Looking for summer salads beyond the usual bowl of greens? These 25 recipes include crisp vegetable salads, pasta and grain salads, seasonal fruit combinations, and meal-worthy favorites.

Summer salads are one of the things I look forward to most once local produce starts piling up at the market. When tomatoes are juicy, cucumbers are crisp, corn is sweet, and peaches and berries are at their peak, it really doesn’t take much to turn them into something special.

I love that a summer salad can be as simple as a bowl of sliced tomatoes dressed with good olive oil, or substantial enough to serve as lunch or dinner. Add pasta, grains, beans, grilled cheese, seafood, fresh herbs, or something crunchy, and suddenly a side dish becomes the recipe everyone wants seconds of.

This collection of 25 summer salad recipes includes quick tomato and cucumber salads, colorful fruit-forward combinations, make-ahead pasta and grain salads, and hearty options for easy summer meals.

Use the Quick Chooser below when you need a fast recommendation, or jump straight to the category that best suits what you’re planning.

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Easy Tomato, Cucumber, and Vegetable Summer Salads

These easy summer salad recipes put peak-season tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, zucchini, cabbage, and beets front and center, with minimal cooking and plenty of crisp, colorful texture.

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1. Easy Tomato Corn Salad

by Food Nouveau

Sweet corn and perfectly ripe tomatoes do most of the work in this simple summer salad. A lemon and sherry vinaigrette and a generous handful of fresh herbs bring everything together, making this tomato corn salad an easy choice for BBQs, pool parties, and potlucks. The dressing can be prepared well in advance, so assembly is especially quick.

2. Greek Salad

by The Forked Spoon

A traditional Greek salad needs no lettuce and no elaborate dressing—just ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber, green pepper, red onion, Kalamata olives, and creamy feta. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano keep the flavors clean and direct. It takes only 15 minutes and works with almost anything coming off the grill.

3. Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad with Celery

by Mangia Bedda

This Sicilian-style tomato cucumber salad gets extra crunch and character from sliced celery. It is dressed simply with olive oil, oregano, and basil—no vinegar—so the juices from the ripe tomatoes remain the main attraction. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread because leaving those juices behind would be a mistake.

4. 4-Ingredient Cucumber Salad

by My Kitchen Love

When you need something cold and crunchy in a hurry, this cucumber salad keeps matters refreshingly simple. Cucumbers, dill, white wine vinegar, and a little sugar create a tangy side in about 15 minutes. Toss it shortly before serving so the cucumbers retain their snap.

5. Raw and Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad

by Family Style Food

Combining raw and roasted cherry tomatoes gives this salad two very different expressions of the same ingredient. The roasted tomatoes become soft, concentrated, and sweet, while the raw ones remain juicy and lively. Add basil and serve the tomato salad with ricotta, mozzarella, or burrata and toasted bread.

6. Hazelnut, Parmesan, and Grilled Zucchini Salad

by Food Nouveau

A very hot grill gives sliced zucchini beautiful char marks while leaving the centers pleasantly firm. Toasted hazelnuts, fresh basil, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and an optional drizzle of hazelnut oil add crunch, saltiness, and richness. This grilled zucchini salad is elegant enough for company but ready in about 25 minutes.

7. Red Cabbage Coleslaw with Sweet Corn

by From Scratch Fast

This colorful red cabbage slaw is light, crunchy, and made in a single bowl. Sweet corn softens the cabbage’s slight bitterness, while scallions, cilantro, lime juice, and a small amount of mayonnaise form a simple dressing. It can be prepared a day ahead and is especially useful alongside tacos, sandwiches, grilled meat, or fish.

8. Tomato Beet Salad

by Fox Loves Lemons

Earthy roasted beets and juicy heirloom tomatoes make a striking summer pairing in this colorful tomato beet salad. Blue cheese adds richness, walnuts provide crunch, and fresh herbs keep the platter firmly rooted in the season. Most of the work can be done ahead by roasting the beets before you assemble the salad.

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Summer Fruit Salads with Peaches, Berries, and Melon

These fruit-forward summer salads balance juicy peaches, berries, or melon with crisp vegetables, herbs, cheese, nuts, and sharp dressings.

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9. Tomato and Peach Panzanella Salad

by Food Nouveau

This summer panzanella is all about contrast: juicy tomatoes and peaches, crunchy-edged toasted bread, milky buffalo mozzarella, chives, and basil. The bread absorbs the garlicky vinaigrette without losing all of its texture. Save this one for the height of tomato and peach season, when the produce can truly carry the dish.

10. Peach Burrata Salad

by The Kitchen Girl

Juicy peaches and creamy burrata make of this generous salad an impressive starter with very little effort. Leafy greens, salty prosciutto, basil, pistachios, and a white balsamic dressing provide enough contrast to keep the salad balanced. It comes together in about 15 minutes and is especially lovely for brunch or a relaxed summer dinner.

11. Grilled Halloumi, Corn, and Peach Salad

by How Sweet Eats

This grilled summer salad piles sweet peaches and corn onto peppery arugula with golden slices of halloumi. Pickled onions and pistachios sharpen the flavors and bring plenty of crunch, while a cilantro-lime dressing ties everything together. It is satisfying on its own, but grilled chicken can turn it into an even more substantial meal.

12. Strawberry Salad with Feta

by Family Style Food

Fresh strawberries appear twice in this Strawberry Salad with Feta: sliced into the greens and puréed into a naturally sweet balsamic vinaigrette. Feta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, arugula, and spinach keep the combination firmly on the savory side. This easy 15-minute summer salad is a colorful option for lunch, brunch, or a summer gathering.

13. Blueberry Cucumber Summer Salad

by How Sweet Eats

Blueberries and cucumber make an unexpectedly natural pair in this crisp Blueberry Cucumber Summer Salad. Scallions and Parmesan add savory depth, sugared almonds bring a granola-like crunch, and creamy balsamic vinaigrette finishes the whole thing. Serve this fresh summer salad before dinner or add a protein and turn it into an easy lunch.

14. Cucumber Melon Salad with Mint

by Occasionally Eggs

Juicy melon, crisp cucumber, sharp red onion, lemon, and mint make this Cucumber Melon Salad with Mint one of the most refreshing combinations in the collection. This no-cook summer salad requires only about 15 minutes of active preparation. It’s a particularly good choice when you want a fruit-forward salad without cheese or tomatoes.

15. Watermelon Salad with Cucumber, Feta, and Mint

by My Kitchen Love

Watermelon and cucumber create a cold, juicy base for salty feta, fresh mint, lime juice, and olive oil in this Watermelon Salad with Cucumber, Feta, and Mint. With just six ingredients and a 10-minute preparation time, it’s an easy summer side to pull together when dinner is nearly ready. Serve the watermelon salad promptly, before the fruit begins releasing too much liquid.

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Make-Ahead Pasta, Grain, Bean, and Potato Salads

These make-ahead summer salads travel well, feed a crowd, and give pasta, couscous, lentils, beans, and potatoes plenty of fresh seasonal character.

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16. Caprese Pasta Salad with Pistachio Pesto

by Food Nouveau

Classic Caprese ingredients become a more substantial picnic or lunch dish in this Caprese Pasta Salad with Pistachio Pesto. Cherry tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella di bufala, basil, and roasted pistachios deliver a generous mix of creamy, juicy, peppery, and crunchy elements. Prepare the pasta portion several hours ahead, then add the delicate mozzarella shortly before serving.

17. Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta

by Lemons and Zest

This Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta is loaded with cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, feta, parsley, and basil. Fresh lemon zest and juice give the vinaigrette plenty of character without overwhelming the vegetables. The orzo salad benefits from a short rest in the refrigerator and keeps well, making it a practical choice for meal prep or a summer potluck.

18. Israeli Couscous Salad with Cherry Tomato Dressing

by Food Nouveau

Pearl couscous, cucumber, olives, parsley, arugula, and broiled cherry tomatoes give this Israeli Couscous Salad plenty of texture. Half of the tomatoes are blended into a deeply flavored dressing that the couscous absorbs as it rests. This make-ahead summer salad is ideal for picnics, potlucks, or lunch boxes; just wait until serving time to fold in the arugula.

19. Antipasto Pasta Salad

by Simple Bites

This hearty Antipasto Pasta Salad turns a platter of grilled vegetables into picnic-friendly fare. Eggplant, zucchini, peppers, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, cannellini beans, olives, herbs, and Pecorino Romano are tossed with a grilled-lemon dressing. The pasta salad is even better after a few hours in the refrigerator and can easily move from make-ahead side dish to vegetarian main course.

20. Lentil Tabbouleh

by Occasionally Eggs

Lentils stand in for bulgur in this filling Lentil Tabbouleh. Parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber, and other fresh vegetables keep the salad herbaceous and summery, while the lentils add enough substance for a light meal. This naturally vegan and gluten-free summer salad can also be made with lentils cooked in advance.

21. French-Style Potato and Green Bean Salad

by Pardon Your French

Tender potatoes and crisp green beans are tossed with olives, capers, fresh herbs, and a sharp vinaigrette in this French-Style Potato and Green Bean Salad. Because it’s dressed without mayonnaise, the salad is satisfying without being overly rich, which makes it especially well suited to warm-weather gatherings. Serve it as a potluck side or top it with hard-boiled eggs for an easy summer lunch.

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Hearty Summer Salads for Lunch or Dinner

When a small side salad won’t quite do, these filling summer salads add seafood, chorizo, cheese, beans, rice, or grilled corn without becoming overly heavy.

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22. Wild Rice Salad with Cherries and Hazelnuts

by Food Nouveau

Wild rice gives this Wild Rice Salad with Cherries and Hazelnuts a hearty, pleasantly chewy foundation, while cherries, toasted hazelnuts, spinach, basil, and goat cheese add juicy, crunchy, leafy, and creamy contrasts. Part of the fruit is blended into a cherry vinaigrette, ensuring its flavor runs through the entire dish. Make this filling summer salad for a vegetarian lunch or serve it alongside grilled salmon, steak, or chicken.

23. Spanish Tomato Salad with Chorizo and Almonds

by Food Nouveau

This Spanish Tomato Salad with Chorizo and Almonds is much more substantial than a simple plate of sliced tomatoes. Crisped chorizo, feta, toasted almonds, garlic, herbs, and sherry vinegar add saltiness, heat, and crunch, while resting the tomatoes first concentrates their flavor. Serve this hearty tomato salad as a summer main course with crusty bread or in smaller portions alongside grilled meat.

24. Grilled Tuna and White Bean Salad

by Mangia Bedda

Grilled tuna and creamy white beans make this Grilled Tuna and White Bean Salad filling enough for dinner. Cherry tomatoes, red onion, black olives, garlic, parsley, and lemon keep this Italian-inspired summer salad colorful and lively. It can be served right away, but a few hours of resting gives the flavors time to mingle.

25. Avocado Salad with Grilled Corn and Basil Feta Dressing

by The Wooden Skillet

Creamy avocado, grilled sweet corn, crisp cucumber, feta, dill, and green onions make this Avocado Salad with Grilled Corn substantial without weighing it down. The basil-feta dressing reinforces the cheese and herb flavors while giving the vegetables a creamy coating. This hearty summer salad works equally well as a BBQ side, meal-prep lunch, or easy warm-weather dinner.