There are so many reasons why I love spring. Warmer weather, blooming flowers, and a plentiful garden ripe for the picking are just a few. And the best way to celebrate your garden-fresh bounty is a giant spring salad. Ingredients like strawberries, cherry tomatoes, peas, and sprouts are all fair game. What’s even better is they’re all in season, so your plate is more sustainable, too! Embrace the change of the season with these fresh spring salads.
1. Bright Spring Salad
This bright spring salad is perfect to kick things off. It’s overflowing with a fresh harvest of spring veggies and greens. Watermelon radishes make the salad pop. And so does the zippy dressing. You’ll love the burst of green peas, tender asparagus, creamy avocado, and the bite of feta. The crunch from the roasted chickpeas is a nice touch, too.
2. Summer Salad with Corn, Strawberries, & Avocado
When spring is on the verge of summer, you get all the best produce. So here’s a phenomenal way to use it up. You combine crisp cucumber, juicy strawberries, fresh corn, and diced avocado with a two-ingredient dressing. Don’t forget the fresh basil!
3. Poached Egg & Avocado Breakfast Salad
If you haven’t tried salad for breakfast yet, it’s time to start! This is my all-time favorite. Slicing into perfectly poached eggs is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It gets even better when the runny yolk oozes all over a bed of arugula and quinoa. For some extra fixings, cherry tomatoes and avocado are my main go-tos. You can also add walnuts for a nice crunch.
4. Spring Pea and Carrot Salad with Carrot Top Pesto
Tired of food waste? Waste not, want not with this spring salad. This rustic dish turns carrot tops into a tantalizing pesto to go with the roots, snap peas, watercress, and homemade ciabatta croutons. Everyone will think you’ve outdone yourself, but it’s so easy to make.
5. Cantaloupe Melon Salad with Cucumber & Feta
Say goodbye to drab fruit salads with this enticing sensation. The combination of sweet, fresh, creamy, and citrus ingredients will revolutionize your views of melon. Mint leaves are key to making all the flavors pop. As for the dressing, all you need is some quality olive oil and some lime juice.
6. Springtime Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad
Strawberries and avocado? Sign me up! Toss them on a bed of spinach with a handful of walnuts and you have a well-balanced meal. It’s light, full of nutrition, and super quick. For the dressing, the sky’s the limit with this one! You can stick with the recipe and go with lemon juice. Or, spruce it up a bit with a balsamic glaze, poppyseed, honey-dijon, or even a blue cheese dressing.
7. Spring Mix Salad
Of course, one of the best beds of leafy greens for a spring salad is none other than a fresh spring mix. Those baby lettuce varieties have a signature flavor that salad lovers crave. And here’s an easy way to add a little pizzazz. Simply add a handful of fresh blueberries, walnuts, and goat cheese. Then, toss the salad with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette to match.
8. Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Pepitas
Another foolproof way to fix up some spring greens is like this. Granny Smith apples have a sweet, tart flavor that melds harmoniously with dried cranberries, pepitas, and goat cheese. While you could experiment with the dressing, the homemade apple cider vinaigrette is the supreme choice.
9. Strawberry Bacon Spring Salad
While spring salads are all about the produce, that doesn’t mean you can’t add a little bacon, too. Crisp bacon bits add a salty crunch to round out all the fresh flavors. I love that this salad also has a handful of fresh radish sprouts. They’re full of nutrients, including amino acids. Plus, they have a wonderful crunch. And the strawberries? Don’t even get me started! Everyone knows I can’t resist a recipe with juicy berries.
10. Pea and Feta Quinoa Salad
Have a bunch of peas you’re trying to use up? This quinoa bowl calls for an abundance of peas. It also calls for their delicate tendrils along with some red onion and feta. You won’t need a ton of ingredients to pull this together. It’s super flavorful, and pea lovers will adore it.
11. Grilled Nectarine Salad with Burrata
Firing up the grill for a barbecue? Toss on some nectarines and make this salad while you’re at it. Grilling nectarines transforms their flavor by intensifying their juiciness. Pair that with burrata, and you’ll feel like you’re in heaven! But why stop there when heirloom tomatoes are in season? Heirlooms are like the holy grail of tomatoes. They’re a must for this dish.
12. 10-Minute Mediterranean Farro Salad
Searching for an easy Easter salad recipe? Try this one out. This salad comes together in 10 minutes, making it a quick side dish for your Easter spread. Farro has a fantastic nutty flavor and chewy bite that gives this salad substance. The fresh veggies round it all out.
13. Asparagus, Tomato, and Feta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Looking for a vegetarian spring recipe to add to all your meals? This five-ingredient salad is a go-to in my household. It ditches the leafy greens for a bed of asparagus and fixes it up with cherry tomatoes, feta, and walnuts. There’s no need to worry about making a vinaigrette. Simply toss it all with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
14. Grilled Kale Salad with Avocado, Lemon & Parm
The first time I tried a grilled salad, I was blown away. Now, I fire up the grill just to make salads thanks to genius recipes like this. You not only grill the kale but the avocado and lemon, too. It adds a smoky element that takes this salad to an unmatched level. The next time you’re grilling with friends, bust this salad out. Everyone will be talking about this all season long.
15. Easy Halloumi Salad with Couscous
Goat cheese is a no-brainer for spring salads, but have you tried halloumi yet? Halloumi is a semi-hard cheese with a high melting point. And you know what that means? You have to fry it up! The fried halloumi is a remarkable addition to this abundance of flavors. I especially love the large pearl couscous and juicy strawberries.
16. Balsamic Lentil Salad
Lentils might sound a bit lackluster in comparison to spring’s seasonal offerings. But I assure you, this dish is far from it! Balsamic dressing infuses these pulses with a ton of flavor. Meanwhile, cucumber and bell pepper add even more flavor along with a crisp snap. It’s healthy, vegan-friendly, and rich in plant protein.
17. Mediterranean Couscous Salad
There are a ton of easy couscous recipes, but this one is all about spring. It has garden-fresh herbs, green onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. There are also some marinated artichokes and olives to give it a Mediterranean flair. Keep the dressing light with a garlic lemon infusion.
18. Healthy Chicken Cobb Salad
I got so wrapped up in spring veggies I almost forgot about this cobb salad. Juicy chicken and hard-boiled eggs make this salad very filling. And springtime veggies spruce it right up. If you have leftover chicken, I highly recommend using it. Otherwise, grilled chicken is the way to go.
19. Strawberry Salad with Balsamic
Excuse me for a minute while I run to the kitchen and make a bowl full of this! This salad has me doing my happy dance. It’s got ripe strawberries, cubes of avocado, cherry tomatoes, and chewy mozzarella balls. What more could you ask for?
20. Salmon and Kale Potato Salad
Do you love smoked salmon recipes? Here’s one with your name on it. A bed of leafy kale gets dressed up with mouthwatering bites of smoked salmon and boiled potatoes. There’s also a handful of green peas for a burst of spring. This is an excellent use of leftover potatoes and a terrific side for a larger spread.
21. Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic
If you love beet recipes as much as I do, you’ll want to make this today. This radiating salad features two types of beets with creamy goat cheese, crisp apple, and microgreens. Even the biggest beet naysayers can’t say no to this!
22. Grilled Plum Salad with Goat Cheese
Plums may not be your typical salad ingredient, but they’re about to be. Grilled plums, goat cheese, and peppery arugula come together in this smoky, fresh dish. The plums will only take a couple of minutes and you wind up with plums oozing with juiciness.
23. Strawberry Quinoa Salad
Looking for more ways to fix up your quinoa bowls? This one is super easy and fresh. You’ll toss quinoa with chopped cucumber, strawberry, feta, and mint. Rather than reaching for regular balsamic, give white balsamic vinegar a try. The flavor is mellower and keeps things light.
24. Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Chopped Salad
Have some sweet potatoes leftover from winter? I know just what to do with them. Roast them in the oven, then mix them with some fresh spinach, cherries, apples, and nuts. And don’t skip out on the chipotle dressing. It’s tangy, smoky, sweet, and easy to make.
25. Healthy Canned Salmon Potato Salad (No-Mayo)
On the hunt for new ways to use a can of salmon? This potato salad won’t disappoint. You combine canned salmon with some standard potato salad ingredients as well as some fun newbies. However, you swap out the mayo with Greek yogurt. It’s a healthier alternative full of probiotics. This will keep for a couple of days, so you can make it in advance for potlucks, barbecues, parties, and more.
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