33 Easy Summer Salad Recipes For Hot Days

By

and

Nellah Bailey McGough

Updated on May 28, 2024

Southern Living Corn Salad with Sumac and Feta in a bowl ready to serve — Photo:
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Give your summer salads a fresh, colorful spin with these quick and easy salad recipes. A few steps and a handful of creative ingredients will wow party guests or add a burst of flavor to any weekday lunch—preferably one eaten al fresco. Beyond the standard bowl of lettuce and salad dressing, we put together unique pairings ideal for a sweet side or a savory meal, from pasta salad to chicken salad to slaw. Both salad enthusiasts and the lettuce-averse will want to return to these customizable, quick summer salads again and again.

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Chopped Kale Salad With Toasted Breadcrumbs

Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

This light take on a Caesar salad is so good, it will be the salad you put on repeat. A few simple tweaks keep this salad big on flavor. Toasted breadcrumbs replace croutons, grated egg adds extra protein, and Worcestershire sauce in the dressing replaces anchovies and adds depth. The Parmesan cheese ties the salad together, so don’t skimp on that.

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Greek Salad With Baked Feta

Southern Living Greek Salad with Baked Feta in a bowl to serve — Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Crisp and juicy vegetables perfectly complement the warm baked feta in this simple Greek salad recipe. For a delicious protein boost, consider serving the salad alongside grilled chicken or lamb burgers.

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Ranch Potato Salad

Southern Living Ranch Potato Salad in a bowl to serve — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

While you could easily pour a bottle of ranch dressing over boiled potatoes and call it a day, we think the easy homemade ranch in this potato salad makes it even more flavorful. It doesn't hurt that there's also a little bacon thrown in.

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BLT Salad With Buttermilk Parmesan Dressing And Buttery Croutons

BLT Salad — Alison Miksch

Few things taste better than a BLT, and this delicious salad takes it off the toast and makes it easy to share. Bake the croutons and bacon together on the same baking sheet for a delightful crunch. You might be tempted to go for the store-bought stuff, but homemade buttermilk dressing will really kick this salad up a notch. The assortment of fresh tomatoes means you can keep this salad truly local and seasonal.

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Loaded Potato Salad

Southern Living Loaded Potato Salad in a serving bowl ready to serve — Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

All the flavors of loaded baked potatoes in a portable, easy-to-serve salad. This recipe gets even more delicious the longer it sits, making it a great make-ahead recipe for a backyard picnic.

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Chopped Salad

Southern Living Chopped Salad prepared on a platter to serve — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Every bite of this chopped salad is a symphony of flavors. Romaine lettuce, corn, ham, tomato, cucumber, cheese, bacon, onion, and pecans are all tossed together to create a delicious and filling salad. The creamy buttermilk dressing binds all the flavors together, making this simple salad one to add to your rotation this summer.

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Lemony White Bean Salad With Broccoli

Lemony White Bean Salad with Broccoli — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Packed with roasted broccoli, white beans, and arugula, this healthy salad makes a satisfying work lunch. This salad is gluten-free, full of fiber, supports gut health, and tastes great. You'll love the bright lemony flavor of the vinaigrette.

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Marinated Cucumber, Tomato, And Onion Salad

Marinated Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad — Hannah Zimmerman

This is one of those salads that the longer it sits, the better it gets. As the vegetables marinate in the dressing, their natural juices are pulled out and create a flavorful, punchy, can't-get-enough salad. If you're tempted to tip the bowl to drink the leftover marinade, we won't blame you.

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Orzo Salad With Shrimp And Lemon Dressing

Spring Shrimp-and-Orzo Salad with Lemon Dressing — Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

You’ll need three cups of vegetables for this salad, but feel free to vary the amounts of each depending on what you have on hand. This salad is a good option for summer entertaining since it can be served chilled or at room temperature. The lemon and tarragon elevate this pasta dish.

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Grilled Peach-And-Arugula Salad With Feta

Grilled Peach-and-Arugula Salad with Feta — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Kellie Kelley; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Fire up your grill for this delightful summer salad—that’s right, salad. It is almost impossible to resist the taste of a ripe peach in a fresh summer salad, and this salad uses cut peaches that take just a few minutes to caramelize on the grill. Add them to an arugula salad and top them with feta, toasted pistachios, and mint for a surprising combination of flavors and textures.

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Bacon-Ranch Pasta Salad

Bacon-Ranch Pasta Saladba — Micah A. Leal

With bacon and ranch inside, everyone will swoon over this pasta salad. Cherry tomatoes, bits of bacon, and Parmesan cheese are mixed into the creamy pasta. Fresh dill adds oomph to the ranch flavoring.

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Chicken Tortellini Salad

Chicken Tortellini Salad — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

This salad makes a quick summer meal that doesn’t keep you cooking over a hot stove all evening. The tortellini takes just a few minutes to cook. Bursting with flavor from rotisserie chicken, canned black-eyed peas, cherry tomatoes, and fresh corn, you’ll have a meal on the table in 20 minutes.

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Broccoli, Grape, And Pasta Salad

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad in a white bowl with golden spoon — Robby Lozano; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

This is one of our most searched for recipes, and for good reason. This twist on many Southerners' favorite broccoli pasta salad includes grapes for sweetness and bacon for crunch, and we know it will be a hit at your next potluck.

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Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad

Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad — Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan

A salad of tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella is an easy way to enjoy your garden’s tomato harvest. White balsamic vinegar doesn’t turn the cheese brown like regular balsamic vinegar. Serve at room temperature so the tomatoes will be juicy.

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Tomato, Peach, And Corn Salad

Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad — Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele

Enjoy your bounty of summer produce in one mouthwatering dish. Use peaches, corn, and tomatoes at their peak for the most flavor in this salad. Honey Vinaigrette and feta cheese provide a salty-sweet balance.

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Big Daddy's Grilled Blue Cheese-And-Bacon Potato Salad

Big Daddyâs Grilled Blue Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad — Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Potato salad with bacon is a delicious twist on a traditional summer side. The potatoes are grilled, giving them an incredible smoky flavor, and blended with a mix of mayonnaise and white balsamic vinegar. The kicker here is the crumbled bacon. It brings a smoky taste and a bold crunch to this traditionally creamy classic.

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Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Broccoli Pesto Pasta — Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Christine Keely

Try this new spin on making pesto—use broccoli. This recipe still uses plenty of Parmesan cheese, walnuts, and basil. Make this pasta for a warm weeknight dinner, or eat it as a cold salad lunch.

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Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad With Field Peas

Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad with Field Peas — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

You can never have too many pasta salad recipes, and this one is a must for your repertoire. The magic is in its mix of flavors—bright and lemony, honey-sweetened, with a Dijon kick. Use the abundance of fresh herbs you have on hand to make this dish.

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Watermelon, Cucumber, And Feta Salad

Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad — Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan

On hot days, this is the cooling salad you need. Cucumber and watermelon combine with fresh herbs for a refreshing taste. Feta adds a nice contrast. Keep the watermelon and cucumbers from getting soggy and watering down the dressing by adding it just before serving.

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Shrimp Cobb Salad With Bacon Dressing

Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing — Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

You’ll find extra bacon—and bacon drippings—in the vinaigrette that douses this classic salad. Save time the day of serving by hard-boiling the eggs and steaming the shrimp ahead of time. Use chicken or ham in place of the shrimp if desired.

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Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad

Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad — Hector Manuel Sanchez

Potato salads may be barbecue, picnic, and summer party staples, so finding new ways to enjoy this favorite dish means more happy faces around the table—or sitting on the picnic blanket. When you bring this potato salad to a summer potluck, guests will be singing its praises. Salad pickles, diced pimiento, bell pepper, onion, celery, and jalapeño pack in a lot of flavors. Hot sauce kicks up the heat even more.

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Deviled Egg-Potato Salad

Deviled Egg Potato Salad — Antonis Achilleos

This salad combines the best of two of your favorite Southern classics into one delectable picnic dish. Yellow mustard, pickle relish, hard-cooked eggs, and a dash of hot sauce go into this potato salad recipe that’s anything but basic. You also should definitely not forget to sprinkle paprika over the top.

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Herbed Chicken-And-Rice Salad

Herbed Chicken-and-Rice Salad — Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Perfectly cooked basmati rice has density, texture, and bite, and is perfect for soaking up the flavors from a subtly seasoned vinaigrette. Ditch a mayonnaise-laden potato salad for this fresh, lemony number. Rotisserie chicken and microwaveable rice make this a quick weeknight salad.

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Heirloom Tomato-Cracker Salad

Heirloom Tomato-Cracker Salad — Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

If you love tomato sandwiches, this is the salad for you. It takes the traditional salad version and turns it into a prettier layered salad. Spread a mayonnaise mixture on a platter, arrange tomatoes and corn on top, and crush garlicky crackers over the tomatoes.

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Street Corn Salad

Street Corn Salad — Hector Sanchez

As easy as mixing everything in one bowl, this salad comes together quickly—and it won’t stick around long. Fresh corn, radishes, and cherry tomatoes get a boost of flavor from a simple lime vinaigrette. Use feta if you can’t find Cotija cheese.

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Tangy Raspberry Salad

Tangy Raspberry Salad — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley

Delightfully complex, this berry salad is built on a Bibb lettuce base with red onion, avocado, raspberries, and feta cheese for a sweet-tart flavor. The white balsamic vinaigrette doesn’t overpower the other ingredients. Keep this recipe on hand for guests and summer luncheons.

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Shrimp Salad

Shrimp Salad in lettuce cups - Southern Living — Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This essential summer salad is equally at home on bibb lettuce or in a roll. This version has a creamy lemon dressing complemented with the citrusy flavor of fresh dill. Make sure you buy fresh shrimp, not frozen, and cool it in an ice bath after cooking for the most tender results.

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7-Layer Salad

Southern Living 7-Layer Salad in a bowl to serve with serving spoons beside — Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

This vintage salad is a fan-favorite for good reason. This version uses classic BLT ingredients plus black-eyed peas for their smoky, earthy flavor. Serve 7-Layer Salad on the day you make it so the lettuce is nice and crisp.

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Classic Macaroni Salad With Ham

classic macaroni salad with ham — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist Shell Royster

The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for it to chill before digging in! If you love macaroni salad, this gussied up version is great as a side dish or picnic main.

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Whipped Cream Corn Salad

Whipped-Cream Corn Salad — Southern Living

Creamed corn, but make it salad. This light and refreshing corn salad is unlike any you've had before.

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Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Southern Living Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad in the bowl to serve — Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Just when you thought there was no topping Mama's famous pasta salad, this new recipe brings together Parmesan cheese, ranch dressing, and thick cuts of bacon.

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Frenched Green Bean Salad

Southern Living Frenched Green Bean Salad on a plate with melon and mac and cheese — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

The simplicity of a green bean salad is always welcome on a hot summer day. Six easy ingredients and less than 20 minutes of hands-on time make this a lazy cook's go-to on busy weeknights.

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Corn Salad With Sumac And Feta

Southern Living Corn Salad with Sumac and Feta in a bowl ready to serve — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Grilled corn is one of summer's greatest gifts. In this fresh and flavorful salad, corn is mixed with sumac and feta for a delicious warm-weather winner.

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