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Fresh and Light Summer Salads
I don’t know about you, but I often turn to lighter, simpler meals when the weather heats up. When the produce is inexpensive and at its peak flavor throughout the summer it’s the perfect time to make those simple light salad recipes.
We tend to want refreshing meals that can be pulled together in minutes so we can get back to enjoying life! If you’re the same, don’t worry; we have a TON of salads here at CFC.
Here are 25 light, refreshing salads for you to try this summer!
25 Light Salad Recipes
When the temperature is high, and appetites are lower, I love to fill up on light, in-season fruits and veggies straight from my garden or the farmer’s market. Whether you are looking for a light lunch, or a light salad recipe for dinner, here are some summer salad ideas I think you’ll really enjoy!
1. Fresh Cucumber Watermelon Summer Salad
Watermelon and cucumber are some of the most hydrating fruits, so this salad is fantastic for the summer when we need something refreshing. Plus, they contain vitamin C and other antioxidants and nutrients that can help protect our skin from sun damage.
2. Zesty Lemony Salmon Salad
This salad is simple and delicious. Also, wild-caught salmon is often considered a superfood with more vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory benefits.
3. Delightful Steak Cobb Salad
Each bite is a wonderful blend of flavors and textures, making the Steak Cobb Salad a satisfying meal. Combining protein, healthy fats, and fresh veggies will leave you feeling full and content!
4. Grilled Watermelon Blue Cheese Salad
Save the super fun recipe for your next outdoor BBQ! Lightly grilling fresh fruit caramelizes the natural sugars and brings out the sweet flavor of the fruit, so it tastes amazing.
5. Veggie-Packed Chicken Salad in a Jar
These jar salads are creative and perfect for meal prepping! You can prepare them early, and they’ll remain fresh for 3-4 days, meaning you’ll have a quick lunch ready for your busier days.
6. Stone Fruit + Melon Summer Salad
There’s an abundance of fruit in the summer, and I love experimenting with different combinations to make salads like this one. Feel free to get creative and change the recipe however you’d like, and then serve it as a delicious snack, appetizer, dessert, or breakfast!
7. Fresh Chopped Veggie + Bean Salad
If you’re looking for a simple dish to bring to that get-together or party that’ll delight the taste buds, this is great!
8. Lemon + Parmesan Marinated Summer Squash Salad
Our gardens and farmers’ markets are overflowing with fresh summer squash, so I decided to create a new tasty salad. It’s excellent as a side dish to share at your next party!
9. Healthy Creamy Potato Salad
Picnics, boating, beaching, BBQ, or a family reunion potluck just aren’t complete without a bowl of homemade potato salad, so here’s an updated version of the traditional recipe for you to try!
10. French Bistro Salad
I love how bright and colorful this salad is! It’s a fantastic side dish to serve alongside heartier foods to help balance your meal.
11. Salmon Chopped Salad
This Salmon Chopped Salad is bursting with flavorful and colorful veggies, then tossed in the most delightful, bright, lemony homemade dressing that compliments the salmon perfectly!
12. Chickpea Chopped Salad
As you can tell, I love chopped salads! They’re tasty and almost meditative to make. This one is also full of health benefits thanks to the chickpeas, which can help control blood sugar, manage weight, and support heart and gut health.
13. Pickle Lover’s Chicken Salad
Here’s a different salad for you! Wrapping the chicken salad with lettuce makes it almost like a crunchy and healthy burrito, which is great for a refreshing lunch.
14. Beetroot + Cucumber Herby Salad
In addition to tasting amazing and being easy to make, this salad has an impressive nutritional value! Beets are one of the most nutrition-packed vegetables in the world because they’re packed with fiber, folate (vitamin B9), potassium, iron, manganese, and vitamin C.
15. Fresh Corn and Zucchini Salad
If you’re a fresh corn and zucchini lover, you’re going to really enjoy this chopped salad! Garlicky, limey, and a little spicy, thanks to the jalapeños. It’s so good!
16. Watermelon + Cucumber + Feta Salad
The flavors here complement each other so well! The saltiness of the cheese balances out the sweetness of the watermelon, then brightens with the addition of fresh-picked herbs.
17. Chicken & Blueberry Salad
Nothing says summer like a fresh berry salad — add perfectly grilled chicken, and you’ve got a meal! Feel free to switch out the blueberries with raspberries, strawberries, or whatever your favorite berries are.
18. Asparagus Summer Salad
Green galore! We love the arugula, cucumber, avocado, and asparagus in this tasty salad. Asparagus is incredibly nutrient-dense with many vitamins A, C, and K, disease-fighting antioxidants, and fiber.
19. Greek Inspired Chicken Salad with Tahini Vinaigrette
It may seem like a regular salad, but this beauty is anything BUT regular! The marinated chicken is divine, and the homemade croutons add that essential crunch without the unhealthy, cheap, inflammatory oils in store-bought croutons.
20. Summer Squash Ribbon Salad
This summer squash + zucchini salad is fairly simple to prep, but the result is full of fresh flavors and impressive beautiful ribbons. It’s one of my favorite salads, and I’m sure you’ll know why as soon as you taste it!
21. Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Here’s a splendid dinner idea for the whole family, OR you can make a few servings this weekend, then tuck them away in your fridge for meal prep this week!
22. Marinated Garden Tomato + Crisp Cucumber Summer Salad
This is another refreshing and hydrating salad for you to enjoy when the temperatures spike. It’s also very easy on the wallet since the cucumbers and tomatoes are pretty inexpensive this time of year.
23. Lemony Chicken Schnitzels Salad
Ultra-crispy tender chicken morsels on top of a big pile of bright greens that are coated in the delicious lemon dressing! Absolute perfection, seriously!
24. Green Goddess Shrimp Salad
The effort put into making this salad is entirely worth it. And not only do anchovies add loads of flavor to this dressing, but they are also incredibly rich in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, which are powerful at reducing inflammation.
25. Summer Steak Salad
I adore this combo SO much! We have crunchy cucumber, creamy avocado, and fresh sweet corn cut from the cob. Plus, the wonderfully cooked steak and the tangy dressing make this an ultra-satisfying summer meal.
26. Easy Chopped Chicken Salad Recipe with Maple Vinaigrette
This is one of our newest recipes on the site! It’s a high protein, super crunchy salad that is light enough for an easy lunch, but filling enough for a light dinner. It is a fantastic meal prep salad if you are trying to eat more protein and also add in some delicious summertime veggies.
27. Simple Celery Salad In 10 Minutes!
If you’re looking for a healthy, budget friendly salad, then you are really going to love this simple celery salad. There are only 4 steps, it’s ready in 10 minutes, and the flavors are all brought together with a tangy orange vinaigrette. It is full of hearty veggies that will hold up all week long if you want to use the leftovers as a meal-prep lunch!
Easy Light Salads
It was REALLY hard for me to pick only 25 light salads (plus one bonus salad #26!), but these are some of my favorites. These easy summer salads will keep you full and eating healthy whole foods all summer long! I hope you find a new staple for your weekly menu!
Did you try any of these light salad recipes? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
🩷Rachel
