Simple Christmas salads ideas for all diets

Christmas salads are important to include on the Christmas dinner table because they can be used as a side dish or even as an appetizer. They can also be used as a full meal if you include some other ingredients in the salad.

The first thing that you need to do when you want to make the best Christmas salad is to decide what vegetables you want to use. You will typically want to use vegetables that have flavours that compliment each other. Some examples of vegetables that work well together in salads are green beans, carrots, and mushrooms. 

You will also need some kind of dressing for your salad because it will help bring all of the flavours together and make your salads for Christmas taste better. One of the most popular dressings for Christmas salads is ranch drxessing because it compliments so many different types of vegetables and makes them taste delicious.
Here are our best Christmas salad recipes.

Easy Christmas salad ideas

Even though salad may not come to mind when you think of Christmas dinner, you should include it on your menu. These lovely Christmas salads may alter the way you approach preparing the holiday meal. Christmas summer salad ideas are ideal for any family dinner, whether you start with a crisp arugula salad or serve a filling Brussels sprouts salad alongside your Christmas roast. A Christmas salad to start your holiday feast also feels refreshing after all the heavier foods and indulgent Christmas desserts this time of year.

Asian Salmon Salad

Asian salmon salad is a feel-good salad. It’s light, bright, and spicy, making you feel refreshed and full easily. Your Christmas dinner guests will love the combination of flavours it has. Serve it with Christmas potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or coconut rice if you want to add a starch or carbs to the menu. 

Steak and bacon salad

In this traditional steak and bacon salad recipe, crumbled blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, watercress or arugula, romaine hearts, and crispy bacon combine with cold grilled steak to give you a hearty salad your guests will thoroughly enjoy.

Shrimp and greens salad

If you love seafood, this shrimp and greens salad will be tantalising. Paired with avocado and yoghurt dressing, it makes for a refreshing salad for Christmas indeed. If you want it a bit sweet, add mango slices instead of avocado, and sprinkle some dill to complete a perfect starter for a Christmas summer salad.

Chicken and greens salad

This is a perfect start to your Christmas dinner. You can actually enjoy it as the main meal itself, especially if you are watching your weight. Use this Tahini salad dressing to make it perfect.  It will also pair nicely with a good cocktail and also allow you to indulge in some dessert. 

Avocado-chickpea salad with Halibut

Once again, a recipe for seafood lovers. Halibut sits atop of this Christmas salad, making it more healthy. It is a type of fish that has a high-quality protein content, as well as magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, and vitamins B3, B6 and B12.  The salad is quite easy to prepare and it doesn’t take much of your time. 

Pumpkin and chickpea salad with feta cheese

If you want a nutritious salad, this is one of those. It will make a delicious Christmas salad that you can serve as a side to a pork roast or glazed ham. It’s also a make-ahead Christmas salad that can keep well overnight, if need be, to save you time on the day of the Christmas dinner.

Easy and quick lamb salad

This mixture of lamb, eggs, peas and carrots makes a nutrient-rich salad. It can be easily served as a main meal, especially catering to those who want no carbs for Christmas. 

Healthy and delicious pasta salad

Pasta salads are versatile in that you can mix in different fruits and vegetables to make a delicious Christmas salad.  Try this one with turkey, tuna, eggs, bell peppers and semi-cured cheese.

Australian silverbeet, lentil and feta salad with barramundi

Barramundi fish a.k.a. Asian sea bass, has a sweet, mild flavour to it. Add it to silverbeet or Swiss Chard and walnuts, you get a wholesome crunchy salad.

Thai beef noodle salad

Another salad that’s a meal on its own. It is an authentic Thai cuisine - something that will impress your Christmas dinner guests, especially if you have Thai people or Asian people among them. You can easily have a Thai-themed dinner party by adding Thai green curry, Thai roast chicken with spicy sauce, and Thai pork larb. 

Vegan Christmas salads

Vegan salad recipes are becoming more popular in today's society. This is because people are becoming more aware of the health benefits of eating a vegan diet. Some people, however, find it difficult to think up new vegan recipes and get stuck in a rut of eating the same thing over and over again. This section provides you with some healthy and easy vegan salads to help you break out of your rut for this year’s Christmas eve dinner.

Spicy jicama, grapefruit and mango salad

Healthy, refreshing and tangy, this Christmas salad idea will leave your tastebuds begging for more. And because it’s a salad, you can eat as much as you want or have it with a meal like kimchi.

Cucumber and onion salad

With only a few ingredients, this cucumber salad recipe comes together quickly. Cucumber and onion salad is light and tangy, and as a side salad, it goes well with chicken, grilled meat, seafood, and many other dishes. 

Mixed green salad

This is the perfect salad for fitness lovers because it is invigorating. It goes really well with pasta too. For extra flavour, add garlic salt instead of regular salt. 

Healthy mango and carrot salad

Did you ever think mango and carrot will make a good combination in a salad? Well, add spinach, lettuce, and some rocket, and you have yourself a Christmas salad bursting with flavour. This salad is a good addition to your menu, moreso if you are also planning Christmas for kids.

Healthy cucumber and mint salad

For a quick, light, healthy salad, this is your best bet. It works really well especially when you’ve run out of ingredients. Preparing a feast for many can leave you with limited resources after you have whipped up many dishes for Christmas dinner. So go for it - it will still impress. 

Authentic Lebanese fatoosh salad

This salad is recommended for weight-loss programs, so with the usual Christmas feasting, it’ll delight many people around your table. It has a good combination of vegetables that make a good starter as their combination helps to speed up metabolism.

The best pumpkin salad

It’s easy to make, very tasty and highly nutritious. The taste of pumpkin and avocado coming together is amazing. Try it and also serve Christmas cocktails alongside; your Christmas dinner guests will thank you.  

Grilled watermelon, feta and mint salad

This almost sounds like a cocktail or a great healthy juice right? You will get that same refreshing feeling after eating this Christmas salad.

Spinach, pumpkin and couscous

Some people add feta cheese to this salad, but you can skip it. Spinach is chock-full of iron, fiber, vitamins A,C, K, folate and potassium. On the other hand, pumpkin has antioxidants, minerals and vitamins A, B1, B6 and C. Couscous will give you the carbohydrates.

Pumpkin and pine nut salad

Adding pine nuts to your salad will give you an extra boost of energy due to their iron, magnesium and protein content. So, this is a good salad to eat if you have a long night ahead of you at the Christmas dinner party.