15 Healthy Plant-Based Salads to Start Off the New Year Right!

Along with the new year come resolutions to be healthier, so to help you out, we’ve gathered 15 recipes for delicious healthy salads! Eating salad should not be about just eating “fewer calories” because eating less is not always better! What’s more important is nourishing your body with an abundance of whole foods, and these healthy salads will help you do just that. Salads are great to prep for lunch so you are not left hungry and snacking on empty calories. 

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  –– with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! 

Start the new year right with lots of healthy eating, and keep these salad recipes in hand, so you are never wondering what to eat!

1. Fermented Taco Salad

Source: Fermented Taco Salad

This Fermented Taco Salad by Marina Yanay-Triner is full of super healthy ingredients like sauerkraut, flax seeds, brazil nuts, and goji berries. Fermented foods like sauerkraut are great for digestion health. This super healthy and raw salad is so fresh and yummy!

2. Kale Salad With Farro, Golden Raisins, and Walnuts

Source: Kale Salad With Farro, Golden Raisins, and Walnuts

Such a simple and filling salad, wow! For a gluten-free version, substitute quinoa for farro. Want a lower-carb version? Omit the farro and add more kale! This Kale Salad by Crissy Cavanaugh is so good!

3. High Raw Rice Salad

Source: High Raw Rice Salad

This High Raw Rice Salad by Nikki Stokes is satisfying, delicious, and oh-so nutritious! This mostly raw salad is a filling, nutritious meal based around cooked carbohydrates, in this case, rice. Apart from the seasonings, the only cooked ingredient is rice. Everything else is raw and bursting with flavor and nutrition.

4. Spicy Mung Bean Sprouts Salad (Maewoon Sukju Namul)

Source: Spicy Mung Bean Sprouts Salad (Maewoon Sukju Namul)

Spicy Mung Bean Sprouts Salad by Raymund Macaalay is a dish inspired by the Korean recipe called Maewoon Sukju Namul. The Korean dish is usually simple blanched mung bean sprouts dressed in rice vinegar, gochujang, and sesame oil; however, in this version, the bean sprouts are stir-fried like how the Japanese do it. There are also the extra additions of carrots and garlic to give it more taste and texture. It is a simple dish, quick to prepare which is good for those lazy weeknights.

5. Kale Salad With Cranberries and Butternut Squash

Source: Kale Salad With Cranberries and Butternut Squash

This Kale Salad by Alison Corey is paired with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, apples, and walnuts for a colorful autumnal plate that can stand alone as a main dish or a side at your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal.

6. Carrot Coconut Salad

Source: Carrot Coconut Salad

This is a fantastic 5-minute Carrot Coconut Salad by Rachael Campbell. It has lots of flavor and is so easy to prepare. YUMMO!

7. Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Source: Mediterranean Lentil Salad

This Mediterranean Lentil Salad by Medha Swaminathan is the perfect reset after a weekend of eating things that seemingly all contain massive amounts of vegan cream, cheese, and/or cream cheese. It’s super easy to make, so your food-fatigued body doesn’t have to do much work. Plus, it’s really good for you.

8. Gado Gado Salad With Nut-Free Sauce

Source: Gado Gado Salad With Nut-Free Sauce

A mixed vegetable Indonesian-style Gado Gado Salad With Nut-Free Sauce by Daphne Goh. The medley of vegetables with potato and tofu added makes this salad a tasty, nutritious, attractive, and colorful dish. This recipe is not only naturally gluten-free but also vegan, egg-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free. For soy-free, simply omit the fried tofu and add some pumpkins for protein.

9. Quinoa Pear Salad

Source: Quinoa Pear Salad

This Quinoa Pear Salad by Medha Swaminathan is both light and refreshing, and the pears give it a bit of sweetness! If you’re looking for a recipe that offers a variety of flavors, this recipe is for you.

10. Kale Caesar Salad With Oil-Free Croutons

Source: Kale Caesar Salad With Oil-Free Croutons

Not sure about what to take to work for lunch, so that you can feel satisfied, energetic, and happy and avoid that post-lunch energy slump? This delicious vegan Kale Caesar Salad With Oil-Free Croutons by Marina Yanay-Triner will be your new favorite! It is easy to pack in a container and take with you to work. Plus, it tastes so good that you won’t get sick of it!

11. Pad Thai Noodle Salad

Source: Pad Thai Noodle Salad

This Pad Thai Noodle Salad by Pavani Nandula has all the important elements of the traditional Pad Thai but without the fuss involved. Thai dishes have a wonderful balance of flavors — they are sweet, spicy, salty, and tangy, all at the same time. Soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, chili sauce, and apple cider vinegar add some serious flavor punch to the dressing.

12. Marinated Kale Salad

Source: Marinated Kale Salad

This Marinated Kale Salad by Nikki and Zuzana comes together in just 10 minutes and you can serve it as a side dish or a main meal. The salad has kale, bell pepper, and tomato. Then it’s topped with a delicious mixture of avocado, hemp, garlic, lemon, tamari, and celery. Such a flavorful light meal or side dish. This marinated kale salad is such a tasty way to get in your leafy greens.

13. Mint Cucumber Tabbouleh Salad

Source: Mint Cucumber Tabbouleh Salad

This Classic Mint Cucumber Tabbouleh Salad by Kristina Jug & Mitja Bezenšek is a simple and quick grain salad, perfect as a side dish to your summer grill meals or any time of year!

14. Thai Kale Salad With Peanut Sauce

Source: Thai Kale Salad With Peanut Sauce

Not only is there no cooking involved, but many veggies can also be chopped in a food processor in seconds. Meaning a Thai kale salad in no time! Raw veggies are super healthy and can have more water-soluble vitamins in-tact (like vitamin C and B vitamins) than cooked ones. You will love this whole-food, plant-based Thai Kale Salad With Peanut Sauce by Natalie Martin MS, RD and Lexie Staten MS, RD. There’s no cooking involved, so it’s minimal effort. Chopped greens, carrots, and onions topped with a savory Thai Peanut Sauce––yummy!

15. Easy 5 Bean Salad

Source: Easy 5 Bean Salad

This is such a great recipe to keep in the fridge for lunches, to add to salads, or even to take to potlucks! Not to mention, it will take about 5 minutes to make. Can’t go wrong with this Easy 5 Bean Salad by Kristen Genton.

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