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20 Best Summer Salads

We’ve rounded up our 20 Best Summer Salads to help you embrace this season of fresh produce abundance.

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Burrata Salad with Summer Berries & Pistachios tossed with homemade balsamic vinaigrette in a serving bowl with salad servers

Backyard BBQs and Quiet Dinners At Home: There’s A Perfect Summer Salad For Every Moment.

Whether you are searching for a healthy summer salad recipe, making summer salads for a crowd at your next get-together or just trying to put dinner on the table without having to turn on your oven, we’ve got you covered! Buckle up, because here come the 20 best summer salad recipes ever! Consider this your one stop shop for the tastiest main dish salads with grilled meat, summer salads with fruit, salads for a picnic—basically any salad recipe you might wish for for any occasion you’ve got on your calendar can be found right here!

old fashioned potato salad in a bowl
close up of homemade broccoli salad with creamy sweet dressing, crispy bacon, golden raisins and purple onions

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Picnic? Bring Salad!

  • Our Burrata Salad with Summer Berries & Pistachios made with arugula, fresh berries, pistachios, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Then top all of that goodness with Burrata - you've got yourself your new favorite salad.
  • Creamy and a bit tangy, with ruby-pink radishes for a little crunch, this classic potato salad wins best in show, every time.
  • This cold, crunchy broccoli salad—studded with crisp bacon, diced red onion and chewy raisins, then tossed in a creamy homemade dressing—is what all of your summer party dreams are made of.
  • This Mexican corn salad recipe takes the flavors of elote—fresh sweet corn, lime juice, cojita cheese, and a mayo-based chipotle crema—and turns them into a beautiful summer salad.
  • With briny olives, juicy cherry tomatoes, spicy arugula, purple pops of red onion, and creamy feta crumbled throughout, this Mediterranean pasta salad is as bright and sunny as a warm summer day.
  • This hearty summer salad pairs tortellini with pesto, fire roasted peppers, sweet cherry tomatoes, roasted chicken, and fresh mozzarella.
peach and tomato salad with fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil on a large white platter.
Blackberry Chèvre Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing on a plate

The Best Salads to Pair with Grilled Steak or Chicken

  • Fresh, juicy peaches make for a sweet twist on this classic tomato and fresh mozzarella caprese salad, and a tangy white balsamic vinaigrette ties everything together!
  • This Blackberry-chèvre salad is one of our favorite ways to use our backyard or local farm bounty. The tart berries and creamy goat cheese are a match made in heaven.
  • In this easy butter lettuce salad, vibrant lettuce leaves live their best lives, dressed in a tangy homemade vinaigrette and accompanied by creamy avocado and crisp radishes.
  • Or here’s another simple Butter lettuce salad with briny green olives and salty slivers of aged manchego. It’s a summer time feast for the eyes and the palate.
cold ramen salad in a bowl with basil, cucumbers, red bell peppers.
white bowl filled with Pesto chicken zoodle salad topped with fresh cherry tomatoes, pearl mozzarella and toasted pine nuts

Oodles of Summer Noodles (or Zoodles!)

  • Tossed with a rainbow of crunchy vegetables, this cold ramen noodle salad is a summertime staple.
  • Cooked-til-crisp ground pork, and creamy Thai peanut dressing add a hint of heft to fragrant fresh mint, basil, cooling cucumber and delicate rice noodles in this lively cold Thai noodle salad.
  • This stunningly beautiful, twisty-twirly pesto zoodle salad with fresh mozzarella, chicken and toasted pine nuts is a textural, colorful study in how to make the most of the late-summer harvest.
  • Tossed in a creamy, Asian-inspired peanut dressing, this crunchy, colorful cold Thai zoodle salad is quick, healthy and satisfying.
Easy Niçoise Salad with soft boiled eggs, potatoes, green beans
Grilled steak salad with homemade blue cheese dressing on a plate

Salad For Dinner, All Summer Long.

  • Our healthy, easy Niçoise salad recipe is just begging to be paired with long, lazy summer evenings and plenty of chilled rosé.
  • Or if you have a little more time, try grilling some salmon as adding it to this olive-studded, vinaigrette-drizzled summery riff on the classic Niçoise salad.
  • Seared skirt steak, grilled romaine, and onions meet bright cherry tomatoes, avocado, and creamy homemade blue cheese dressing for a grilled steak salad that’s sure to be your new summer staple.
  • If you are searching for dinner for the fam or feeding a crowd around the grill, this Southwest Cobb salad with smoky chipotle dressing is our favorite.
  • Is your typical summer green salad getting a bit boring? Then try this four-ingredient chopped salad for a fresh and healthy dinner in a pinch.
chicken waldorf salad with lettuce, chicken, grapes and celery
Grilled Romaine Ceasar Salad With Pickled Onions on a black plate

Lunch Is Served

  • Say hello to summer salad season with the supreme crunch of kale, apples, celery, and chicken in our Chicken Waldorf salad.
  • Your summer lunch just got a lot more interesting with a big dose of curry powder in this chicken salad.
  • Have you ever heard of grilling lettuce? It’s a thing. A really, really delicious thing! We grilled up hearts of romaine for this Grilled Caesar salad and we just may never go back.
cucumber salad with  chickpeas, onion, parsley, mint, dill and a yogurt dressing in a bowl with serving spoons
Butter Lettuce And Radish Salad With Yogurt Dill Dressing toasted chickpeas and avocado

Refreshing Salads

  • Topped with light and herb-filled creamy vinaigrette, this easy cucumber salad recipe is flavored with za’atar and mint, and loaded with chickpeas for a protein-rich spin on a summer classic.
  • Blushing radishes, cool cucumber and smoky roasted chickpeas make this gorgeous butter lettuce and radish salad with yogurt-dill dressing an absolute celebration of all things crispy-crunchy.
  • Have you ever had a classic watermelon salad with feta? Well, this version is all fancied up with cucumbers and a poppyseed dressing and is just begging to be served at your next BBQ.
  • In the mood for a refreshing summer salad? This tropical kale salad is our favorite way to pretend we are on vacation even when there’s no travel plans on the books

Summer Salads For Every Occasion

We’d love to see what salad you choose for your next summer dinner or bbq. Be sure to show it off on Instagram and don’t forget to tag @themodernproper or #themodernproper so we can see your stunner!

20 Best Summer Salads

Questions & Reviews

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  • Tena Rauch

    Are the recipes for “20 Best Summer Salads” in your new cookbook? I like to print out your recipes but it never includes the beautiful photo of the recipe, why??

    All of these are not in our book! We are rolling out a lot of updates to the website (coming very soon!) and a photo on the print out page will be included!

  • Tresa

    Can't wait to make more of these! The classic potato salad is so good! I love having a page I can come to and just point and pick something to bring to the next gathering, because they all look SO GOOD!

    Thanks Tresa, glad you are enjoying the round up!

  • jenn

    these all sound fantastic! can't wait to try them!

    Thanks Jenn, hope you enjoy!