43 Fresh Salads To Help You Welcome Spring
Is there anything better than spring produce? We think not.
Now that we're shaking off that winter chill, we're so ready to spring forward... right into these salads. Real talk: Is there anything better than spring produce? We think not. 'Tis the season when fruits and vegetables start being at their peak, so definitely take advantage with these recipes for spring-y salads like our strawberry spinach salad, spring Cobb salad, and tzatziki potato salad. These 41 fresh and exciting salad recipes also work well as side dishes or the main event too.
There will always be room at our table for the uncomplicated classics, particularly when we’re serving a more involved main dish. Arugula, spinach, and kale salads with bright and easy vinaigrettes can be so lovely in their simplicity. That said, our hearts really belong to the FULL salads, the kind that can stand alone as a meal and has tons of texture and flavor. Here we’re filling or topping our salads with everything from fried halloumi to sweet spring strawberries on a spinach salad. Feel free to get creative and add your favorites too; we're pretty partial to our roasted cauliflower salad and this beyond gorgeous super-green pasta salad.
Also, we’d be remiss if we only focused on the greens here. Macaroni salad is always a summer crowd-pleaser, but for spring, we like to go outside the box and try out different pasta shapes, like ramen or soba noodles (like we did for our creamy noodle salad and crunchy Mandarin orange-chicken salad recipes). And they’re not all mayo-based! We think spring is a great time to focus on bright, vibrant flavors, so we’ve relied on vinegars and citrus to add some brightness to our salads.
We’ve also got a couple warm options for those cold spring nights when the temperature unexpectedly drops, like our lentil salad or Tuscan tortellini salad. The best part? They make for great cold leftovers the next day too.
Speaking of chilly evenings, nothing pairs better with salad than soup, so make sure to check out our favorite springy soups to complete your meal.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
The combination of sweet strawberries, herby chicken, creamy goat cheese, and spicy red onions may even make so-called spinach haters love this recipe.
Get the Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe.
Super Green Pasta Salad
It’s not so hard to eat your greens when they come in pasta salad form. Sweet baby spinach is great here, but peppery arugula or tender baby kale would work well too.
Get the Super Green Pasta Salad recipe.
Greek Salmon Salad
Whenever we're craving a salad, it usually means we want something fresh and crisp with lots of flavor. And a salad that won't leave us hungry in 30 minutes. This gorgeous salad is hearty enough to be dinner. While the salmon is cooking, you can get all of your veggie chopping done. An easy dinner with big reward!
Get the Greek Salmon Salad recipe.
Spring Cobb Salad
Everyone’s favorite Cobb salad just got a spring-y makeover! This lightened-up version has lots of crunchy in-season veggies and a creamy lemon-dill dressing spiked with raw garlic. A smattering of croutons (homemade is best if you’ve got the time) add texture, and a healthy serving of eggs and avocado make this salad hearty enough to be dinner.
Get the Spring Cobb Salad recipe.
Halloumi Salad
We think it's due time that halloumi, the brined Cypriot cheese, got its time in the spotlight. Besides the delightfully squeaky texture (where the cheese curd lovers at?) and the tangy, salty flavor, the high melting point is really what makes this cheese stand out—when heat is applied, it develops a delicious golden crust that is so delightful in this salad.
Get the Halloumi Salad recipe.
Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta Salad
Skip bringing the traditional pasta salad to the summer potluck. This pasta salad has a creamy peanut dressing and is full of fresh, crunchy veggies with no mayonnaise in sight. It’s just as simple to make and is as delicious hot as it is cold, which means you can easily make it ahead of time.
Tzatziki Potato Salad
For fans of potato salad, there is endless possibility for different kinds of flavorings and mix-ins. But what we didn’t have was tzatziki potato salad, which seemed perfect for spring and very creamy without being super mayo-heavy. This version of potato salad is very dill forward, nicely lemony and bright with yogurt, crunchy cucumber—both fresh and pickled—and creamy boiled baby red potatoes.
Get the Tzatziki Potato Salad recipe.
Shrimp & Mango Salad
This quick and easy salad is pleasantly crunchy and loaded with fresh ingredients–just what we crave when we want something satisfying that won’t weigh us down. With a bright, savory dressing inspired by June’s miso ginger dressing, this might be our new favorite way to get in our serving of veggies.
Get the Shrimp & Mango Salad recipe.
Fried Goat Cheese Salad
A quick pan-fry makes creamy goat cheese a fun, super-crunchy salad topper. It’s a creative take on croutons and makes a simple salad so much more exciting. These are also great on their own and would be delicious on a cheese board with a little drizzle of honey. It helps to keep the goat cheese really cold while working with it so it won’t fall apart. If you feel your cheese is getting too warm at any point, pop it back in the freezer and work with batches at a time if you prefer.
Get the Fried Goat Cheese Salad recipe.
Anything Goes Grain Salad
We love a giant grain salad that is full of so many beautiful things! This farro and white bean salad has roasted veggies, like springy carrots and leeks, along with crunchy veggies like bell pepper and radicchio, and all tied together with a simple honey lemon dressing.
Get the Anything Goes Grain Salad recipe.
Crunchy Mandarin Orange-Chicken Salad
This recipe was semi-inspired by the Chinese Chicken Salad at The Cheesecake Factory, where they use wonton strips and crispy rice noodles. Instead, we sub in a block of dried ramen—broken up, the crunchy, wavy noodles act as croutons just as well. Feel free to sub the almonds for cashews or peanuts too!
Strawberry Chicken Cobb Salad
There's a lot to love about a classic Cobb salad. It's packed with hard-boiled eggs, chopped chicken, bacon, avocado, and refreshingly crispy romaine. The gang's all here, except with some big-time upgrades. Strawberries stand in for the standard tomatoes, while feta takes the place of blue cheese. Fear not, there's still an extra-creamy buttermilk-based dressing that coats every bite.
Get the Strawberry Chicken Cobb Salad recipe.
Bacon Pea Salad
When you think pea salad, you probably think of the mayo-based ones. Great in their own ways, but we decided to lighten ours up a bit. This one is fresh and crunchy, and has the most addicting bacon vinaigrette.
Get the Bacon Pea Salad recipe.
Chicken-Avocado Caprese Salad
Though we’re all about a healthy salad chock-full of delicious ingredients, sometimes we’re more about quality than quantity. Possibly the most quintessential example of this is the Caprese salad, made up of just three ingredients—fresh mozzarella, gorgeous tomatoes, and bright basil. To make this chicken-avocado version, we stuck with that principle, just adding grilled balsamic chicken, creamy avocado, and a little romaine for crunch. The result is a simple salad that is still refreshing and light, but also satisfying enough to be dinner.
Get the Chicken-Avocado Caprese Salad recipe.
Laab Gai: Lao Minced Chicken Salad
Filled with fresh herbs and aromatics, laab is the national dish of Laos and has evolved throughout history through neighboring countries. Think of it as a spicy, mayo-less take on classic chicken salad.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
This warm cauliflower salad is simple but hearty and full of color and vegetables. It's good enough to be a main dish (even if you don’t think you’re a salad person) but is also easy enough to make a great, simple side. The roasted cauliflower is perfectly spiced with just a little bit of heat, and the creamy avocado dressing helps balance everything out.
Get the Roasted Cauliflower Salad recipe.
Avocado-Mango Poke Salad
Since this salad is so simple, use the best, freshest tuna, mangoes, and avocados you can find!
Get the Avocado-Mango Poke Salad recipe.
Moroccan Carrot Salad
This carrot-and-raisin salad gets an upgrade with a slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and very addicting sauce made of harissa, honey, and lemon. It brings out the sweet freshness of the carrots and makes the whole dish sing.
Get the Moroccan Carrot Salad recipe.
Roasted Chickpea And Avocado Salad
We love a hearty, studded salad with a good dressing, and this one is just that. Chickpeas get roasted plain so that they have a real chance to dry and become extra crispy. If you have an air fryer, use it to cook your chickpeas for the ultimate crisp. The tahini ranch is a lightened-up dressing that is better than any bottle you could buy and makes this whole salad meal-worthy. It’s a perfect summer salad for lunch or a picnic!
Greek Chickpea Salad
We’re no strangers to a great chickpea salad, so coming up with a Greek-inspired one was a no-brainer. It’s got all the flavors you love from Greek salad, turned into something more substantial and filling that pairs well with almost anything. It’s wonderful on its own, or served alongside chicken, seafood, or steak for a complete meal. You could even stir in sliced salami or chopped boiled eggs to boost it up. Trust us—you’re going to want to keep a few cans of chickpeas in your pantry so you’ll always be ready to make this.
Get the Greek Chickpea Salad recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
