Summer Salads Mega-List: 20 Salads That Are Almost Too Gorgeous to Eat

For me, summer means salads that are exploding with ripe, delicious produce, but especially with fruit: all the berries, peaches for sure, watermelon and cantaloupe and honeydew? Yes, yes, and yes. And let’s not forget about tomatoes; come August, they are all I want to eat. So it seemed fitting that, as the season gets started in earnest (Hello, Day 3!), we round up our favorite summer salads.

These summer salads are so stunning, you won’t want to keep them to yourself. They are 100% made-for-Instagram, an invitation to have friends over, and almost too gorgeous to eat — almost.

Photo Credit: Recipe Runner

Peach Salads

Peaches add just the right amount of sweetness to all manner of salads. They pair beautifully with herbs like mint and basil, creamy cheeses, and toasted nuts. And we also love the simplicity of peaches served with basil, thin slices of red onion, a squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil.

• Peach Tomato Caprese Salad from Recipe Runner
• Summer Peach Spinach Salad with Avocado, Toasted Almonds + Goat Cheese from Ambitious Kitchen
• Grilled Peach Salad & Mint Pesto from Love & Lemons
• Peach, Feta & Pecan Salad from Green Valley Kitchen
• Peaches, Basil, and Red Onion from Martha Stewart

Photo Credit: Minimalist Baker

Melon Salads

There’s something about melon and savory flavors; it just works, whether it’s honeydew and fish sauce (trust us!) or pretty much any melon with mint, lime, and/or feta cheese.

• Summer Tomato & Cantaloupe Salad from Minimalist Baker
• Mexican Watermelon Salad from Nom Nom Paleo
• Honeydew Salad with Ginger Dressing and Peanuts from Bon Appetit
• Watermelon Salad with Feta and Cucumber from Dinner at the Zoo
• Cantaloupe Salad with Mint, Lime and Pepitas from Feasting at Home

Photo Credit: Real + Vibrant

Berry Salads

Choose your favorite berry and add it to virtually any salad and you’ll have a salad that tastes a little bit more delightful. Or choose a few different berries and make them the star of the show. And here’s another option: Turn them into a fresh and summery vinaigrette. Whatever you decide, you can’t go wrong.

• Strawberry Arugula Salad from Real + Vibrant
• Chicken, Arugula, and Blueberry Salad with Honey-Shallot Vinaigrette
• Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad from Modern Proper
• Berry Spinach Salad from Downshiftology
• Raspberry Vinaigrette from Rachel Cooks

Photo Credit: Cooking Classy

Tomato Salads

In August, you can — and should — eat tomatoes sliced and salted, straight from the cutting board. You should put them on sandwiches, and turn them into fresh tomato sauces for light summer pastas. And, of course, you should make all the tomato salads. From a super-simple tomato salad to a chopped Caprese salad, here are the ones we’re bookmarking.

• Tomato Salad from Cooking Classy
• The Best Tomato Salad from Kitchn
• Easy Chopped Avocado Caprese Salad From Wholesome Yum
• Cucumber Tomato Salad from Spend with Pennies
• Tomato Salad with Feta and Pistachios from Bon Appetit