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Drinking enough water each day is key for your overall health, but what if you’re looking for other ways to stay hydrated? These summer salads could help. Our flavorful recipes feature hydrating ingredients like tomatoes, watermelon and tuna that have high water content and could make a difference in your daily intake. Try fresh bites like our High-Protein Creamy Cucumber Salad or our Watermelon & Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette for a delicious way to stay healthy this season.
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High-Protein Creamy Cucumber Salad
Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist Hannah Grennwood.
This high-protein cucumber salad features cottage cheese as its creamy base, replacing the traditional mayonnaise or sour cream. Crisp cucumber slices are folded into the mix for a light yet satisfying texture packed with protein. This salad makes a perfect cooling side dish for summer meals.
Cucumber, Tomato & Avocado Salad with Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette
Ali Redmond
Crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes and creamy avocado create a delicious contrast in this easy salad. Tossed with a zesty lemon-shallot vinaigrette, this salad is bright, tangy and perfectly balanced. It’s best served right away, as the cucumbers tend to release water over time, which can dilute the vinaigrette.
Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Salad
Here’s a healthy salad recipe to make at the height of summer when watermelon and cucumbers are at their juiciest and most flavorful. Feta adds the perfect creamy, salty, tangy edge, and mint makes this salad taste even brighter. This is one easy side salad you’ll want to serve at all your summer BBQs.
Cucumber, Tomato & Feta Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
This Greek-inspired tomato salad is packed with fresh veggies and flavor-boosting ingredients, like balsamic vinegar, Kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese. This delicious salad takes just 15 minutes to make, and while you could eat it right away, it tastes even better the longer it sits, so plan to leave at least an hour of marinating time before serving.
Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Spicy baby arugula complements crisp Persian cucumbers and celery in this refreshing salad. Italian Castelvetrano olives offer a mild, buttery flavor that doesn’t compete with the flavor of the tuna. If you want more punch from your olives, Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives work well too.
Chopped Power Salad with Chicken
Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek
Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.
Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer’s best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary.
Watermelon & Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Ali Redmond
In this watermelon and goat cheese salad, the contrasting flavors and textures of crisp, sweet melon and creamy, tangy goat cheese are magical partners. Top with sliced grilled chicken to make it a meal.
Crunchy Chopped Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This chickpea-cabbage salad features carrots and cucumbers, giving it a quartet of ingredients that all begin with the letter “C”! This chopped salad is loaded with fiber and prebiotic chickpeas, promoting a healthy gut. Green cabbage keeps the color vibrant and fresh, though red cabbage works just as well.
Cucumber Chickpea Salad with Feta & Lemon
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Annie Probst
This cucumber chickpea salad with feta and lemon is tangy and refreshing. You can enjoy it on its own or toss it with greens for an easy lunch or dinner.
Cucumber-Blueberry Spinach Salad
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
This spinach-blueberry salad has the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors, complemented by refreshing cucumber slices and creamy goat cheese. Champagne vinegar adds a mild, delicate touch that pairs beautifully with summer fruit. You can use white-wine vinegar instead; simply reduce the amount by a teaspoon to maintain the balance of flavors, as it has a sharper taste.
Carrot-Cucumber Salad
Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Annie Probst Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
Carrot salads are refreshing, and this one—with cucumber, red onion and a zesty cilantro-chile vinaigrette—is sure to become a new favorite. It’s excellent served with grilled fish.
Chickpea Tuna Salad
This chickpea tuna salad with capers, feta and cucumber makes for the perfect lunch to pack for work or school. You can prep the salad the night before (just be sure to keep the spinach separate and dress the salad right before serving).
Apple-Cranberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese
The tangy-sweet dressing in this spinach salad beautifully amplifies the apples and cranberries—and the creamy goat cheese transforms it into the perfect salad.
Tomato, Watermelon & Avocado Salad
Enjoy this refreshing healthy salad recipe as a side dish or dice the tomatoes, watermelon and avocado smaller (1/2- to 1/4-inch pieces) and serve as a condiment for grilled fish, shrimp or chicken.