23 Spring Salads That Highlight the Season’s Best Produce

Spring is a fantastic time to whip up light, refreshing salads. The season is loaded with an abundance of crisp, crunchy vegetables that are perfect for tossing in salads like radish, cucumber, snap peas and asparagus. Just add your favorite homemade dressing and you’ve got a healthy lunch or dinner party starter that’s as delicious as it is simple to make. We’ve rounded up plenty of ideas for weekday meals and spring entertaining alike, but this one is a must-make. It’s bursting with garden-fresh flavors. The secret to the dressing is lemon AND lime juices paired classically with Dijon and shallots. The result? Everything a springtime side should be.

Ten minutes is all you need to throw together this crisp, crunchy salad. Radish adds peppery bite and butter lettuce makes it cool and refreshing. Serve with freshly-grated Pecorino-Romano cheese.

If your garden is overflowing with greens, peas and fresh herbs, this is the perfect way to put them to good use. Anne balances the peas to soften them, without losing their overall crunch. It’s tempting to skip the step where you plunge the peas into ice water but don’t skip that step—it’s critical to maintaining their vibrant green color.

This fresh strawberry salad celebrates spring with juicy berries, crisp greens, and a sweet-tangy vinaigrette that highlights peak-season produce. A crunchy mix of toasted ramen noodles, almonds, and seeds adds texture, making it perfect for brunches, picnics, and warm-weather gatherings.

Asparagus is everywhere in spring, and it’s a delightfully flavorful and uncomplicated vegetable to serve any time of day. This warm asparagus salad is made with a few simple ingredients and can be ready in just 20 minutes. Simply blanche the asparagus, then serve with chopped walnuts, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and shaved parmesan. It’s a simple and satisfying dish that’s perfect for lunch, dinner or a midday snack.

Radishes are a quintessential spring vegetable. This recipe puts them on full display—the crunchy, peppery vegetable gets tossed in a dressing made from grapefruit juice, vinegar, mustard, soy sauce and honey. The sweetness of the honey perfectly offsets the acid in the grapefruit juice and the kick of the radishes.

Tabouli can be made in many different styles and variations, but this one relies on spring vegetables to bring extra crunch. Chopped herbs mix perfectly with chopped cucumbers, celery, tomato and radishes. Once mixed with bulgur, the whole salad gets dressed in a simple vinaigrette and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Six ingredients is all you need to make this impossibly-simple spring salad. First, whisk together sour cream, vinegar and dill, then add cucumber and red onion. Season with salt and pepper, then toss to combine. Let the salad sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

Snap peas and radishes are synonymous with spring produce, and they both make a delightfully-crunchy addition when tossed in salad. This easy recipe highlights them both, while introducing juicy elements like oranges and creamy elements like goat cheese. This hearty salad is a meal all on its own—the crispy prosciutto makes it perfectly savory while the fresh herbs make it bright and vibrant.

Bulgur is a hearty grain that’s perfect for tossing in salads. It easily soaks up the dressing of whatever dish it’s in, and this simple spring salad is the perfect way to use it. Toss the cooked bulgur with spring produce like honeydew and cucumber, then add fresh herbs and crumbled dill. This is a fantastic side dish or an easy option for a vegetarian lunch.

Fresh peas are perfect in springtime, and this recipe puts them on full display. First blanche and shock the peas, then toss them in a simple, homemade vinaigrette. Red pepper flakes and peppery arugula help bring a pleasant kick of heat.

This is a light yet super-satisfying salad filled with a variety of fresh flavors, colors and textures. Everything can be prepared in advance and thrown together right before serving whether for a quick lunch or weekend picnic.

This simple salad is ready in just 30 minutes, so it’s the perfect thing to serve at a busy barbecue or for a quick, refreshing weeknight dinner. Simply toss together sliced cucumber and onion with salt, then let the cucumber sit and drain over a colander for 20 minutes. Press any extra liquid out of the vegetables then rinse well with cold water. When ready to serve, toss the cucumber mixture with vinegar, salt and dill, then serve immediately.

Beefsteak tomatoes and Bibb lettuce are a classic salad combination. This simple side is perfect for a spring dinner party, and it’s easy to prepare, too. First make a quick vinaigrette of mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and olive oil, then arrange the lettuce, tomato, onions and olives on a platter. Drizzle with the vinaigrette then sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Bibb lettuce is at its peak in spring, and when at its freshest point, the greens are good enough to enjoy all on their own—no other vegetables required. This Bibb lettuce salad gets tossed with a hefty dose of chopped anchovies, chives, parsley and lemon juice, and mayonnaise and sour cream make the dressing extra creamy. It’s ready in just ten minutes, so whip it up right before dinner and enjoy right away.

Radishes are crisp and crunchy, but avocado adds a pleasant creaminess to this spring salad. It’s a fun way to play with different textures—the combination of blanched asparagus, raw radish, crunchy walnuts and creamy avocado makes for a delightfully balanced and layered salad.

Instead of topping your spring salad with parmesan cheese, why not top your parmesan cheese with spring salad? This easy recipe is the perfect way to whip up salad bites—a great snack for entertaining. Let the cheese melt until golden brown in the oven, then lay them over inverted ramekins to take shape.

In this quick salad recipe, the sweetness of honeydew melon is perfectly balanced with the peppery kick of fresh arugula. Fresh herbs add bright, vibrant flavor, and mayonnaise and lime juice combine for a creamy vinaigrette. The best part? This easy salad can be on the table in just 15 minutes.

This deconstructed spring roll recipe is a fun way to enjoy crisp, crunchy vegetables. The vermicelli noodles easily soak up the sweet and savory peanut dressing, and fresh herbs add bright, vibrant flavor. Ready in just 30 minutes, this is a hearty, filling and simple salad to serve on a weeknight.

Just like the name implies, honeydew melon is sweet and juicy. However, this recipe uses it in a savory application, making the sweetness of the melon taste even more satisfying. Simply toss the melon with lime juice, jalapeno, ancho chile and cotija cheese for a Mexican-inspired salad that’s quick, easy and satisfying.

If you’re sick of typical salads, try adding this Japanese-inspired side dish to your rotation. Made with just dressed cucumbers and radishes and garnished with sesame seeds, there’s no lettuce in sight, but it’s still remarkably crunchy and refreshing. Serve it as a side dish or an appetizer at your next spring dinner party.

Cucumbers are a versatile vegetable because they easily take on whatever flavors they’re dressed with. That’s why marinating cucumbers is a great way to punch up the simple vegetable. This recipe uses soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil to accentuate the natural flavors of the cucumber. It’s one of the easiest, more refreshing and satisfying spring salads you can make.