Cooking

16 Spoon Salads for When a Fork Feels Like Too Much

It's just too much! We can't explain it!
Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Produce
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones

What even are spoon salads? Fair question. Spoon salads are salads in which the ingredients are small enough to begin with or are chopped into bitsy, easily scoopable pieces. They can be swept up effortlessly by your spoon, and it’s the laid-back way to enjoy grains, vegetables, fruits, proteins, and all your favorite salad fixings.

No more stabbing large lettuce leaves with a fork, hoping they don’t fall off and leave a trail of dressing on your new white pants. Spoonable salad recipes allow you to swoop up all the drippy dressing and pools of vinaigrette swimming on the bottom of your plate.

Better yet, while many salads with delicate greens will quickly wilt, spoon salads are often made with heartier ingredients that can withstand a multiday stint in the fridge, making them great for meal prep. Ladle up some corn, plum, and farro salad with a tangy nuoc cham, texture-packed raw broccoli and sticky dates with ras-el-hanout, or smoky tofu larb that features a mouth-puckering lime dressing. Consider this list a love letter to the spoon, no more forking around.

  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Produce
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    1/16

    Broccoli Spoon Salad With Warm Vinaigrette

    This salad puts all the best textures on a spoon: crisp, raw broccoli; chewy, sticky dates; and crunchy toasted pistachios. The ras-el-hanout, a Moroccan spice blend featuring aromatic and warm spices, adds a smoky depth to the bright citrusy dressing, which soaks into the broccoli as it sits. Don’t have ras-el-hanout? Garam masala, baharat, or curry powder will also work. And if you’re a meal prepper, this is a great make-ahead salad—it only gets better with a little time.

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  • Blue bowl of corn salad on a red tablecloth.
    Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by JoJo Li
    2/16

    Blistered Corn and Scallion Salad

    A delightful corn salad whose components can be prepared and chilled ahead of time so that all thats left to do is assemble and enjoy.

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  • Smashed Cucumber and Melon Salad on plate
    Photograph by Peden + Munk, Food Styling by Diana Yen, Prop Styling by Hannah Ferrara
    3/16

    Smashed Cucumber and Melon Salad

    Inspired by traditional Chinese smashed cucumber salad, this sweet and salty version features crunchy Hami melon.

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  • VeggiesCorn Plum and Farro Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing Recipe
    Photograph by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk
    4/16

    Corn, Plum, and Farro Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing

    Make the most of juicy summer stone fruit with this sweet-and-salty Vietnamese-inspired farro salad, studded with grilled corn and ripe plums.

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  • BA's Best Tabbouleh Recipe
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova
    5/16

    BA's Best Tabbouleh

    The key to tabbouleh, a bright, herby salad from the Levant, is to use a very sharp knife so that you can slice through the parsley and mint just once.

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  • image of platter of mango salad on white plate on blue linen and a spoon
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.
    6/16

    Mango With Fried Shallots

    Spicy, salty, sweet, and crunchy—this Thai-inspired mango salad is exactly what you’re craving in the summer.

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  • Canned beans in a radicchio bean and feta salad
    Photograph by Julian Cousins, Food styling by Adriana Paschen
    7/16

    Radicchio, Bean, and Feta Salad

    The solution to legume doom: This citrusy marinated bean salad with crunchy greens and big chunks of salty feta.

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  • This image may contain Plant Dish Food and Meal
    PHOTO BY ALEX LAU, FOOD STYLING BY ANDY BARAGHANI
    8/16

    Tomato Salad with Pine Nuts and Pomegranate Molasses

    The secret weapon in this summery salad is the golden raisins: They're soaked in apple cider vinegar, which not only sweetens the vinegar but also transforms them into plump, sweet-tart balloons that stand up against the rich and buttery pine nuts.

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  • Cucumber Caesar With Spicy Breadcrumbs on Plate
    Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by JoJo Li
    9/16

    Cucumber Caesar With Spicy Breadcrumbs

    A refreshing take on a Caesar salad, complete with a lighter dressing and a kicky crunch.

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  • Smoked Tofu Larb With Lemongrass
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Props from Meilen Ceramics
    10/16

    Smoked Tofu Larb With Lemongrass

    Lara Lee’s meat-free version of the Laotian and Thai dish combines smoked tofu with pops of crunchy sesame seeds and a kick of lime dressing.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Dish and Meal
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
    15/16

    Big Green Lentil Salad

    Cool yogurt, crunchy seeds, and avocado turn lentils into a lunch salad you’ll actually be excited to eat.

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  • Plate of cod and asparagus on a brown fabric tablecloth.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
    16/16

    Cod With Asparagus Spoon Salad

    Asparagus lovers, unite! When thinly sliced into coins and mixed with herbs and briny olives, everyone’s favorite spring veg will become your favorite condiment too.

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Nina works across Bon Appétit and Epicurious, solving mysteries like “Why do beans make us fart?” and “What is that white stuff oozing out of my chicken?” She also edits and produces recurring columns like It’s That Simple and has even developed a recipe or two. Before joining the editorial ... Read More
Associate Editor, Cooking