40+ Summer Salad Recipes

By Becky Hardin

Published May 7, 2022

These summer salads are perfect for lunch or dinner, cookouts, and BBQs. Keep things light, healthy, and refreshing with green salads and fruit-filled salads. Or make something more savory and filling, with pasta salads and added protein. Any of these easy summer salad recipes will be a hit at parties and potlucks, and they pair well with all of your favorite grilled dishes.

Best Summer Salads

Warm summer days call for lots of delicious summer salads! They’re one of my favorite things to make when it gets hot, either for lunch and dinner, or as an appetizer, side dish, or potluck dish. These recipes are all easy to make, healthy, refreshing, and filled with flavor.

I’ve gathered some of the best summer salad recipes for you to try. There are lots of light and healthy salads filled with fruits and veggies, as well as heartier options with chicken, steak, or seafood that are great for dinner.

Choose from fruit salads, pasta salads, cold salads, and side salads. Whatever you choose, it’ll be simple and flavorful! These are great for summer grilling days , cookouts and BBQs, picnics and potlucks.

Grilled Peach Salad

Fruity Summer Salads

These salad recipes are filled with fruit, like apples, strawberries, peaches, and more. They’re so bright, juicy, and refreshing, which makes them ideal for summertime.

Grilled Peach Salad : Sweet grilled peaches, blueberries, and pomegranates top off this incredible summer salad recipe! You’ll be serving it every chance you get.
Grape Salad : Juicy grapes are mixed with cream cheese, brown sugar, and pecans for a super sweet dish. It’s a great side dish or light dessert for the season!
Watermelon Salad : Refreshing watermelon, juicy blueberries, tangy feta, and cooling mint is the most perfect combination for warm summer days.
Cucumber Apple Salad : Cucumber, radishes, and green apples are combined with a creamy dressing for a unique flavor mix. It’s fresh and healthy, great to serve before dinner.
Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing : This fruit-filled summer salad is filled with lots of tasty ingredients, and topped with a sweet poppy seed dressing .
Mandarin Orange Salad : Greens are tossed up with juicy mandarin oranges, almonds, and croutons, and dressed with a cider vinaigrette. It’s so light and refreshing as a side salad or lunch!
Strawberry Bacon Salad : Strawberries add a fresh and fruity flavor, while bits of bacon and feta add something more savory.
Peach Corn Tomato Salad : This little salad is such a creative mix of ingredients. Tomatoes, onions, corn, and peaches make a surprisingly delicious mix! It’s a good recipe to use up fresh peaches.
Fruit and Feta Mason Jar Salad : This is such a great salad for parties and potlucks! Fill mason jars with fresh fruit, feta, greens, and dressing to make individual-sized portions that are easy to eat. And they fit the red, white, and blue theme for any summer holiday.

Grilled Shrimp Salad

Summery Green Salad Ideas

Freshen up your summer salads with these delicious ideas–healthy greens don’t have to be boring!

Grilled Shrimp Salad : Marinated grilled shrimp is served on a bed of greens, with corn, tomato, avocado, and a sweet dressing. It’s the perfect summer salad recipe for lunches.
Green Goddess Salad : This is the ultimate green salad recipe! Mixed greens, cucumbers, avocado, snap peas, and celery are dressed with a creamy homemade dressing.
Spinach Salad with Bacon : This hearty salad is filled with lots of ingredients, like bacon, mushrooms, onions, croutons, and hard-boiled eggs. It makes a great lunch or dinner!
Kale Caesar Salad : Use kale instead of romaine for a twist on a classic. This makes a super healthy lunch or dinner that pairs well with all kinds of dishes.
Chopped Salad : A fresh mix of romaine and lettuce is loaded with bacon, croutons , hard-boiled eggs, and more veggies, all chopped into bite-sized pieces.
Waldorf Salad : This classic salad is filled with mixed greens, apples, grapes, celery, and candied walnuts in a creamy dressing.

cucumber, tomato, onion, and feta salad - 6

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Healthy Summer Salad Recipes

What could be healthier than a salad? One of the best things about all of these recipes is that they’re delicious and nutritious.

Cucumber Tomato Salad : This is one of my favorite summer salad recipes. It’s a nice mix of cucumber, tomato, onion, and feta. It’s bright, colorful, and healthy!
Asian Cucumber Salad : This salad is filled with cucumbers, greens, onions, garlic, rice vinegar, and more. It’s light, flavorful, and refreshing!
Caprese Salad : This classic salad is ideal for summer! Sliced tomatoes and mozzarella are lightly seasoned for a healthy appetizer. It’s perfect for cocktail hour!
Zesty Panzanella Salad : This recipe is made with cubes of baked bread (croutons), lots of veggies, and a lemon vinaigrette. It’s light, fresh, and pairs well with so many summery dishes.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad : Brussels sprouts are shaved up and tossed with cheese and almonds, then covered in a lemon honey vinaigrette. It’s healthy, light, and flavorful!
Classic Caesar Salad : A classic Caesar salad always hits the spot, and this one is fully homemade, from the croutons to the dressing. Serve it with any meal or enjoy it on its own.

Quinoa Salad

Cold Salad Dishes

Go beyond the greens with these cold summer salads that are perfect as a side dish. These recipes are filled with things like quinoa, beans, veggies, corn, and more.

Quinoa Salad : Quinoa, chickpeas, black beans, avocado, and so much more is tossed in a honey lime vinaigrette. This recipe is a great cold side dish to serve with chicken, burgers , or sandwiches.
Creamy Pea Salad : Creamy peas are topped with crispy bacon for a tasty side dish that is perfect for cookouts.
Confetti Corn Salad : This dish is a favorite to serve on the side with grilled chicken breast . It’s simple and quick to make!
Macaroni Salad : This creamy salad is made with macaroni noodles, cucumbers, and onions. It’s the best summer salad for BBQ and burgers!
Grilled Corn Salad : Grilled corn, cheese, jalapenos, peanuts, and more make a truly mind-blowing dish! This salad is always a hit at potlucks.
Caprese Farro Salad : Farro, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella pearls make a delicious little summer lunch idea. It’s great to serve on the side too!

Street Corn Pasta Salad

Summer Pasta Salads

Cold pasta salads are one of the best dishes to make on hot summer days. They’re easy, cool, and so delicious. They make a great main or side dish for parties and get-togethers!

Street Corn Pasta Salad : Combine Mexican street corn with pasta salad for the ultimate summer dish. The chili lime mayo adds so much flavor, and it’s easy to serve a crowd.
Italian Pasta Salad : You can’t go wrong with a classic recipe! This is a favorite pasta salad for picnics and simple lunches at home.
Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad : This creamy pasta salad is filled with black beans, chicken, corn, tomatoes, jalapenos, and so much more. It’s a little spicy and so flavorful.
Pesto Pasta Salad : This summer pasta salad idea is so delicious! It makes a large batch, so it’s a good option for potlucks and parties.
Green Goddess Pasta Salad : This recipe is filled with asparagus , peas, chickpeas, and pasta to make one delicious pasta salad! It’s a favorite for summertime.
Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad : Fresh strawberry and avocado tops this simple cold salad, with a poppy seed dressing to bring all the flavors together.
Shrimp Pasta Salad : Shrimp, celery, bell peppers, and macaroni noodles are combined in a creamy mayo dressing for an easy summer dish.

Steak Salad

Easy Salads for Dinner (or Lunch!)

These big salads are packed with ingredients, which makes them ideal for meals. Make any of these for a nice lunch or dinner on a warm day! You won’t be left hungry after finishing these.

Steak Salad : This is the ultimate salad for summer lunches or dinner. Greens, fresh veggies, and tender strips of steak are covered in a delicious balsamic.
Tequila Lime Salmon Salad : This healthy salad is perfect for summer dinners. Flavorful baked salmon and a tequila lime vinaigrette tops off the salad mix.
Cobb Salad : This salad recipe is packed with greens, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and so much more.
Chopped Caprese Salad : This chopped up version of a classic caprese is so easy to make. Bite-sized tomatoes and mozzarella are drizzled in balsamic for a sweet and savory lunch or side.
Peruvian Chopped Salad : I love this chopped salad, filled with lima beans, corn, radishes, and lots of other good stuff.
Traditional Greek Salad : This makes a quick, easy, and healthy meal to enjoy in the warmer months. Tons of chopped veggies are covered in a light dressing that tastes amazing!
Chicken Caesar Salad : Add juicy chicken to a classic Caesar salad with crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, Parmesan, and a creamy homemade dressing.

Spinach Salad

Any of these summer salad recipes will make a great dish to serve up for weekend lunches, pre-dinner appetizers, cookout side dishes, or whatever you have planned for the summer season. As soon as the temperatures start rising, you’ll want these delicious fruit and veggie filled salads for every meal and occasion. They’re easy, healthy, and sure to delight!

More Summer Recipes

Once you’ve got the salads covered, check out these other summer recipe ideas for BBQs, burgers, potlucks, and grilling!

68+ Easy BBQ Side Dishes

45+ Grill Recipes (Easy Summer Grilling Ideas)

50+ Potluck Ideas (Sides, Desserts, Salads, and More)

30 Burger Recipes

45+ Easy Summer Desserts

35 Refreshing Summer Cocktails

38 Easy Strawberry Recipes

12 best sangria recipes for every season. - 25

12 best sangria recipes for every season. - 26

12 Sangria Recipes

By Becky Hardin

Published Jul 12, 2017

This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.

Essential Grocery List

It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!

It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.

However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.

In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.

I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.

Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List

What to Buy at the Grocery Store

This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.

When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.

So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!