12 Healthy Salad Recipes You’ll Love

Last updated on May 2nd, 2020 at 12:11 pm

You can make most of these easy healthy salad recipes in under 15 minutes for lunch or dinner and you’ll actually be excited to eat them! This month’s 7-day challenge will be to eat a nutritious salad every single day. We’re keeping things simple.

It might not actually feel like it, but summer is coming. And if you’re anything like me, you probably love summer. The weather, the food, the lightness of being yourself without wearing a 60-pound coat that crushes your body in two. Did I mention the food? Does a rabbit eat its feces? The answer to both: Duh!

Food: summer for me is a season of salads. Of as many fresh and tasty salads as possible. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, zucchini, spinach – it’s the best season to eat any of these tasty and healthy foods, even though we see them in stores all year around. So today by sharing these easy delicious healthy salad recipes I want to kinda start getting ready for summer.

Salads are easy to make, great to take to work, to share with the family at dinner, to whip up last minute or sometimes, even order when you’re at a restaurant and you desperately want to eat something healthier.

So here I’m rounding up some of my favorite salads coming from my blog and my sister’s blog. I’m doing this because those are the recipes I’ve actually tested and can with all my heart recommend.

Healthy Salad Ingredients

When I was much younger I thought the only salad that existed was chopped cucumber, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, vinegar and salt. I didn’t know you can put anything else into a salad. That’s the only salad we made at home, every single evening.

Then I grew up, gained some life experience and realized salad can basically be all your favorite things thrown into a bowl with some vegetables and dressing. And the process of making a salad takes like 10 minutes. This completely changed my perspective. Salads became my go-to for lunch and dinner. Of course, I still fall off the wagon for a while here and there, but a good salad can always seduce me like Mrs. Robinson. Here are some ingredients you can put in your salads to make them healthy and super satisfying:

• vegetables: lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, spinach, kale, onions
• fruit like tomatoes, avocado, berries, olives
• nuts & seeds: sesame seeds, flaxseed, chopped walnuts
• whole grains: quinoa, bulgur, rice, millet
• herbs: mint, parsley, basil
• legumes: beans, chickpeas or lentils
• protein (optional): salmon, tuna, chicken, eggs, even some cheese

You see, you can pretty much dump anything whole food into a bowl with some vegetables and it will become a healthy salad. The one thing that actually can make a salad unhealthy is the dressing. I almost always use olive oil and vinegar, sometimes a mix of soy or tamari sauce with some sesame oil and wasabi and it’s always enough.

There haven’t been many times I order a salad in a restaurant, but whenever I do, it always comes drown in a mayonnaise-based dressing. And I feel like I’m eating mayonnaise with lettuce for dinner. So learn to make a healthy dressing.

How To Make A Salad

• Wash your vegetables and fruit (please, really, don’t count on someone else doing it for you)
• Chop vegetables and fruit into bite-sized pieces and add them to a large bowl
• Optionally: add something more filling like chickpeas, cheese, nuts, seeds, cooked quinoa, chicken, hard-boiled eggs or fish
• Add olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice or another healthy dressing of your choice
• Mix it all together, add salt and pepper to taste
• Enjoy!

Now let’s get to the salad recipes.

12 Healthy Salad Recipes To Make Again And Again

1. Healthy Avocado Chickpea Salad

With chickpeas, avocado, feta cheese, herbs, greens and olives this salad is filled with antioxidants, high-fiber, super satisfying and simply great for summer or really any other season. You basically need around 10 minutes to make it. The recipe is here.

2. Tomato, Avocado And Arugula Salad

This delicious salad can be a side dish or a main dish. You can serve it with some bread, with chicken or with salmon. Whatever you choose. It’s refreshing and super tasty. The recipe is here.

3. Low-Carb Avocado Chicken Salad

My sister made this salad when she was doing the keto diet and I must tell you: I absolutely loved it (even if I’d never do keto!). It kinda reminded me of Cesar salad, but so much better and healthier. The dressing is made with yogurt and tamari sauce and the chopped walnuts add a great crunch to it. To make it in 10 minutes, use rotisserie or leftover chicken. You can find the recipe here.

4. Tomato, Basil And Chickpea Salad

Probably one of my most popular recipes, this tomato salad is beautiful and a little different. It’s mixed with chickpeas, toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil and, my favorite part, basil! You can find the recipe here.

5. The Best Avocado Quinoa Salad

Cucumber, avocado, quinoa and basil come together in this super-satisfying vegan and gluten-free salad. It’s light, tasty and great for lunch. You can find the recipe here.

6. Mashed Avocado Chicken Salad

If you’re new to salads, but like guacamole, you might want to start with salads like this one. You basically put all the ingredients: chicken, egg, olives, vegetables and mash them together with avocado. You get a healthy chunky salad that you can eat on toast or as a side. This one doesn’t look like much, but was super delicious. The recipe is here.

7. Simple Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

This is pretty much the only salad I knew until I was 20: cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese. So simple and so good as a side dish. Still love it, you can find the recipe, if you need one, here.

8. Meal Prep Tuna Salad

Use canned tuna, olives, spinach and cooked quinoa to make this nutritious and satisfying salad for meal prep in about 15 minutes. The recipe is here.

9. Cucumber, Avocado & Sesame Salad

You’ll need to peel a cucumber into ribbons, add avocado, toasted sesame seeds and a tasty dressing with tamari or soy sauce to make this surprisingly satisfying salad. The recipe is here.

10. Super Fresh Quinoa Tabbouleh

Use quinoa to make this tabbouleh salad! With lemon zest, parsley and tomatoes this simple salad is very fresh and a great side dish to go with dinner. Recipe here.

11. Quinoa Chicken Salad

With quinoa, avocado, chicken and roasted red peppers this salad is everything you need when you’re hungry. It’s easy to make and great for lunch. The recipe is here.

12. Detox Avocado Quinoa Salad (Currently My Favorite Salad)

Most often lately I’m feeling something like this salad. I mean I love olives, I love avocado and as I had to learn a few years ago: I also love quinoa. This salad is clean, delicious and easy to make. Here’s the recipe.

Well, I hope this roundup inspired you to make a healthy salad today and every day for the next 7 days. Try it for a week and see how you feel.