Low-Calorie Spring Salad Recipes

Find healthy, delicious low-calorie spring salad recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

White Bean & Veggie Salad

Rating: Unrated
5
This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.
By Katie Webster

Mediterranean Tuna-Spinach Salad

Rating: Unrated
6
This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta and a tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Mediterranean Bento Lunch

Rating: Unrated
2
Travel to the Mediterranean over your lunch break with this healthy bento box idea that combines Greek salad, hummus, pita and more for a satisfying work lunch.
By Holley Grainger, M.S., R.D.N.

Green Salad with Edamame & Beets

Rating: Unrated
3
This big salad is a feast for the eyes and an everyday way to incorporate nutrient-rich beets and plant-based protein from edamame (green soybeans). If you're not a fan of cilantro, mix in freshly chopped basil or dill instead.
By Katie Webster

Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Rating: Unrated
10
Deep-fried falafel can be a total grease bomb. But these pan-seared falafel still get crispy in just a few tablespoons of oil with equally satisfying results. Be sure to use dried, instead of canned, chickpeas in this healthy recipe--canned chickpeas add too much moisture.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Green Salad with Pita Bread & Hummus

Rating: Unrated
3
Elevate hummus and pita by piling your plate high with cucumbers, carrots and mixed greens! Just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil is all it takes to dress it up.
By Katie Webster

Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.
By Katie Webster

Coriander-&-Lemon-Crusted Salmon with Asparagus Salad & Poached Egg

Rating: Unrated
2
Crushed coriander seeds and lemon zest give this quick salmon recipe praiseworthy flavor that pairs beautifully with a shaved asparagus and poached egg salad. Served with a glass of white wine, this healthy recipe makes the ultimate lunch or light dinner.
By Becky Selengut

Warm Pear & Spinach Salad with Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette

Rating: Unrated
2
Mature, larger-leaved spinach holds up better to the warm bacon vinaigrette than baby spinach in this healthy spinach salad recipe. If you don't want the spinach to wilt, let the dressing cool before tossing it with the salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad

Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.
By Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D.

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

Rating: Unrated
2
In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Hummus & Greek Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta top arugula in this quick Greek salad. Served with whole-wheat pita and prepared hummus, it makes a filling, yet healthy lunch.
By Breana Killeen

Inspiration and Ideas

Chicken & Farro Herb Salad

Chicken & Farro Herb Salad

"I'm adding this to my list of favorite salads. Great for work lunch. I used salmon instead of chicken and it was excellent." - nikkichilson
Vegetarian Taco Salad

Vegetarian Taco Salad

See how to make this colorful, zesty vegetarian taco salad. The rice and bean mixture can be made ahead and the salad quickly assembled at mealtime.
Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Spinach & Warm Mushroom Salad

Spinach & Warm Mushroom Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Fresh Fruit Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Fig & Goat Cheese Salad

Fig & Goat Cheese Salad

Rating: Unrated
1

Purple Fruit Salad

Rating: Unrated
2

Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy plums, grapes and berries on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, green and orange) for a fun, crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

All Low-Calorie Spring Salad Recipes

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap

Rating: Unrated
4
This chicken Caesar salad wrap recipe is elevated by the irresistible smoky flavor of grilled chicken and grilled romaine. Whisk together this easy Caesar salad dressing, toss with the grilled chicken and romaine and wrap it all together for a delicious lunch or dinner.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Broccoli, Chickpea & Pomegranate Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Simple steps give this broccoli salad recipe a more nuanced flavor: soaking the onion tempers its bite and toasting the cumin enhances its aroma. Serve alongside grilled chicken, pork or fish.
By Christine Burns Rudalevige

Spinach Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Rating: Unrated
4
This spinach salad tossed with spunky ginger dressing was inspired by the iceberg salads served at Japanese steakhouses across the U.S. Add shrimp for lunch or a light supper.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Asparagus Salad with Eggs & Jambon de Bayonne

Rating: Unrated
1
This impressive-looking asparagus salad recipe is actually very easy to make. After quickly boiling the asparagus, the same water is used to soft-boil the eggs. Piment d'Espelette is a sweet, spicy ground pepper from the Basque region of France. While it's not essential, it does add a subtle kick to the otherwise mellow flavors of this salad. Look for this spice at specialty stores and well-stocked markets--or substitute smoked paprika.
By Seamus Mullen

Tofu Cucumber Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Rating: Unrated
1
Making tofu tastier can be as simple as tossing it in a knockout sauce like this Sichuan-inspired peanut dressing. To make this cucumber salad recipe a meal, add rice noodles and double the dressing. Serve with an extra drizzle of sesame oil and sliced scallions.
By Bruce Aidells

Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple

Rating: Unrated
1
This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils--just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.
By Katie Webster

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

The next time you grill or broil chicken breasts, cook some extra pieces to use in this salad. Or if you prefer, pick up some packaged cooked chicken breast strips or cubes at the grocery store.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Quinoa Cilantro Taco Salad

This super-satisfying salad gets a whole-grain boost from cooked quinoa and crumbled whole-grain crackers.
By Crunchmaster®

Blue Cheese & Spinach Salad

This blue cheese, corn and spinach salad recipe is delicious tossed with a warm bacon-spiked tomato vinaigrette. We love a full-flavored blue cheese like Maytag, but a milder blue cheese is also nice. This spinach salad is great with pizza or as a light side salad.
By Hilary Meyer

Spring Roll Salad

Rating: Unrated
3
All the tastes, color and fun of a spring roll without all the work! This healthy salad recipe is bursting with the colors of rainbow from generous amounts of fresh vegetables, shrimp and whole grains all topped with a peanut dressing for the ultimate satisfying salad.
By Devon O'Brien

Italian White Bean Salad

This Italian white bean salad is healthy and delicious. The capers and rosemary-lemon dressing add wonderful flavor to the cannellini beans and chopped tomato.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Chicken

In this healthy copycat of a takeout salad favorite we combine precooked (or leftover) chicken and poppy seed dressing with fresh greens, strawberries and goat cheese for an easy throw-together meal that's ready in 10 minutes.
By Joy Howard

Broccoli, Ham & Pasta Salad

Rating: Unrated
7
A great make-ahead entree, this lightened-up pasta salad is loaded with broccoli and peppers. Smoky ham and sweet raisins give it plenty of punch. Enjoy the leftovers for a fuss-free lunch. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Seven-Layer Salad

Rating: Unrated
19
This makeover of a Midwestern classic tops layers of lettuce, peas, bell pepper and tomatoes with a creamy, tangy dressing. The salad stays fresh underneath until it's served and gets even better when held overnight.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baby Kale Breakfast Salad with Quinoa & Strawberries

Rating: Unrated
1
Fruit, whole grains and greens for breakfast? Yes! Start your day off right with this breakfast salad recipe and you'll knock out half of your daily veggie quota with the first meal of the day.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spinach Salad with Steak & Blueberries

Rating: Unrated
14
Combine steak, walnuts, blueberries and feta cheese in this simple salad and you have yourself a healthy and satisfying supper. Serve with grilled baguette and a glass of rosé.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemony Lentil Salad with Salmon

Rating: Unrated
13
Salmon and lentils are a familiar combo in French bistro cooking; here they combine in a quick and easy salad. For the best presentation, flake the salmon with a fork, then stir gently into the salad to keep it in chunks, not tiny bits.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Classic Cobb Mason Jar Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Pack classic Cobb salad upside down in a mason jar for a healthy lunch that won't get soggy while sitting in the fridge all morning. Or pack it up the night before for an easy grab-and-go lunch in the morning.
By Holley Grainger, M.S., R.D.N.

Super-Green Edamame Salad

Rating: Unrated
3
Avocado, fresh chives and spinach are blended right into the creamy, bright-green dressing in this healthy edamame salad recipe. Pink beans are popular in the Caribbean, but you can substitute pinto beans or light red kidney beans if you can't find them.
By Katie Webster

Spinach & Beet Salad with Chicken

Rating: Unrated
3
Real maple syrup--not the “maple-flavored” fakes that line the supermarket shelves--is the key to the richly flavored dressing on this elegant salad. In this case, the darker the syrup the better; choose Grade B syrup if it's available, or the darkest “Grade A” that you can find.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Loaded Spinach Salad

Rating: Unrated
9
Like many spinach salads, this one features lots of chopped-up hard-boiled egg. But since most of the calories in an egg are in the yolk, this recipe uses just two whole eggs, plus the whites from six additional eggs, for a satisfying spinach salad that keeps the calories in check.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pizza Lettuce Wraps

Rating: Unrated
1
Go light and fresh when you're craving pizza: these easy lettuce wraps have all the taste with fewer carbs and calories.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Leafy Green Salad

This simple green salad is made with romaine lettuce and baby spinach and can be thrown together in minutes to round out any meal.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Spring Pea Salad with Strawberries

Rating: Unrated
1
As delicious as it is beautiful, this spring pea salad recipe is a potluck or dinner party stunner. Assemble the salad and dress just before serving--or serve the dressing next to the salad for people to drizzle. The tangy champagne vinaigrette balances the grassy sweetness of the peas and fruity pop of the berries.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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