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Sweet or savory, green or pasta, there is a salad for any occasion. I’ve rounded up some of our favorite easy salad recipes I think you’ll enjoy!

More Collections: Pasta Salad Recipes, Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes, Grilled Dinner Ideas

Collage of easy salad recipes.

SALADS to Love!

I love salad all year long, but I especially crave it during the spring and summer. Salads are great for so many reasons, they can hold their own as a main dish, or be a great supporting dish.

Why we love them:

  • From sweet to savory, there are so many kinds of salads, and in my book – they’re all winners. The best kind, however, are the ones that are EASY to make too!
  • An easy side or meal. While some salads are more complex, all the easy salad recipes in this collection are simple to make (and pretty darn delicious, too)!
  • Flavor and texture. These include in-season produce and incorporate lots of colors, flavors, and textures.
Fruit salad in a white bowl.

Types of Easy Salads

There are 5 types of salads that I make regularly.

  1. Green salads use a lettuce base and may include a variety of other chopped fruits and vegetables. They can include iceberg, butterhead, romaine, and leaf lettuce. Kale and spinach leaves may also be used.
  2. Vegetable salads use a base other than lettuce. It may have a creamy dressing or a simple vinaigrette. It may also include other chopped vegetables, nuts, and protein. 
  3. Bound salads contain a mixture of food that is bound together with a thick dressing, often mayonnaise. This would include anything from Egg Salad to Potato Salad
  4. Pasta salads use smaller pasta as the main ingredient like penne, rotini, farfalle, or ditalini. It is often tossed with chopped vegetables and protein along with some type of dressing.
  5. Fruit/dessert salads. Fruit is the main ingredient of this salad. It can simply be a combination of 2-3 types of fruit tossed together or it may have a sweet cream coating and resemble more of a dessert.
Chicken pasta salad ingredients in a white bowl.

Ingredients for Easy Salads

A great salad starts with simple ingredients.

  • Vegetables: When adding vegetables to a salad, you often do not need to cook them. Simply wash, chop, and toss. Can’t get easier than that!  
    • Leafy greens: iceberg, butterhead lettuce leaves, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, kale
    • Green veggies: broccoli florets, celery, brussel sprouts, green onion, cucumber
    • Colorful veggies: carrots, cauliflower florets, beets, bell pepper, red onion, roasted butternut squash, olives, cherry tomatoes
    • Fresh herbs: basil, cilantro, chives, dill, mint, parsley, thyme
  • Fruits: berries, cranberries, melons, diced apples, peaches, or pears, grapes, tomatoes, or avocado.
  • Salad proteins: Adding grilled chicken or beef to a salad is an easy way to make it more filling and turn it into a main side rather than a side. Or try shrimp, bacon bits, black, kidney, or white beans, boiled eggs, buffalo chicken, or chickpeas.
  • Cheese is often added to salads counting any combination of vegetables. Use a simple cubed cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, or feta cheese.
  • Crunch: Add some crunch with croutons or nuts like walnuts or toasted almonds.
Greek salad dressing in a dressing container.

Dressings

“Dressing” is the perfect word for salad dressing. For a classic try lemon juice, or a lemon vinaigrette, olive oil, or balsamic vinaigrette. Or try some of our favorites:


Our Favorite EASY SALADS

These are our go-to salad favorites and all are delicious! Use these tips to serve it as a side or main dish.

When serving as a side dish, plan to serve ½-1 cup (4-6 ounces) pasta salad per guest. For green/vegetable salads plan to serve 1-2 cups (2-5 ounces) per person. Finally, plan to serve 1 cup (3.5 ounces) of fruit salad per person. 

If the salad is the main dish, plan to serve 1½-2 cups of pasta salad or 2-2½ cups of green salad per person. 

1 Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

Salad Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 21 votes
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2 Fruit Salad Recipe

Side Dish Fruit Salad Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 49 votes
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3 Broccoli Salad Recipe

Salad Broccoli Salad Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Recipe Video

4.98 from 82 votes
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4 Pasta Salad Recipe

Side Dish Pasta Salad Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 246 votes
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5 Chicken Salad Recipe

Main Course, Salad Chicken Salad Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 19 votes
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6 Cobb Salad Recipe

Salad Cobb Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 12 votes
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7 Macaroni Salad Recipe

Salad, Side Dish Macaroni Salad Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes

Recipe Video

4.98 from 106 votes
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8 Summer Corn Salad Recipe

Salad Summer Corn Salad Recipe
Total Time: 7 minutes

Recipe Video

4.99 from 87 votes
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9 How to Make Egg Salad recipe

Main Course, Side Dish How to Make Egg Salad recipe
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

4.95 from 20 votes
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10 Easy Coleslaw Recipe

Side Dish Easy Coleslaw Recipe
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 24 votes
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More Simple Salad Recipes

For even more easy salads enjoy these as a perfect side dish or a light dinner. These sweet options could even be used as a dessert!

11 Wedge Salad Recipe

Salad Wedge Salad Recipe
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 4 votes
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12 7 Layer Salad Recipe

Salad, Side Dish 7 Layer Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 20 votes
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13 Arugula Salad Recipe

Main Course, Salad, Side Dish Arugula Salad Recipe
Total Time: 10 minutes
5 from 7 votes
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14 Potato Salad Recipe

Salad Potato Salad Recipe
Total Time: 55 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 31 votes
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15 Broccoli Strawberry Salad Recipe

Salad Broccoli Strawberry Salad Recipe
Total Time: 7 minutes
5 from 17 votes
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16 Frito Corn Salad Recipe

Salad, Side Dish Frito Corn Salad Recipe
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 14 votes
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17 Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe

Salad Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe
Total Time: 5 minutes
5 from 6 votes
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18 Kale Salad Recipe

Salad Kale Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes
5 from 8 votes
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19 Pistachio Salad Recipe

Salad Pistachio Salad Recipe
Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 112 votes
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20 Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe

Salad, Side Dish Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes
5 from 16 votes
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21 Ambrosia Salad Recipe

Salad, Side Dish Ambrosia Salad Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 9 votes
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22 Snickers Salad Recipe

Dessert Snickers Salad Recipe
Total Time: 5 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 285 votes
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23 Cheesecake Fruit Salad Recipe

Dessert Cheesecake Fruit Salad Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes

Recipe Video

4.93 from 52 votes
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24 Ham Salad Recipe

Appetizer, Salad Ham Salad Recipe
Total Time: 10 minutes
5 from 7 votes

25 Pizza Salad Recipe

Salad Pizza Salad Recipe
Total Time: 8 minutes
5 from 14 votes
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26 Southwest Salad Recipe

Salad Southwest Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 18 votes
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27 Asian Pasta Salad recipe

Salad Asian Pasta Salad recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes
5 from 2 votes
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28 Spinach Tortellini Salad Recipe

Salad Spinach Tortellini Salad Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes
4.89 from 27 votes
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29 Mozzarella Pasta Salad Recipe

Salad Mozzarella Pasta Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes
5 from 11 votes
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30 Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad recipe

Salad Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 1 vote
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31 Taco Pasta Salad Recipe

Salad Taco Pasta Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes
5 from 7 votes
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Quick and Easy Cobb

The classic Cobb Salad is one of my all-time favorite salads. It’s the perfect salad for dinner because, beyond the greens, it’s got so much more.

This version uses cubed cheddar cheese, but blue cheese crumbles are also a popular addition to this salad. The great thing is you can add or change it up to make it your own!

Here is the recipe:

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30+ Easy Salad Recipes

By: Lil’ Luna
Sweet or savory, green or pasta, there is a salad for any occasion. I've rounded up some of our favorite easy salad recipes I think you'll enjoy!
Servings: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 6 cups romaine hearts chopped
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese cubed or grated
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 1 chicken breast seasoned, fully cooked and cubed
  • 1 cup corn sautéed or broiled
  • 4 slices bacon chopped
  • 2 boiled eggs chopped
  • 2 green onions sliced

Instructions 

  • Thoroughly wash romaine and allow to dry.
  • Add romaine to a large salad bowl or platter.
  • Add all of the toppings in layers and then sprinkle with green onions on top. Serve with ranch dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 159mg, Sodium: 347mg, Potassium: 990mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 10112IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 167mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Making this recipe? Tag us!
Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

All Easy, All Delicious!

Even if you don’t enjoy green salads, I’m sure there’s at least one easy salad recipe here that you will like! These are the easiest salads out there, and they all taste amazing.

Be sure to check out all of our Salad Recipes.

More Collections: Summer Salad Recipes, Best Green Salads, Fall Salad Recipes

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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23 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing this amazing list of salad recipes! There were so many delicious-looking options to choose from, I ended up making the broccoli strawberry salad and I really enjoyed it!

  2. This list was super helpful to find a salad that worked for all of my family. There are so many allergies that I have to worry about but this list helped me find the perfect salad that worked for everyone.

  3. I typically have a green salad for lunch, but that gets kind of old. Right now I am obsessed with your buffalo chicken salad. I think I’ll try the strawberry harvest recipe next.

  4. I love all the variety of recipes here. Every kind of salad that you can imagine and better yet there so yummy!

  5. I absolutely loved all of these ideas! I’ve been wanting to mix things up so I didn’t get tired of salads and this is so helpful, thank you!

  6. We make some kind of salad with so many of our meals. We love your easy pasta salad & your Asian salads. They are all so good & super easy to make!