How to Make Salads that *DON'T* Suck 🥗

15 creative tips that will have you eating more vegetables and actually enjoying it!

Salads are kind of like going to the gym. It doesn’t sound great at first. It’s hard to get excited about it. But once you get started it’s actually sorta wonderful, ya know?

But all salads are not created equal, and some salads definitely suck.

Leaving diet culture made me realize that the thing I didn’t like about salads was largely what diet culture had done to them: removed the flavor and the fat and left us with a sad bowl of lettuce and some rubbery chicken.

Salads are an amazing way to get a perfect combination of protein, fiber, carbs, and healthy fats while eating colorfully (so many vitamins and minerals)! And, for the most part, salads are easy and fast to make. Considering most of us have airfryers and access to pre-made salad kits — salads can be a simple, 5-10 minute meal.

So, here are 15 unique tips for building salads that are nutritious, well-proportioned, and most importantly…delicious! + See the bottom for a free digital cheat sheet with all my tips in one place!

HOW TO MAKE SALADS THAT DON’T SUCK

1. Season your ingredients. If you’d put salt and pepper on it if eating it by itself, season it before tossing it into your salad. Shake tomatoes or cucumbers in sea salt and pepper, or put a squeeze of citrus over your avocado, for example.

2. Use multiple types of greens. Spinach is a great base, but mix in some romaine hearts, arugula, cilantro, basil or any leafy greens you like! Hiding finely chopped greens into the base of your salad is a great way to get bursts of flavor. And don’t fear “iceburg lettuce”. Diet culture has told us it’s “low in nutrients”, but fails to mention that it has the highest water content and is wonderfully hydrating.

3. Season your greens! Remember how we were just talking about fresh herbs? Okay well those are hard to keep on hand, so try keeping dried cilantro, dill, or basil on hand and while your greens are still a bit damp shake them in the dried herbs with a touch of salt and pepper. A great trick here is to have a spray bottle filled with water and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Lightly spritz your greens before shaking them with seasoning or herbs.

4. Pay attention to proportions. We tend to put way more greens than we actually need, which can make each bite of the salad much more boring. The perfect salad will provide bites that are each perfectly proportioned bites of your greens, protein, dressing + other good things.

5. Don’t fear spicy ingredients. Add chopped radishes. Jalapenos or other hot peppers, nuts seasoned with chili pepper, or even a bit of sriracha or horseradish in your dressing.

6. Don’t forget the cheese, please! And I don’t mean only shredded cheddar. Get creative with some flaked parmesan, feta, halloumi, or goat cheese! I’m a firm believer that goat cheese goes well with everything, but it’s particularly magical when paired with roasted beets or dried cranberries.

7. Try a different base. I know, when you think about salad you instantly think “lettuce” or “spinach”, but try putting your ingredients over some roasted cauliflower, mixing them with fresh snap peas, or using a different green like fennel or cabbage (did you know that massaging cabbage with salt will soften it for the perfect salad?).

8. Add fruit, you silly goose! It’s amazing what some sliced apples, cubed pineapple, mandarin oranges or dried berries can do for a salad. Just trust me on this one.

9. Explore protein options. There’s nothing wrong with chicken, but it doesn’t have to be mandatory for every salad you make. Try salmon (I love buying smoked fillets!), halloumi cheese (a good source of vegetarian protein), eggs (poached, hard boiled, fried!), steak, or beans! And don’t skimp on it — choosing two or more sources of protein will just make your salad more interesting.

10. Add pasta. Thank you, Europe, for teaching me this! There’s no reason not to add some great carbs to your salad. My favorite addition is wheat penne! But you can also do quinoa, couscous, croutons, or a slice of toast or cheese bread (ahh!) on the side.

11. Put it over a sauce. Try shmearing your plate with hummus, tzatziki, or pesto and building the salad on top of it. Looks *so fancy* and adds a little zip to each bite.

12. Counter your flavors. The ingredients you add should bring a contrast in either flavor or texture: if it’s mostly crunchy, add something soft. If it is on the sweeter side, add something salty or bitter. If it’s on the rich side, use acid to even it out.

13. Go nuts! When it comes to adding some crunch, try to think beyond the crouton. Nuts and seeds are an obvious answer here (candied walnuts are like…the literal best salad ingredient ever), but you can also try things like fried shallots, fried garlic, fried onions, and so on.

14. Make your own dressing. All you need to know about dressing is this basic recipe: 2 parts oil + 1 part vinegar = dressing. If you like it more oily skew towards more oil (opposite if you like it more acidic). You can also mix up or combine your vinegar (balsamic vinegar will be sweeter, apple cider vinegar will be more acidic, but you can also try wine vinegar, rice vinegar, etc). Oil and vinegar will obviously separate, so you can give it a good shake before applying it OR you can add an emulsifier so that it can be whipped into a consistent dressing. Mustard, honey, and/or a squeeze of citrus are going to be the most popular options. From there you can add things like garlic, ginger, horseradish, yogurt, mayo, hot sauce, sriracha, maple syrup, salt, pepper, herbs, soy sauce (or liquid aminos), seeds, etc. Play around with proportions but just shake all that shiz together in a jar and ta-da! You’re a chef now. I promise it’s easy and you are going to make some combinations that you love. If you feel overwhelmed you can also try these Dressing Shakers that have recipes marked out right on the jar.

15. Get into Jam Jar Dressings! You know when you get to the very bottom of a jar of jam, or jelly, or even mustard and there’s just not quite enough for a good piece of toast?! Try making Jam Jar Dressing by simply adding some vinegar, olive oil, honey (or maple syrup) and giving the jar a good shake to quickly make a single serving of vinaigrette.

Want all these tips in a handy PDF that you can print + pull out the next time you have a drawer full of produce?! Grab it below if you’re a paying subscriber: