Summer Salad – 8 Easy Recipes for BBQs, Buffets and Warm Days

Looking for a recipe for a fresh summer salad? You’ve come to the right place! Summer salad is perfect for grilling, buffets, and warm days. With fresh berries, melon, crisp vegetables, herbs, and a tasty dressing, you can easily create a salad that feels both light and satisfying. Here we’ve gathered 8 easy recipes for summer salads - from juicy melon salad to potato salad and couscous salad.

What works in a summer salad?

A summer salad can be varied in many different ways depending on whether it’s served as a side, starter, or main course. For grilled food, you often want something that isn’t too heavy, preferably with fruit, herbs, potatoes, or grilled vegetables. 

Examples of great ingredients in a summer salad:

• Strawberries or other fresh berries

• Melon, nectarine, peach, or citrus fruits

• Tomato, cucumber, asparagus, zucchini, peppers, and radishes

• New potatoes, pasta, or couscous

• Feta, mozzarella, burrata, chèvre, or halloumi

• Fresh herbs like basil, mint, dill, and parsley

• Toasted seeds, nuts, or croutons for extra crunch

• A simple dressing with lemon, lime, olive oil, honey, or mustard

8 easy summer salad recipes

Here you’ll find 8 recipes for summer salads that work just as well as a side as they do as a meal on their own.

1. Strawberry salad with feta and basil

This summer salad with strawberries looks beautiful on the table and is easy to make. It’s perfect with grilled chicken, salmon, or halloumi, but of course you can eat it with whatever you like. A must for your next barbecue evening!

Ingredients:

• 1 liter fresh strawberries

• 150 g feta

• 1 bag arugula or mixed salad greens

• ½ red onion

• 1 handful fresh basil

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• Salt and black pepper

How to make it:

1. Rinse and halve the strawberries. 

2. Thinly slice the red onion and crumble the feta. 

3. Place the arugula or mixed greens in a large bowl and top with strawberries, red onion, feta, and basil. 

4. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper.

2. Melon salad with cucumber, mint, and lime

Melon, cucumber, mint, and lime - it doesn’t get fresher than this. This salad is perfect for warm days because it’s both refreshing and easy to prepare. 

Ingredients:

• ½ watermelon, honeydew melon, or cantaloupe

• 1 cucumber

• 1 lime

• 1 handful fresh mint

• 100 g feta, optional

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and black pepper

How to make it:

1. Cut the melon and cucumber into pieces and roughly chop the mint. 

2. Place everything in a bowl and squeeze the lime over it. 

3. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. 

4. Crumble over the feta and toss to combine.

3. Potato salad with new potatoes, dill, and mustard dressing

This is a hearty summer salad with potatoes that works especially well with grilled food. New potatoes, dill, and mustard dressing make it summery, flavorful, and easy to serve at a buffet or when you have several guests.

Ingredients:

• 800 g boiled new potatoes

• 1 bunch radishes

• 2 spring onions

• 1 handful fresh dill

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp honey

• Salt and black pepper

How to make it:

1. Cut the boiled new potatoes into smaller pieces. 

2. Thinly slice the radishes and spring onions. 

3. Whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and honey to make a dressing. 

4. Combine the potatoes, radishes, spring onions, and dill in a bowl. Fold in the dressing and season with salt and black pepper.

4. Pasta salad with pesto, tomato, and mozzarella

This pasta salad works just as well for buffets and picnics as it does with grilled chicken, cold cuts, or vegetarian dishes. With pesto, tomato, and mozzarella, the pasta salad is hearty, creamy, and full of summer flavor.

Ingredients:

• 300 g pasta, for example fusilli or penne

• 1 dl pesto

• 250 g cherry tomatoes

• 150 g mozzarella or mini mozzarella

• 1 handful fresh basil

• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds

• Salt and black pepper

How to make it:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. 

2. Rinse it briefly in cold water and let it drain. 

3. Toss the pasta with the pesto. 

4. Halve the tomatoes and mozzarella and fold them in with the basil and toasted seeds. 

5. Toss together and season with salt and black pepper.

5. Watermelon salad with feta and red onion

Watermelon salad is a summer salad that is fresh, sweet, and salty all at once. The combination of watermelon, feta, and red onion makes it perfect with grilled chicken, halloumi, and grilled vegetables.

Ingredients:

• ½ watermelon

• 150 g feta

• ½ red onion

• 1 handful fresh mint or basil

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp lime juice

• Black pepper

How to make it:

1. Cut the watermelon into cubes and place in a large bowl. 

2. Thinly slice the red onion and crumble the feta over the top. 

3. Combine the melon, red onion, feta, and fresh herbs. 

4. Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice. Finish with black pepper.

6. Green summer salad with asparagus and lemon vinaigrette

A salad with asparagus, peas, cucumber, and avocado feels both fresh and light. It works well with grilled fish, chicken, or as a vegetarian side dish on the summer buffet.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch green asparagus

• 1 bag mixed green salad

• 1 dl peas, preferably fresh or thawed

• ½ cucumber

• 1 avocado

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp honey

• Salt and black pepper

How to make it:

1. Break off the woody bottom end of the asparagus. Boil or pan-fry the asparagus quickly so it still has a little bite. 

2. Cut the cucumber and avocado into pieces. 

3. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and honey to make a simple vinaigrette. 

4. Combine the salad greens, asparagus, peas, cucumber, and avocado. 

5. Drizzle over the dressing and season with salt and black pepper.

7. Salad with nectarine, burrata, and prosciutto

Nectarine, creamy burrata, prosciutto, and toasted seeds are the foundation of the perfect summer salad. It feels luxurious but is still easy to make. Serve it as a side with grilled food or as a light lunch with some good bread on the side. 

Ingredients:

• 3 nectarines

• 1–2 burrata

• 250 g prosciutto 

• 1 bag arugula or mixed salad greens

• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• Flaky salt and black pepper

• Fresh basil, optional

How to make it:

1. Cut the nectarines into wedges. 

2. Lightly toast the seeds in a dry frying pan. 

3. Place the arugula or mixed greens on a large serving platter. 

4. Top with the nectarines, burrata, prosciutto, and toasted seeds. 

5. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

6. Finish with flaky salt, black pepper, and fresh basil.

8. Hearty couscous salad with grilled vegetables

This salad with couscous and grilled vegetables works both as a side dish and as a vegetarian main course. It’s easy to prepare and tastes especially good with feta, herbs, and lemon.

Ingredients:

• 3 dl couscous

• 1 zucchini

• 1 red pepper

• 1 eggplant

• 1 red onion

• 150 g feta or halloumi

• 1 handful fresh parsley

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• Salt and black pepper

How to make it:

1. Prepare the couscous according to the package instructions. 

2. Cut the zucchini, pepper, eggplant, and red onion into pieces. Grill or pan-fry the vegetables until they have some color and have softened. 

3. Combine the couscous with the grilled vegetables, feta or halloumi, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice. 

4. Season with salt and black pepper.

Check out our recipes for cold sauces that go perfectly with a summer salad.

How to serve summer salad beautifully

A summer salad should look as good as it tastes. Use a large, spacious salad bowl when you want to serve the salad in the middle of the table, and proper salad servers. They make it easier for guests to help themselves and also add a nice touch to the table setting.

Want more inspiration? Read all articles here