Helloooo, summer! Our fave season is just around the corner, and you know what that means—we're going to start trying to take ALL our meals outside. This means tons of hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled meat (including grilled seafood too), of course, but that’s not all. As every true BBQ master knows, it’s not enough to just have the perfect proteins. You’ve got to fill out your meal with perfect side dishes and salads too. Check out our 78 summer recipes for ideas you can make all season long.
Did you know you can shop for all the ingredients for these recipes with the click of a button? Look for the Shop With Instacart button and simply click, shop, and wait for your delivery to arrive. Dinner truly made easier.
When it comes to summertime, the word “salad” isn’t so cut and dry. It means leafy greens, sure, but also potato salads, pasta salads, and bean and corn salads too. We’ve got tons of options for them all here, from the classic to the somewhat unusual. For example, we’ve got your classic fruit salad (with a killer honey-lime dressing), but also a kitschy coconut and Cool Whip ambrosia salad if you wanna get weirder. We’ve included our solid macaroni salad recipe, as well as tons of more creative options, like our cowboy pasta salad, our Thai peanut chicken pasta salad, or our Greek orzo salad. We've got our classic potato salad that'll fit in on any summertime spread here, as well as some wilder ones if you want your dish to stand out (in the best way) at the potluck. Check out our tzatziki potato salad, our hot German potato salad, or our bacon-ranch potato salad to see what we mean.
You could also go with a simple spinach or arugula salad, or jazz them up, like in our strawberry spinach salad, our grilled steak salad, or our chicken-avocado Caprese salad. The other great thing about a summer salad? They’re RIPE for a mashup. Take our jalapeño popper potato salad, our Cobb egg salad, our lobster roll pasta salad, or our loaded baked potato salad—they all combine two delicious recipes into one new fave.
Want more summertime inspiration? Check out our top summer dinner ideas, our best summer cocktails, and our fave summer BBQ sides too.
Chicken-Avocado Caprese Salad
To make this salad, we stuck with the simplicity of a Caprese, just adding grilled balsamic chicken, creamy avocado, and a little romaine for crunch. The result is a simple salad that is still refreshing and light, but also satisfying enough to be dinner all summer long.
Get the Chicken-Avocado Caprese Salad recipe.
Cucumber Salad
Cucumber salad is a spring and summer picnic staple, and for good reason: When tossed in a bright vinegar-based dressing and packed with thinly sliced onions, cukes can withstand warm temperatures and sit out at a sunny outdoor gathering for hours.
Get the Cucumber Salad recipe.
Blueberry Peach Feta Salad
Blueberries, peaches, cucumbers, AND feta? You’ll be amazed by how well this combination comes together in salad form (and how well it goes with savory summer faves!).
Get the Blueberry Peach Feta Salad recipe.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Some salads are sides, but not this one: Juicy grilled BBQ chicken sits alongside festive South-of-the-border-inspired toppings like black beans, corn, cheese, and tortilla strips. Put that on top of some crunchy romaine and drizzle it with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing, and you’ve got yourself a hearty meal you’ll look forward to eating again and again.
Get the BBQ Chicken Salad recipe.
Greek Orzo Salad
Move aside plain ol' pasta salad—orzo is here to shake things up. While we love it in comforting, warming dishes (we're looking at you, creamy Tuscan orz0), it also makes for a great salad base. This easy, fresh recipe is filled with bright Mediterranean flavors and mix-ins, but feel free to swap in and out your faves.
Get the Greek Orzo Salad recipe.
Golden Girl Salad With Sweet Corn Vinaigrette
The star of this sunny cabbage salad is sweet corn, and we use the kernels two ways: First up is alongside the cherry tomatoes, carrots, and yellow bell pepper. Second, the real fun begins when you blend kernels into the dressing. They add depth and help make the texture super creamy!
Get the Golden Girl Salad With Sweet Corn Vinaigrette recipe.
Best Chicken Salad
We'd argue that our balance of add-ins here is the pinnacle, but once you nail the chicken and the dressing, you can feel free to spread your wings and give it your own personal flair. Whatever you add, chicken salad is just as perfect eaten on its own as it is piled on a croissant with a side of pasta salad at a BBQ, or dolloped on a bed of leafy greens at brunch.
Get the Best Chicken Salad recipe.
Classic Potato Salad
A classic potato salad is a must-have at every picnic and BBQ, and ours is the best—it's creamy and tangy, with a little bit of crunch from the onion and pickles. What it's not: too sweet, which is one of our potato salad pet peeves. If you’re looking for a classic, no-fuss potato salad that won’t disappoint, this is it.
Get the Classic Potato Salad recipe.
Grilled Corn Salad
This versatile, flavorful corn salad is the perfect thing to do with leftover grilled corn (besides eat it straight off the cob, ofc!). Mix and match your favorite cheeses, herbs, and nuts, but keep the citrus for brightness and oil for a little richness. And if you like a little *kick*, add some sliced jalapeños or a big pinch of red pepper flakes too.
Get the Grilled Corn Salad recipe.
Taco Salad
When it comes to healthy salads, none are more hearty than a taco salad. Load it up with veggies, cheese, and ground beef for the perfect satisfying summer meal. We love this classic version, but if you want to get fancy, feel free to swap in and out your fave toppings.
Get the Taco Salad recipe.
Summer Panzanella
Panzanella is one of those recipes that truly tastes like summer. It's one that you want to make in peak season—when the tomatoes are extra juicy, the squash slightly sweet, and the basil extra cheap. To give this classic dish more flavor and make it even more summery, we grill the bread, zucchini, and onion until charred, then toss those with the remaining ingredients.
Get the Summer Panzanella recipe.
Fiesta Corn Salad
Perfect Caprese Salad
Caprese salad is one of the best ways to show off those juicy in-season farmer's market tomatoes or your own backyard harvest. Hailing from the island of Capri and mirroring the colors of the Italian flag, this simple salad is the perfect way to start any late-summer meal.
Get the Perfect Caprese Salad recipe.
Summer Couscous Salad
Here we're using couscous as the base for a confetti of colored vegetables (cucumbers! bell peppers! red onion!), doused in a creamy lemon Dijon dressing. We’ve also added tangy feta and sun-dried tomatoes, crunchy toasted almonds, and nutty, earthy chickpeas to give it a little added oomph. It’s simple and light, but still special enough for a celebration.
Get the Summer Couscous Salad recipe.
Shrimp Mango Salad
This quick and easy shrimp salad is pleasantly crunchy and loaded with fresh ingredients—just what we crave when we want something satisfying that won’t weigh us down. With a bright, savory dressing inspired by our miso ginger dressing, this might be our new favorite way to get in our serving of veggies.
Get the Shrimp Mango Salad recipe.
Greek Salad
When you’re looking for simple, refreshing, and reliable, you’d be hard pressed to find a dish better than classic Greek salad. Filled with fresh veggies, tangy feta, and a simple dressing made of ingredients you might already have in your fridge, this bright salad only takes 15 minutes to prepare, making it a perfect last-minute addition to any summer celebration.
Get the Greek Salad recipe.
Thai Watermelon Salad
The combination of peak-summer watermelon and juicy peaches is coated in a Thai-inspired dressing that hits all the right flavor notes. Finished with basil, scallions, and peanuts, the salad is perfect served alongside easy grilled main dishes, like shrimp, steak, or salmon.
Get the Thai Watermelon Salad recipe.
Peach Burrata Salad
We changed up the classic Caprese salad by switching out juicy tomatoes for plump summer peaches and replacing sliced fresh mozzarella with its creamier cousin, burrata. Surrounded by fragrant basil then topped with candied pecans and a drizzle of spicy honey, this sweet & savory salad is a STUNNER.
Get the Peach & Burrata Caprese recipe.
This summer-friendly recipe uses canned chickpeas, meaning it comes together in less than 30 minutes. 😎 Our lemon-parsley vinaigrette here is perfectly tart and fresh with a hint of spice, and you're going to want to put it on everything.
Get the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad recipe.
Watch Next
50 Best Side Dishes for Ribs
53 Summer Cookout Menu Ideas
43 Healthy Grilling Recipes
52 Recipes For Cheap & Easy Grilling
