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30 Cold Dinner Ideas Made for Scorching Hot Nights

By Hannah Loewentheil

| Apr. 25, 2022

Additional reporting by Katherine Gillen

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.

RELATED: 43 No-Cook Meals to Make for Dinner

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Floating Kitchen

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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)?

RELATED: A Plant-Based Diet Meal Plan That Isn’t All Salads and Oatmeal

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.

Floating Kitchen

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.

What’s Gaby Cooking

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Plays Well with Butter

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.

Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Simon Smith/Vegan 100

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

The Clean Eating Couple

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.

Aran Goyoaga/Cannelle et Vanille

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.

Photo: Michael Marquand/Styling: Jodi Moreno

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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?

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Half Baked Harvest

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.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

Gentl and Hyers/Open Kitchen

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.

Chocolate for Basil

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.

RELATED: 54 Fast Dinner Ideas You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

RELATED: 35 Fresh Tomato Recipes For The Summer Season

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