When it comes to Christmas in Australia, it’s not just about the roast turkey and glazed ham, the Christmas salads deserve equal billing. They’re a brilliant and cost effective way to turn your Christmas lunch into a festive feast.
With gorgeous seasonal produce at our fingertips during our summer Christmas, salads are absolutely essential to the celebration. Whether you’re after something special or simply need inspiration, we’ve gathered our most-loved recipes right here.
From sophisticated prawn cocktails with a modern twist to timeless potato salad and crunchy coleslaw, you’ll discover everything you need. We’ve even included a playful Santa salad and a stunning wreath creation to really amp up the festive vibes.
Christmas salad tips
Making a few different salads will fill your table with vibrant colour and can help you accommodate any dietary requirements or preferences.
While most salads taste best when freshly assembled, you can get ahead by prepping components beforehand to make life easier, such as in our chicken and watercress pasta salad. Others come together in a flash, like the Christmas wreath salad, which only takes about 5 minutes.
Food safety tip
If you’re making Christmas salads with prawns, chicken or other meat, leave them in the fridge as long as possible before adding them to the salad to keep them fresh. If it’s been out for more than four hours, you should avoid eating it, according to the NSW Food Authority.
How to store leftover salads
You can store leftover Christmas salads in the fridge in a sealed container and aim to eat it within 1 day, according to guidelines from the NSW Food Authority, but it could last more or less time depending on the salad. So check for signs of spoilage and if there’s any doubt, pop it in the bin or compost.
Broccoli salad with a creamy chilli dressing
Topped with almonds and currents, and drizzled with a luxuriously creamy dressing.
Christmas potato salad
Crispy Christmas ham and fluffy potatoes? We’re in!
Julie Goodwin’s pesto pasta salad
A quick and easy salad to share.
Green bean salad with French dressing
Topped with crunchy hazelnuts, fresh parsley, and a mustardy dressing.
Beetroot & feta salad
Serve this colourful salad on its own, or on top of toasted bread as a tasty bruschetta.
Roasted pumpkin salad with asparagus & buttermilk dressing
This bright and flavourful side dish is perfect for your next gathering.
Thai-style mango salad
This mango and iceberg lettuce slaw is sunshine on a plate.
French potato salad
A fresh take on this side dish favourite.
Freekeh salad with roast pumpkin
A hearty, warm salad for the cooler months.
Prawn and mango salad with rice paper crisps
A prawn salad perfect for sharing as part of a Christmas feast.
Brought to you by Calypso® Mangoes
Bloody Mary tomato salad
It’s time to shake up salad season.
Prawn & watermelon salad with fetta & sumac onions
This vibrant no-cook platter will be the centrepiece of your summer gatherings.
Roast vegetable salad with garlic mustard dressing
This popular salad recipe is a vibrant and flavour-packed dish that serves 8.
Julie Goodwin’s brown rice salad
A fresh, flavoursome and filling salad to share.
Burrata salad with crunchy bread, zucchini & mint dressing
The ultimate salad for summer entertaining.
Grilled corn salad
Make this colourful salad the star of your next barbecue.
Haloumi & mango salad
This recipe is by qualified dietitian and personal trainer Lauren Marino and is from our cookbook Nourished Kitchen.
Air fryer pork belly salad with ginger & soy dressing
Make this crackling good pork belly dish for your next family gathering or even for Christmas lunch.
Tomato salad with creamed fetta
A vibrant salad platter perfect for any summer gathering.
Prawn cocktail salad
Serve up your next prawn cocktail family-style with this recipe.
Spinach, haloumi and potato salad
A delicious twist on a potato salad.
Roasted capsicum salad with labne
A vibrant salad perfect for any summer gathering.
Smashed cucumber salad
It’s packed full of flavour.
Watermelon feta salad
Serve this refreshing salad at your next barbecue.
Farro & green bean salad
Green beans are in abundance in the warmer months which makes this fresh, textural salad one of our summer favourites.
Julie Goodwin’s easy potato salad
A 5-ingredient warm potato salad.
Shaved Brussels sprout salad with pecorino
A tasty way to brighten a winter’s day.
Crispy potato salad with aioli
This is the ultimate potato salad – it’s a riff on crunchy roast potatoes, with salty pancetta and garlicky mayonnaise added.
Cherry & herb jewelled rice salad
Plump and juicy cherries are the crowning jewels in this Persian-inspired rice salad.
Orzo pasta salad
It’s a fresh & vibrant addition to any casual (or not so casual) gathering.
Green salad with red currants & orange dressing
Elevate a green salad with festive red currants and a bright orange dressing.
Watermelon salad with labne
This vibrant and fresh radish and watermelon salad is full of flavour and can be made ahead to be assembled on the day of serving.
Green bean salad with lemon & parsley dressing
With a rainbow of vegetables in green shades and the yellow of squash, this vibrant accompaniment adds freshness to a variety of roasts and a barbecue buffet.
Classic crunchy coleslaw
Coleslaw is an all-time favourite for any type of summer gathering, especially barbecues and picnics. This coleslaw dressing has an Asian-inspired twist.
Spicy potato salad
A spicy summer salad inspired by the flavours of a classic Caesar.
Minestrone pasta salad
This speedy Italian-inspired pasta salad with a punchy sundried tomato pesto dressing is the perfect BBQ salad and side dish star.
Prawn cocktail with zucchini and mint salad
Since Christmas is all about indulgent fresh seafood, enjoy these delicious prawn cocktails with zucchini and mint salad. Perfect for the warm weather!
Roast pumpkin, spinach and fetta salad
You’ll love this simple, yet perfectly balanced flavour combination.
Quinoa salad with zucchini and fetta
This healthy quinoa salad is great for weekday lunches. You’ll love the added crunch thanks to roasted hazelnuts.
Chicken, burghul and pomegranate salad
This hearty salad takes on an exotic air with the inclusion of cumin, burghul and pomegranate molasses.
Caprese salad
The simple things are often the best,
Shaved cabbage with pecorino balsamic
No lettuce required for this tasty cabbage salad.
Pearl couscous, zucchini and tomato salad
Zucchini, tomatoes and mint pair beautifully in this fresh Israeli couscous salad. Perfect for Christmas lunch and all your summer parties.
Tomato salad with labne & seeds
You’ll love this colourful tomato salad with Lebanese labne and sprinkled with sesame and sunflower seeds
Chicken and watercress pasta salad
Fresh and satisfying.
Insalata caprese
The simple things are often the best.
Bean and tomato salad with hazelnut dressing
Some sides are worthy of being the star of the show.
Red salad
Vibrant and delicious.
Avocado caprese salad
‘ave an avo!
Chicken and mango salad
Add some tropical flair to your salads.
Perfect potato salad
Creamy, fresh and completely delicious.
Christmas wreath salad
Turn your sides into the centrepiece.
Lentil, green bean and fetta salad
Packed with flavour and texture.
Chicken, olive and fetta salad
Fresh, flavourful and totally satisfying.
Five grain salad with feta and oranges
Packed with wholegrain goodness.
Quinoa and cauliflower ‘couscous’
The tasty low-carb alternative.
Zucchini ribbon skewers with tomato fetta salad
Increase your vegie intake in the tastiest way possible.
Spicy prawns and white bean panzanella
A dish favoured for its simplicity that allows the flavours of good-quality ingredients to shine through.
Santa salad
The perfect festive salad to complement your Christmas spread.
Summer salad of peaches and blueberries
Team your favourite fresh summer fruit with creamy ricotta, fresh spinach leaves, basil and chilli for a unique, delicious side dish for any outdoor gathering.
Orange, fennel and hazelnut salad
This refreshing citrus and hazelnut salad from The Australian Women’s Weekly’s ‘Eat Clean With Superfoods’ cookbook is packed full of flavour and textures that’ll complement any dinner spread perfectly.
Sesame duck salad
Packed full of tender roasted duck, sweet pineapple and fresh herbs and spices, this Chinese-style salad is both healthy and delicious.
Freekeh salad with spiced vegetables
Embrace the lovely flavours of fresh vegetables, zesty Moroccan spices and nutty freekeh in this surprisingly filling summer salad.
Walnut and miso filled eggplant with radish salad
Nourish yourself with this wholesome and delicious walnut and miso filled eggplant with radish salad. A perfectly balanced vegetarian dish full of goodness.
Cherry, walnut and feta salad
Indulge in the delicious combination of cherry, walnut and feta in this fresh wholesome salad – a perfect addition to Christmas lunch this year!
Chicken, prawn and mango salad
Freshen things up with this delicious and wholesome chicken, prawn and mango salad. Packed full of flavour and crunch, this is sure to become a family favourite!
Grilled chicken with warm cos lettuce salad
This warm char-grilled lettuce with creamy chicken salad is perfect for lunch, and as a side for dinner or a BBQ. It’s a healthier alternative to a Caesar salad. And suitable for diabetics, too.
Rocket, chicken and date salad
Chicken salad with a citrus zing! This healthy lean salad is easy to prepare for lunching guests or take to work for lunch. And it’s suitable for diabetics.
Ham salad with ricotta and balsamic figs
Smokey hearty ham salad with smooth ricotta and zingy balsamic figs – a truly winning combination! Enjoy for dinner any night of the week!
Supergreens salad with polenta croutons
Lighten up your next barbecue with this deliciously fresh supergreens salad. Served with polenta croutons for a gluten-free alternative, it is healthy, quick to prepare, and oh-so-tasty!
Heirloom tomato salad with prosciutto
The combination of fresh mixed tomatoes, creamy buffalo mozzarella and cured prosciutto works perfectly together in this fresh summer salad.
Warm chicken, labne and maple walnut salad
An exotic and exquisite salad.
Beetroot and heirloom carrot salad with persian fetta
Colourful heirloom carrots, in hues of purple, taste the same as their orange cousins, and were in fact the norm until the Dutch developed the modern-day orange version in the 17th century. They taste and look fantastic in this stunning salad.
Grape and apple salad with goat’s cheese
An exotic salad with grapes, apples and goat’s cheese.
Prawn and mango salad
If liked, use smoked salmon in place of prawns. Note
Pasta salad
For extra fibre, use wholemeal pasta. For those who are gluten-intolerant, try gluten-free pasta. Note
Christmas roasts to go with your salads
