17 Mexican-Inspired Salads To Add Pizzazz To Your Meals All Year Long
You're going to be making these on repeat.
We can all agree Mexican-inspired foods are THE best, right? Burritos, tacos, tostadas, nachos…honestly, the only thing stopping us from eating them for every meal (mmm, breakfast burritos) every day is our desire for fresh, crunchy vegetables. Enter: Mexican-inspired salads full of fresh produce like corn, avocados, and tomatoes. They’re perfect as simple sides, or can be made hearty enough for dinner with the addition of protein in the form of meat or beans. Make them for Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, and any time you’re craving a little extra flavor in your meals.
The best part about all the recipes on this list? They're all completely customizable. From the most simple, like our cucumber, tomato, & onion salad, to the more complex, like our copycat Cheesecake Factory Mexican tortilla salad, you’re welcome to add or subtract any ingredients you like to make these your own. Take our black bean & corn salad: not a fan of black beans? Swap 'em for pinto or chickpeas. Don’t have any cotjia kicking around? Try crumbled goat cheese or feta instead. Want to add even more protein? It would be wonderful with some grilled chicken or seafood on top. Not a huge fan of spice? Ditch the jalapeños (or at least their seeds!), and try adding a little smoked paprika to make up for their missing flavor. These rules go for all the recipes here, so have fun with it.
Want even more Mexican or Cinco de Mayo-inspired recipes? First, read up on the white-washed history of the holiday, then check out our favorite Mexican drinks, appetizers, desserts, and breakfasts too.
Taco Salad
Few dinner salads are more hearty than a classic taco salad. Loaded with meat, veggies, and cheese, it’s got all the right things to make for an extra-satisfying weeknight dinner. We went for a classic version in this recipe, but the best thing about taco salad is how customizable it is, so get creative!
Get the Taco Salad recipe.
Avocado & Tomato Salad
Don't confuse this colorful salad with guac—there's way more depth of flavor and variety of texture, which makes it one of our favorite summer sides of all time. But the real beauty? You're totally welcome to still eat it with tortilla chips. (Just know it also tastes amazing alongside pretty much anything.)
Get the Avocado & Tomato Salad recipe.
Fiesta Corn Salad
When corn is in season, it’s a crime to not eat as much of it as possible. It’s divine slathered with butter and salt, but if the goal is to eat your weight in corn all summer, you’ll need more recipes for inspiration. This summer salad hits all the right notes.
Get the Fiesta Corn Salad recipe.
Avocado Chicken Salad
We love this chicken salad served on top of greens as much as we love it between two slices of sourdough bread. If you can't find a good ripe mango, pineapple would be delicious as well!
Get the Avocado Chicken Salad recipe.
Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad
Perfect for when your garden or the local farmers' market is overflowing with cucumbers and tomatoes, this salad also does surprisingly well with out-of-season produce, especially if you make it ahead of time so it can marinate. Just hold off on adding the herbs until the very end so they stay bright and fresh.
Fish Taco Bowls
When you’re craving the flavors and textures of a fish taco, but need some vegetables in your life, this salad is perfect for you. Crispy fish and a creamy, spicy slaw are the base of these veggie-packed takes on everyone’s favorite taco.
Get the Fish Taco Bowls recipe.
Mexican Corn Salad
Looking for ways to use up that sweet summer corn? Look no further! This simple salad hits all the right notes: creamy, spicy, salty, and citrusy, just like the beloved Mexican street food dish elote (grilled sweet corn coated in mayo, cotija cheese, and spices) that it's inspired by.
Get the Mexican Corn Salad recipe.
Grilled Corn Salad
This versatile, flavorful corn salad is the perfect way to use up leftover grilled corn. Mix and match your favorite cheeses, herbs, and nuts, but keep the citrus for brightness and oil for a little richness. And if you like a little *kick*, add some sliced jalapeños or a big pinch of red pepper flakes.
Get the Grilled Corn Salad recipe.
Black Bean & Corn Salad
This easy salad comes together quickly and works as a side dish, a great topping for tacos, or as an appetizer with tortilla chips. Think of this as a medley of the most exciting parts of a vegetarian burrito bowl, unadulterated by rice, and hyped up by a little honey-lime action.
Get the Black Bean & Corn Salad recipe.
Southwestern Pasta Salad
This kicked-up pasta salad with a zesty Greek yogurt dressing is full of all your favorite Mexican-inspired taco fixings, including taco seasoning, cilantro, cheddar, avocado, black beans, and corn. It's super-easy to mix up ahead of time too.
Get the Southwestern Pasta Salad recipe.
Burrito Zoodles
Everything you love about a burrito, minus the tortilla. This low-carb dinner screams summer, with zucchini noodles, fresh cherry tomatoes, and sweet corn.
Get the Burrito Zoodles recipe.
Copycat Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad
If salads were people, this Copycat Quesadilla Explosion Salad would be a real party animal. Surrounded by wedges of quesadilla and bursting with fajita chicken, cheese, corn and black bean salsa, and tortilla strips, this Chili’s copycat is basically a fiesta on your plate.
Vegan Taco Salad
Filled with grains and two different types of beans, this vegan taco salad is worthy of your dinner table. The spicy dressing brings tons of flavor and might be our favorite part. Top it with all of your favorites like cherry tomatoes and tortilla chips for a little crunch!
Get the Vegan Taco Salad recipe.
Grilled Fajita Chicken Salad
Love chicken fajitas? Us too! When you're craving them but aren't feeling the tortillas, this salad is for you. Hot tip: This is an especially great way to transform chicken leftovers too.
Get the Grilled Fajita Chicken Salad recipe.
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Mexican Tortilla Salad
The Cheesecake Factory may have a lot of things on their menu, but everyone is obsessed with their Mexican tortilla salad. There are a lot of components to this salad, but the good news is that each is super easy. It’s also huge and full of protein, making it a great dinner salad.
Get The Copycat Cheesecake Factory Mexican Tortilla Salad recipe.
Shrimp Taco Salad
We kept the salad here pretty simple—just romaine, tomatoes, and corn—so the shrimp could really shine. They're quick marinated in lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and honey, then seared. Yum!
Get the Shrimp Taco Salad recipe.
Dorito Taco Salad
A regular ol' taco salad is great and all, but after trying one with DORITOS, we knew we had been missing out. We might never go back to tortilla chips again!
Get the Dorito Taco Salad recipe.
