I love a good summer salad. There is something so wonderful about tossing a big bowl of chopped fresh salad vegetables, grilled seafood or chicken and herbs with a scrumptious salad dressing and enjoying it with friends in the bright summer sun while sipping a chilled wine. My super popular and delicious summer salad recipes will make you the star of every gathering, I promise!
Jump to:
☀️ Why make these Summer Salad Recipes?
- Fresh, healthy and balanced with lods of crunch and texture.
- Delicious, mouthwatering salad dressings that everyone loves.
- Easy, chopped salads made in just one bowl.
- Great for meal prepping and can be made ahead. Chopped salad and salad dressing can be stored separately until ready to serve.
- Uses the best summer produce – big, juicy tomatoes, green cucumbers, golden grilled corn, fresh seafood, chillies and herbs.
- Great for taking to parties, picnics, potlucks and barbecues.
- Excellent as a side salad to grilled meat and seafood.
🍅 How to build a fresh and healthy Summer Salad?
Making a healthy summer salad is really easy. Start with summer’s best seasonal produce and build your way up from there.
- Start with crunch for the base. Lots of fresh salad greens and salad vegetables like Cos lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, cabbage, carrot, red and green capsicum, celery, red onion, bean sprouts and cucumber. These can be chopped, diced, sliced or grated.
- Add body, oomph and a touch of sweetness – think big juicy tomatoes or sweet cherry tomatoes, ripe mangoes, caramelised grilled pineapple, roasted pumpkin or sweet potato, sweet watermelon, juicy citrus, strawberries and peaches.
- Add salty creaminess and some protein – feta cheese, grilled halloumi cheese, seasoned chickpeas and beans.
- Add protein – grilled seafood like prawns, octopus, squid is really great in these summer salad recipes. I also love adding grilled chicken.
- Add Aromatics and Herbs – Chilli, coriander, basil, parsley, thyme, garlic, ginger, spring onion, olives, capers – all excellent ingredients to lift a bright summer salad.
- Add Salad Dressings – Sweet, sour, salty and spicy; these delicious summer salad dressings are bright and yummy with lemon, lime, vinegars, olive oil, chilli oil, tahini and hot sauces.
🥗 My Most Popular Summer Salad Recipes
My Seafood Pipirrana is a delicious chopped salad made with cooked octopus, prawns, salad veggies and a lemony cumin infused dressing. This traditional Spanish summer salad is fresh, easy and super cooling on hot summer days.
Get The Recipe
A great summer recipe for a quick, fresh, no-cook, Thai Prawn And Mango Salad tossed with a delicious nahm-jim dressing.
Get The Recipe
Everyone must have a classic salad recipe that they can whip up in mere minutes. Try my easy 10-minute Greek Salad recipe packed with freshly chopped vegetables, creamy feta cheese, sharp olives and a delicious, lemony dressing.
Get The Recipe
A twist on the traditional Mexican Pico De Gallo, my Mango version makes use of summer’s juiciest, sweetest mangoes and makes this chopped salad extra delicious.
Get The Recipe
An easy, delicious summer salad bursting with fresh flavours and hitting all the flavour notes with sweet, salty, spicy and sour! Watermelon, feta, olives, chilli, orange and house-pickled shallots create a crowd-pleasing salad that will wow everyone!
Get The Recipe
Try my easy, 10-minute Texas Caviar recipe! Whether you call it Cowboy Caviar or Cowboy Salad, it is the most delicious pickled bean dip made with black-eyed peas, pepper, herbs and a zesty dressing made with a secret ingredient. It is all you need for Friday night along with a bag of corn chips and a Mango Margarita!
Get The Recipe
Chopped salad never looked so good or so easy to make! With at least four veggies and a handful of ingredients, this delicious Indian Kachumber Salad is ready in minutes and is a great way to boost your veggie intake at every meal.
Get The Recipe
This is that viral, healthy and deliciously easy salad that Jennifer Aniston may or may not have eaten every single day for 10 years on the set while filming Friends. Packed with protein and crunch, this quinoa, chickpeas and veg salad can be made in just about 20 minutes.
Get The Recipe
A super-easy, delicious, healthy salad ready in just 15 minutes! This Green Avocado Salad is not only completely made of green-coloured ingredients but is packed with lots of nutrients. It is extremely refreshing, tangy and gorgeous with the creamy avocado, crunchy green apple and bell pepper and a fresh lime salad dressing. A crowd-pleaser!
Get The Recipe
An easy, delicious spoon salad made with a variety of crunchy salad veggies, salty feta and sweetcorn cooked in the microwave. A perfect light summer salad and a great way to get more vegetables at every meal.
Get The Recipe
An easy, delicious recipe for an Asian Smashed Cucumber Salad – a raw, cold cucumber salad made by smashing cucumbers and dressing them with warmed chilli oil and a few other ingredients. Delightfully complex in flavour and utterly refreshing. A must for lovers of cucumber and chilli.
Get The Recipe
adapted from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi
Get The Recipe
A beautiful tangy salad inspired by Chaat – the famous street food of India, this Chickpea Chaat Salad has all of the delicious sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours along with the freshness and crunch of salad veggies. A colourful, healthy and fun salad you can make in minutes!
Get The Recipe
A beautiful Spring-Summer salad inspired by Antipasto – pickled and preserved roast veggies, olives and creamy feta cheese. This Antipasto Couscous Salad is great warm or cold from the fridge and has been the star of many a Spring picnic potluck in the sun.
Get The Recipe
Summer in a bowl – Grilled prawns, charred corn, black beans, avocado, jalapeno, lots of lime and herbs and a delicious Mexican dressing.
Cabbage and sweet caramelised grilled pineapple tossed in a creamy Coleslaw dressing. Crunchy, sweet and delicious!
A fresh, light, textural salad full of crunch; this Thai Style Vegan Cabbage Salad has a delicious creamy dressing, toasted seeds, veggies and herbs. A beautiful light meal or a side to your main. Can be made ahead.
Get The Recipe
A delicious Mexican Chicken Salad packed with succulent, grilled chicken thigh, grilled corn, sweet tomatoes, fresh lettuce and a flavour packed spicy Mexican salad dressing.
Get The Recipe
Who doesn’t love buttery, sweet, warm corn? My Mexican Corn Salad takes warm, buttered corn to the next level with hot chipotle sauce, fresh coriander, lots of tangy lime, salty cheese, garlic and chilli. Is your mouth watering yet? Make my delicious 10-minute recipe ASAP!
Get The Recipe