Now that warmer weather is on its way, it’s the perfect time to indulge in fresh, light meals – like salads. There are so many ways to incorporate fresh fruits and garden vegetables into salads, but if you’re in need of some inspiration, I have 21 spring salad recipes you’ll love.
From Garden to Table: 21 Fresh Spring Salad Recipes
1. Blueberry Pistachio Spring Salad
It doesn’t get much fresher than this salad. Salty pistachios pair with fresh blueberries, avocados, pomegranate arils, sliced onion and watermelon radish. You can use whatever types of greens you want, but this recipe calls for mixed greens and butter lettuce.
Top with feta cheese, candied pecans and a tasty creamy pomegranate dressing.
Related: 20 Refreshing Summer Salads to Make for a Crowd
2. Strawberry Spinach Salad
Spring is the season of fresh strawberries, so make the most of it by making this delicious salad. Mix together spinach and mixed greens, along with strawberries, pecans and crumbled cheese.
I prefer feta cheese, but you could use gorgonzola, goat cheese, blue cheese – whatever you want.
The balsamic vinaigrette complements the other flavors of this salad so well.
3. Strawberry Poppyseed Salad (Panera Copycat)
Salads with fresh fruit are perfect for this time of year, and this copycat recipe is so delightful. You’ll toss mixed greens with blueberries, pineapple, Mandarin oranges and strawberries.
Top with pecans and a tasty poppyseed dressing.
Feel free to substitute any fruit you want in this recipe, but keep the strawberries.
4. Rainbow Spring Salad
This is one of my favorite spring salad recipes because it’s so full of color and flavor. Yes, it has a lot of ingredients, but it’s worth the effort to make it.
Every bite is loaded with spring flavor — avocado, blueberries, watermelon radish, dill, cucumber, grapes, hazelnuts and more.
You’ll love the champagne vinaigrette and the addition of goat cheese, which adds a creamy texture.
5. Lemon Parm Kale Salad
Healthy, delicious and full of flavor, this salad will become a staple in your meal rotation this spring. Curly kale is the base of this salad, but you’ll mix it with croutons, Parmesan cheese and a homemade garlic lemon dressing.
The recipe is super simple, but you could easily add more ingredients. Grilled chicken or tofu would be perfect with this salad.
6. Everything Green Spring Salad
This salad really does have everything: avocado, tomatoes, microgreens, peas, pickled red onions, cucumbers, radishes, cabbage, fresh herbs and more. Top with some feta or goat cheese and your choice of nuts and seeds. Pistachios and sunflower seeds work well with this recipe.
A simple homemade vinaigrette completes this salad.
7. Layered Spring Salad
If you’re entertaining guests, this layered salad is perfect for your gathering. The presentation is on point and the flavor is amazing.
You’ll start by adding layers of iceberg lettuce, green peppers, red peppers, red onion and peas. Then, you’ll top the salad with half the cheddar, bacon and dressing. Carefully place the cucumbers on their sides against the edge of the trifle dish.
Repeat the layers and add dried cranberries to the top layer.
You’ll want to refrigerate the salad for at least 8 hours before serving.
8. Dill Radish and Cucumber Salad
Here’s a simple salad that pairs so well with main dishes. It combines thinly sliced cucumbers with radishes, fresh dill, chives, avocado and a homemade dressing of lemon juice, honey, mustard and spices.
I recommend making this salad the day before and allowing all the flavors to marry overnight.
You can use any type of radishes you want for this recipe. Watermelon would add some nice color and flavor. I also recommend using Persian cucumbers. They’re about the same diameter as radishes, so they pair well together.
You can use a mandolin slicer to get thin and even slices for a prettier presentation.
9. Italian Chopped Salad
Looking for filling spring salad recipes? This Italian chopped salad could easily be a meal. It has dry salami, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, spicy pepperoncini, onion, peppers, olives and more. Of course, we can’t forget the cheese. The recipe calls for mozzarella and Parmesan, but you can use whatever type of cheese you prefer.
Cheddar and pepper jack are great options.
If you don’t like salami, you can use whatever deli meat you want – ham, turkey, pepperoni, etc.
I love this type of salad because you can add and remove ingredients as you want without affecting the flavor too much.
If you’re in a big hurry or don’t want to make your own dressing, you can always use Italian dressing or whatever pre-made dressing you prefer.
10. Simple Spring Mix Salad
A vibrant and delicious salad that’s loaded with fresh ingredients: cherry tomatoes, spring greens, Parmesan cheese and a homemade balsamic dressing.
If you want to make this salad more filling, you can add protein (chicken, beans, etc.) and nuts. Walnuts or pistachio would work well with these flavors.
11. Easter Rainbow Salad
A hearty salad that’s rich in color and flavor – perfect for spring. It mixes thinly sliced golden beets, watermelon radishes and strawberries with green onions, pistachios, dill, ricotta salata and a delicious homemade dressing.
If you’re entertaining guests, you can arrange the ingredients just as BHG has in the photo above. The layers of colorful ingredients will be a feast for the eyes and stomach.
Related: 20+ Chopped Salad Recipes That Are Anything But Boring
12. Avocado Mango Salad
Looking for fresh and light spring salad recipes? You’ll love this mango salad. Ripe mangos add just the right amount of sweetness, while the arugula adds a hint of spiciness. Avocado, pine nuts and onions round out the flavors to create a memorable salad.
The lime dressing ties it all together.
This is one salad that you’ll make over and over again this spring!
13. Beet Salad with Spinach and Honey-Mustard
Healthy and easy to make? This beet salad fits the bill. You’ll need a staggering 1.5 pounds of beets, olive oil, honey, baby spinach, Mandarin oranges, red onions, pine nuts, feta cheese, Dijon mustard and lemon juice.
You’ll want to pre-cook your beets at least a day prior.
14. Rocket, Strawberry and Feta Salad
Want something a little sweeter? You’ll love this five-ingredient salad that’s made out of strawberries, balsamic vinegar, sunflower seeds, feta and a bag of rocket. You don’t need a fancy dressing here because the vinegar and strawberries are more than enough.
15. Cucumber Salad with Dill and Chickpeas
Cool and refreshing, this salad is so easy to assemble, and you’ll even make a yogurt-dill dressing. Be sure to grab your measuring spoons to make the dressing for this salad. The dressing includes:
- Greek yogurt
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Dill
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
Combine all of the ingredients and then pour over your main components made from chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion. Toss to make sure that all layers of the salad are thoroughly coated before serving.
16. Lemony Chickpea Feta Salad
Ten ingredients are all you need for this lemony chickpea salad that takes a mere fifteen minutes to make. You’ll start by making your dressing with olive oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, and salt and pepper.
Whisk the ingredients together before adding your chickpeas, parsley, red onion and feta cheese together.
Sprinkle on any additional spices you like and enjoy. You can also store for a few hours before serving if you want the flavors to mix together better, but it’s not necessary.
17. Broccoli Salad
Broccoli salads are one of the must-have spring salad recipes on the list because they’re refreshing and always hit the spot. This recipe calls for sharp cheddar cheese, cranberries, crumbled bacon, sunflower seeds and red onion for the salad portion.
You’ll put most of these ingredients into a large bowl before whisking the dressing ingredients together and combining well.
You can serve it immediately, but the author of Sugar Spun Run recommends that you let it cool in the refrigerator for an hour so that the flavors can combine well.
18. Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Before you get upset by thinking this is a spring roll, I assure you that it’s an open salad with:
- Thin rice noodles
- Toasted sesame oil
- Cooked shrimp
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Bean sprouts
- Cilantro
- Mint
- Chopped peanuts
- Green cabbage
And you’ll learn how to make a Nuoc Cham sauce by scratch to put on top.
19. White Bean Salad with Prosciutto
I’m going to be giving you two versions of white bean salad in a row, but this recipe has prosciutto in it. You’ll start by cooking the white beans and setting them aside. You’ll then make the dressing that you’ll whisk together and let sit to allow the flavors to mix.
The dressing is made from honey, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper and even some maple syrup if you prefer it over honey.
Add your prosciutto, croutons, parmesan cheese, parsley and beans into the dressing bowl and mix well before putting in your arugula and tossing one final time for good measure.
20. White Bean Salad
Protein-filled salads are always more satiating, and this white bean variation is no exception. You’ll need a lot of ingredients, such as cannellini beans, edamame, lemon, garlic, capers, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, scallions, dill, pine nuts and artichokes.
And I almost forgot to mention that the salad also includes feta cheese.
If you’re looking for an easy vegan recipe that doesn’t add tofu as the main protein source, this salad is a good option.
Related: 20 Easy High Protein Salads for Meal Prep
21. Quinoa Cucumber Salad
Quinoa is a taste that some people love, and others think it’s too nutty for their liking. But with this recipe, a variety of flavors mix together, so you’ll barely taste the nuttiness of the quinoa. You’ll add a bunch of ingredients to this salad:
- Cilantro
- Cucumbers
- Red onions
- Tomatoes
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Once you cook up the quinoa, you’ll mix it into a large salad bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes or so before serving.
