If you’ve tried salads in the past for lunch and have been left feeling hungry and disappointed, these recipes are the solution. They are created to be balanced meals with a source of carbs, protein, vegetables and some healthy fats for flavor. No garden salads here. Say goodbye to soggy, cold lunches and hello to hearty, fresh salads.
1. Creamy Tahini, Kale & Pumpkin Salad
This hearty pumpkin, kale, quinoa, and tofu salad with creamy, tangy tahini dressing is a filling lunch or dinner option. Store in a jar in layers to stop the wet and dry ingredients from mixing – this will keep it fresh for up to 3 days. Perfect for healthy, plant-based meal prep!
Get the recipe: Creamy Tahini, Kale & Pumpkin Salad
2. Baked Cabbage and Tofu Satay Salad
This Asian inspired fusion salad is hearty, vibrant and vegan friendly. Packed with vegetables plus tofu and edamame for protein, this salad makes for a filling meal or substantial side dish. It’s simple to prepare and served warm.
Get the recipe: Baked Cabbage and Tofu Satay Salad
3. Zesty Mango, Avo & Tofu Salad
This fresh and zesty salad loaded with mango, avocado, cherry tomatoes and topped with pan fried tofu is a delicious healthy lunch option.
Get the recipe: Zesty Mango, Avo & Tofu Salad
4. Creamy Avocado BLT Pasta Salad with Tempeh Bacon
Quick, easy & filling – this pasta salad is a transformation of your favorite avocado and bacon sandwich! Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s creamy, fresh, and punchy, with lots of contrasting crunchy and silky textures. Plus, as a bonus, it’s vegan-friendly!
Get the recipe: Creamy Avocado BLT Pasta Salad with Tempeh Bacon
5. Brown Rice Salad
This is the perfect vegan dish to take as a guest (perfect for BBQs or potlucks) or as an easy side dish when entertaining. It’s convenient if you’re a guest and not sure if vegan food will be served, as it’s dense enough to be enjoyed as a main meal. Humble in appearance but guaranteed WOW in flavor, you will get many compliments and no doubt recipe requests to anybody you serve this to!
Get the recipe: Brown Rice Salad
6. Green Goddess Potato Salad
This creamy Green Goddess Potato salad is inspired by the viral TikTok recipe trend, but is made with potatoes rather than cabbage. It is a much denser, filling and more satisfying meal. Made with arugula, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic and jalapenos, it is zesty, creamy and peppery. Easy and ready in 30 minutes, it’s vegan and gluten free.
Get the recipe: Green Goddess Potato Salad
7. Celery Salad with Ginger Maple Dressing
This Ginger Celery Salad is a crisp, light and refreshing salad that takes just 10 minutes to prepare. It’s vegan, and gluten-free made with celery, pepitas, shallots, parsley, and cilantro tossed in a ginger-infused dressing. It’s a great way to use up leftover celery, and makes a quick, light side dish for a BBQ or to complement a hearty main like lasagna.
Get the recipe: Celery Salad with Ginger Maple Dressing
8. Peach Quinoa Salad
This Peach Quinoa Salad tastes like summer! With nutty quinoa, juicy peaches, fresh corn, creamy avocado, peppery arugula, and candied jalapeños for a pop of heat, this is a vegan summer salad you’ll love!
Get the recipe: Peach Quinoa Salad
9. Healthy Sweet Potato Salad Recipe
Healthy dinner in a hurry! This is a delicious, warm, sweet potato salad recipe with kale, perfect for when the days are starting to turn cooler. Packed with beta-carotene and vitamin A from the sweet potatoes and kale, plus healthy fibres from the nuts and wild rice.
Get the recipe: Healthy Sweet Potato Salad Recipe
10. Instant Pot Potato Salad (vegan, Greek style)
Make the BEST vegan potato salad in the Instant Pot with wonderful Mediterranean Greek flavours. This Instant Pot Potato Salad is made with new potatoes, contains no eggs and no mayo. You do not need any special equipment as this is one of the easiest ways to make potato salad – simply pressure cook the potatoes and add in all of the other ingredients. It is the perfect one pot meal!
Get the recipe: Instant Pot Potato Salad (vegan, Greek style)
11. White Bean Panzanella | Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad
This Tuscan Bread Salad is a hot weather saviour! In this Italian-style recipe, ripe juicy tomatoes are combined with white beans, toasted bread and tossed in an aromatic tomato and white bean dressing.
Get the recipe: White Bean Panzanella | Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad
12. Roast Beetroot and Pumpkin Salad with Chickpeas
This Roast Beetroot and Pumpkin salad with chickpeas is a total crowd pleaser. Sweet butternut squash (pumpkin), with earthy sweet beets, combined with a tangy dressing and some vegan feta is a winning combination that everyone seems to love. I’ve served various versions of this over the years, at all kinds of parties and gatherings. And there is never ever any left over.
Get the recipe: Roast Beetroot and Pumpkin Salad with Chickpeas
13. Black Bean Sweet Potato Salad
This colourful and nourishing salad is packed with black beans, roasted sweet potatoes and bell pepper in an easy lime dressing. If you are looking for a healthy lunch or quick meal, this simple black bean sweet potato salad is for you. It’s a breeze to make and ready in under 30 minutes too!
Get the recipe: Black Bean Sweet Potato Salad
14. Kale Quinoa Salad
This kale quinoa salad is both satisfying and nourishing! It brings together the goodness of kale, the protein-packed power of quinoa, and the crunch of juicy veggies in a refreshing lemon dressing.
Get the recipe: Kale Quinoa Salad
15. Simple Ancient Grains Salad with Tahini Dressing
This Ancient Grains Salad is a healthy side dish or a light meal that is brimming with fiber, plant-based protein, vitamins, and minerals! It features juicy cherry tomatoes, salty kalamata olives, and a tangy tahini dressing that’s to die for!
Get the recipe: Simple Ancient Grains Salad with Tahini Dressing
16. Summer Blackberry Salad with Cashew Ricotta (healthy + easy)
This easy summer salad is both healthy and delicious, mixed with quinoa, blackberries, a tangy balsamic vinaigrette, topped with pumpkin seeds and a vegan cashew ricotta.
Get the recipe: Summer Blackberry Salad with Cashew Ricotta
17. Buffalo Chickpea Salad
Addicting chickpeas, drenched in red hot sauce, served over crisp lettuce, and drizzled with ranch. This Buffalo Chickpea Salad is SO good!
Get the recipe: Buffalo Chickpea Salad
18. Vegan Couscous Salad With Chickpeas
This bright vegan couscous salad with chickpeas, charred corn, and lots of fresh veggies! This vegan couscous bowl is one of the best easy vegan couscous recipes! If you like this salad, try my Vegan White Bean Dip with Lemon and Pistachios, my Peanut Noodle Salad, and my Vegan Coconut Cake!
Get the recipe: Vegan Couscous Salad With Chickpeas
19. Summer Farro Salad
This Summer Farro Salad is loaded with crunchy raw zucchini, radishes and cucumber, juicy tomatoes, buttery pecans, tangy lemon, and Italian kale that’s had a peanut butter massage. Yes, you read that right.
Get the recipe: Summer Farro Salad
20. Costco Quinoa Salad
Delight in this vibrant and delicious copycat Costco Quinoa Salad, perfect for health enthusiasts and foodies alike! Packed with protein-rich quinoa, crunchy veggies, and a tangy lemon dressing, this colorful and healthy salad is perfect for any meal or occasion. Make this scrumptious salad for your next family gathering, potluck, or meal prep, and enjoy the irresistible taste of this delightful dish.
Get the recipe: Costco Quinoa Salad
21. White Bean Antipasto Salad
For a quick and easy dish, make this white bean antipasto salad. Bold flavors of bright and briny ingredients that need very little prep.
Get the recipe: White Bean Antipasto Salad
22. Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Mediterranean lentil salad is full of bright flavors and fresh veggies. If you are looking for meal prep recipes, this protein and fiber rich Greek lentil salad is it.
Get the recipe: Mediterranean Lentil Salad
23. Vegan Sushi Salad With Spicy Mayo Dressing
Introducing vegan sushi salad with spicy mayo dressing – the salad you never knew you needed. This salad is perfect for when you’re craving sushi but can’t be bothered to roll it up. All of the ingredients typically found in a sushi roll are in this salad, including spicy mayo made into a dressing. This is a recipe you will make again and again.
Get the recipe: Vegan Sushi Salad With Spicy Mayo Dressing
24. Vegan Egg Roll Salad With Tofu
Introducing vegan egg roll salad with tofu. This salad is crunchy and won’t get soggy because it is no lettuce salad, it is made with cabbage. This salad has an amazing ginger soy dressing, packed with flavor and nutrients. This is the type of salad you can make at the beginning of the week and eat every day.
Get the recipe: Vegan Egg Roll Salad With Tofu
25. Asian Lentil and Green Bean Salad with Sesame Dressing
This Asian Lentil and Green Bean Salad with Sesame Dressing is my latest salad obsession. I have made it twice in the past week – it is that good. The sesame ginger dressing pairs so well with the crunchy vegetables.
Get the recipe: Asian Lentil and Green Bean Salad with Sesame Dressing
26. Tofu Salad with Cucumber
This cucumber tofu salad is composed of golden fried tofu, crunchy cucumber, and fresh herbs with a simple dressing. It is a quick, easy, and filling salad for a healthy lunch or dinner.
Get the recipe: Tofu Salad with Cucumber
27. Quick and Easy Artichoke Salad
This quick and easy artichoke salad recipe is refreshing, tangy, and loaded with Italian/Mediterranean-inspired flavors in every bite! A gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan side.
Get the recipe: Quick and Easy Artichoke Salad
28. Vegan Taco Salad
Vegan taco salad in a tortilla bowl combines shredded lettuce with black beans, all your favorite taco fixings, and a simple homemade dressing – It’s packed with plant-based protein and fiber, healthy, satisfying, and ready in 15 minutes!
Get the recipe: Vegan Taco Salad
29. Kale Salad
This simple keto kale salad with pomegranate is a healthy vegan salad that can be a quick healthy lunch recipe. It has homemade beet chips and an easy tahini dressing. Serve it warm because it tastes so much better.
Get the recipe: Kale Salad
30. Vegan Couscous Salad
This super healthy vegan couscous salad only takes 30 minutes or less to make. An ideal recipe for quick lunch, snack or dinner with friends.
Get the recipe: Vegan Couscous Salad
31. Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad
Hello, my chickpeas! Today’s recipe is bright and vibrant, and makes a wonderful (and colorful) side to any lunch or dinner. Today we are learning how to make my Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad! It’s got so many great veggies, so much crunch, and a delicious peanut dressing to top it off.
Get the recipe: Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad
32. Easy Quinoa Black Bean Salad
This easy quinoa black bean salad is a hearty and refreshing salad that comes together in just 30 minutes! Quinoa and black beans are tossed with fresh vegetables like cucumber, bell pepper and carrot and topped with a zesty chili lime dressing. Perfect for meal prep, potlucks and as a side during grilling season!
Get the recipe: Easy Quinoa Black Bean Salad
33. Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini, Chickpeas & Pearl Couscous
Craving a salad that doesn’t leave you feeling hungry? This hearty Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini, Chickpeas, and pearl Couscous is nourishing and filling – full of veggies and plant protein! It’s also delicious thanks to Middle-Eastern-inspired spices, fresh herbs, and a creamy tahini dressing. This vegan-friendly dish is the perfect healthy lunch or a side dish to add excitement to a simple main course.
Get the recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini, Chickpeas & Pearl Couscous
34. Warm Lentil Salad With Cauliflower
Warm lentil salad with cauliflower is a delicious lightly spiced salad with warming, Mediterranean inspired flavors. The caramelized onions add buttery depths of flavor while the roasted cauliflower adds a slightly smokiness. It all gets tossed together in a zesty lemon dressing lightly flavored with cumin.
Get the recipe: Warm Lentil Salad With Cauliflower
35. Curried Cauliflower Salad with Pearl Couscous & Tahini Dressing
If you are looking for a wholesome, healthy lunch option then this is the perfect salad for you. This mildly spiced roasted curried cauliflower is delicious served with bouncy pearl couscous, lentils, toasted almonds, fresh herbs and a creamy lime-tahini dressing. It would make a delicious lunch option for meal prep or a substantial side dish for a BBQ or potluck dinner.
Get the recipe: Curried Cauliflower Salad with Pearl Couscous & Tahini Dressing
36. Edamame Quinoa Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
This edamame quinoa salad with sesame ginger dressing is flavorful, healthy and so easy to make. I often eat a big bowl of this for lunch or dinner. It’s hearty enough to keep you full!
Get the recipe: Edamame Quinoa Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
37. Easy Vegan Chickpea Tuna Pasta Salad
Creamy, crunchy, savory, and fresh, this easy vegan chickpea tuna pasta salad is everything you’d want in a summer salad. It’s got that rich umami flavor we know and love in a tuna salad, without any real tuna! Confidently tote this vegan pasta salad to your summer barbecues and picnics, and it will be well-received by all.
Get the recipe: Easy Vegan Chickpea Tuna Pasta Salad
38. Vegan Mexican Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing
Delicious vegan Mexican chopped salad with avocado dressing makes the perfect lunch salad or an easy side dish to any Mexican feast. This gluten free salad is packed with fresh veggies, dietary fiber and plant based protein.
Get the recipe: Vegan Mexican Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing
39. Rainbow Chopped Salad with Pink Beet Tahini
Protein-packed, loaded with crunchy vegetables and chickpeas, this vibrant rainbow chopped salad is PERFECT for meal prep or entertaining. Just chop your veggies, mix a quick dressing and pile on top of creamy, dreamy pink beet tahini sauce.
Get the recipe: Rainbow Chopped Salad with Pink Beet Tahini
40. Bulgur Wheat Salad with Tahini Herb Dressing
This easy vegan bulgur wheat salad has all the flavours of a classic Lebanese salad. Make the tahini herb dressing a few days ahead to save time. And serve the salad at room temperature. It is perfect for a packed lunch or picnic salad!
Get the recipe: Bulgur Wheat Salad with Tahini Herb Dressing
41. Kale Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas & Avocado
This delicious kale quinoa salad with chickpeas, avocado, and preserved lemon dressing is the perfect dinner salad or make-ahead work lunch. Top it with more plant-based ingredients to make it your own!
Get the recipe: Kale Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas & Avocado
