20 Lettuce-Free Salads

A bowl of romaine or iceberg is basically a bowl of crunchy water. Salads built on these leaves can get monotonous, with most of the flavor coming from dressings and toppings. But swap out the lettuce for in-season produce and you’ll up the flavor and texture, creating a much more complex salad.

Here are our favorite ways to embrace no-lettuce salads, from spicy shaved carrots and minty charred snap peas, to lemony ribbons of fresh zucchini.

Charred Snap Peas with Radishes, Mint and Lemon

Peas and mint are a classic combination. Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis, chef/owners of Bestia restaurant in Los Angeles, opt for sweet, crisp sugar snap peas instead of English peas, and finish them with a generous amount of fresh mint. We do the same, but also add sliced radishes for peppery notes and vibrant color, as well as a dose of lemon juice to perk up the flavors.

Smashed Cucumber Salad with Peanuts, Scallions and Cilantro

This refreshing, boldly textured and flavored salad is from the Yunnan province in southern China, which explains why the flavor profile mirrors that of Southeast Asian cooking. Salting the cucumbers draws out excess moisture, preventing it from diluting the other flavors, and leaves you with a light, crunchy salad.

Zucchini and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Yogurt

With raw zucchini, earthy chickpeas, nutty tahini and creamy yogurt, the dish is both fresh and hearty, light and rich. If you’re shopping for za’atar, also look for sumac, its tart flavor and deep-red hue are a nice, though optional, accent for the salad. For eye-catching presentation, we spoon the yogurt mixture in the center of a serving platter, then surround it with the zucchini-chickpea mix.

Spicy “Korean-Style” Shaved Carrot Salad

It would be a mistake not to include our version inspired by koreyskaya morkovka, originating with ethnic Koreans in Russia. It’s a spicy, garlicky, tangy-sweet, slaw-like affair. To give the dish more substance, we shaved the carrots into long, thin ribbons and turned it into a shaved carrot salad. Then we pour a hot dressing mixture over the ribbons and let the salad marinate for at least 1 hour (or up to three days). This slightly softens the carrots and allows them to absorb the seasonings.

Quinoa Salad with Pineapple, Cilantro and Lime

This quinoa salad combines tropical fruit, citrusy lime and spicy fresh chilies. We dry-toast the quinoa to give it fragrant, nutty notes, and dress it while warm to help it absorb flavor. To tame the onion’s bite, we steep the slices in lime juice while the quinoa cooks. If mango is more to your liking, use an equal amount in place of the pineapple.

Crispy Chickpea, Cucumber and Mint Salad

A type of savory street snack popular in South Asia, chaat comes in many varieties. They all feature a mix of contrasting flavors and textures, from sweet, tart and spicy to creamy and crunchy. Chickpeas fried in oil and seasoned with curry powder bring a layer of deliciousness to this chaat-inspired salad.

Shaved Zucchini and Herb Salad with Parmesan

We adopt the Italian technique of slicing raw zucchini into thin ribbons for this vibrant salad. The zucchini really shines, balanced with the clean, sharp flavors of a lemony dressing along with Parmesan and hazelnuts. The hazelnuts—or almonds, if that's what you have on hand—gave the salad crunch and a slightly buttery note.

Black-Eyed Pea and Tomato Salad

This simple salad of earthy-sweet black-eyed peas, crisp vegetables and fragrant herbs stars a smooth, rich, garlicky dressing. We simmer a whole head of garlic with the beans, softening and mellowing its flavor, to make the dressing, and we add it to the black-eyed peas while they’re still warm, allowing them to absorb ample flavor as they cool.

Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill

To create this creamy, crunchy, cool and refreshing dish we looked to the Polish salad known as mizeria, which features cucumbers, sour cream, dill and sometimes red onion. Though it’s not traditional, we also added prepared horseradish for a spicy kick. Be sure to salt the cucumbers, then squeeze to produce a crisp texture and a drier surface to which the dressing and seasonings can adhere.

Chili-Lime Pineapple and Honeydew Salad

This salad takes inspiration from vasos de fruta, a Mexican street snack of fresh fruits, seasoned with lime and chili and served in cups. In our mix, pineapple provides a hearty texture and tart, tropical flavor, while honeydew melon offers juicy sweetness. Jicama, radish and cucumber bring a range of textures and colors to the mix.

Beet and Carrot Salad with Horseradish and Dill

Shredded red beets and carrots tossed with lemon juice, horseradish and a good measure of fresh dill make a salad that’s vibrant in both flavor and color. The beets do not need to be peeled before shredding, but do scrub them well, then pat them completely dry. Shred the carrots before the beets so the carrots aren't stained by the beets.

Cucumber Salad with Peanuts and Cumin-Mustard Tarka

This light and refreshing salad is a summer staple in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It features tarka, a mixture of spices and/or aromatics that have been bloomed in fat. When heated, the cumin and mustard seeds release essential oils, adding layered earthy notes and pops of texture to the finished dish.

Farro and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Manchego

Farro boasts a wonderfully tender-chewy texture that pairs well with tangy-sweet raisins and earthy Brussels sprouts. We toast the farro in a little olive oil to bring out its nutty taste. While the grains simmer in water, we soak raisins and chopped onion in vinegar to soften and plump the fruit and mellow the onion’s bite.

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

This dish takes inspiration from salatit el-batinjan, a Middle Eastern tomato-eggplant salad. We cut the eggplant into small cubes and salt them to expel bitterness, then roast them in a high-heat oven. This yields bite-size eggplant pieces with caramelized exteriors and creamy centers. Cocktail tomatoes are dependably tasty, no matter the season and we love the pops of color and texture added by pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Lentil Salad with Tahini, Almonds and Pomegranate Molasses

A lentil salad bursting with flavor, texture, and zingy flavor. This is our Middle Eastern-inspired lentil salad, rich with creamy tahini, sweet-tart pomegranate molasses, and smoky spices. Crunchy almonds play off the softness of the lentils, lemon adds a cut of brightness, and spice cabinet staples like smoked paprika or cumin work beautifully to enhance the earthiness of the lentils.

Mango Salad with Toasted Coconut and Cashews

This bright, tropical salad gets a zingy boost from red onion pickled quickly in lime juice. Combined with ripe, juicy mangoes, the result is a balanced tangle of tangy and sweet flavors, as well as contrasting soft and crisp textures. Toasted coconut and cashews contribute crunch, while mint adds cool, fresh notes.

Georgian Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Walnuts

In Georgia (the country, not the state), walnuts aren’t just in salad dressings, they are the salad dressing. Crushed and tossed with tomatoes and cucumbers, the nuts create a creamy-savory dressing that adds as much texture as flavor. We salt the tomatoes and cucumbers to enhance their flavor, and we toss slices of red onion in vinegar to soften their bite.

Shaved Carrot and Parsnip Salad with Gingery Hazelnuts

Shaving carrots and parsnips into ribbons transforms the fibrous root vegetables into a tender, sweet salad base. The long, thin strips have ample surface area to soak up flavors and support contrasting ingredients, such as crunchy chopped nuts. Briefly microwaving the ribbons makes quick work of tenderizing them and opens up the vegetables’ cell structure so they readily take in seasonings.

Tomato, Bread and Chorizo Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Think of this as a mashup of panzanella, or Italian bread salad, and Spanish migas, which combines toasted stale bread and chorizo. Tossing the prepped tomatoes with a little salt and sugar slightly softens them while drawing out some of their juices, which help soften and flavor the bread. Sourdough works especially well, but any loaf with a chewy, sturdy crumb does nicely.

Antipasto-Style Zucchini and Cauliflower Salad

Stop steaming your cauliflower! Thinly sliced and boldly marinated, it’s amazing raw in this salad inspired by Italian antipasto. The cauliflower brings crisp texture as well as a subtle sweetness that combines well with thinly sliced raw zucchini. For a little spiciness, use salami that packs some heat, such as Calabrese, sopressata or even pepperoni.

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