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53 Summer Salad Recipes Under 500 Calories (That Still Taste Delish)

When the sun is out and the farmers market is overflowing with gorgeous seasonal produce, the last place you want to be is stuck inside with the oven blazing. Enter the summer salad: It’s healthy and refreshing and it won’t turn your kitchen into a sauna. With these summer salad recipes, you can take advantage of all those heirloom tomatoes, juicy stone fruits and sweet berries, and feel good about your dinner (or lunch). Triple berry chickpea crunch? We’ll be over in 20.

30 Light Summer Meals Under 500 Calories


1. Honeydew, Feta, Jalapeño And Lime Salad (101 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

Think of this pretty platter as the new version of watermelon and feta. It serves four as a substantial side salad, but you could also present it as a light appetizer to a larger crowd.

2. Celery Salad With Walnuts And Pecorino (269 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, low sugar

Poor celery has been demoted to a cocktail garnish for too long. It’s actually a great base for this crisp, punchy salad that comes together in almost no time. Swap the pecorino for Parmesan if it’s already in your fridge.

summer salad recipes strawberry and arugula salad recipe
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen

3. Strawberry, Basil And Arugula Salad With Lots Of Black Pepper (128 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: low carb, ready in <30 minutes, no cook

Think of this as an updated version of the ’90s spinach and strawberry staple. The dressing—a combination of strawberry juices, vinegar and pepper—practically makes itself.

summer salad recipes burrata salad with stone fruit and asparagus recipe
Photo: Jon Cospito/Styling: Heath Goldman

4. 20-minute Burrata Salad With Stone Fruit And Asparagus (372 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

It’s basically no-cook, feeds a crowd and won’t wilt when you set it out in the summer heat. That's what we call a triple threat.

summer salad recipes vegan avocado caesar salad recipe
Henry Hargreaves/Avocaderia

5. Vegan Avocado Caesar Salad (315 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: vegan, low sugar, less than 500 calories

We love a classic Caesar salad, but it’s not typically the healthiest option on the menu. This one is plant-based, so it’s lighter on calories but not on flavor.

summer salad recipes sweet corn tomato zucchini grain salad with peach dijon vinaigrette recipe
Healthfully Ever After

6. Sweet Corn, Tomato And Zucchini Grain Salad With Peach-dijon Vinaigrette (260 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, low sugar

When fruits and vegetables collide, they create this masterpiece worthy of the ’Gram.

summer salad recipes sumac fennel fattoush recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Eden Grinshpan

7. Sumac And Fennel Fattoush (275 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: vegetarian, dairy free, ready in <30 minutes

Fattoush is a type of Levantine salad that involves toasty bits of pita bread and plenty of herbs and spices.

summer salad recipes minty fresh zucchini salad with marinated feta recipe
Aubrie Pick/Kitchen Remix

8. Minty-fresh Zucchini Salad With Marinated Feta (228 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes (+ marinating time)
  • Why We Love It: no cook, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser

We were skeptical about raw zucchini too, but the way it soaks up the briny feta marinade is *chef’s kiss*

summer salad recipes sweet and spicy plantain salad recipe
Peter O’Sullivan and Simon Smith/Plants-Only Kitchen

9. Sweet And Spicy Plantain Salad (403 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegan, gluten free

We like our salads the way we like our fro-yo: loaded with toppings.

summer salad recipes greek wedge salad recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

10. Greek Wedge Salad (401 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, vegetarian, gluten free

A lightened-up version of a classic. Because sometimes we don’t need all that bacon and blue cheese. Sometimes.

summer salad recipes corn and tomato salad recipe
Photo: Tyler Mauk/Styling: Anne Mauk

11. Corn And Tomato Salad With Feta And Lime (162 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian, gluten free

This one is more of a side dish, but if you add some crisp romaine, it transforms into a meal.

summer salad recipes chilled cucumber salad recipe
Erin McDowell

12. Chilled Cucumber Salad (26 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, no cook, beginner-friendly

When the temperatures soar into the 90s, there’s nothing more appetizing than a crisp, cool cucumber. (Well, nothing but this salad.)

summer salad recipes watermelon almonds dill recipe
Kristin Perers/Round Ours

13. Watermelon Salad With Almonds And Dill (299 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser

It’s true: No barbecue, picnic or potluck is complete without watermelon.

summer salad recipes summer millet salad recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

14. Summer Millet Salad (263 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: low sugar, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

Lettuce need not apply.

summer salad recipes aran goyoaga nicoise salad recipe
Aran Goyoaga/Cannelle et Vanille

15. Aran Goyoaga’s Niçoise Salad (435 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: high protein, ready in <30 minutes, gluten free

There are a few moving parts to this beauty (boiling eggs, cooking potatoes, whipping up a vinaigrette), but it comes together surprisingly fast.

summer salad recipes melon salad with chili powder mint lime and flaky sea salt recipe
Amanda Frederickson/Simple Beautiful Food

16. Melon Salad With Chili Powder, Mint, Lime And Flaky Sea Salt (87 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegan, gluten free

Once you try chili powder on a ripe slice of cantaloupe, you’ll never look back.

summer salad recipes mackerel asparagus salad with sesame vinaigrette recipe
David Loftus/The Tinned Fish Cookbook

17. Mackerel Asparagus Salad With Sesame Vinaigrette (454 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, low sugar, high protein

Tinned fish is a quick and low-effort way to give your salad a boost of protein. Mackerel is richer and milder than tuna, so it’s an ideal place to start.

summer salad recipes cold soba noodle salad with strawberries recipe
Gentl and Hyers/Open Kitchen

18. Cold Soba Noodle Salad With Strawberries (182 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 21 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegetarian, gluten free

The juiciness of the berries adds a cool and sweet-tart contrast to the slight spiciness of the peppers and the salty miso dressing.

summer salad recipes heirloom tomato salad with cacao and agave dressing recipe
Robert Billington/Cuidad de Mexico

19. Heirloom Tomato Salad With Cacao And Agave Dressing (197 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

Bonus points if you grow the tomatoes yourself.

summer salad recipes black fig tomato salad recipe
Matt Russell/Provençal

20. Black Fig And Tomato Salad (159 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, no cook, ready in <15 minutes

It’s like a portrait of summer’s finest treats. Pair it with cheese—like fresh mozzarella or ricotta—to take it over the top.

summer salad recipes citrus shrimp and quinoa salad with feta recipe
Allison Day/Modern Lunch

21. Citrus, Shrimp And Quinoa Salad With Feta (398 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, make ahead

You can cook it ahead of time and it will hold in the fridge for up to two days. Genius.

summer salad recipes black fig mozzarella basil salad recipe
Ryland, Peters and Small/Cucina Siciliana

22. Black Fig, Mozzarella And Basil Salad (373 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, no cook, <10 ingredients

If we close our eyes and take a bite, it’s like we’re on vacation in Sicily.

summer salad recipes tomato salad grilled halloumi and herbs recipe
Aubrie Pick/Great Tastes

23. Tomato Salad With Grilled Halloumi And Herbs (196 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, vegetarian, <10 ingredients

Aka the best way to show off your farmers market haul. You’ll definitely want to go steady with this guy all summer long.

summer salad recipes joanna gaines peach caprese recipe hero
Amy Neunsinger/The Magnolia Table

24. Peach Caprese Salad (379 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, ready <15 minutes, vegetarian, gluten free

For the ultimate salad experience, seek out the freshest, ripest peaches you can find.

summer salad recipes avocado quinoa salad recipe
Power Plates

25. Quick Guacamole Quinoa Salad (431 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why we Love It: vegan, gluten free, beginner-friendly

So what if it’s basically a bowl of guacamole masquerading as a salad?

summer salad recipes prosciutto and fig salad board recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

26. Prosciutto And Fig Salad Board (415 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Forget the bowl, serve this salad on a big cutting board so that you can see (and access) all of the gorgeous toppings.

summer salad recipes peach arugula salad recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

27. Roasted Peach And Arugula Salad (393 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients

When you’re bored of croutons and iceberg, this should do the trick.

summer salad recipes watermelon cucumber salad recipe
The Modern Proper

28. Watermelon Cucumber Salad (157 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, vegetarian

Here, the sweetness of the watermelon is enhanced by all that salty feta.

summer salad recipes avocado peach summer salad recipe
What's Gaby Cooking

29. Avocado Peach Summer Salad (338 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

The lemon Parmesan dressing really ties everything together.

summer salad recipes triple berry chickpea crunch salad recipe
How Sweet Eats

30. Triple Berry Chickpea Crunch Salad (267 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

Is it really summer if you haven’t eaten your weight in blackberries, blueberries and strawberries? We didn’t think so.

summer salad recipes couscous summer salad recipe
Pinch of Yum

31. Couscous Summer Salad (465 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, dairy free

And before you know it, you’ll have made this four times in one week. It’s really that good.

summer salad recipes ginger soy herb salad recipe
What’s Gaby Cooking

32. Ginger Soy Herb Salad (316 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, crowd-pleaser

Serve it with grilled fish, shrimp, steak or chicken if you want a more substantial meal.

summer salad recipes classic greek salad recipe
Feasting at Home

33. Classic Greek Salad (250 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: vegetarian, Mediterranean diet–friendly, ready in <30 minutes, no cook

This is how you let those seasonal vegetables really shine.

summer salad recipes summer chipotle chicken cobb salad recipe
Pinch of Yum

34. Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad With Cilantro Vinaigrette (254 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: low sugar, high protein, crowd-pleaser

It looks really time-consuming, but the most involved step is mixing up the marinade for the chicken.

summer salad recipes loaded summer house salad recipe
How Sweet Eats

35. Loaded Summer House Salad (430 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy

It’s so pretty, we think we have a crush. (And don’t get us started on the herb vinaigrette.)

summer salad recipes mexican street corn salad with chipotle crema recipe
The Modern Proper

36. Mexican Street Corn Salad With Chipotle Crema (224 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, gluten free

Called equites, this bowl takes the flavors of elotes—fresh corn, lime juice, cotija cheese, and a mayo-based chipotle crema—and turns them into a salad.

summer salad recipes italian chopped brussels sprouts salad recipe
Ambitious Kitchen

37. Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad (358 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

It’s like the chopped salads you get at your favorite restaurant…but tastier (and better for you).

summer salad recipes chopped grilled vegetable salad recipe
Plays Well with Butter

38. Chopped Grilled Vegetable Salad With Lemon Basil Vinaigrette (308 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, crowd-pleaser

We bet you’ve never fired up the coals for a salad before.

summer salad recipes pesto chicken caesar salad recipe
Half Baked Harvest

39. Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad With Tomatoes And Burrata (385 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

We were hooked at the first mention of burrata. The pesto and chicken are merely a bonus.

summer salad recipes blueberry corn and avocado chopped salad recipe
Gimme Some Oven

40. Blueberry, Corn And Avocado Chopped Salad (362 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, crowd-pleaser

Crunchy almonds, sweet corn, juicy blueberries and a little bit of feta all mingle together in a delicious lemon dressing. What could be bad about that?

summer salad recipes loaded salmon summer salad recipe
Spoon Fork Bacon

41. Loaded Salmon Summer Salad With Creamy Tahini Vinaigrette (456 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, low carb, ready in <30 minutes

This is a big salad that would make Elaine Benes proud.

summer salad recipes green goddess quinoa summer salad recipe
Pinch of Yum

42. Green Goddess Quinoa Summer Salad (152 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

Sure, you can use bottled dressing for a shortcut. But this homemade avocado-cilantro version is worth the extra effort.

summer salad recipes summer grain bowl salad with green goddess feta dressing recipe
What’s Gaby Cooking

43. Summer Grain Bowl Salad With Green Goddess Feta Dressing (289 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Mediterranean diet–friendly, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser

Part grain bowl, part salad, 100 percent what we want to eat on our patio.

summer salad recipes summer steak salad recipe
Spoon Fork Bacon

44. Summer Steak Salad (448 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Make this for your next dinner soirée to wow the crowd. (FYI, it works with nearly any summer produce.)

summer salad recipes shrimp louie recipe
The Modern Proper

45. Shrimp Louie (436 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: dairy free, special occasion–worthy

This retro salad is best served with a glass of chilled rosé and a warm summer night.

summer salad recipes mediterranean couscous salad with raw squash and feta recipe
Cookie and Kate

46. Mediterranean Couscous Salad With Raw Squash And Feta (386 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, Mediterranean diet–friendly

Or, what to do with that gigantic haul of zucchini.

summer salad recipes quinoa cucumber salad with feta dill and mint recipe
The Bojon Gourmet

47. Quinoa Cucumber Salad With Feta, Dill And Mint (378 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: gluten free, vegetarian, Mediterranean diet–friendly

It’s crunchy from the cukes and radishes, creamy and briny from the feta and wrapped up in a punchy lemon garlic dressing—yum.

summer salad recipes grilled corn salad with vegan chipotle ranch dressing recipe
Minimalist Baker

48. Grilled Corn Salad With Vegan Chipotle Ranch Dressing (223 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, make ahead

Hard to believe it’s all ready to eat in 30 minutes.

summer salad recipes heirloom tomato salad recipe
Real and Vibrant

49. Heirloom Tomato Salad (204 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegan

Heirloom tomatoes aren’t just pretty to look at. The jewel-like treats are more flavorful than any grocery store tomato you’ve ever tasted.

summer salad recipes chicken bacon avocado chopped salad recipe
All the Healthy Things

50. Chicken Bacon Avocado Chopped Salad (488 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, dairy free, high protein

It doesn’t taste like it’s healthy, and that’s a very high compliment.

summer salad recipes southwestern salad recipe
The Simple Veganista

51. Southwestern Salad (344 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, vegan, gluten free

The creamy dressing suggests otherwise, but this one is vegan. (Thank you, cashews.)

summer salad recipes summer glow chopped kale salad recipe
Ambitious Kitchen

52. Summer Glow Chopped Kale Salad (424 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, vegetarian, gluten free, make ahead

This chopped salad has it all: sweetness from the strawberries, creaminess from the avocado, saltiness from the feta, crunch from roasted pistachios. What more could you want?

summer salad recipes spicy ranch chopped chicken cabbage salad recipe
Ambitious Kitchen

53. Spicy Ranch Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad (492 Calories)

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: high protein, less than 500 calories, make ahead

What can we say? We’re suckers for ranch (and corn, and tortilla strips).



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Senior Food Editor

Katherine Gillen is PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...