Build your own salad bar at home and let everyone assemble their perfect salad with their favorite ingredients. This is an easy, practical choice for entertaining and you can use the leftovers for meal prep lunches!

I use this same “build your own meal” concept for my Chipotle Burrito Bowls and it’s been exceptionally popular with my family and readers alike.

When you’re feeding people of different ages with different tastes or food allergies, a make at home salad bar is a sure-fire way to be sure that everyone is happy. I starting creating salad bar dinners ages ago because even within our 6-person family, there were a variety of ingredients that some loved and others despised.

I’ve carried this tradition through time and now I make these fun salad bars for our adult kids when they’re all in town. This is not just a summer recipe, salad bar nights are a year round event in our house.

Salad Bar Ingredients

You can include any ingredients you love in your salads. Customize it to your liking! The recipe included in this post includes the items I use most frequently that are shown below.

Salad Greens: I usually use a combination of a chopped romaine lettuce combined with a couple of handfuls of mixed baby greens. You can use any type of greens you love or that you need to use up. Kale, baby spinach, arugula, even bagged coleslaw mix can be thrown in the bowl.

Raw Vegetables: A variety of crunchy raw veggies are vital. I almost always go with cucumber, radishes, and diced red onion. Colorful cherry tomatoes and creamy avocado are also favorites. Shredded carrots, celery, thawed frozen peas or corn, and diced bell pepper are great options.

Roasted Vegetables: Cooled roasted veggies are delicious in salads and add a good amount of vitamins and nutrients. If I’ve got any leftover Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Roasted Sheet Pan Vegetables, you can be sure they’ll be included. Roasted Beets are another favorite. A salad bar is the perfect way to use a sheet pan full of Roasted Shaved Brussels Sprouts – they are amazing in salads!

Beans: For an added boost of protein and fiber, I always include rinsed canned beans in my salad bars. Chickpeas, kidney beans, and black beans are our favorites.

Nuts: I never do a salad bar without including one or two types of nuts. Sliced almonds are my personal favorite. Chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews, or any type of nuts you have in your pantry will work.

Cheese: I like to set out a tangy or funky cheese like feta or blue cheese and a more mild cheese like marinated mozarella balls. Cubes of sharp cheddar cheese, pepper Jack, or smoked gouda are great too! Go with what you love or have on hand.

Protein: Although not pictured here, I always include meat protein in my salad bars. Chopped rotisserie chicken breast is a convenient choice. Leftover grilled chicken or steak also frequently make an appearance. Cooked and crumbled bacon is a quick way to add a ton of flavor.

Dried Fruit: Dried fruits like cranberries, dates, or golden raisins will add a nice bit of sweetness.

Eggs: More protein, more flavor! Hard-boiled eggs, halved and seasoned with a little salt and pepper are a great addition.

Salad Dressing: To cover all the bases, I include both a vinaigrette and a creamy salad dressing. I’m head over heels for my Apple Cider Vinaigrette and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. My Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette, Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette, and Buttermilk Basil Dressing are also family favorites. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to mix up your own fresh and wholesome recipes at home but you can use store-bought too!

Croutons: Store-bought croutons or my Hot Dog Bun Croutons that you can make with any type of leftover sandwich rolls, hamburger or hot dog buns.

How to Build a Salad Bar at Home

Instead of tossing one great big salad, prep the ingredients and divide them between small bowls so everyone can help themselves. Keeping everything separate ensures the ingredients will stay fresh and the greens won’t become soggy from the dressing.

• Chop and rinse your greens in a salad spinner. Transfer them to large serving bowl.
• Prep all the fresh vegetables as needed and transfer them to small containers like the glass prep bowls pictured in this post. I have these bowls in a variety of sizes and use the smaller bowls for items like nuts and dried fruit. When serving larger groups, slightly larger glass or ceramic bowls or even disposable bowls can be used.
• Roasted veggies can be prepared in advance, cooled and refrigerated or served slightly warm.
• Salad dressings should be made and stored in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Salad Bar Ideas

Build your own salad bar at home and let everyone assemble their perfect salad with their favorite ingredients. This is an easy, practical choice for entertaining and you can use the leftovers for meal prep lunches!

Course: Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine: American

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Keyword: salad bar ideas

Prep Time:30 minutes minutes

Total Time:30 minutes minutes

Instructions

• Chop and rinse your greens in a salad spinner. Transfer them to large serving bowl.
• Prep all the fresh vegetables as needed and transfer them to small containers like the glass prep bowls pictured in this post. I have these bowls in a variety of sizes and use the smaller bowls for items like nuts and dried fruit. When serving larger groups, slightly larger glass or ceramic bowls or even disposable bowls can be used.

• Roasted veggies can be prepared in advance, cooled and refrigerated or served slightly warm.

• Salad dressings should be made and stored in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

• To serve, just set out the greens and place the smaller bowls of ingredients and the salad dressings around the bowl so that everyone can serve themselves.

Notes

The amounts of the ingredients can be adjusted to serve any size group. Salad Greens: I usually use a combination of a chopped romaine lettuce combined with a couple of handfuls of mixed baby greens. You can use any type of greens you love or that you need to use up. Kale, baby spinach, arugula, even bagged coleslaw mix can be thrown in the bowl. Raw Vegetables: A variety of crunchy raw veggies are vital. I almost always go with cucumber, radishes, and diced red onion. Colorful cherry tomatoes and creamy avocado are also favorites. Shredded carrots, celery, thawed frozen peas or corn, and diced bell pepper are great options. Roasted Vegetables: Cooled roasted veggies are delicious in salads and add a good amount of vitamins and nutrients. Beans: For an added boost of protein and fiber, I always include rinsed canned beans in my salad bars. Chickpeas, kidney beans, and black beans are our favorites. Nuts: I never do a salad bar without including one or two types of nuts. Sliced almonds are my personal favorite. Chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews, or any type of nuts you have in your pantry will work. Cheese: I like to set out a tangy or funky cheese like feta or blue cheese and a more mild cheese like marinated mozarella balls. Cubed sharp cheddar cheese, pepper Jack, or smoked gouda are great too! Go with what you love or have on hand. Protein: Although not pictured here, I always include protein in my salad bars. Chopped rotisserie chicken breast is a convenient choice. Leftover grilled chicken or steak also frequently makes an appearance. Cooked and crumbled bacon is a quick way to add a ton of flavor. Dried Fruit: Dried fruits like cranberries, dates, or golden raisins will add a nice bit of sweetness. Eggs: More protein, more flavor! Hard-boiled eggs, halved and seasoned with a little salt and pepper are a great addition. Salad Dressing: To cover all the bases, I include both a vinaigrette and a creamy salad dressing. Check out my collection of homemade salad dressings or use your favorite store-bought variety. Croutons: Store-bought croutons or my Hot Dog Bun Croutons that you can make with any type of leftover sandwich rolls, hamburger or hot dog buns. Make-Ahead Instructions

1. Transfer the greens to a large zippered plastic storage bag, press out as much air as possible, and seal the bag.
2. Prep all the remaining ingredients and place them in the small serving bowls. I don’t recommend slicing avocado (if using) until just before serving.
3. Transfer the bowls to a large rimmed baking sheet to make it easy to carry to the fridge. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate everything until you’re ready to serve.
4. Then, it’s just a matter of transferring the greens to a large salad bowl and chopping the avocado. Set all the bowls of ingredients and dressings out and let everyone build their salads!

*The nutrition information was calculated for one variation of a salad made from the salad bar. The salad consists of everything listed with one type of nuts, cheese, and salad dressing and no cooked meat or dried fruit. This is meant to be an example only and nutrition values will vary depending on ingredients used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 salad · Calories: 440 kcal · Carbohydrates: 42 g · Protein: 10 g · Fat: 27 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 18 g · Trans Fat: 0.002 g · Cholesterol: 7 mg · Sodium: 646 mg · Potassium: 1151 mg · Fiber: 12 g · Sugar: 15 g · Vitamin A: 6616 IU · Vitamin C: 32 mg · Calcium: 160 mg · Iron: 4 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.

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