20+ Easy Healthy Salad Recipes That Taste Fresh & Good

Last updated on July 25th, 2022 at 09:54 am

You can make most of these easy healthy salad recipes in under 15 minutes and you’ll actually be excited to eat them every single day! On the list, we’ve got fiber-packed chickpea salads, high-protein chicken salads, simple, yet amazing vegetable salads, nutritious quinoa salads, vegetarian salads and so much more! These healthy salads are perfect to enjoy for dinner or lunch when you’re living a healthy lifestyle.

Salads Are The Best During Summer

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 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. These are all 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, even if it’s not trying. Here are some ingredients to 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, pumpkin seeds, almonds
• whole grains: quinoa, bulgur, rice, millet
• herbs: mint, parsley, basil, cilantro, dill
• legumes: beans, chickpeas or lentils
• protein (optional): salmon, tuna, chicken, eggs, and 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.

Vegetarian Salads For Lunch Or Dinner

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. Flavorful Avocado, Black Bean and Roasted Pepper Salad

With roasted peppers, fresh herbs, garlic, sweet tomatoes, olives this vegetarian salad is so good! Using canned black beans you can get it on the table in around 10-15 minutes. Recipe here.

3. Big Healthy Dinner Salad

Baked potatoes, garlicky herby feta cheese, avocado, onions and lots of fresh produce make this salad so perfect! 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. Arugula, Parmesan and Asparagus Salad

and also basil, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, radishes and onions…it’s a bit different, but this asparagus salad is super fresh, satiating and so tasty! Recipe here.

6. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

This is the best vegetarian Mediterranean salad ever! With chickpeas, feta, roasted eggplant, roasted peppers, sweet ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and parsley, it’s fresh and flavorful. Recipe here.

Protein-Packed Salads With Chicken or Seafood

7. Super Healthy Cobb Salad

Made with eggs, olives, cooked chicken breast, avocado and fresh vegetables this super healthy cobb salad is full of protein and a great healthy lunch or dinner. Great for meal prep too! Recipe here.

8. Mediterranean Salmon Salad

It might sound a bit unusual, but this salad is so good, so filling and satisfying. Some of the ingredients include salmon, roasted red peppers and arugula. I’m telling you it’s delicious. The recipe is here.

9. Super Fresh Avocado Arugula Shrimp Salad

Ingredients for this nutritious shrimp salad include shrimp, basil, avocado, tomatoes and garlic. Low in carbohydrates, rich in vitamins, minerals and protein this is a great weight loss salad too! Recipe here.

10. 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.

11. Chickpea and Tuna Salad Recipe

This healthy tuna salad is packed with protein (27g per serving) and is made in about 10 minutes with chickpeas, canned tuna, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and more! The recipe is here.

12. Anti-Inflammatory Salmon Salad

Reduce inflammation by enjoying this filling salmon salad with sweet potatoes, arugula, avocado, radishes and anti-inflammatory herbs. The recipe is here.

13. Healthy Chickpea, Feta and Chicken Salad

Use some leftover chicken and canned chickpeas to make this Mediterranean-inspired salad recipe! It takes about 10 minutes to make and is a super tasty filling healthy lunch salad. Recipe here.

14. 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.

15. Spicy Shrimp Chickpea Salad

This tasty lunch salad is made with peeled and deveined shrimp, that you’ll sautee for a few minutes with some herbs and spices. You’ll do the same to the canned chickpeas and then put both into a bowl with fresh herbs, vegetables and some olives. It’s really good! Recipe here.

16. 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.

Antioxidant-Rich Vegetable Salads

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. Super Simple Tomato Cucumber Salad

This is the ultimate summer salad, with tomatoes, cucumbers, dill, onions and peppers! It’s so fresh and just the perfect summer side dish! The recipe is here.

Healthy Quinoa Salads

21. Quinoa, Feta and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Roasted cauliflower and red peppers, feta cheese, quinoa, onions and arugula are just some of the ingredients that come into this amazing quinoa salad. You can find the recipe here.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Detox Avocado Quinoa 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.

Yield: 2

20+ Healthy Salad Recipes

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Eating a healthy salad a day is easy with these easy healthy salad recipes that you will actually want to eat! The collection includes vegetarian salad recipes, protein-packed chicken salads, fresh vegetable salads, quinoa salads and so much more!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup tuna, canned in brine, drained
• 1 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup greens, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup olives, pitted
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dry basil
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Chop all vegetables.
2. Rinse and drain tuna and chickpeas.
3. Add everything to a bowl. Add olive oil and lemon juice and combine it all.
4. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy immediately or use the meal prep option.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 935mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 15gSugar: 11gProtein: 27g

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.

More Healthy Lunch And Dinner Ideas:

• 17 Healthy Lunch Ideas For Work
• 40+ Delicious Mediterranean Diet Recipes
• 30-Minute Healthy Dinner Recipes

Last updated: July 22nd, 2022