14 easy vegan salad recipes that are packed with flavor

Do you think salad has to be boring? These flavor-packed, easy vegan salad recipes beg to differ! They're easy to make and will have you reaching for seconds.

Table of Contents

• There's salad, and then there's SALAD
• Crafting your dream salad
• Easy vegan salads
• Crunchy Kale Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Macadamia Nuts
• Superfood Vegan Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
• Seaweed Salad with Veggies and Crispy Tofu
• Strawberry Spinach Salad with Maple-Balsamic Tofu
• Quinoa salad with cranberries and citrus dressing recipe
• Warm Brussels Sprout Salad
• Easy Vegan Israeli Couscous Salad Recipe with Creamy Avocado Dressing
• Breakfast Kale Salad with Creamy Cashew-Carrot Sauce
• Basil Curried Couscous Salad with Sheet Pan Vegetables
• Vegan Taco Salad with Chimichurri Dressing
• Easy Tofu Banh Mi Salad
• Warm Romaine Salad with BBQ Tofu & Tahini Ranch
• Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Garlic Almond "Croutons"
• Vegan Waldorf Salad

There's salad, and then there's SALAD

There's a misconception out there that vegans mostly live on salads, and that couldn't be more untrue. I have been vegan for more than 14 years, and I promise that if this were a strictly salad-base life, I wouldn't have made it this far.

But y'all, do you ever just crave a good salad?

When I say "a good salad," I mean more than a pile of leaves in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon. A good salad is fully loaded and packed with flavor.

The vegan salads here are good salads.

Crafting your dream salad

I'll tell you a secret: a good salad is all about the dressing and the toppings.

The base

To build the salad of your dreams, start with whatever greens you want. Lettuce, massaged kale, spinach or arugula are all good places to start. You can also start with a mix of salad greens.

From there, add a mix of raw veggies, cooked veggies, and whole grains like:

• roasted broccoli
• chopped green onions
• diced carrot
• sweet corn
• steamed sweet potato
• steamed thin-skinned potato (like red potatoes)
• bell pepper
• cucumber
• sun dried tomato
• quinoa
• rice
• barley
• Israeli couscous
• wheat berries
• kamut

and so on in that fashion.

The toppings

Once you have your veggies in order, the important part begins. Mix and match crunchy, chewy, and fatty toppings for a truly satisfying salad. Here are some topping ideas:

• dried fruit (cut into bite-sized pieces, if needed)
• toasted coconut
• sliced avocado
• roasted nuts or seeds
• raw or cooked mushrooms
• vegan cheese
• pickled veggies
• pickled fruit
• beans
• tofu
• tempeh
• seitan

The dressing

Sure, you can do a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of oil and vinegar, but if you want to really up your salad game, get fancy.

The key is to find a dressing that's deliciously decadent but also quick and easy to make. I have a great list of simple vegan salad dressings right here. These are some of the highlights:

• Ginger Cranberry Dressing
• Magical Tahini Dressing
• Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
• Oil-Free Vegan Thousand Island Salad Dressing
• Creamy Vegan Jalapeno Dressing

Check out the post linked above for the full list. Your salads will never be boring again!

Easy vegan salads

Of course, sometimes, it's nice to have a recipe to follow. A sure thing, so you know the results will be delicious. Don't worry. These easy vegan salad recipes deliver.