Spring Salad

This Spring Salad is light, fresh, and vibrant. It is packed with fresh seasonal vegetables, briny feta cheese, and protein-packed chickpeas, all tossed together in a tangy homemade honey balsamic dressing. This salad is the perfect companion to just about any entree you’ll make this season.

This spring salad recipe is simple but delivers incredible flavor. Chop the veggies, make the dressing, toss the ingredients, and serve! This salad is great for a healthy lunch or potluck, or as a side dish for dinner this spring. You’ll likely make this salad on repeat over and over!

Why You'll Love this Spring Salad

• Packed with vegetables. This healthy spring salad is loaded with in-season ingredients like radishes, red onion, peas, and cucumber for a crisp, fresh feel and wholesome meal. It's packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and is low in calories and fat.
• Delicious and flavorful. This spring salad is bursting with fresh, bright flavors and textures. The combination of crisp greens, crunchy veggies, and tangy dressing is simply irresistible. Plus, you can customize it with your favorite ingredients to make it even more delicious.
• Less than 15 minute prep. When you’re short on time, count on this spring salad to save the day! Even though it’s packed with fresh ingredients, it takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish to get this salad tableside — and even faster if you chop up the veggies quickly.
• Tangy homemade dressing. What makes this salad especially tasty is the honey balsamic dressing that you’ll make from scratch with just 5 ingredients (plus salt and pepper). You can use this simple-yet-delicious dressing beyond this salad, too!
• Perfect for any occasion. Whether you're hosting a dinner party, bringing a dish to a potluck, or just need a quick and easy lunch or dinner, this spring salad is the perfect choice. It's versatile, colorful, and always a crowd-pleaser.

Ingredient Notes

To make this quick and easy Spring Salad, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• balsamic vinegar - if you don’t have balsamic, use the next best thing, like red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• olive oil
• lemon juice - fresh squeezed lemon juice is the best for flavor, but you can use lemon juice from concentrate if that’s what you have on hand.
• honey - you can also use an equal measure of maple syrup or agave nectar in place of the honey.
• spring mix - spring mix has the perfect texture and earthy flavor for this salad, but you can use whatever salad greens you have. Try arugula, romaine lettuce, spinach, or kale.
• English cucumber - Persian cucumbers or greenhouse cucumbers are also a good swap.
• radishes - this recipe calls for regular red radishes, but you can use your favorite variety.
• red onion - if you don’t have red onion, you can use thinly sliced shallots or yellow onion.
• avocado - if you’re not a fan of avocados, you can omit them from the salad.
• canned chickpeas - you can also cook your own chickpeas. Use ¾ cup dry chickpeas if making your own. Note that you will need to soak them overnight before cooking, so plan ahead.
• green peas - you can use cooked fresh peas, drained canned peas, or thawed frozen peas.
• feta cheese - if you’re not a fan of feta, you can use crumbled goat cheese, crumbled blue cheese, or your favorite shredded cheese instead.
• salt and pepper

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, and a large serving plate.

How to Make the Best Spring Salad

1. Assemble the salad. Combine the spring mix greens, cucumber, radishes, onion, avocado, chickpeas, and green peas in a large serving plate. Top with feta cheese.

2. Make the vinaigrette dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth.

3. Serve. Serve with the dressing on the side or drizzle over the salad and toss well. Serve immediately.

How to Serve

This spring salad is the perfect side to serve at gatherings as the weather warms up. Serve it at a picnic or cookout alongside usual fair-weather favorites like pasta salad, grilled veggie skewers, and your usual entree.

Some of our favorite recipes to serve with this salad are:

• Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Pesto Penne Pasta
• Chicken Salad Sandwich
• Spinach and Feta Quiche with Cauliflower Crust
• Salmon Burgers
• Shrimp Alfredo
• Pita Grilled Cheese

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Transfer leftover spring salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can store the dry salad and dressing separately to prevent the leftovers from getting soggy.

How to Freeze

It’s not recommended to freeze salad because the texture of the greens and some of the toppings won’t fare well when thawed, but you can freeze the dressing in an airtight container (with some room to expand) for up to 3 months.

More Salad Recipes

• 40 Best Salad Recipes
• Kale Caesar Salad
• Chickpea Greek Salad
• Strawberry Avocado Salad
• Garden Salad
• White Bean Salad

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