Vibrant, fresh, and wholly satisfying, these seasonal salads will shine bright on your summertime table. We’ve rounded up all kinds of recipes, from crisp chopped salads and fruit-forward salads to hearty pasta and grain salads and smoky grilled vegetable salads. Enjoy Summer Salmon Cobb Salad for a terrific light dinner, serve up creamy Texas-style potato salad at your next barbecue, or pack White Bean and Tuna Salad with Shaved Squash into the picnic basket. Wherever summer takes you, these are our favorite salads to make and share.
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Bacon and Tomato Panzanella
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This BLT-inspired bread salad from Marianne Williams includes your choice of either hearty pumpernickel or sourdough plus crispy thick-cut bacon and juicy Sun Gold tomatoes.
Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Sesame-Miso Dressing
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Japanese flavors permeate this seasonal salad showcasing the duo of watermelon and heirloom tomatoes. The fruit is tossed in a dressing made from toasted sesame seeds, rice vinegar, and white miso; soy sauce and ichimi togarashi are used to season the crunchy puffed rice topping.
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.
Crunchy Mango and Avocado Salad
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva
Velvety avocado and juicy mango balance the crunch of both Savoy and red cabbage in this cooling summer dish. Fresh herbs, citrus, and tahini combine for a creamy, gingery dressing that pairs beautifully with the salad.
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 jalapeños.
Summer Salmon Cobb Salad
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
Cobb salad is beloved for its fun, fresh array of colors, flavors, and textures. In this rendition, staple Cobb components like bacon, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs are matched with grilled salmon, corn, and red onions. The salmon is especially moist and delicious thanks to the rendered bacon fat that’s brushed on before grilling.
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 mayonnaise-apple cider vinegar base and a sweet tang from canned pineapple.
Greens, Avocado, and Blueberry Salad
Food scholar and cookbook author Jessica B. Harris uses a honey-ginger white balsamic to bolster a kicky dressing that complements peppery arugula, mizuna, and creamy avocado.
Grilled Halloumi and Zucchini Pasta Salad
Food & Wine / Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Props Styling by Prissy Montiel
This modern pasta salad features a vibrant, thoughtful mix of flavors and textures. Planks of salty charred Halloumi are balanced by tender squash; tangy, crisp pickled shallots peek out through herb-laden pasta; a topping of lemon-tinged panko provides a bright crunch.
Soba Noodle Salad with Ginger-Scallion Dressing
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
For this refreshing summer pasta salad inspired by a Momofuku favorite, earthy soba noodles are tossed with a rainbow of crisp veggies and a warm ginger-scallion dressing.
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.
Caprese Salad
Matt Taylor-Gross
Caprese salad is supremely simple, but its flavor hinges on the quality of its ingredients, including ripe, juicy peak-season tomatoes and verdant basil. Paired with fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, the combination is even more delicious when nestled in a bed of peppery arugula.
Black Rice Salad with Cherries and Plums
Black rice brings a textural bite to this hearty summer salad. Juicy stone fruit, blue cheese breadcrumbs, crunchy black walnuts, and a simple vinaigrette complete the dish.
White Bean and Tuna Salad with Shaved Squash
Victor Protasio / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by PRISCILLA MONTIEL
Creamy cannellini beans, large flakes of tuna, and ribbons of zucchini and summer squash absorb the flavors of a lemon-and-thyme marinade in this Justin Chapple creation.
Greek Salad
Matt Taylor-Gross
With its crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, briny olives, and creamy feta, a cool, crunchy Greek salad is hard to beat in the summer. Plus, it’s nearly effortless to put together — have it on the table in about 10 minutes.
Wheat Berry Salad with Shrimp
Victor Protasio / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by JULIA BAYLESS
Star chef Hugh Acheson combines whole-grain wheat berries, poached shrimp, salty feta, peppery radishes, and fresh scallions for this flavorful and texture-rich salad.
Smashed Summer Squash Salad
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser
Modeled after smashed cucumber salad, this craggy-edged mix of zucchini and yellow squash is marinated in rice vinegar before it’s tossed with a bold blend of cilantro, mint, lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, and chile slices.
Coconut-Peanut Corn Salad
Bursting with flavor and texture, this salad combines lightly charred fresh corn with a make-ahead chaat featuring roasted peanuts laced with garlic and ginger. It’s salty, nutty, crunchy, juicy, sweet, savory, and crisp all at once.
Peach, Tomato, and Feta Salad with Candied Jalapeño Dressing
Juicy tomatoes and peaches star in a salad atop a bed of peppery arugula and basil, all dressed in a sweet-spicy vinaigrette made with candied jalapeños or pepper jam. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s an impressive side at any picnic or barbecue.
Stone Fruit Salad with Collard-Peanut Pesto
If you’ve never had the pleasure of a non-basil pesto, this collard greens and peanuts mashup from writer Nicole A. Taylor is an absolute game-changer. Blanched greens are pulsed with toasted nuts, lemon juice and zest, honey, garlic, and soy sauce for a pesto that’s splendid over fonio and stone fruit.
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.
Prosciutto and Melon Burrata Salad
Matt Taylor-Gross
The combination of creamy burrata, salty prosciutto, and sweet cantaloupe is enjoyed in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean when melons are in season.
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.
Double Ginger Salad with Chickpeas and Peanuts
Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Fried garlic, crunchy peanuts, rich fish sauce, and two kinds of cabbage are paired with a combination of fresh and pickled ginger to give this knockout salad its punchy edge.
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 sunflower seed dressing that blitzes up pronto in the blender.
Potato Salad with Fresh Corn and Basil
Lucy Morrow adds fresh yellow corn, yellow onion, celery, basil, and dill to tender, creamy red baby potatoes in this make-ahead salad that requires just 25 minutes of active work time.
Crunchy Eggplant and Corn Salad with Mint and Feta
Chef and cookbook author Abra Berens oven-roasts tender summer eggplant coated with crunchy seasoned breadcrumbs, then tops each medallion with charred corn, tangy feta, fresh mint, and a splash of chile oil. It works as either a hearty vegetable appetizer or a light vegetarian main.
Shrimp Wedge Salad with Old Bay Breadcrumbs and Hot Sauce Dressing
Somewhere between a shrimp po’boy sandwich and a traditional wedge salad is this satisfying number. You can use whatever hot sauce you have on hand for the dressing, but we like it best with Crystal.
Summer Chopped Salad with Quick-Pickled Vegetables
Pickled carrots, celery, and peppers bring big flavor to this summery chopped salad that’s also full of good things like hard-boiled eggs, goat cheese, cabbage, peppers, and a sprinkle of smoky paprika.
Summer Bean Salad with Potlikker Vinaigrette
Here’s a new way to repurpose potlikker, a Southern term for the starchy liquid left over after cooking greens and beans: Chef Joe Kindred turns the flavorful liquid into a vinaigrette for his hearty bean salad.
