For example, since strawberries and peaches are in season in summer, don’t hesitate to mix them with your green vegetables. Additionally, don’t limit yourself to producing alone. Caprese salad is a deliciously refreshing dish that can easily be incorporated into dinner salad ideas. And, of course, it’s always possible to complement summer salads with your favorite grilled chicken, steak and/or fish for a while. protein boost and flavor to boot.
If you’re a fan of fresh peaches, try this summer avocado and peach salad from celebrity chef Nyesha Arrington:
Now, while we’re all in favor of combining whatever tasty salad ingredients are currently in the fridge for a quick and convenient lunch or dinner, there’s something to be said for following a good recipe. With that in mind, you’ll discover more than a dozen summer salad recipes worth making in the months to come.
Summer salad recipes for 2023
1. Chopped caprese salad
You can never go wrong with a refreshing caprese salad. Instead of serving it the traditional way (with whole slices of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil leaves layered on top), chop it all up and drizzle with balsamic for an easy-to-serve iteration of the classic dish.
Get the recipe: Chopped caprese salad
2. Lemon Parmesan Lettuce Salad
Summer salads don’t have to be complicated to be delicious. Case in point: This Lemon Parmesan Lettuce Salad has just six ingredients and takes just five minutes to make, but it’s got almost every 5-star review.
Get the recipe: Lemon Parmesan Lettuce Salad
3. Perfect Summer Fruit Salad
While greens may be your first thought when you think of summer salads, we’re here to remind you that fresh fruit can be just as tasty when mixed together. This fruit salad recipe combines pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, oranges, grapes and blueberries, and includes a sweet dressing to tie it all together.
Get the recipe: Perfect Summer Fruit Salad
4. Couscous salad with cherry tomatoes
Bite-sized cherry tomatoes are in season from summer to early fall, making them a must-have for your summer salads. One way to really harness their flavor is with this Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad recipe. Mixed with chickpeas, cucumbers, thyme and feta, it’s a flavorful, light but satisfying dish.
Get the recipe: Couscous salad with cherry tomatoes
5. Summer Chicken Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Marinated blackened chicken, grilled corn, roasted red peppers and mixed greens serve as the base of this salad. Meanwhile, the flavor is kicked up a notch with avocado, cherry tomatoes and garlic. That said, it’s the zesty bacon and herb vinaigrette that’s the star of the show.
Get the recipe: Summer Chicken Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
6. Cucumber salad with soy, ginger and garlic
This Asian-inspired cucumber salad is so delicious that nearly 3,000 foodies have awarded it their 5-star label. It contains wafer-thin cucumber slices soaked in vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, cayenne and pepper.
Get the recipe: Cucumber salad with soy, ginger and garlic
7. Watermelon salad with feta
Even though watermelon and feta might not seem like an obvious combination, this salad is simply mouth-watering. Red onion, cucumber, avocado, serrano pepper, lime, mint and basil are partly to thank.
Get the recipe: Watermelon salad with feta
8. Mexican Street Corn Salad with Black Beans and Avocado
Mexican Street Corn is a popular grilled corn recipe that can be made into a delicious summer salad when tossed with black beans and avocado. Don’t blame us if you keep repeating this for the rest of the summer.
Get the recipe: Mexican Street Corn Salad with Black Beans and Avocado
9. Peach caprese salad
Sure, classic caprese is delicious, but why not give it a sweet and savory boost by adding peaches to the tomato, mozzarella and basil base? Don’t forget to drizzle with balsamic!
Get the recipe: Peach caprese salad
ten. Orange, Walnut, Gorgonzola, and Mesclun Salad with Fresh Citrus Vinaigrette
Oranges are another fruit that can make a delicious salad ingredient. Here it is combined with mixed greens, gorgonzola, walnuts (one of our favorites salad toppings), and a citrus vinaigrette for a zesty salad you’ll want to eat again and again.
Get the recipe: Orange, Walnut, Gorgonzola, and Mesclun Salad with Fresh Citrus Vinaigrette
11. Arugula salad with peaches, goat cheese and basil
Arugula may be a little bitter on its own, but when you mix it with peaches, goat cheese, and basil, it will have a perfectly balanced taste.
Get the recipe: Arugula salad with peaches, goat cheese and basil
12. Roasted pepper, feta, pine nut and basil salad
Skip the greens: This popular summer salad recipe used roasted peppers as the base.
Get the recipe: Roasted pepper, feta, pine nut and basil salad
13. Berry-Orange Spinach Salad with Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette
What happens when you mix baby spinach with tangerines, raspberries, blackberries, walnuts and feta? You get a sweet and savory salad that you’ll be happy to make all summer long.
Get the recipe: Berry-Orange Spinach Salad with Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette
14. Greek Chopped Chicken Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Marinated Greek chicken and delicious lemon tahini dressing make this simple salad a delight to enjoy several times a week.
Get the recipe: Greek Chopped Chicken Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
15. Cucumber and tomato salad
Here we have another classic backyard barbecue side dish. And it’s so easy to do! It’s just cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions drizzled with vinegar and oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Get the recipe: Cucumber and tomato salad
16. Corn salad
One way to put your leftover grilled corn to good use is to follow this tasty corn salad recipe. By mixing it with tomatoes, feta, and basil, you’ll get a whole new flavor profile, so you won’t be sick of starchy vegetables.
Get the recipe: Corn salad
17. Strawberry spinach salad
Strawberry summer salads are on point. This one combines spinach, strawberries, red onion, toasted pecans and feta, all topped off with a unique poppy seed vinaigrette.
Get the recipe: Strawberry spinach salad
18. Cherry tomato and white bean salad
White beans are another popular summer salad ingredient. To give them a whirl, try this Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad, which has over 1,000 5-star reviews.
Get the recipe: Cherry tomato and white bean salad
19. asian coleslaw
If you like color and lots of flavor, this tasty Asian slaw recipe will have you swooning.
Get the recipe: asian coleslaw
20. Mint fruit salad
As if fruit salad wasn’t refreshing enough on its own, this one incorporates mint for an even more invigorating flavor profile.
Get the recipe: Mint fruit salad
21. BLT salad
Transform your favorite summer sandwich into a healthy salad with this beloved BLT salad recipe.
Get the recipe: BLT salad
22. Spinach, broccoli, blueberry salad
Spinach, romaine, arugula, and kale may be the most popular salad base ingredients, but we’re here to let you in on a little secret: broccoli is also a great option. Besides adding an earthy flavor, it will give your salad a satisfying crunch that could make it even more filling. And with extra blueberries? Yes please!
Get the recipe: Spinach, broccoli, blueberry salad
23. Pineapple and Jalapeño Salad
Pineapple and jalapeños are two popular summer ingredients on their own, so combining them in a salad is a delicious recipe, right?
Get the recipe: Pineapple and Jalapeño Salad
24. Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad with Dijon Honey
Let’s put it this way: this Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken and Dijon Honey has been shared over 114,000 times. that GOOD.
Get the recipe: Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad with Dijon Honey
