45 Springy Salads To Help Fill Out Your Easter Spread
The Easter Bunny would approve.
Once spring has sprung, we’re ready to ditch our slow-cooked soups, stews, and casseroles in lieu of ALL the fresh fruits and veggies. For many of us, the first time we really get to celebrate that bounty is during our Easter meals. Tender lamb and glazed ham get all the glory, but like for most holidays, we’re really all about the sides. What better way to showcase all the bright, colorful, new produce in season than with a salad? These 45 Easter salads are perfect whether you’re hosting Sunday brunch or dinner, but honestly, they’re worth many a revisit all spring long too.
And don’t worry, we’re not talking about just greens here! Yes, a simple gorgeous arugula or spinach salad is a delight after a long winter, but if we're going for a green base, we prefer to jazz it up. You could add meaty protein, like in our chicken avocado Caprese salad or our Niçoise; fun fried cheeses, like in our fried halloumi salad or our fried goat cheese salad; or hard-boiled eggs, like in our spring Cobb salad, our chef salad, or our seven-layer salad. These little additions are kind of like an Easter Egg hunt for adults, and we bet you’ll never want salad without them again.
Though canned beans are available year round, there's something that feels particularly springy about them (and if you want to go fresh, they should start popping up at farmers' markets mid-April). In homage, we like to make our antipasto chickpea salad, our bacon pea salad, our three-bean salad, and our roasted chickpea & avocado salad. The best part about these? They’re ripe for improvisation, so feel free to swap in and out your favorite ingredients.
We’ve also included a number of classic spins on our warm weather faves, pasta and potato salad. Check out our Greek orzo salad, our red potato salad, our bruschetta pasta salad, or our tzatziki potato salad. Love the carbs but want more protein? Go for our shrimp salad, our ham salad (so good for leftover ham too!), or our crab meat salad. Craving something sweet? Try our creamy grape salad, our ambrosia salad, or our Waldorf salad. They’re the kind of retro classics everyone will enjoy (or at least enjoy talking about 😉) this Easter.
Want even more Easter ideas? Check out our top Easter side dishes, our best Easter desserts, and our favorite Easter treats too.
Best Egg Salad
Whether you’re craving egg salad sandwiches for a warm weather picnic or are looking for a staple Easter brunch side dish, make this best egg salad recipe your new go-to.
Get the Best Egg Salad recipe.
Seven-Layer Salad
Want a show-stopping centerpiece for your Easter table? Look no further than this gorgeous layered salad. Make it ahead of time, then toss it together just before serving.
Get the Seven-Layer Salad recipe.
Strawberry Chicken Cobb Salad
The gang's all here in this Cobb salad, except with some big-time upgrades. Strawberries stand in for the standard tomatoes, while feta takes the place of blue cheese. Fear not, there's still an extra-creamy buttermilk-based dressing that coats every bite.
Get the Strawberry Chicken Cobb Salad recipe.
French Potato Salad
We all love a classic mayo-based potato salad, but it’s time to elevate and try something with a little more… je ne sais quoi. French potato salad is the punchy, bright, and herby addition to your list of springy Easter side dishes that you didn’t know you needed.
Get the French Potato Salad recipe.
Spring Cobb Salad
Everyone’s favorite Cobb salad just got a spring-y makeover. This lightened-up version has lots of crunchy in-season veggies, homemade croutons, hard-boiled eggs for protein, and a creamy lemon-dill dressing spiked with raw garlic. Yum!
Get the Spring Cobb Salad recipe.
Chicken-Avocado Caprese Salad
To make this chicken-avocado version of a classic Caprese, we stuck with simplicity, only adding grilled balsamic chicken, creamy avocado, and a little romaine for crunch. The result is a simple salad that is still refreshing and light, but also satisfying enough to be a casual Easter dinner.
Get the Chicken-Avocado Caprese Salad recipe.
Green Bean Salad
If your family cookout doesn’t feature a big bowl of this salad, you’re seriously missing out. Fresh green beans are tossed with cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta in a simple red wine vinaigrette for a Greek-inspired side that’s as light and fresh as it is seasonal.
Get the Green Bean Salad recipe.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
With sweet strawberries, herby chicken, tangy feta, and crunchy pecans, this salad will make even so-called spinach haters fall in love after just one bite. Leave out the chicken for an Easter side dish, or keep it in for a light main.
Get the Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe.
While we love orzo in comforting, warming pasta dishes (we're looking at you, orzo al limone) it also makes for a great salad base. Take this Greek-inspired recipe to the park for a light picnic lunch, or as fresh side to your Easter potluck. No matter the occasion, this salad was made to please.
Get the Greek Orzo Salad recipe.
Broccoli Salad
A simple and reliable side, the classic broccoli salad is loaded with flavor and texture. Ready in around 30 minutes, it’s the perfect make-ahead side for an Easter BBQ or last-minute party, and makes a great base for Easter brunch too.
Get the Broccoli Salad recipe.
Antipasto Chickpea Salad
This versatile chickpea salad is a great Easter side but can easily be a full meal on its own! Adding a spoonful of Dijon mustard to your red wine vinaigrette makes it creamier in both taste and body—consider it your secret weapon in making a classic dressing that much better.
Get the Antipasto Chickpea Salad recipe.
Fried Goat Cheese Salad
A quick pan-fry makes creamy goat cheese a fun, super-crunchy salad topper. It’s a creative take on croutons that makes a simple salad so much more exciting. These are also great on their own and would be delicious on a cheese board with a little drizzle of honey (so make extra!).
Get the Fried Goat Cheese Salad recipe.
Niçoise Salad
According to food historians, the first Niçoise salad (from Nice, on France’s southeastern coast) contained only tomatoes, olive oil, and anchovies. Over the years, ingredients have been added and subtracted, so feel free to do the same and go with your favorites!
Get the Niçoise Salad recipe.
Bacon Pea Salad
When you think pea salad, you might be imagining the mayo-based kind. Great in their own ways, but we decided to lighten ours up a bit (so you can save room for more Easter candy!). This one is fresh, crunchy, and has the most delicious bacon vinaigrette.
Get the Bacon Pea Salad recipe.
Roasted Chickpea and Avocado Salad
The tahini-ranch here is a lightened-up dressing that is better than any bottle you could buy. It, plus crunchy roasted chickpeas, creamy avocado, and feta, make this a salad you'll revisit again and again.
Tuna Macaroni Salad
If you fancy tuna salad and macaroni salad, the only logical thing to do is bring the two together. This recipe calls for quick-pickled red onion, shredded carrots (the Easter Bunny would approve), and chopped pickles so you get nicely tart and crunchy elements in every bite.
Get the Tuna Macaroni Salad recipe.
Ham Salad
This super-easy ham salad is as delicious between bread for Easter lunch as it is on crackers as an app before Easter dinner. Hot tip: This salad is also an amazing use for any spiral ham you have leftover after Easter too.
Get the Ham Salad recipe.
Antipasto Potato Salad
Though a traditional creamy dressing is delicious on potato salad, it can sometimes be heavy and leave too little room for the main event. If you’re looking to lighten up the classic, look no further—this version is bursting with all the flavors of your favorite antipasto.
Get the Antipasto Potato Salad recipe.
Chicken Caesar Salad
“Decadent” might not come to mind when you think of salad, but this one definitely is. With a rich, tangy dressing, tender, roasted chicken thighs, crunchy croutons, and a snowfall of freshly grated Parm, this chicken Caesar salad is more voluptuous than virtuous.
Get the Chicken Caesar Salad recipe.
Cobb Egg Salad
Egg salad is wonderful as is. But add bacon, blue cheese, avocado, and tomatoes, á la a Cobb salad? Now that's a dish special enough for an Easter brunch.
Get the Cobb Egg Salad recipe.
