Favorite Summer Salad Recipes

Photo Credit
Sam Jones/Quinn Brein
Subhead

14 Salads Made With Fresh Summer Vegetables

Written By: Sarah Perreault Managing Editor

These delicious summer salad recipes feature seasonal vegetables from the garden or market. We know that salads can get “boring” after a while—so we hope you’ll find that all of these salads provide a fresh and flavorful take!

Many of these salads are quick to prepare and great to have on hand for your next backyard BBQ!

14 Favorite Summer Salad Recipes

Garden Patch Potato Salad

Packed with vegetables, colorful, and crunchy, this unique potato salad pairs especially well with grilled meats like pork, steak or chicken.

Garden Patch Potato Salad
Garden Patch Potato Salad
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Summer Corn Salad

This salad uses the best of the summer harvest and is packed full of flavor, with a wonderful texture from the fresh vegetables!

Summer corn salad
Summer Corn Salad
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Creamy Broccoli Carrot Salad

Both a palate- and eye-pleaser, the added crunch from the nuts and bacon to hearty vegetables is a welcome addition.

Creamy Broccoli Carrot Salad
Creamy Broccoli Carrot Salad
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Chicken Spinach Salad with Oranges, Dates, and Goat Cheese

This refreshingly tangy salad is just right for a summer lunch or a great addition to a family dinner. The goat cheese and oranges are perfect partners, and the greens can be adjusted to your taste. 

Chicken Spinach Salad with Oranges, Dates, and Goat Cheese
Chicken Spinach Salad with Oranges, Dates, and Goat Cheese
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

Watermelon Cucumber Salad
Watermelon Cucumber Salad
Photo credit: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

Summer Salsa Salad

This salsa salad earned first place in our 2011 Garden-Fresh Cookbook Recipe Contest. The editors loved it! Serve as a side or serve with tortilla chips.

Summer Salsa Salad
Summer Salsa Salad
Photo Credit: vm2002/Shutterstock

Bacon Horseradish Penne Pasta Salad

A little bit spicy, a little bit creamy, this pasta salad hits all the right flavor notes! Great for a potluck or family gathering.

Bacon Horseradish Penne Pasta Salad
Bacon Horseradish Penne Pasta Salad

Chicken Salad on Tostadas

Tex-Mex flavors dominate in this quick and zesty Chicken Salad on Tostadas recipe. It’s an easy meal for a hot day when you don’t want to be in the kitchen.

Chicken Salad on Tostadas
Chicken Salad on Tostadas
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Confetti Rice Salad

Chopped veggies, nuts, and fruit add crunch, and the vinaigrette gives it a pretty pink hue. It’s as delicious as it is beautiful!

confetti rice salad
Confetti Rice Salad
Photo Credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Blueberry-Kidney Bean Salad With Fresh Vegetables

This superfood-packed salad has everything—fresh vegetables, fruit, and protein! Enjoy with pork, beef, and chicken, or even on top of pasta.

Blueberry-Kidney Bean Salad With Fresh Vegetables
Blueberry-Kidney Bean Salad With Fresh Vegetables
Photo Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Italian-Style Pasta Salad

The combination of artichokes, ham, and cheese makes this attractive salad particularly rich and tasty.

Italian-Style Pasta Salad
Italian-Style Pasta Salad
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Green Bean Salad

Shallots, lightly cooked in bacon fat, complement the flavor of fresh green beans. What’s not to love?

Green Bean Salad
Green Bean Salad
Photo Credit: Elena Veselova/Shutterstock

Sweet ‘n’ Sunny Cauliflower Salad

This flavorful, crunchy Cauliflower Salad—with cheese, sunflower seeds, fresh veggies, and bacon—is a go-to salad in summer.

Sweet 'n' Sunny Cauliflower Salad
Sweet ‘n’ Sunny Cauliflower Salad
Photo credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Kat’s Tortellini Salad

Kat’s Tortellini Salad combines the saltiness of olives, the creaminess of mozzarella cheese, and the freshness of spinach into one simple and flavorful dish.

tortellini salad
Kat’s Tortellini Salad
Photo credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

For more refreshing summer food, try our favorite summer recipes and no-cook meals.

Which of these summer salads is your favorite? Let us know below!

About The Author
Sarah Perreault

Sarah Perreault

Managing Editor

Managing Editor Sarah Perreault joined The Old Farmer’s Almanac in 2003. She has tons of quirky and little-known facts crammed into that brain of hers, which may be thought useless elsewhere—but not h...