Recipe Roundup

31 Make-Ahead Salads You Can Prep Now and Eat Later

Perfect for easy desk lunches, picnics, and potlucks.

By Sheela Prakash and The Editors of Epicurious

April 3, 2025

Green beans fava beans snow peas hazelnuts bulgur what and mint leaves on a plate with a spoon.

There is something truly magical about make-ahead salads. Hearty greens, beans, or grains marinated in a vinaigrette, holding up throughout the day or even an entire week. They fuel desk lunches, potlucks, and cookouts alike. While most delicate lettuce varieties (leafy romaine, wispy microgreens, tender butter lettuce) are ticking time bombs from the moment you assemble them, make-ahead salads—like those made of plump canned chickpeas, hearty kale, a leftover sweet potato, or homemade black beans—give you room to breathe, tasting bright long after you’ve dressed them. So find your biggest storage container and plan your week’s lineup. Here are some of our favorites.

Joseph De Leo
1/31
Lentil and Scallion Salad
We love make-ahead salads that lean on legumes. This Edna Lewis classic gets better in your fridge, as the lentils have a chance to soak up the mustardy vinaigrette.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
2/31
Kale Salad With Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Pumpkin Seeds
You can prep the components (dressing, roasted butternut squash and garlic, chopped kale) several days before you plan to serve this colorful salad. Once tossed, it can sit and tenderize for at least 30 minutes—and honestly, it tastes great even days later.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart
3/31
Potato Salad
Thanks to plenty of mayo and mustard, this timeless potato salad can be made 2 days ahead without any fear of it drying out. Feel free to customize the flavors by stirring in a tablespoon of celery seeds, diced red onion, finely chopped fresh dill, or swap in Dijon for the yellow mustard.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
4/31
Three Green Bean and Bulgur Salad
You can make this flexible salad with just about any grain, so try it with quinoa, wild rice, or farro if that’s what you have on hand. It can be assembled a day ahead, but wait to add the hazelnuts and fresh mint until just before eating.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
5/31
Chicken Salad With Apricots, Celery, and Blue Cheese
This no-cook salad is the perfect side for your next summer dinner party. To make for easy hosting, toss the chicken and celery with tangy buttermilk up to 2 days ahead. On the day of, add in the fresh apricots, blue cheese, mint, and celery leaves.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
6/31
Simplest Kale Salad
This goes-with-everything 5-ingredient salad won’t wilt thanks to hearty kale. Toss it together hours or even a day or two ahead—if it needs to be freshened up, drizzle the salad with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
7/31
Easy Pasta Salad
Dressed in raw garlic, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar, this easy recipe is best when the salad ingredients have mingled for a bit. So prepare it a few hours or even the day before your afternoon barbecue. Just let the cold pasta salad come to room temperature before serving.
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Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop styling by Tim Ferro, Food styling by Taneka Morris
8/31
Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad
Divide and pack this big-batch kale-and feta-studded lentil salad for desk-side lunches all week long. Make sure to use black or French green lentils, as brown and red lentils will get too soft.
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Christina Holmes
9/31
Chickpea, Barley, and Feta Salad
Barley has nice heft and chew, but don’t feel limited when making this grain salad recipe—swap in cooked farro, quinoa, or brown rice. While the green beans might lose their vibrancy after a day or two in the fridge, the salad will remain hearty and satisfying all week long.
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Photo by Maren Ellingboe King
10/31
Cabbage Salad With Caraway Seeds
This fresh cabbage salad can be fully assembled up to 4 hours in advance, which means it’s a great side dish to carry to a potluck, picnic, or backyard barbecue.
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Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
11/31
Broccoli Caesar
While a classic Caesar salad with romaine might sog out if dressed in advance, this broccoli Caesar will remain tender and crunchy even after a day or two. To doctor it up, throw in some croutons just before serving and finish with black pepper.
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Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
12/31
Shaved Cauliflower Salad With Coconut-Turmeric Relish
This cauliflower gets sliced paper-thin on a mandoline, which helps each crunchy piece absorb the sweet and spicy Turmeric-Coconut Relish.
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Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
13/31
Antipasto Salad
Say hello to all the best elements of an Italian antipasto platter—mozzarella, artichoke hearts, salami, long sweet peppers—in salad form. Make this up to a day ahead of serving, invite friends over, and bask in its glory.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
14/31
Beet Salad With Pickled Mushrooms and Caramelized Shallots
This take on Ukranian shuki enlivens beets with plenty of vinegar, fresh tarragon, and savory caramelized shallots. The beets can be boiled up to 2 days ahead and stored, unpeeled, in the fridge, while the pickled mushrooms and tangy dressing can be made up to 1 day ahead.
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Sheela Prakash is a food and wine writer and recipe developer, as well as a registered dietitian. A longtime editor at Kitchn, she has also been on staff at Epicurious and Food52. Her writing and recipes can be found in numerous online and print publications, including Serious Eats, Tasting Table, ... Read More

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The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here. ... Read More

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