Celebrate the best of the season with these refreshing summer salad recipes!
This collection of refreshing summer salad recipes celebrates colorful, in-season fruits and vegetables when flavor is at its finest. Once summer produce has ripened to perfection, it’s time to make salads and lots of them! We have everything from vegetable salads to fruit salads, perfect for both desk lunches your favorite backyard get-together.
Watermelon Salad with Feta, Cucumber, and Mint
This sweet and salty watermelon salad with feta cheese and a zesty honey lime dressing is one of my favorites! Juicy, hydrating watermelon, cooling cucumber, and fresh mint make this salad super refreshing on a hot day. Serve with Grilled Pork Souvlaki and a glass of White Sangria to quench your thirst.
Peach Salad with Arugula, Basil, and Goat Cheese
Sweet, tangy, and creamy, this stone fruit salad tastes like Italian summer on a platter. I like to make it during the peak summer months when peaches are at their juiciest and fresh basil is abundant. It’s best served as a light lunch or side dish, paired with something spicy like Grilled Harissa Chicken and chilled Tomato Gazpacho.
Summer Fruit Salad with Citrus and Honey
This fruit salad recipe combines berries and cherries with fresh mint, crushed walnuts, and a citrus and honey dressing. It’s sweet, tart, fresh, and delicious. Make this for your next BBQ and watch it become the first dish that disappears from the table.
Caprese Salad
This classic summer salad celebrates the colors of the Italian flag while celebrating summer tomatoes, fresh basil, and creamy mozzarella cheese. The whole thing comes together in minutes and is finished with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The oil is part of the flavor profile of this recipe so make sure it’s a good one. Our Italian Nocellara olive oil is one of my favorites for dressing this salad.
Traditional Greek Salad
When it comes to easy salads you can whip up in minutes, this traditional Greek salad is at the top of my list. A topping of crumbled feta and chopped olives adds a salty, briny flavor, and the feta is the finishing touch. It’s simple, and a crowd favorite at my house.
Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad
With this summer salad, you can put every garden-fresh tomato and cucumber to good use! Season simply with salt and fresh parsley, or add Mediterranean flair with sumac, red onions, and feta cheese. I eat this quintessential Mediterranean salad on its own but I also use it to dress up other recipes. Add it to pita sandwiches, Chicken Gyro Bowls, or Lahmacun—you really can’t go wrong.
Watermelon Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Syrup and Pistachios
There is no need to show up to the party with a boring side to share. Bring this salad made with cubed watermelon and cantaloupe, drizzled with honey and topped with pistachios, and wait for the applause. Life is short, bring a little pizzazz to the party!
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Perfect for picnics and potlucks, this chickpea salad recipe keeps well, is ready in minutes, and feeds a crowd. It’s loaded with all the good stuff — plant-based protein from the chickpeas and extras like fresh herbs, juicy grape tomatoes, roasted red peppers, crisp cucumber, and creamy avocado.
Cucumber Radish Salad
Perfect for picnics and potlucks, this cucumber and radish salad is made in just 20 minutes and serves up to 6 people. Crisp cucumbers, celery, and radishes form the base of this lettuce-free salad, and fresh dill, chives, and mint give it fresh, herby, bright flavors. It’s particularly satisfying on a hot summer night alongside Grilled Salmon Burgers or Grilled Chicken Kabobs.
Bell Pepper Salad with Mini Sweet Peppers
The sweet meets savory flavor of this 10-minute, crunchy bell pepper salad is impossible to resist! Not only does it come together in mere minutes, but its flavor intensifies as it sits, making it an ideal make-ahead recipe. Fresh dill and sumac deliver bright, Mediterranean flavors, and garlic, scallions, and olives provide a savory element. Serve this salad in late summer when bell peppers are at their prime, alongside Grilled Lamb Chops and slices of Grilled Watermelon for dessert!
Fresh Grilled Corn Salad
Light up your grill and char a few ears of freshly picked sweet corn. Then, shave the corn off the cob and toss it into a delicious summer salad! This salad is boldly flavored with ginger, garlic, dill, cilantro, and cumin, and drizzled with a simple blend of olive oil and red wine vinegar. It’s ideal for picnics or cookouts because its flavor intensifies as it sits! Serve grilled corn salad with Grilled Chicken Wings and a big pitcher of Watermelon Sangria.
Mediterranean Tomato Feta Salad
Make this summer salad if you have a garden bursting with plump, ripe tomatoes that are just begging to be picked or a particularly good grocery store haul. Sweet, vine-ripened tomatoes are sliced and tossed with aromatic herbs, creamy feta cheese, and sumac for a zesty, lemony flavor. Pair tomato and feta salad with a light, summery grilled fish, like grilled salmon or grilled cod.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Light, creamy, and nourishing, this extra-cooling cucumber salad uses protein-packed Greek yogurt, which adds a good tang and protein boost. The cucumbers provide cooling relief on a sweltering summer day, along with a crunchy texture and delicate, clean flavor. Take advantage of its cooling nature, and serve this summer salad with a spicy entrée, like Grilled Harissa Chicken Legs.
Simple Heirloom Tomato Salad with Dukkah
I become obsessed with this simple heirloom tomato salad when raw tomatoes are at peak freshness! Tomatoes are the star of the show here, seasoned with a spicy, garlic lemon dressing and Homemade Dukkah. Dukkah is an Egyptian condiment made in just 10 minutes using nuts, seeds, and a few warming spices–make a big batch to use as a dip for bread, crunchy salad topping, to coat Roasted Rainbow Carrots, the list goes on!
Quinoa Salad
Quinoa is a great base for summer salads because its ready in about 12 minutes. By the time you’re done chopping cucumbers and colorful bell peppers, the quinoa is cooked. Bring it all together with the simple lemon, oregano, and olive oil vinaigrette, some feta, and a few olives for a finishing touch. Trust me when I say this is your new favorite side.
Grilled Romaine Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Tahini
After a few minutes on the grill, the romaine’s outer leaves develop a slightly smoky, sweet, and charred flavor, while the inner core remains crisp. Then, the grilled romaine is topped with blistered corn, grape tomatoes, and a deliciously nutty Tahini Dressing. This salad is the real showstopper, so serve it with a simple main, like Mediterranean Grilled Swordfish.
Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad
This no-fuss side dish is made in just 15 minutes using only 3 main ingredients and a handful of pantry staples. Sweet, sun-ripened cherry tomatoes are tossed with salty, briny olives and soaked in olive oil, lime, and garlic marinade, creating an absolute flavor explosion in every bite! Pair this refreshing tomato salad with a protein like Grilled Shish Tawook to make it a meal!
More Recipes to Celebrate Summer!
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Recipe Roundups
10 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes
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