Best Summer Salads | The Modern Proper (2024)

We’ve rounded up our Best Summer Salads to help you embrace this season of fresh produce abundance.

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Best Summer Salads | The Modern Proper (1)

Backyard BBQs and Quiet Dinners At Home: There’s A Perfect Summer Salad For Every Moment.

Whether you are searching for a healthy summer salad recipe, making summer salads for a crowd at your next get-together or just trying to put dinner on the table without having to turn on your oven, we’ve got you covered! Buckle up, because here come the best summer salad recipes ever!

Invited to a Picnic? Bring a Salad!

Here are our very best classic potato salads, broccoli salad and pasta salads. They are exactly what you need to make to bring to your next summer picnic.

  • Classic Potato Salad

  • Broccoli Salad

  • Mediterranean Pasta Salad

  • Summer Tortellini Pasta Salad

  • Macaroni Salad

  • Classic Coleslaw

  • Green Goddess Pasta Salad

  • Classic Potato Salad Creamy and a bit tangy, with ruby-pink radishes for a little crunch, this classic potato salad wins best in show, every time.
  • Broccoli Salad This cold, crunchy broccoli salad—studded with crisp bacon, diced red onion and chewy raisins, then tossed in a creamy homemade dressing—is what all of your summer party dreams are made of.
  • Mediterranean Pasta Salad With briny olives, juicy cherry tomatoes, spicy arugula, purple pops of red onion, and creamy feta crumbled throughout, this Mediterranean pasta salad is as bright and sunny as a warm summer day.
  • Summer Tortellini Pasta Salad The classic Italian caprese trio of fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes are the inspiration behind this couldn’t-be-easier cheese tortellini salad.
  • Macaroni Salad A classic, easy macaroni salad for summer entertaining, potluck-bringing and all around feasting!
  • Classic Coleslaw Creamy, a little sweet and a little tangy, this classic coleslaw recipe is a summertime must-have.
  • Green Goddess Pasta Salad This stunning, veggie-laden green goddess pasta salad is loaded with the bounty of early summer, and thanks to a hearty toss in that classic, creamy herby dressing, it really looks the part, too.

Got Ripe Berries or fresh fruit? We’ve got you covered.

Berries are at their best during the summer months and they pair perfectly with salad. Here are our favorite ways to add fruit to our summer salads!

  • Fruit Salad

  • Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad

  • Peach and Tomato Caprese Salad

  • Tropical Kale Salad

  • Avocado and Melon Salad

  • Fruit Salad Juicy, sweet and oh-so-colorful, there’s nothing like fresh fruit salad! Our favorite fruit salad recipe gets a serious burst of sweetness from a light orange-mint dressing, too!
  • Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad This salad is perfect in late summer, when blackberries are dripping off the vine. Pistachios, chèvre and honey-mustard vinaigrette pair perfectly with peppery arugula and sweet vine-ripe fruit.
  • Peach and Tomato Caprese Salad Fresh, juicy peaches make for a sweet twist on this classic tomato and fresh mozzarella caprese salad. A tangy white balsamic vinaigrette ties everything together!
  • Tropical Kale Salad You know kale salad is good for you, but did you know it can be truly delicious, too? Say hello to our tropical kale salad recipe! Finished with a creamy coconut curry dressing, it’s irresistible.
  • Avocado and Melon Salad An effortless and fresh melon and avocado salad for those hot summer days. It’s a beautiful dish to serve for guests or just to have around for easy lunches during the week.

Best Ever Corn Salads For The Summer.

Juicy and crisp, we love a salad filled with corn! Which one will be your next favorite salad?

  • Corn Salad

  • Mexican Street Corn Salad with Chipotle Crema

  • Smoky Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salad

  • Southwest Style Cobb Salad with Smoky Chipotle Dressing

  • Corn Salad In the summertime our favorite expression is, if it grows together, it goes together, and that’s especially true of this corn, cucumber, and tomato salad with a honey lime dressing.
  • Mexican Street Corn Salad This Mexican corn salad recipe (esquites) takes the flavors of elote—fresh sweet corn, lime juice, cotija cheese, and a mayo-based chipotle crema—and turns them into a beautiful summer salad.
  • Smoky Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salad Need a quick summer dinner? Simple grilled salmon topped with fresh avocado and corn salad is a quick-summer-dinner overachiever.
  • Southwest Style Cobb Salad with Smoky Chipotle Dressing A smoky chipotle mayo and a little time on the grill transform classic cobb salad ingredients into our new favorite summertime dinner—a hearty Southwest-style Cobb salad.

Pesto The Summer Staple.

We love making fresh basil pesto in the summer. You can often find us adding it to…well…everything! Our favorites are eggs, pizza and you guessed it…salads!

  • Pesto Zoodle Salad

  • Pesto Potato Salad

  • Arugula White Bean Salad with Pesto Chicken

  • Pesto Caesar Salad with Castelvetrano Olives

  • Pesto Zoodle Salad This stunningly beautiful, twisty-twirly pesto zoodle salad with fresh mozzarella, chicken and toasted pine nuts is a textural, colorful study in how to make the most of the late-summer harvest.
  • Pesto Potato Salad This bright green potato salad is an herbaceous and garlicky version of the classic. Simply made with pesto (fresh or from the store), cucumber, and hard-boiled eggs, you’ll be making this on repeat.
  • Arugula White Bean Salad with Pesto Chicken Sturdy white beans and peppery arugula get dressed in a simple vinaigrette and topped with grilled pesto chicken. An easy and beautiful salad to put together when you’re craving something fresh!
  • Pesto Caesar Salad with Castelvetrano Olives Pesto brings an herbaceous garlic note to the classic caesar salad party. We add tons of grated parm (of course!), shredded rotisserie chicken, and plump Castelvetrano olives to make this salad shine.

The Best Tomato Salads

Wondering what to do with all those fresh summer tomatoes? Here are our favorite tomato salad recipes, you’re gonna love them, we promise!

  • Tomato Salad

  • The Best Tomato Salad

  • Spinach Orzo Salad With Feta, Tomatoes and a Basil Dressing

  • Salmon Niçoise Salad

  • Easy Niçoise Salad

  • Caprese Salad

  • Panzanella

  • Tomato Salad When fresh tomatoes are in season, we eat them at almost every meal, and this juicy, simple marinated tomato salad recipe is one of our favorite ways to enjoy the bounty!
  • The Best Tomato Salad Wondering what to do with all those fresh summer tomatoes? Our simple tomato salad recipe is the best solution, we promise!
  • Spinach Orzo Salad With Feta, Tomatoes and a Basil Dressing This colorful, hearty spinach orzo salad tastes like a garden at its summertime best—juicy tomatoes, fragrant basil, garlic and plenty of sunshine-y lemon.
  • Salmon Niçoise Salad Coral-hued baked salmon stands in for the traditional tuna in this olive-studded, vinaigrette-drizzled summery riff on the classic Niçoise salad.
  • Easy Niçoise Salad Our healthy, easy Niçoise salad recipe is just begging to be paired with long, lazy summer evenings and plenty of chilled rosé.
  • Caprese Salad Juicy tomatoes at their summertime peak and milky, tender fresh mozzarella come together in this classic Caprese salad recipe and, friends, it is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
  • Panzanella Rustic and soaked with flavor, this tomato panzanella recipe is just the kind of recipe we love to learn by heart. It’s so simple, and it’s so much fun to play around with.

The Best Salads to Pair with Grilled Steak or Chicken

Grill up that chicken or steak, make a quick, simple salad and dinner is served.

  • Simple Butter Lettuce Salad

  • Simple Green Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

  • Herby, Seedy Butter Lettuce Salad with Tahini Dressing

  • Butter Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

  • Simple Butter Lettuce Salad Composed of tender butter lettuce leaves, briny green olives and salty slivers of aged manchego, our butter lettuce salad is a feast for the eyes and the palate.
  • Simple Green Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette This simple green salad recipe, like all great salad recipes, is ALL about the homemade, honey-kissed shallot vinaigrette. Use any salad green you love—there’s no way to go wrong!
  • Herby, Seedy Butter Lettuce Salad with Tahini Dressing This loaded, lush butter lettuce salad recipe—drizzled with a delicious tahini dressing—sparkles with fresh herbs and a seed mixture that’s anything but ‘for the birds’.
  • Butter Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette In this simple butter lettuce salad, vibrant lettuce leaves live their best lives, dressed in a tangy homemade vinaigrette and accompanied by creamy avocado and crisp radishes.

Grilled Salad, Less Clean Up.

These grilled salad recipes ticks a lot of boxes for us—yummy, quick, and the clean up is minimal. What’s not to love!

  • Southwest Cobb Salad

  • Grilled Caesar Salad

  • Grilled Halloumi Salad

  • Grilled Five Spice Flank Steak

  • Grilled Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

  • Grilled Curry Chicken Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

  • Grilled Scallops with Lemon Aioli and Arugula

  • Greek Grilled Chicken with Salad

  • Asian Chopped Salad with Hoisin Marinated Pork Kabab

  • Steak Salad with Thai Dressing

  • Southwest Style Cobb Salad with Smoky Chipotle Dressing A smoky chipotle mayo and a little time on the grill transform classic cobb salad ingredients into our new favorite summertime dinner—a hearty Southwest-style Cobb salad.
  • Grilled Romaine Caesar One of the best and most unique things your grill will see all season? Romaine lettuce! It’s shockingly delicious after a quick stint on the grill, and even better once it gets the Caesar treatment.
  • Grilled Halloumi Salad This grilled halloumi salad recipe ticks a lot of boxes for us—it’s yummy, it’s quick, the clean up is minimal and it’s basically impossible not to love!
  • Grilled Five Spice Flank Steak A Chinese five spice-hoisin marinade sinks into scored flank steak like nobody's business, and turns a simply grilled flank steak into a total flavor bomb.
  • Grilled Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing Seared skirt steak, grilled romaine, and onions meet bright cherry tomatoes, avocado, and creamy homemade blue cheese dressing for a grilled steak salad that’s sure to be your new summer staple.
  • Grilled Curry Chicken Salad with Herb Vinaigrette A big green salad topped with a curry-spiced grilled chicken, goat cheese, fresh mango, and a delicious punchy herb-filled vinaigrette is everything we need from a summer dish.
  • Grilled Scallops with Lemon Aioli and Arugula Served with garlicky lemon aioli, grilled scallops become the luxurious dinner that’s ever come off your grill.
  • Greek Grilled Chicken with Salad A mix of Greek yogurt, mayo, herbs, evoo and vinegar does double duty as a marinade for grilled chicken and a dressing for a crispy salad of romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and red onion.
  • Asian Chopped Salad with Hoisin Marinated Pork Kabab Tender pork marinated in hoisin sauce then paired with a bag of Asian style chopped salad with a few extras. Might just be the easiest dinner you’ve ever served.
  • Steak Salad with Thai Dressing Perfectly grilled flank steak in a lime, garlic, and ginger marinade is paired with a crunchy herb and red cabbage salad dressed in a peanut Thai Dressing.

Cold Noodle Salads and More!

Here are a few more of our favorite cold noodle and Tex-Mex summer salad recipes.

  • Cold Thai Noodle Salad

  • Cold Ramen Noodle Salad

  • Tex-Mex Salad with Creamy Oregano Dressing

  • Mediterranean Wedge Saladd

  • Cold Thai Noodle Salad Cooked-til-crisp ground pork, and creamy Thai peanut dressing add a hint of heft to fragrant fresh mint, basil, cooling cucumber and delicate rice noodles in this lively cold Thai noodle salad.
  • Cold Ramen Noodle Salad Tossed with a rainbow of crunchy vegetables, these Asian-inspired, twirly cold sesame noodles are a summertime staple.
  • Tex-Mex Salad with Creamy Oregano Dressing Sweet corn may be the star of this delicious, bright, colorful chopped Tex-Mex salad, but the jalapeño-tinged oregano dressing packs some serious star power, too.
  • Mediterranean Wedge Salad A classic wedge salad is a favorite way to eat iceberg lettuce. Crispy and fresh with the best salad dressing. We’ve made a couple edits to the original wedge recipe, giving it a Mediterranean twist.

Cucumbers + Watermelon are a match made in Summer Salad Heaven.

Summertime means watermelon all the time. While it is a perfectly wonderful treat when consumed on it's own, we think adding it to a salad might be our new favorite use for this sweet summer melon.

  • Cucumber Salad

  • Watermelon Salad

  • Watermelon Cucumber Salad

  • Asian Cucumber Salad

  • Cucumber Salad Topped with light and herb-filled creamy vinaigrette, this easy cucumber salad recipe is flavored with za’atar and mint, and loaded with chickpeas for a protein-rich spin on a summer classic.
  • Watermelon Salad Watermelon is a joyous fruit, any way you slice it. It signals warm weather and gatherings with loved ones. This salad is a celebration of watermelon, with fresh herbs, feta, and cucumber.
  • Watermelon Cucumber Salad Summertime means watermelon all the time. While it is a perfectly wonderful treat when consumed on it's own, we think adding it to a salad might be our new favorite use for this sweet summer melon.
  • Asian Cucumber Salad Cool and crisp cucumber half-moon slices soak up a simple, sweet-sour Japanese dressing in this vibrant, refreshing, quick cucumber salad recipe.

We All Love Chicken Salads.

While we enjoy salads with all year round, we especially love them in the summertime.

  • Citrus Chicken Salad

  • Classic Cobb Salad

  • Thai Zoodle Salad

  • Lemongrass Chicken Herb Salad

  • Chicken Chop Salad with Chèvre Ranch

  • Grilled Curry Chicken with Smashed Cucumber Salad

  • Citrus Chicken Salad Marinated chicken thighs with creamy avocado, tangy crumbled feta, oranges, and crunchy almonds make this bright citrus chicken salad an easy and impressing salad for guests or weeknight meals.
  • Classic Cobb Salad There’s a layer of flavor for everyone in a classic cobb salad. Crunchy, creamy, and rich, it is the best of all worlds.
  • Thai Zoodle Salad Tossed in a creamy, Thai-inspired peanut dressing, this crunchy, colorful cold Thai zoodle salad is quick, healthy and satisfying.
  • Lemongrass Chicken Herb Salad A fragrant and citrusy dish with notes of ginger and fresh herbs, this lemongrass chicken salad sings with flavors. Juicy cherry tomatoes, green beans, and sliced cucumbers add to this vibrant recipe.
  • Chicken Chop Salad with Chèvre Ranch This crunchy salad has tons of fresh veggies, a creamy ranch dressing, and a healthy crumble of goat cheese. It’s perfect as a stand-alone meal, or to accompany anything from the grill.
  • Grilled Curry Chicken with Smashed Cucumber Salad This red curry marinade gives chicken thighs on the grill a dynamite flavor profile with coconut milk and lime juice as backup. Paired with a zingy smashed cucumber salad, this meal has it all!

Chop Salads FTW.

Potluck-ready and brimming with crunchy vegetables, these easy chopped salad recipes make colorful, brightly-flavored accompaniments to almost any meal.

  • Antipasto Salad

  • Asian Chopped Salad

  • Italian Chopped Salad

  • 3 Bean Salad

  • Asian Slaw With Sriracha Dressing

  • Chopped Salad With Herb Yogurt Dressing

  • Mediterranean Couscous Salad

  • Shaved Snap Pea Salad with Goat Cheese and Dates

  • Antipasto Salad Take all the greatest Italian salty, briny, tangy, pickly things and toss them with crunchy lettuce and a Parm-lemon dressing and you’ve got the best antipasto salad ever.
  • Asian Chopped Salad Potluck-ready and brimming with crunchy vegetables, this easy Asian chopped salad recipe makes a colorful, brightly-flavored accompaniment to almost any meal.
  • Italian Chopped Salad Salty salami, creamy mozzarella, olives, Parm, fresh basil and—oh yeah—some lettuce make this Italian chopped salad recipe truly crush-worthy.
  • 3 Bean Salad There’s few recipes where kidney beans take center stage, and 3 Bean Salad is one of the best reasons to open a can of this hearty bean. Stir them up with green beans and garbanzos for a classic trio!
  • Asian Slaw With Sriracha Dressing Salty fish sauce, zingy lime, a touch of creamy mayo, a drizzle of honey. Add some bright, vibrant veggies and voila! A simple, beautiful Asian slaw that perks up just about any meal.
  • Chopped Salad With Herb Yogurt Dressing This fresh, crunchy chopped salad is studded with bacon, dates and feta then doused in a yogurty, herby salad dressing. If you make it you might have a hard time not eating the whole bowl yourself.
  • Mediterranean Couscous Salad This fresh couscous salad has all the herbs and vegetables, plus olives and feta, in a tangy lemon vinaigrette. Great as a main for lunch, or on the side of grilled meat for dinner.
  • Shaved Snap Pea Salad with Goat Cheese and Dates A festival of colors, this shaved snap pea salad recipe is as springy as salads get. Sweet peas are tossed with pistachios, dates and fresh mint, then tossed in creamy goat cheese dressing.

In The Mood For a Shrimp or Salmon Salad

Crunchy lettuce serves as the ideal vehicle for shrimp or salmon, making the perfect summer seafood filled salad.

  • Shrimp Louie

  • Serrano Mint Kale Salad with Salmon

  • Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Dill Dressing

  • Honey Mustard Salmon with Summer Vegetable Salad

  • Shrimp Louie There’s no shrimp louie quite like a truly, madly, deeply classic shrimp louie salad—no swaps, no changes, nothing incredibly modern. We present to you, our perfect shrimp louie recipe!
  • Serrano Mint Kale Salad with Salmon A kale and broiled salmon salad that has a creamy umami dressing with serrano peppers, anchovies, lemon, and mint. It’s a really satisfying forkful and perfect for when you’re craving something fresh.
  • Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Dill Dressing Crunchy romaine serves as the ideal vehicle for steamed shrimp, avocado, cucumbers, and hard boiled eggs with a fresh and creamy dill dressing.
  • Honey Mustard Salmon with Summer Vegetable Salad This beautiful salmon recipe is a crowd-pleaser, every time. We keep it simple–a salmon filet baked with a savory-sweet sauce of stone-ground mustard, paprika and honey and topped with summer veggies.

Summer Salads For Every Occasion

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