Equal parts healthy and tasty, this easy spring salad is packed with colorful veggies. It calls for a medley of mouthwatering ingredients like sliced cucumber, creamy vegan feta, and fiber-packed chickpeas.
The real star of the show, however, is the lemon dill vinaigrette. It brightens up this fresh spring salad thanks to its citrusy and herby flavor.
To elevate your vegan salad, serve it with a generous handful of Coconut Bacon. You can also use Vegan Parmesan Cheese in place of store-bought vegan feta.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Leafy greens. You can use kale, lettuce, arugula, spinach, or a combo of your favorite leafy greens.
- Cucumbers. Sliced cucumbers give this salad a fresh, crispy texture.
- Chickpeas. To make this salad more filling, add canned chickpeas. You can use them as is or roast them first.
- Farro. Farro is nutty and filling. Learn how to cook farro here.
- Fresh dill. This salad features a lemon dill dressing for a fresh, spring-inspired flavor.
How to Make Fresh Spring Salad
As with all salads, this dish can be adjusted according to your preferences. You can find the full ingredients list and step-by-step tutorial in the printable recipe card, which is at the bottom of this post.
1. Combine the lemon dill dressing ingredients in a bowl. Taste and add more dill, mustard, or spices as needed. Whisk well, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
2. If roasting the chickpeas, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
Toss the chickpeas with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper, then add to the dish.
3. Roast the chickpeas for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.
4. Next, blanch the sliced asparagus. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then place a strainer in the pot. Add the asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes, until bright green and tender. Remove the asparagus and place in an ice bath.
5. In a large bowl, toss the leafy greens, asparagus, radish, cucumber, chickpeas, onion, farro, and vegan feta.
6. Divide the mixture between two plates. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of lemon dill dressing onto each salad; you can add more if you’d like. Garnish with fresh dill and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Tips, Variations, and Substitutions
- Use other leafy greens. We used arugula in our salad, but you’re welcome to use your favorite leafy greens. Delicious options include spinach, kale, and lettuce.
- Add the canned chickpeas as is. To save time, toss in the canned chickpeas without roasting them first.
- Use your favorite protein. In place of beans, try adding kidney beans or tempeh.
- Add other vegetables. Try this recipe with shredded carrots, broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, or sprouts.
- Skip the onion. If you don’t like raw onion, feel free to skip it or use less.
Can I Store Leftovers?
You can store leftover salad in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. However, be sure to store the dressing separately. Dressed salad can get soggy in the refrigerator. Enjoy the salad within 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
- Lemon Vinaigrette. If you don’t like dill, make a basic lemon vinaigrette instead.
- Vegan Ranch Dressing. Serve this salad with vegan cream dressing instead.
- Coconut Bacon. For an extra crunch, sprinkle coconut bacon on top.
Fresh Spring Salad
Click stars below to rate, or leave a full review in the comments Print Rate it Now Pin RecipeIngredients
Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
Fresh Spring Salad
- 4 large handfuls arugula or leafy greens of your choice
- ½ cup canned chickpeas
- 1 cup peas frozen and steamed or canned
- 1 cup radishes sliced
- ½ cucumber sliced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup vegan feta plus more, if needed
- 1 cup cooked farro or quinoa
- avocado oil for roasting chickpeas
- salt
- ground black pepper
- ice bath for blanching asparagus
Instructions
Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
- Combine the lemon dill dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Taste and add more dill, mustard, or spices as needed. Whisk well, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
Fresh Spring Salad
- If roasting the chickpeas, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
- Toss the chickpeas with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper, then add to the dish.
- Roast the chickpeas for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.
- Next, blanch the sliced asparagus. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then place a strainer in the pot.
- Add the asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes, until bright green and tender. Remove the asparagus and place in an ice bath.
- In a large bowl, toss the leafy greens, asparagus, radish, cucumber, chickpeas, onion, farro, and vegan feta.
- Divide the mixture between two plates.
- Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of lemon dill dressing onto each salad. You can add more if you’d like. Garnish with fresh dill and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- You can use kale, lettuce, arugula, spinach, or a combo of your favorite leafy greens.
- To save time, feel free to use canned chickpeas as is.
- Try quinoa instead of farro.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Store the dressing separately.
- Eat leftovers within 3 days.
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