30 Summer Green Salads That Celebrate The Best Fruit & Veg Of The Year

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.

This salad has ALL of the important components: a well-seasoned protein, creamy feta, a little crunch from toasted walnuts, and a burst of sweetness from juicy blackberries. It comes together quickly—the majority of your prep can be done while the chicken is marinating.

Get the Blackberry Chicken Salad recipe.

Here, transformed-by-the-grill plums get tossed with crispy pancetta, tangy goat cheese, fresh cherry tomatoes, and grilled sourdough bread, then drizzled with a maple-Dijon dressing, turning this humble salad into a work of art.

Get the Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella Salad recipe.

With sweet strawberries, herby chicken, tangy feta, and crunchy pecans, this summer salad will make even so-called spinach haters fall in love after just one bite. This light and fresh salad lets sweet flavors shine, but is complemented by the sharp textures and flavors of our other ingredients. Leave out the chicken for a summer side dish, or add it in for a hearty main!

Get the Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe.

This grilled chicken salad—filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado—is the healthy summer dinner we tend to make again and again. If you're vegetarian, try subbing in hard-boiled eggs for the chicken!

Get the Grilled Chicken Salad recipe.

As much fruit salad as it was green salad, Panera's beloved salad featured a juicy orange and onion poppyseed dressing and pops of fresh fruit. We’re hoping it’ll one day return to the Panera menu, but in the meantime, it’s super-easy to make at home.

Get the Copycat Panera Bread Strawberry Poppyseed Salad recipe.

This versatile chickpea salad is a great side dish (hello, potlucks!) but can easily be a full meal on its own. Adding a spoonful of Dijon mustard to your red wine vinaigrette makes it creamier in both taste and body—consider it your secret weapon in making a classic dressing just that much better.

Get the Antipasto Chickpea Salad recipe.

With so much juiciness and just a hint of acidity, peaches—like their summery friend the tomato—are amazing in all sorts of salads. Next up on our peach salad agenda? This summery spin on the iconic wedge salad.

Get the Grilled Peach Salad recipe.

Got a craving for a Big Mac, but avoiding the drive-thru? This salad is for you—it's got everything you love, minus the bun!

Get the Big Mac Salad recipe.

This recipe was semi-inspired by the Chinese chicken salad at The Cheesecake Factory. It's sweet, savory, refreshing, and extremely crunchy (we're huge suckers for iceberg lettuce.) The key ingredient in this summer salad? Uncooked ramen noodles for that irresistible crunch.

Get the Chinese Chicken Salad recipe.

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.

Rather than toast the bread cubes on their own for this summery salad, you'll roast them alongside all the veg. The tomatoes burst as they roast, mixing their juices with the bread and fresh arugula. The combination of roasted tomatoes, toasted bread coated with Parmesan, fragrant garlic, and mozzarella ends up tasting like pizza. Yum!

Get the Sheet-Pan Panzanella recipe.

Panera’s Cobb salad is like no other, thanks to their creamy and bright green goddess dressing. The rest of the salad has all of your classic Cobb toppings, like hard-boiled eggs and crispy bacon, but feel free to switch things up if you like.

Get the Copycat Panera Bread Green Goddess Cobb Salad With Chicken recipe.

Peppery arugula is the perfect vessel for this savory-sweet combo, and you just can't beat ripe, juicy peaches come summertime. We love this with funky blue cheese crumbles, but you can use feta too if you prefer.

Get the Balsamic Grilled Steak Salad With Peaches recipe.

The gang's all here in this Cobb salad, except with some big-time summery upgrades: Strawberries stand in for the standard tomatoes, while feta takes the place of blue cheese. Fear not, there's still an extra-creamy buttermilk-based dressing that coats every bite.

Get the Strawberry Chicken Cobb Salad recipe.

This salad is simple enough for a weeknight but worthy of planning a get-together around, thanks to its star ingredient—ribeye steak. You’ll grill it (and red onions), then combine it with cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, basil, and a drizzle of tangy balsamic dressing, turning it into the kind of impressive-but-secretly-easy dish you’ll be making all the time.

Get the Grilled Steak Salad recipe.

If you've never grilled your greens before, you're in for a treat. Grilling romaine for this wedge salad gives them just a slight char that goes perfectly with Caesar dressing.

Get the Grilled Romaine Caesar Wedge recipe.

The tahini-ranch here is a lightened-up dressing that is better than any bottle you could buy. It, plus crunchy chickpeas, creamy avocado, and feta, make this a perfect salad for a summer lunch or a picnic.

Get the Roasted Chickpea & Avocado Salad recipe.

This gorgeous salad is hearty enough to be dinner, but light enough to not weigh you down. While the salmon is cooking, you can get all of your veggie chopping done, meaning it's an easy meal with big reward!

Get the Greek Salmon Salad recipe.

Our favorite taco salad gets a vegan makeover. Filled with grains and two different types of beans, it's a filling salad worthy of your dinner table. Top it will all of your favorites like cherry tomatoes and tortilla chips for a little crunch.

Get the Vegan Taco Salad recipe.