There’s a time and a place for hearty, warming meals. It just doesn’t happen to be when the sun is shining and we’ve got the air conditioning on. During that time, we turn to simple, cold dinners that are light but totally satisfying (and some are even no-cook). Here, 30 cold dinner ideas that won’t burn your tongue—or leave you sweating in the kitchen.
30 Cold Dinner Ideas Made for Scorching Hot Nights
Published Apr 25, 2022
1. Cold Sesame Cucumber Noodles
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, vegetarian, no cook
Store-bought marinated baked tofu combined with cold noodles makes this dish hearty, healthy and super simple to whip up.
2. Chicken Orzo Salad
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, make ahead
Add whatever veggies you picked up from the farmers market this week. The best part? If you plan for leftovers you can enjoy this guy more than just once.
3. Quinoa And Shaved Carrot Salad With Chickpeas, Currants And Cashews
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, vegan, gluten free
This is one of those recipes that’s easy, customizable (use whatever fruit or nuts you have lying around the cupboard) and can be eaten warm or cold. The choice is yours.
4. Watermelon Poke Bowls
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, vegetarian
Ideal for when we want something cool and crunchy. Did we mention this one’s vegetarian (and photogenic)?
5. Clean Broccoli Salad With Creamy Almond Dressing
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegan
Featuring purple cabbage, broccoli, raisins, almonds, green onions and a creamy vegan almond-miso-orange dressing, this veggie-laden meal comes together in no time.
6. Honey-miso Summer Salad Bowls
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, no cook
Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? You’re going to want to put this savory-sweet dressing on just about everything.
7. Charred Corn And Goat Cheese Avocado Toast
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Topped with corn, chives, lemon, salt and pepper, this is not your average avocado toast.
8. Grilled Peach, Prosciutto And Mozzarella Sandwich
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Sweet, salty and savory. Our new favorite sammy is what we call the ultimate triple threat.
9. Aglio Olio Zoodles With Summer Vegetables And Shrimp
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: low carb, <10 ingredients
This lighter take on a classic Italian dish is packed with flavor. Just don’t forget to pile on the freshly grated cheese.
10. Spiralized Sushi Bowl With Salmon Sashimi And Ginger Miso Dressing
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, low carb
Allow this beautiful and colorful bowl to be your first foray into homemade sushi—it’s easy, promise.
11. Mediterranean Tuna Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: paleo, no cook, under 500 calories
Packed with so many flavors and textures (veggies, artichokes, capers, avocado and a red wine vinaigrette), you won’t even miss the mayo.
12. Shredded Thai Salad With Avocado
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, high protein, beginner-friendly
Ready thy Instagram, because this array of shredded cabbage, peppers and other fresh veggies—topped with vibrant slices of avocado—is too beautiful not to share.
13. Cheesy Raw Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegan, no cook, high protein
Meet the lightened-up version of your favorite comfort food: Stacks on stacks of our favorite veggies topped with extra cheesy goodness.
14. The Ultimate Quinoa-avocado Bowl
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, beginner-friendly, dairy free
Crispy kale? Check. Spicy shrimp? Check. Avocado slices, watermelon radishes and quinoa? Check, check and oh yeah, check.
15. Pineapple Mango Salsa Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, gluten free, paleo, Whole30, under 500 calories
If you’re looking for something that’s on your diet, these guys are completely gluten free, paleo and Whole30. And you can have them on the table in just 20 minutes.
16. Beet Noodle, Pea And Arugula Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: dairy free, gluten free, vegan, ready in <30 minutes
Topped with a lemon garlic-tahini sauce, this crunchy salad is the ideal cold dinner for a warm evening.
17. Aran Goyoaga’s Niçoise Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, make ahead, high protein, under 500 calories
This is so much more exciting than the average Niçoise salad. It makes for a quick and hearty dinner and is easy to scale up or down.
18. Kelp And Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, gluten free, paleo
Coterie member Jodi Moreno stopped by the PureWow test kitchen to whip up this light gluten free, paleo and nutrient-rich dish.
19. Summer Corn And Heirloom Salad With Spicy Breadcrumbs, Goat Cheese And Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegetarian
This is the summer salad of our dreams. Don’t forget to grab a handful of toasted bread cubes and crumble them over the dish for additional texture.
20. 15-minute Cucumber-avocado Blender Soup
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, high protein, beginner-friendly
Making soup can feel like a lot of effort for something that we could just get from a can. Enter: this flavorful recipe that's ready in no time.
21. Cold Lemon Zoodles
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, gluten free
A light, zesty dressing and no actual cooking required make this dish our summer night go-to. Who needs a stove anyway?
22. 15-minute Gazpacho With Cucumber, Red Pepper And Basil
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
With some ripe produce and a blender or food processor, you can whip up this guy in no time. No heat (or effort) required.
23. Buddha Bowl With Kale, Avocado, Orange And Wild Rice
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, gluten free, dairy free
This grain bowl, filled to the brim with the freshest ingredients (avocado, orange, pumpkin seeds and more), is about to become your new go-to dinner.
24. Rainbow Collard Wraps With Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, kid-friendly, under 500 calories, gluten free
So easy and refreshing. You can even make them ahead of time (up to two days in advance) and they won’t get soggy in the fridge.
25. Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Stuffed Peppers
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, make ahead, kid-friendly
Serve the leftovers of this lightened-up tangy chicken salad for lunch. If there’s any left, we mean.
26. Summer Abundance Salad
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
Let seasonal produce be the star of your meal, because this salad is packed with whole grains, protein, fruits and your favorite veggies.
27. Blt Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
We’re combining all of the crunchy, savory, creamy ingredients of the classic sandwich—minus, well, the bread. Go ahead, fry up all of your bacon at your next brunch, then save the leftovers for this meal.
28. Cold Soba Noodle Salad With Strawberries
- Time Commitment: 21 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegetarian, make ahead
This dish is almost no-cook, takes less than 30 minutes and can be made up to one day in advance. Just toss the strawberries in right before serving so they don’t get mushy.
29. Panzanella
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegetarian
Salad for dinner? We’re all in, especially if it’s made out of bread.
30. Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: under 500 calories, special occasion–worthy, vegetarian
Yellow tomatoes are milder and less acidic than most red ones, and pair beautifully with sweet summer peaches. Top it all off with extra crunchy cucumbers and croutons.
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