21 healthy salad recipes

Looking for healthy salad recipes? Check out our nutritious dishes including easy chicken salad recipes, vibrant potato salad recipes and healthy rice salads.

Salads are probably one of the most versatile dishes around, for they work great on their own as a main course or as an accompaniment on the side. The array of fruit of vegetables that can be include also provide a whole host of health benefits through the many different vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin A, and the wide variety of phytonutrients each. Did you know that different colours of different fruit and vegetables contain different phytonutrients and therefore health benefits? They are also a great source of all important antioxidants which help protect the body from damage by free radicals (unstable atoms that can lead to illness and aging).

Healthy salad recipes

Courgette and chimichurri salad

Looking for a healthy lunch recipe? Check out this courgette and green bean salad tossed in a zingy chimichurri dressing for an extra flavour boost.

Healthy bean salad

This super speedy salad offers fresh, healthy flavours and plenty of crunch, complete with a green tahini dressing to boost the flavour.

Kung po chicken salad

Quick, delicious and filling – Donal Skehan's kung po chicken salad has got midweek winner written all over it.

Spelt and apple salad with crispy nuts and seeds

Pack plenty of crunch into this balanced vegetarian salad and sprinkle with a homemade nut and seed mix.

Quick Japanese-style rice salad

Use a pack of ready-cooked or leftover rice to put a super fast king prawn salad together. Make it green with edamame beans, cucumber and avocado.

Baja shrimp and blackened corn salad

The cool coastal food of southern California relies on sensational seafood married with Mexican flavours. Use smoky ancho chillies to flavour the shrimps and serve with grilled corn and green chilli dressing for a light and vibrant salad.

Roasted cauli and couscous salad with zhoug and crispy shallots

Check out our colourful cauliflower salad recipe with giant couscous, crispy fried onions and a punchy zhoug dressing. This nourishing salad is packed full of flavour and is vegan, too.

Coronation tofu salad

Check out our easy vegan coronation salad recipe with smoked tofu, fragrant madras curry powder and sweet mango chutney – it's super speedy, light and offers a great source of plant-based protein

Griddled chicken with mustardy lentil salad

Check out this vibrant chicken salad with crunchy green beans, seasonal mangetout and lentils. This easy salad is ready in 30 minutes – perfect for a quick lunch or light midweek meal

Chargrilled tuna steak with crunchy bulgar lemon salad

Check out this flavour packed tuna steak with zingy lemon bulgar wheat salad. Ready in 30 minutes, this nourishing recipe is a quick and easy midweek meal for two.

Griddled chicken with red rice salad and mango dressing

Check out this easy griddled chicken breast with sweet, juicy mango dressing and wild rice. This simple recipe is the perfect marriage of sweet and savoury - ready in just 35 minutes.

Thai chicken noodle salad

Eating healthily doesn't mean you have to deny yourself. This chicken noodle salad is full of delicious, vibrant Thai flavours, plus it's easy to make and healthy too.

If you love Thai food, check out our best Thai recipes.

Kale Waldorf salad with buttermilk dressing

This kale Waldorf salad is a clever update on a classic and with a good amount of crunch and tangy dressing, it makes the perfect side dish or light evening meal.

Asian black rice salad

Black rice has a higher nutritional value than white rice, while still offering the same amount of fibre. Try it in this super easy Asian prawn black rice salad recipe.

Love rice? Try even more great rice dishes

Brussels Waldorf

Try this quick and easy twist on the classic Waldorf salad. Packed with nutritious shredded raw brussels, crunchy juicy apples and crisp celery, this salad dish is ready in just 20 minutes

Check out even more of our Brussels sprouts recipes and celery recipes

Warm red rice, herb and salmon salad

This nutritious, spice-packed rice salad will go down a treat as a midweek meal, with aromatic ground cumin and coriander.

Purple sprouting broccoli, blue cheese and almond salad

Match purple sprouting broccoli with a blue cheese and garlic dressing, then sprinkle with toasted almonds for added crunch in this filling green salad.

Thai ginger salad

Packed full of veg – shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber and edamame – this vibrant salad is made deliciously nutty with a peanut butter and lime juice dressing.

Chicken pasta salad

Throw together this quick and easy pasta salad using leftover chicken, tomatoes and greens for a protein-packed lunch or midweek dinner.

Grains, greens and beans salad with pesto dressing

On the table in 15 minutes, this nutritious salad is packed with greens and tossed in fresh pesto.

Farro, grilled peach and pecan salad

The grilled peaches deliver a satisfying sweetness, balanced by the zing of lime-pickled shallots and the smoky nuttiness of toasted pecans in this vibrant vegan salad. This healthy recipe has it all: fruit, veg, wholegrains and protein.