While grilled, roasted, and boiled components can make for a lovely salad experience, when it comes to flavorful bang-for-your-buck, nothing beats the bright, refreshing ease of a raw salad. These no-cook, easy salad recipes come together in minutes without a stovetop or oven in sight.
Fresh summer tomatoes are so sweet and juicy as to not need any cooking. We love to highlight them in caprese, a classic Italian salad made with fresh burrata and basil and top-shelf extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Tomatoes and basil also match wonderfully with green and romano beans.
Tomatoes play supporting roles in many other salads. Our New Jersey fattoush is an Americanized take on a traditional Middle Eastern bread salad made with iceberg lettuce and crushed pita chips. Tomatoes add a pop of color to traditional Greek and wedge salads.
A fresh fruit salad is incredibly refreshing during the height of summer. Try pairing nectarines and blueberries with bright shiso leaves and lime juice and earthy sesame oil. For a sweet-salty treat, toss watermelon with briny cotija cheese and spicy radish sprouts.
Looking to warm climates can yield inspiration for no-cook recipes. Thailand is a great example. Som tum is a traditional green papaya salad flavored with tamarind juice and fish sauce and packed with all sorts of fresh vegetables. Green mango can be used to make a refreshing variation. For something citrusy, pair sweet pomelo with chiles, peanuts, and mint.
Find all of these dishes and more in our collection of refreshing easy salad recipes.
Crisp celery and radishes are lightly pickled in lemon juice in this salad from chef Juan Pablo Mellado Arana of Las Cabras in Santiago, which makes a perfect addition to any heavy Chilean meal.
A dish as simple as caprese salad demands the best ingredients: Use firm, in-season tomatoes, the freshest burrata, and dress with pristine olive oil and top-quality balsamic vinegar. Get the recipe for Caprese Salad »
Helen Rosner’s mother-in-law is Palestinian, but over forty years of living in the U.S., her fattoush has evolved into something decidedly (and deliciously) Americanized: crushed pita chips, a dressing of lime juice and dried mint, and crisp, sweet iceberg lettuce. Get the recipe for New Jersey Fattoush »
This refreshing salad takes on various guises in Greece depending on what vegetables are in season, but it almost always features feta and a dusting of dried oregano. Get the recipe for Greek Salad (Horiatiki) »
