Summer is when I want food that actually fits the season – something I can throw together fast, bring to a party without stress, and eat cold straight from the fridge the next day. Whether I’m feeding a crowd at a backyard cookout or just trying to get lunch on the table without turning on the oven, I keep coming back to summer salads.
Some of my favorites are the ones that surprise people. My Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is famous around here and gets requested every time I’m invited to a summer party. Cowboy Pasta Salad is hearty enough to be dinner on its own, and my Watermelon Salad is so versatile that it works at brunch, lunch, dinner, or as an afternoon snack.
There’s a lot of variety here. Copycat restaurant salads, potato salads, pasta salads, fruit-forward dessert salads, and everything in between. I’ve organized them so you can find exactly what you’re looking for, whether that’s something light and fresh like the Tomato Cucumber Salad or something a little more loaded like the Loaded Baked Potato Salad. Whatever the occasion, there’s something here worth making.
Copycat Olive Garden Salad
My Copycat Olive Garden Salad skips the restaurant line up and delivers that same tangy flavor you can’t stop eating. The salad ingredients are spot on, and making the dressing in a mason jar and shaking it together takes less than two minutes.
Big Mac Salad
Every flavor of a Big Mac is accounted for in this Big Mac Salad, right down to the Thousand Island drizzle and the dill pickles. It’s a great low-carb workaround that actually satisfies the craving.
Fuji Apple Panera Salad
Fuji Apple Panera Salad skips the drive-through without skipping any of the flavors: apple chips, toasted pecans, Gorgonzola, dried cranberries, and a cider vinaigrette all in one bowl. It’s hearty enough to be a full meal.
Copycat Chick Fil A Kale Salad
This Copycat Chick-Fil-A Kale Salad nails the bright, tangy flavor of the original with a homemade honey Dijon vinaigrette and kale that actually holds up instead of wilting. It works as a side or a full summer meal on its own.
Copycat KFC Coleslaw (in 15 Minutes)
My version of Copycat KFC Coleslaw gets the texture right in a way most homemade slaws don’t. I make sure my coleslaw is finely chopped, creamy, and just sweet enough to taste exactly like the real thing. This is the recipe to choose when only that specific KFC flavor will do.
Simple Caesar Salad
The homemade dressing is what sets this Caesar Salad apart. Anchovy paste, Worcestershire, Dijon, and freshly grated Parmesan come together into something far richer than anything from a bottle. It’s a classic that work with any summer supper recipe you can dish up.
Chicken Salad without Mayo
A Dijon and lemon vinaigrette replaces the mayo in my mayo-free chicken salad, giving it a lighter flavor without losing any of the satisfaction. It works just as well in a sandwich as it does scooped over greens (or just eat it with a fork, like me).
Chinese Chicken Salad
A full meal in one bowl, my Chinese Chicken Salad gets its appeal from a ginger-sesame dressing. It’s got enough tang to keep the whole bowl lively, and the crunch of chow mein noodles and wonton strips hold their own against the slaw.
Chicken Salad
This Chicken Salad is the classic version done right, with tender diced chicken, crisp celery, sweet onion, and a creamy dill-seasoned mayo dressing that hits with nostalgia every time. It works just as well on a croissant or fresh bread as it does over a bed of lettuce.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
The Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad is built in layers, with avocado and hard-boiled eggs making it genuinely hearty enough to serve as a main. The combination of smoky bacon, creamy ranch, and two kinds of cheese makes every forkful interesting.
Corn Salad
I add fresh sweet corn, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and crumbled feta to my Corn Salad and mix it up with a honey-lime vinaigrette. It’s a summer side that tastes as good as it looks.
Frito Corn Salad
Frito Corn Salad uses Fritos Chili Cheese chips and a taco-lime mayo dressing to create a salty, creamy, crunchy combination that disappears fast. It’s unapologetically casual, but seriously satisfying.
Elote Corn Salad
This Elote Corn Salad brings all the bold, smoky flavor of Mexican street corn into a bowl you can actually serve to a crowd. The homemade chipotle crema is what makes it.
Chickpea Salad
My Chickpea Salad is made to be filling, and holds up well in the fridge for days, so it’s ideal for meal prepping lunches all week. It’s anything but boring – a lemon Dijon dressing with fresh dill makes the whole bowl taste alive.
Easy Mexican Layered Salad
My Layered Taco Salad is as much about the presentation as the flavor. It’s a guaranteed conversation piece at taco night or any summer gathering, and it will be gone before the night is over.
Mexican Coleslaw
This Mexican Coleslaw gets its heat from a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce stirred right into the dressing. It gives it a smoky depth that sets it apart from every other slaw on the table. This works as a side, but you can also scoop it straight into a taco.
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
This Broccoli Cauliflower Salad skips the usual vinaigrette in favor of a creamy homemade ranch dressing that coats every crunchy piece of broccoli and cauliflower. Crispy bacon takes it over the top.
Broccoli Salad
I love this Broccoli Salad for the way the sweet and tangy apple cider vinegar dressing plays against the savory bacon and sharp cheddar. The cranberries and sunflower kernels give it plenty of addictive flavor and texture.
Broccoli Slaw
Lighter than a traditional coleslaw dressing, the lemon and apple cider vinegar base in this Broccoli Slaw keeps the whole bowl fresh and crisp without going heavy. It pairs well with anything coming off the grill.
Broccoli Apple Salad
Fresh apples and raw broccoli are an unexpected combination that genuinely works in this Broccoli Apple Salad, with a creamy homemade cider vinaigrette that balances the sweet and savory flavors perfectly.
Spinach Strawberry Salad
The Spinach Strawberry Salad blends candied pecans and crumbled feta with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and avocado for a combination that is genuinely hard to stop eating.
Asian Cucumber Salad
The sweet heat in this Asian Cucumber Salad comes from a sesame-soy dressing with red pepper flakes and garlic that gets better the longer it sits.
15 Minute Cucumber Bell Pepper Salad
The dressing for this Cucumber Bell Pepper Salad is a blended ginger vinaigrette with chili crisp and sesame oil, which adds far more depth than a standard bottled salad dressing. Three colors of sweet mini peppers look beautiful on a summer dinner table.
Cucumber Salad
I love this Cucumber Salad for its unexpectedly creamy dressing. The Miracle Whip and apple cider vinegar base gives it a tangy sweetness that sets it apart from the usual cucumber salad recipes. It comes together in 10 minutes flat.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This Creamy Cucumber Salad was developed to solve the one problem every creamy cucumber salad has: the dressing turns watery before it even hits the table. This version stays thick from the first scoop to the last.
Tomato Cucumber Salad
Peak summer is when this Tomato Cucumber Salad really shines: vine-ripe tomatoes and crisp cucumber in a red wine and balsamic vinaigrette with fresh thyme and garlic. My husband and I can definitely sit down and eat the entire bowl in one sitting.
Tomato and Onion Salad
My Tomato and Onion Salad is a dead-simple combination of fresh ingredients. An hour in the fridge lets everything meld into a summery salad that’s genuinely hard to stop eating.
Shrimp Salad
Jumbo shrimp in a Dijon and fresh dill mayo dressing, this Shrimp Salad is versatile enough to serve on a bed of greens, stuffed into lettuce wraps, or piled onto a charcuterie board. It works as an appetizer, a light lunch, or a no-cook summer dinner.
Tuna Salad
I make this Tuna Salad with both sweet yellow and red onion for a flavor balance that most tuna salad recipes don’t have. It works on a sandwich, on crackers, or over lettuce for a no-cook lunch or dinner that actually satisfies.
Chopped Salad
This Chopped Salad recipe will convince even picky eaters they actually like veggies. Every ingredient is cut to the same size, so each forkful delivers a perfect, balanced bite that’s genuinely fresh and deliciously easy to enjoy.
Jennifer Aniston Salad
The Jennifer Aniston Salad became viral for a reason. It’s the salad Jennifer reportedly ate every day on the set of Friends, and it’s filling enough to understand why. The quinoa base is truly yummy and makes it far more substantial than it looks.
Ramen Noodle Salad
I oven-toast the ramen noodles for my Ramen Noodle Salad, so they deliver a crunch even when they’re soaked in the soy-ginger-sesame dressing. It’s always a potluck hit that people will talk about at your next party.
Southwest Salad
This Southwest Salad is a full dinner in a bowl, and with Southwest-marinated grilled chicken and a homemade cilantro lime ranch dressing, you’ll make it more than once, I promise. It serves four, and the leftovers hold up well for lunch tomorrow.
Classic Coleslaw
I make this Classic Coleslaw with a homemade mayo and apple cider vinegar dressing that has just enough tang to taste like you remember from childhood. It serves well next to pulled pork, fried chicken, burgers – anything really.
Crack Slaw
Crack Slaw is essentially an egg roll filling cooked in a skillet and served as a meal. It’s low carb without feeling like it’s trying to be too well-behaved.
Pineapple Coleslaw
Pineapple Coleslaw takes the creamy crunch of a classic slaw and adds sweet pineapple tidbits. The flavor is surprisingly delicious with grilled meats and BBQ.
Apple Slaw
Apple Slaw incorporates julienned red apples, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds to give a classic coleslaw base a sweeter, crunchier personality. I whip up a honey and sour cream dressing that ties it all together beautifully.
Apple Salad
Apple Salad has one foot in the side dish camp, but another sitting well in the dessert salad territory. With two varieties of apples, walnuts, mini marshmallows, and a sweet dressing that coats everything. It’s a crowd-pleaser at potlucks.
Taffy Apple Salad
Taffy Apple Salad is a dessert salad that tastes like a caramel apple in a bowl, with fresh red and green apples, pineapple, marshmallows, and peanuts folded into a creamy vanilla pudding dressing. A caramel drizzle on top makes it completely irresistible.
Grape Salad
Grape Salad is essentially a fruit dessert dressed up as a side dish, with four pounds of red and green grapes coated in a vanilla cream cheese dressing and finished with brown sugar and toasted pecans. It disappears fast at every gathering it shows up at.
Watermelon Salad
Salty feta, fresh mint, and a lime vinaigrette make this Watermelon Salad one of the most refreshing things you can put on a summer table. Incredibly fresh and flavorful, it’s even a hit with kids.
Waldorf Salad with Whipped Cream
My recipe for Waldorf Salad uses a whipped cream and mayo dressing that’s lighter than the typical heavy mayo version, letting the sweet grapes, tart apples, celery, and walnuts actually come through. It’s become a classic for a reason, and this one always gets rave reviews.
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
If you love dill pickles, this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is the pasta salad you’ve been waiting for. Pickle juice goes straight into the creamy dressing so the flavor runs through every bite. Pro-tip: It tastes even better the next day.
BLT Pasta Salad
All the classic BLT flavors land in this BLT Pasta Salad. Crispy bacon, juicy cherry tomatoes, romaine, and avocado are tossed with rotini in a creamy ranch dressing. It’s a crowd-pleaser, so make a double batch if you want leftovers.
Cowboy Pasta Salad
My Cowboy Pasta Salad earns its name with a loaded lineup of protein, produce, and cheese, all coated in a smoky, slightly spicy dressing made with BBQ sauce and sriracha. It’s hearty enough to double as a main dish.
Caesar Pasta Salad
This Caesar Pasta Salad takes everything that makes a classic Caesar worth eating and gives it enough substance to stand as a full meal. It comes together in 20 minutes and works just as well for a weeknight as it does for a potluck.
Italian Pasta Salad
Inspired by the flavors of an antipasto platter, this Italian Pasta Salad gets better the longer it sits. I always make it the day before, and enjoy the leftovers even more than when i serve it the first time.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is made with a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing that pulls everything together far better than anything from a bottle. It works as a side or a full meal and holds up well for several days in the fridge.
Egg Pasta Salad
The dressing alone in this Egg Pasta Salad recipe makes it worth making. The egg yolks are mashed and whisked into a smooth deviled-egg-style mayo and mustard base that coats every piece of pasta with tangy deliciousness. It’s a nostalgic combination that’s always a hit.
Tortellini Pasta Salad
This Tortellini Pasta Salad swaps standard pasta for cheese-filled tortellini, which makes every bite more satisfying than a typical pasta salad. A combination of zesty Italian dressing and pesto ties the whole thing together and makes it especially hard to stop eating.
Greek Pasta Salad
A bold homemade red wine vinaigrette with fresh garlic and lemon is what sets this Greek Pasta Salad apart. The dressing is so much better than anything you’d pour from a bottle. Plenty filling, it makes a hearty lunch or a simple dinner on a hot evening.
Loaded Pasta Salad
This Loaded Pasta Salad lives up to its name with a creamy homemade dressing that pulls everything together. It only needs an hour or so to set, and makes a hearty, crowd-pleasing side that keeps well for days.
Bowtie Pasta Salad
What sets this Bowtie Pasta Salad apart is a creamy homemade ranch dressing made with whole milk instead of buttermilk, giving it a lighter texture that still coats every piece generously. One reviewer said her family of three devoured the entire batch in one sitting.
Caprese Pasta Salad
The finishing touch on this Caprese Pasta Salad is a homemade balsamic glaze drizzled right before serving. It’s fresh and summery, and goes especially well with grilled chicken and steak.
Classic Pasta Salad
This Pasta Salad is the classic summer version done right, made with a homemade spice blend that elevates zesty Italian dressing into something far more delicious. This is the recipe you need to have on hand every summer, basically forever.
Tuna Pasta Salad
A Greek yogurt and lemon dressing gives this Tuna Pasta Salad a brighter, lighter feel than the standard mayo-only version, without losing any of the creamy satisfaction you’d expect. It’s a no-fuss, no-cook option that’s ready in 25 minutes.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
All the bold, smoky, tangy flavors of elote come through in this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, with fire-roasted corn and crumbled cotija giving it a genuinely different personality from anything else on this list. It works as a side or a full meal.
Salad Supreme Pasta Salad
McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning blend is what gives this Salad Supreme Pasta Salad its distinctive flavor. It’s a big-batch crowd-pleaser that works just as well for weeknight meal prep as it does for a summer potluck.
Big Mac Pasta Salad
My Big Mac Pasta Salad delivers all the flavor of the classic burger in cold pasta form, right down to the Thousand Island dressing and the dill pickles. It’s the perfect way to get your Big Mac fix without waiting in the drive-thru line.
Pesto Pasta Salad
The homemade pesto is what makes this Pesto Pasta Salad worth making from scratch. It stays vibrantly green, coats the pasta without getting gummy, and tastes far better than anything from a jar.
Taco Pasta Salad
I add Nacho Cheese Doritos right at the very end when I make this Taco Pasta Salad so they stay crunchy against the seasoned beef and French dressing. It’s a fun, crowd-pleasing twist that works as a side or a full meal.
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
This Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is a passed-down recipe with a notably simple approach. The dressing goes onto warm pasta so the noodles absorb it properly before chilling. The result is creamy all the way through rather than just coated on the outside.
Amish Macaroni Salad
What makes this Amish Macaroni Salad distinct from a standard mac salad is the sweet, creamy dressing. Sugar and sweet pickle relish give it a flavor that’s nostalgic in the best way.
Elbow Macaroni Salad
My Elbow Macaroni Salad is the classic version done right after testing more iterations than anyone would care to count. The dressing is creamy, tangy, and just a little sweet – the perfect balance that ensures the bowl gets scraped clean at every gathering.
Chicken Macaroni Salad
This Filipino-inspired Chicken Macaroni Salad is a twist on the standard version, with pineapple tidbits and raisins adding sweetness that balances the creamy Dijon dressing. It makes a big enough batch to feed a crowd and works as a lunchtime main or a dinner side.
Tuna Salad with Noodles
A classic creamy dill dressing with sweet pickle relish gives this Tuna Macaroni Salad the kind of nostalgic flavor that keeps people going back for seconds.
Loaded Baked Potato Salad
This Loaded Baked Potato Salad is basically every topping you’d pile onto a baked potato in one shareable bowl. It’s a hearty side that disappears fast at any party.
Mustard Potato Salad
A yellow mustard and fresh dill dressing with pickle relish gives this Mustard Potato Salad the classic old-fashioned flavor that makes it feel like someone’s grandmother’s recipe.
Creamy Potato Salad
A dill and Dijon dressing with sour cream gives this Creamy Potato Salad a flavor that’s a step above the standard mayo-only version. This will be your new go-to potato salad recipe.
Amish Potato Salad
This Amish Potato Salad gets its character from a sweet and tangy mustard-vinegar dressing that’s intentionally different from a standard mayo-based version. It’s the kind of potato salad people ask for by name.
Ranch Potato Salad
The smoky bacon and ranch dressing in my Ranch Potato Salad make it genuinely satisfying rather than just creamy. It’s the kind of side that pairs well with anything off the grill, and can double as a lunchtime main dish.
German Potato Salad
This German Potato Salad recipe skips the mayo entirely. The dressing is a warm bacon fat and white vinegar vinaigrette that gets poured directly over the potatoes and absorbed rather than coating them.
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