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Here are 15 easy and refreshing summer salad recipes that you need to try! Everything from side dish salads to serve at your next BBQ, cookout or picnic to main dish summer salads perfect for lunch or dinner on days when it’s way too hot to cook.
Summer is the season of salads! I don’t know about you but I live off of different types of salads in the summer.
Summer salads just seem to hit the spot on hot days. They are easy to make, refreshing and super delicious too. Nothing beats the taste of fresh local summer produce! Am I right?!
Table of Contents
- Looking For Summer Salad Ideas?
- 15 Summer Salads You’ll Love
- Burrata Caprese
- Creamy German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
- Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Chicken Macaroni Salad
- Healthy Nourish Bowls
- Warm Roasted Asparagus Salad With Eggs
- Summer Chopped Veggie Salad
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Cucumber Yogurt Salad
- Elote Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad
- Tuna Potato Salad
- Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
- Roasted Pumpkin And Beetroot Salad
- My Go-To Summer Pasta Salad
- FAQ: Summer Salads
- More Summer Recipe Collections
Looking For Summer Salad Ideas?
Look no further! Here are 15 of my favorite salad recipes that are perfect for summer. You’re sure to find something you’ll love!
Maybe you’re looking for a summer salad to serve as a side dish at your next BBQ or cookout? Or perhaps it’s crazy hot out (WAY TOO HOT TO COOK!) and you want a main dish salad idea for lunch or dinner. Or maybe you’re just quickly throwing something on the grill and need an easy salad to serve alongside it?
No worries! You’ll find something perfect for any of these occasions below!
15 Summer Salads You’ll Love
Make the most of summer with these 15 easy and delicious summer salad recipes. Lots of amazing options to choose from below including cucumber salads, pasta salads, veggie packed salads and lots more! The hardest part is deciding which one to try first!
Burrata Caprese
This Burrata Caprese Salad is summer on a plate! Juicy heirloom tomatoes and creamy burrata cheese are a match made in heaven. Perfect for tomato season!
Ways To Serve It
- Serve it as a side dish: It pairs well with Italian dishes like pizza, risotto or your favorite pasta dish (like pasta with bolognese sauce or lasagna). Also delicious served with grilled seafood, grilled steaks or other meats.
- Serve it as an appetizer: This beautiful salad is perfect appetizer for summer entertaining.
- Serve it as a main: The perfect no-cook lunch or dinner on hot summer days. I like to serve it with some fresh crusty bread and a nice glass of wine or a Limoncello Spritz.
Creamy German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
This Creamy German Cucumber Salad (aka Gurkensalat) features thinly sliced cucumbers in the most delicious sour cream dressing. I dare you not to drink the leftover sauce at the bottom of the salad bowl (or maybe it’s just my family that fights over these things!🤣).
Ways To Serve It
Serve it as an easy and refreshing side dish. In the summer it pairs well with:
- Grilled meat or seafood: Grilled steaks, chicken, salmon, shrimp, kebabs, sausages, etc.
- German foods: Schnitzel, frikadellen, bratwurst, etc.
Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
This Italian antipasto pasta salad is loaded with so much good stuff. We’re talking salami, cheese and a mix of fresh and briny veggies that all gets tossed together in a zesty homemade Italian dressing.
Ways To Serve It
- Serve it as a side dish: A total hit at cookouts, potlucks and BBQs.
- Serve it as a main dish: Totally hits the spot for lunch or dinner on a hot summer day.
Chicken Macaroni Salad
Chicken Macaroni Salad is a delicious cross between a creamy macaroni salad and a chicken salad. It’s so good!
Ways To Serve It
- Serve it as a side dish: Great for summer BBQs, cookouts, picnics and potlucks.
- Serve it as a main dish: Perfect for lunch or a quick weeknight dinner and a great way to use up leftover chicken.
Healthy Nourish Bowls
Learn how to build your own healthy nourish bowl. It’s a great way to highlight all that delicious fresh summer produce. The combinations are endless so you’ll never get bored!
Ways To Serve It
Nourish Bowls are a complete meal that are delicious served for lunch or dinner. Also fantastic for meal prep! You can either prep ahead complete bowls or my personal favorite way is to prep a variety of ingredients so that I can easily mix and match to quickly build a fresh bowl.
Warm Roasted Asparagus Salad With Eggs
This Roasted Asparagus Salad is a recipe that I make on repeat during late spring/early summer when local asparagus is in season. It features delicious roasted asparagus topped with eggs (the kind with beautiful soft runny yolks), parmesan shavings and toasted pine nuts.
Ways To Serve It
This is a satisfying meal salad that can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or a light dinner.
Summer Chopped Veggie Salad
This Chopped Veggie Salad is one of my favorite summer side salads! It’s loaded with fresh summer veggies and feta cheese tossed in a simple tangy vinaigrette. Super easy to make, colorful and so yummy!
Ways To Serve It
This is an amazing summer side salad that pairs incredibly well with grilled foods.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is THE pasta salad for pickle lovers! It’s loaded with crunchy pickles, sharp white cheddar, fresh dill and tossed in a creamy tangy pickle dressing – so good!
Ways To Serve It
It’s the perfect side dish at your next summer cookout, BBQ, potluck or picnic!
Cucumber Yogurt Salad
Raise your hand if you like tzatziki! If your hand is waving up in the air, then you are going to love this Cucumber Yogurt Salad. It features all the flavors of tzatziki in salad form.
Ways To Serve It
This easy and refreshing side dish salad pairs well with grilled foods, rich or spicy foods and all your Greek or Mediterranean faves.
Elote Street Corn Pasta Salad
This elote pasta salad has all the flavors of Mexican street corn in pasta salad form. Smoky charred corn, salty cotija cheese, a little jalapeno kick, fresh cilantro, red onions and a creamy, tangy chili lime dressing to bring it all together. It’s so good!
Ways To Serve It
This pasta salad is a super versatile side dish. It goes with grilled things, Tex-Mex things and pretty much any summer gathering.
Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad
This Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad is tossed together in a creamy lemon dill dressing. Salmon and asparagus make a fantastic combo so why not turn it into a delicious pasta salad!
Ways To Serve It
- Serve it as a side dish: A fantastic side dish for summer BBQ’s, potlucks or picnics.
- Serve it as a main dish: This salad is a complete meal that can be served on its own for a satisfying lunch or simple dinner.
Tuna Potato Salad
This Tuna Potato Salad is not your average potato salad recipe. It features a combination of baby potatoes, green beans, tuna, radishes and red onion all tossed together with a delicious dill buttermilk dressing.
Ways To Serve It
This potato salad recipe is a complete meal that is perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
This Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad features a a super tasty pesto vinaigrette that keeps everything juicy, flavorful and far from bland and boring.
Ways To Serve It
- Serve it as a side dish: This makes an awesome side for BBQs, picnics or summer cookouts with friends.
- Serve it as a main dish: Perfect for lunch or a light dinner and a great way to use up leftover chicken.
Roasted Pumpkin And Beetroot Salad
This Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad is fantastic to make near the end of summer when an abundance of fresh squash/pumpkin and beets are available. It features roasted pumpkin/squash and beets tossed in a delicious maple vinaigrette and topped with feta, pine nuts, pepitas and arugula/rocket.
Ways To Serve It
It’s hearty enough to serve on its own for a delicious lunch but also makes a wonderful side dish for grilled meats (like these Grilled Steaks), seafood, and for the transition into fall and Thanksgiving.
My Go-To Summer Pasta Salad
Obviously I can’t forget to include my go-to pasta salad recipe. It’s loaded with two types of cheese, two kinds of meat, a rainbow of crunchy bell peppers, sweet onion and the most amazing homemade vinaigrette. I never get tired of this pasta salad!
Ways To Serve It
I love to enjoy this pasta salad as a main dish on hot days or as a tasty side with anything off the grill. Great for picnics too!
FAQ: Summer Salads
Summer salads are the salads that we typically enjoy and make the most during the summer season. They tend to either highlight fresh summer produce or pair well with grilled foods and BBQ.
The best ones for meal prep are the Healthy Nourish Bowls, Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad, Chicken Macaroni Salad, Dill Pickle Pasta Salad and Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad.
If you are looking for a satisfying salad for lunch or dinner then check out the following in the list above: Healthy Nourish Bowls, Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad, Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad, Roasted Asparagus Salad With Eggs, Chicken Macaroni Salad, Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad, Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad, Tuna Potato Salad or My Go-To Summer Pasta Salad.
All of the salads listed above are amazing sides except for the Warm Roasted Asparagus Salad, Nourish Bowls and Tuna Potato Salad which are better served as mains.
More Summer Recipe Collections
I’ve got lots of other great recipe roundups to check out! Here are a few that are perfect for summer…
So the only question is…which one of these summer salad recipes will you make first?
Let me know which ones are your favorite in the comments below or tag me on Instagram so that I can see your beautiful summer salads.
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