Loaded with sweet, tropical flavors, this delicious Luau Salad is BETTER than it’s Cheesecake Factory double!
This Cheesecake Factory Luau Salad is perfect for summer on the patio. It may take a bit of time, but these salads will sure to be a showstopper! For more Cheesecake Factory copycats, check out our Fried Mac and Cheese and Avocado Egg Rolls.
Better Than Cheesecake Factory
If you’ve been to The Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain, you’ve likely indulged in their beautiful salads and entrees!
My favorite salad is their Luau salad (which isn’t on their menu currently). It’s a stacked salad loaded with tropical flavors that will make you think you’re on an island getaway in Hawaii.
I’ve recreated this delicious salad and even added a few extras to make it even better than the Cheesecake Factory favorite! The macadamia nuts also add amazing texture and a are a nice tropical complementary flavor.
One of my favorite parts of the salad are the giant wontons. I had a hard time finding wonton wrappers so I substituted wonton strips instead. They are easily found in the salad topping section of the grocery store and have the same tasty flavor as the original large.
I hope you enjoy the tropical island flavors soon!
Making Luau Salad
On a dinner plate, layer:
- a large, uncut lettuce leaf
- sprinkle with a bit of chicken
- pineapple
- oranges
- onion
- celery
- wonton strips
TOP. Repeat this process 3-4 times until you’ve used all of your ingredients. Top the salad with the macadamia nuts and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
DRESSING. In a large glass measuring cup, measure out the juice, vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine all ingredients. Pour over salad. Enjoy right away.
Ingredient Tips + Storing Info
Tips:
- Making the dressing ahead of time not only saves time when you’re making the rest of the salad, but it allows for all the flavors of the dressing to blend together.
- You can also slice and prepare the veggies and fruit beforehand to save you time. Just wait to throw it all together until right before it is served so it stays fresh.
- If you decide to fry your own wontons I want to warn you they cook quickly and continue to cook a bit even after removing them from the pan. I suggest removing them a shade lighter than you want and they will end up perfect!
If you are planning on having leftovers I suggest STORING the ingredients and dressing separately. It will keep everything fresh and prevent the salad from getting soggy. STORE the fruit and vegetables in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3-5 days. STORE any leftover dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Wontons and nuts/seeds can be stored at room temperature.
More Copycat Recipes:
- Chick Fil A Nuggets
- Disney Corn Dogs
- Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Cheesecake Factory Luau Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 leaves boston lettuce or bib lettuce
- 1/2 cup white meat chicken already cooked, or rotisserie chicken works well
- 1 cup pineapple fresh and sliced
- 1/2 cup mandarin oranges
- 1 green onion sliced
- 1 stalk celery sliced
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1/2 cup wonton strips
- 1/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
Dressing
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- salt and pepper to taste a few grinds of each
Instructions
- On a dinner plate, layer a large, uncut lettuce leaf, and sprinkle with a bit of chicken, pineapple, oranges, onion, celery and wonton strips. Repeat this process 3-4 times until you've used all of your ingredients. Top the salad with the macadamia nuts and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- For dressing: In a large glass measuring cup, measure out the juice, vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine all ingredients. Pour over salad. Enjoy right away.
Mmmm this salad looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing Erin!
For more great recipes and ideas from her, head on over to Delightful E Made!
Krystin!
We don’t have a Cheesecake Factory up here in Canada, but if we did, something tells me that I would order this EACH and every time! I’m looking for some recipes for a summer BBQ and this is perfect! Pinned and will def try
Thanks, Trudy. I hope you really do love it. It’s my all-time FAVORITE salad. 🙂
Can’t wait to try the luau salad – one of my favorites. I think you may want to check the spelling of wonton. Wanton means something completely different. Thanks.
Haha..I fixed it! Thank you so much and Yes, I agree…it’s one of my favorites!
Wow! That dressing looks great!!
I want to make this for a potluck. Could I make this a lettuce- based salad and mix up all the fruits and veggies with the dressing, then sprinkle to wonton strips on top?
You sure could!! Hope it’s a hit!
Wow, thank you for the recipe. They discontinued the Luau salad at the Cheesecake Factory which was the only thing I liked on their menu. I didn’t have the fried wontons so I fried those cellophane noodles which I learned to do in a Chinese cooking class. I really want to find Wonton wrappers and encrust them with macedamia nuts like they did on the original. I really appreciated the recipe. I have made a resolution to learn to make all my favorite dishes and this is one of them.
That’s what I loved, too! You’ll have to try this & let me know what you think!
One of the best salads on the planet!! I always order it! So nice to be able to recreate it at home!! Now, I can eat it whenever I want & it tastes better!
I loved getting this salad at Cheesecake Factory. It’s been taken off there menu but you can recreate this at home now. So delicious!
This salad was perfect! The flavors are great together and it’s easy to make. Loved it 🙂
Thanks so much! Glad to hear you enjoyed the salad!
This salad was so good, I love all the texture and flavors in it, this will definitely be a staple!
This is just as good as the real deal! I’m so glad that I can make this at home, because it’s delicious every time!
I thought this salad was a pretty delicious version. I’m always amazed at how close these copycat recipes get to the real thing. Thanks for sharing.
What are the red strips in the picture?
They are julienned red peppers. That is an ingredient not listed in the ingredient list for the salad so I will add that ingredient to the recipe. Thanks so much for catching that! I appreciate it!
Just found recipe for Luau Salad from Cheesecake Factory when looking for ideas for tropical themed party. Looks great but want to adapt it for around 10 people. Do I double, triple, quadruple the recipe? Also can I mix ingredients together rather than layer them (except for wonton noodles which I’ll put on top) & then pour dressing over that? Thanks.
The recipe amounts are for 1 large salad, so depending on if you are serving it as a main dish or a side, you can adjust amounts. And yes, you could just mix everything together and then top with the noodles/dressing.