Any good barbecue is just as much about the sides as it is the smoky, saucy meats. Here, we’ve gathered a selection of our favorite summertime salads that are perfect for rounding out your spread. Balance the heat of both your fiery grilled mains and the blazing summer sun with a creamy Caesar-inspired potato salad, crisp watermelon-cucumber salad, or pineapple-laced coleslaw. You can also employ your grill to make a peppery panzanella or veggie-heavy pasta salad. Read on for these and more ideas for putting together an impressive barbecue menu that lets the season’s best produce shine.
Green Bean, Butter Bean, and Tomato Salad
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
A play on three-bean salad, this speedy green bean and butter bean dish is served on top of a silky romesco made from cashews, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Classic Macaroni Salad
Photographer: Kelsey Hansen, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
Add spicy sriracha and extra-crunchy dill pickles to a creamy dressing for al dente macaroni pasta in this 20-minute crowd-pleaser.
Watermelon-Cucumber Salad
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
2022 F&W Best New Chef Damarr Brown pairs watermelon and feta with cool cucumbers, toasted sunflower kernels, and a lemony dressing in 20 minutes.
Pineapple Coleslaw
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by JULIAN HENSARLING / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This creamy, easy-to-make coleslaw from 2019 F&W Best New Chef Bryan Furman has a base of mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar and a sweet tang from canned pineapple.
Grilled Okra, Corn, and Tomato Salad
Vishwesh Bhatt’s summer-centric grilled vegetable salad showcases a melange of okra, corn, cucumbers, tomato, and onions in a punchy dressing made from lime juice, basil, cilantro, and charred jalapeño peppers.
Summer Tomato Salad with Jicama and Avocado
Juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and crisp jicama form the base of this summery salad recipe from Traci des Jardins. It comes together in just 15 minutes and features an irresistible lime dressing accented by a shower of cilantro.
Goldee’s Creamy Potato Salad
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
No barbecue is complete without potato salad. This standout side from 2024 F&W Best New Chef Lane Milne gets a perfect amount of tang from cider vinegar, mustard, and chopped dill pickles.
Esquites-Style Poblano Pasta Salad
This salad has all the flavor of esquites — the creamy corn salad version of elote — but in hearty pasta salad form with the addition of zucchini, poblanos, and scallions. It’s refreshing but sturdy enough to stand up to anything at any picnic or cookout.
Grilled Pepper and Onion Panzanella with Peperoncini Vinaigrette
Grill your favorite sweet or hot peppers, and any other vegetables, to toss with grilled bread cubes, drizzle with a peperoncini vinaigrette, and top with briny feta and crisp peperoncini slices. Cooking instructor Molly Stevens’ recipe comes together in 40 minutes.
Blistered Summer Squash Salad
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Inspired by Zuni Café in San Francisco, this vibrant salad is a versatile side dish for your backyard barbecue. The summer squash is charred and tossed with avocado-tomatillo sauce, plus lots of salty Cotija cheese.
Succotash
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne
For this easy succotash salad, Carla Hall quickly cooks summer corn, lima beans, and sweet onions, then marinates everything with tomatoes in a tart vinaigrette; add grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, or pork on top to make it a main dish.
Classic Coleslaw
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
“When you visualize a table loaded with barbecue items, I bet there is a heaping bowl of slaw,” says barbecue expert and 2021 F&W Best New Chef Matt Horn. His coleslaw recipe is a natural side for smoked meats, with a cooling, creamy, tart-sweet dressing that balances the richness of barbecue.
Tomato and Mango Salad with Nuoc Cham Vinaigrette
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This flavor-packed take on a Caprese salad from food stylist Kari Young features juicy heirloom tomatoes, sweet mango, creamy mozzarella cheese, tart lime juice, spicy serrano chiles, and an umami-forward nuoc cham vinaigrette.
Bedford Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
F&W’s Lucy Simon showcases a smoky medley of grilled zucchini, eggplant, onion, and bell peppers tossed with mezze rigatoni in a honey-Dijon vinaigrette that’s light on the palate. A handful of fresh basil leaves tops off this fresh take on pasta salad.
Crushed Cucumber Salad with Tomatillo Dressing
Greg DuPree / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by CLAIRE SPOLLEN
With their craggy edges, lightly smashed cucumbers soak up a zippy jalapeño-tomatillo dressing and mingle with salted roasted pepitas, crumbled queso fresco, and plenty of cilantro for this crisp summer salad.
Grilled Squash, Corn, and Kale Salad with Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette
Squash, corn, kale, and sprouts make a wonderfully hearty salad with a creamy, za’atar-spiked dressing rich with sunflower seeds that blitzes up in no time in a blender.
Caesar Potato Salad
Food & Wine / Photo by Greg Dupree / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey
Give your potato salad the Caesar treatment by tossing tender Yukon Gold potatoes in a mayonnaise-based version of the classic dressing made with anchovies, Worcestershire, and Parmesan cheese. Crushed potato chips stand in for croutons to provide a crunchy finishing touch.
Pasta Salad with Feta and Herbs
This colorful, eclectic pasta salad from New Orleans chef Mason Hereford fits in well with any cookout spread. The Southern inspiration comes through in the dressing, which incorporates buttermilk, Louisiana-style hot sauce, and Duke’s mayonnaise (a regional favorite) for extra tanginess.
Avocado-and-Cabbage Slaw
Made with lime juice, ginger, sriracha, chaat masala, and lots of fresh cilantro and mint, Suvir Saran’s sensational slaw is anything but boring. Creamy avocado counters the spicy, tangy notes for a perfectly balanced salad with enough colors and textures to be a compelling component of your barbecue menu.
