These are the best summer salad recipes for healthy, light and hearty meals packed with vegetables, protein and delicious dressings.
Warm weather always makes me want to eat more raw, fresh and crunchy veggies. But these summer salads are far from your standard bland greens and cherry tomatoes.
This round-up includes fully-loaded salads with plenty of protein (vegan and non-vegan), crunchy toppings, and of course, some of my all-time favorite salad dressings.
You can serve many of these recipes as a meal all on their own. Or, round them out with other summery entrees like Barbecue Grilled Pineapple & Tofu Kebabs, Vegetarian Black Bean Quinoa Burgers and BBQ Chicken Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa.
Best Summer Salad Recipes
Let's dive into these best salad recipes for summer, featuring fresh produce and your favorite mix-ins.
Best Summer Salads with Fruit
- Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette has buttery pecans and avocado for a salad full of satiating healthy fats.
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Toasted Quinoa is a refreshing sweet and savory salad with nutty quinoa for crunch.
- Summer Salad with Fruit from Live-in Kitchen is a stunning green salad with berries, grapes and mandarins.
High-Protein Summer Salads
- Curried Lentil Salad is a creamy vegan lentil salad bowl with crunchy veggies and a minty dressing.
- The Best Greek Chickpea Salad has Mediterranean flair from a zesty vinaigrette, olives and tomatoes.
- Smashed Vegan Chickpea Salad with Caesar Dressing is a high-protein vegan take on a classic Caesar that makes delicious sandwiches or wraps too.
- 15-Minute Buffalo Tempeh Salad Bowls are a spicy high-protein summer salad that comes together in no time and always hits the spot.
- Chinese Chickpea Salad from Veggiekins is a bright, savory dish with hearty chickpeas, mandarins and chicories.
Favorite Quinoa Salads for Summer
- 10-Minute Spicy Moroccan Quinoa Salad is incredibly easy to make and has a wonderful sweet, spicy and savory flavor blend.
- Quinoa Caprese Salad is my favorite way to add some plant-based protein and whole grains to classic Caprese when tomatoes are in season.
- Quinoa “Tabbouleh” Salad is a different take on this grain-filled, eherby Middle Eastern side dish.
- Asian Quinoa Power Salad makes a super crunchy and healthy make-ahead side dish for barbecues and picnics.
Veggie-Packed Salads
- Grilled Vegetable Salad for Summer turns your favorite grilled veggies into a satisfying salad with creamy tahini dressing.
- Vegan Cobb Salad has everything you love about traditional cobb, including smoky bacon flavors, without any meat or dairy.
- Vegan Nicoise Salad Recipe is another plant-based take on a classic salad with crunchy green beans and tofu for protein.
- Summer Carrot and Broccoli Slaw from Inspiralized is a fun, crunchy fresh veggie slaw with yogurt dressing.
I hope your summer is full of sunshine, fun, and delicious food! If you make any of these salads, be sure to let me know what you think!