. Jennifer Aniston Salad
Overhead image of balsamic grilled chicken Cobb salad, served in a bowl for a large individual salad.
A fork and spoon tossing a large bowl full of Jennifer Aniston-style salad.
A large Mexican three bean salad with homemade cilantro vinaigrette, in a white bowl ready to serve.

Side Salads:

Whether for a casual BBQ or a more elevated dinner, these sides feature summer fruits and flavors in their best light. And I sometimes enjoy the Greek chickpea medley or the Mexican bean salad with tortillas or tortilla chips for lunch – so good!

  1. Healthy Broccoli Salad
  2. White Bean Tomato Cucumber Salad
  3. Peach Arugula Salad
  4. Peach Caprese
  5. Mexican Bean Salad
  6. Greek Chickpea Salad
  7. Healthy Homemade Coleslaw
  8. Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Feta and Mint
  9. Quinoa Chickpea Salad
White bowl holding white bean cucumber tomato salad.
Salad tongs serving up a portion.

Pasta Salads:

What says summer more than pasta salad!? These are the ultimate flex menu item: is it a light main dish, a side, a potluck contribution? All of the above!

  1. Pearl Couscous Salad with Tomato and Cucumber
  2. Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta
  3. Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad
  4. Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
  5. Pasta Salad with Chickpeas and Roasted Red Pepper
White bowl full of chicken pesto pasta salad.
Close up of a lemon orzo salad tossed with feta, herbs, and veggies.
Pearl couscous salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta.

I hope you give some of these salads a try! We love them all, and there’s something for everyone here.

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