Spring brings new life, and with it fresh and flavorful salads! With all of these tasty produce in season, comes a variety of fruits and veggies at their peak season flavor. Mix ’em all up in these crave-able spring salad recipes!!
More Collections: Spring Dinner Ideas, Spring Desserts, Green Salad Recipes
Refreshing and Bright
After the heavy comfort food of Winter I’m itching to taste the bright flavors of Spring. Spring salads are the perfect way to enjoy those refreshing flavors!
If you’re lucky enough to have a Spring garden, you can use all the great produce from there. You can also head down to your local farmers market and find the freshest produce of the season.
Spring Produce
Here are both vegetables and fruits that are in season and most popular during Spring!
They’re great for using in these salad recipes!
Top 10 Spring Vegetables
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Fennel
- Spring Greens (lettuce, baby spinach, kale)
- Green Beans
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Rhubarb
Top 10 Fruits
- Apricots
- Avocados
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Kiwi
- Lemons
- Mangos
- Oranges
- Pineapples
- Strawberries
Building a perfect spring salad
Cheese: Cheese is an easy ingredient to use that will add an extra layer of flavor to pasta salads or veggie salads. It can be cubed, shredded or crumbled. Some favorite cheeses include feta cheese, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, blue cheese and cheddar cheese.
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts work well in salads that include spring fruits or salads with spring veggies. You want to use chopped or sliced nuts. They can be raw, roasted or candied. Almonds, walnuts and pecans are the most used nuts. You can also toss in some poppyseeds, chia seeds or sunflower seeds.
Fresh Herbs can be incorporated for a hint of extra flavor. When adding herbs, use a very light touch. You don’t want their flavor to overwhelm the rest of the dish. Dill is particularly good in spring salads. Other herbs often used include fresh mint, basil, cilantro, chives, parsley and thyme.
The Dressing
Dressing: Many salads taste wonderful with a classic combination of olive oil and vinegar to make a light vinaigrette. Sometimes a simple spritz of lemon juice will get the job done. A creamy dressing can also be the perfect element to complete salad. Here are a few of our favorite recipes:
- Greek Dressing
- Caesar Salad Dressing
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Creamy Pesto Dressing
- Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Salad Protein: Whether I want to have the salad for lunch or dinner, when it is being used as a main dish, I like to add protein. Some ideas include:
- Grilled Chicken
- Shrimp
- Bacon bits
- Black, kidney or white beans
- Boiled eggs
- Buffalo chicken
- Chickpeas
Side Salad or Main Dish?
Main dishes require a larger serving size, than side salads. The following information will help you calculate how much you will need.
- Pasta Salad: Serve ½-1 cup as a side salad or 1 ½ -2 cups as a main dish per person.
- For green/vegetable salad: Plan to serve 1-2 cup as a side salad or 2-2 ½ cup green salad per person as a main dish.
Best Spring Salads
Quick Caprese Salad – Simple and Quick Caprese Salad is easy and delicious with pops of mozzarella, tomatoes, avocados and drizzled with a balsamic glaze!
Cashew Chicken Salad – Cashew Chicken Pasta – a cream pasta recipe with chicken, grapes, cashews and more tossed in a delicious homemade dressing.
Chicken Caesar Salad – Ultimate Caesar Salad with grilled chicken, croutons, tomatoes, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, Parmesan cheese and tomatoes.
Cobb Salad – This simple cobb salad is so full of tasty ingredients it’s a meal all on it’s own. It is quick to make and utterly delicious.
Strawberry Harvest Salad – Strawberry Harvest Salad – tastes just like the salad at Zupa’s! It’s topped with apples, strawberries, chicken, candied pecans, cheese and a homemade Strawberry Vinaigrette dressing.
Lemon Poppy Seed Salad – A delicious salad with tomatoes, chicken, craisins, sunflower seeds and a delicious homemade lemon poppy seed dressing. The dressing only requires 4 ingredients and takes minutes to make!
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad – Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is one of the heartiest, most delicious salad recipes you’ll try! With greens, fruits, nuts, and a tangy dressing, it’s a real winner.
Greek Pasta Salad – This delicious Greek Pasta Salad is filled with rotini pasta, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese and is covered in a tasty Greek dressing! It’s our new go-to pasta salad and is perfectly light and refreshing.
Waldorf Salad – Waldorf Salad is filled with texture and flavor. Tossed in a homemade poppy seed dressing, it’s perfect for any lunch, dinner or appetizer.
Cheesecake Factory Luau Salad – Loaded with sweet, tropical flavors, this delicious Luau Salad is BETTER than it’s Cheesecake Factory double!
Kale Salad – Sweet Kale Salad is topped with chunks of apple, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and bacon, served with a homemade sweet Dijon vinaigrette!
Chinese Chicken Salad – The best crunchy Chinese chicken salad with undeniably delicious flavors that will make you coming back for seconds and thirds! We love this recipe!!
Asian Citrus Chicken Salad – Bright & Flavorful Asian Citrus Chicken Salad topped with crunchy wontons and a fruity vinaigrette is a family favorite!!
Chinese Pasta Salad – Chinese Pasta Salad – filled with lettuce, noodles, fried wontons and more tossed in a delicious homemade dressing.
Arugula Salad – Fresh Arugula salad is loaded with healthy greens, juicy tomatoes, and parmesan shavings with pine nuts and creamy avocado on top!
The complete list
Here are the picture cards for all of the delicious Spring Salad Recipes listed above.
Whether you are looking for the perfect salad to accompany a meal, or to serve as a meal itself, you’re sure to find the perfect recipe!
More Collections: Spring Dinner Ideas, Summer Salads, Winter Salad Recipes
