Green Salad with Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
This Everything Spring Green Salad with Basil Lemon Vinaigrette is your new go-to for any spring gathering — packed with vibrant greens, creamy avocado, briny olives, and a punchy lemon basil dressing that’ll have everyone asking for the recipe. Whether you’re planning an Easter salad recipe or just need a stunning arugula spring salad vibe for a weeknight, this one delivers every single time.
You know those salads that look so pretty you almost don’t want to eat them? Yeah, this is that salad. I first threw this together for a spring dinner party when I wanted something that felt festive but didn’t require turning on the oven — and honestly, it stole the show from the main course. No regrets.
This everything green salad has become my warm-weather staple. It’s fresh, it’s filling, it’s got that perfect salty-tangy-creamy combo going on, and the basil lemon vinaigrette? Absolute magic. Let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
What Makes This Salad So Special
Think of this as the ultimate arugula spring salad — except better, because we’re loading it up with everything. We’ve got tender spinach as the base, crunchy radishes, sweet peas, creamy avocado, salty pistachios, briny olives, and a zippy homemade dressing that ties it all together. It’s colorful, it’s textured, and it tastes like spring in a bowl.
This is also a fantastic Easter salad recipe — it travels well to potlucks, looks stunning on a table, and comes together in under 20 minutes. Win, win, win.
Ingredients
For the Salad
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Organic spinach | 6 cups |
| Red or green cabbage, shredded | ½ head |
| Microgreens (or alfalfa sprouts) | 1 cup |
| Frozen peas, thawed | ¾ cup |
| Cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered | 1 cup |
| Persian cucumbers, sliced or roughly chopped | 2 |
| Radishes, trimmed and chopped or sliced | 3 |
| Pickled red onions OR thinly sliced raw red onion | ¼ cup |
| Pitted Castelvetrano green olives, halved | ½ cup |
| Medium ripe avocado, sliced or chopped | 1 |
| Crumbled feta or crumbled goat cheese | 4 oz |
| Roasted and salted pistachios | ¼ cup |
| Roasted sunflower seeds | ¼ cup |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | To taste |
For the Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fresh lemon juice | ¼ cup |
| Olive oil | ¼ cup |
| Garlic clove, minced | 1 |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tsp |
| Honey or sugar | 1 tsp |
| Fresh basil leaves, finely chopped | 4 |
| Freshly ground salt and black pepper | To taste |
How to Make Everything Spring Green Salad with Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
Step 1: Whip Up the Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
Start with the dressing — always. Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl: lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, dijon mustard, honey, and those gorgeous chopped basil leaves. Whisk it together until everything is emulsified and looking glossy and beautiful.
“Don’t have a whisk handy? Toss everything into a blender or a small jar with a tight lid and shake it like you mean it.”
Taste it! Adjust salt and pepper as needed. The dressing should be bright, slightly tangy, with a lovely herby finish. Set it aside.
Step 2: Dress the Spinach Base
Add your 6 cups of spinach to a large bowl. Drizzle about half of the vinaigrette over the top and toss gently — you just want every leaf lightly coated, not swimming in dressing. The spinach will stay perky and fresh this way.
Pro tip: Using just half the dressing on the base keeps the salad from getting soggy, especially if you’re making it ahead for an Easter salad recipe situation.
Step 3: Build Your Beautiful Everything Green Salad
Transfer the dressed spinach to a large serving platter (or keep it in the bowl — both work great). Now comes the fun part: arrange all your toppings on top of the greens in little sections or scattered freely — whatever feels right to you.
Lay down the shredded cabbage, microgreens, thawed peas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes. Add the pickled red onions and those buttery Castelvetrano olives. Fan out the avocado slices. Sprinkle the feta, pistachios, and sunflower seeds over everything. Finish with a pinch of kosher salt and a crack of black pepper.
Honestly, the more chaotic and layered, the better it looks. Don’t overthink the arrangement.
Step 4: Serve It Up
Place the remaining basil lemon vinaigrette in a small pitcher or bowl on the side so guests can add more as they like. This is especially great if you’re serving this as an Easter salad recipe at a table — people love customizing their own drizzle.
Expert Tips, Variations & Troubleshooting
Tips for the Best Results
Use pickled red onions if you can. They add a gorgeous pop of color and a tangy kick that raw onion doesn’t quite deliver. If you’re looking for a quick pickled onion recipe to make ahead, I love pairing components like these with my easy overnight oats — they both benefit from a little overnight prep!
Toast your nuts. If your pistachios and sunflower seeds aren’t pre-roasted, give them 3–4 minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat. Instant upgrade.
Add avocado right before serving. Avocado turns brown quickly, so slice it up at the last minute for the prettiest presentation.
Variations to Try
This everything spring green salad is incredibly flexible. Here are some easy swaps:
Want more protein? Add grilled chicken, chickpeas, or sliced hard-boiled eggs. This salad pairs so well with something like Hawaiian chicken with coconut rice on the side for a heartier meal.
Dairy-free? Skip the feta or goat cheese and add extra avocado or some sliced almonds for creaminess and crunch.
No Castelvetrano olives? Kalamata olives work too, though they’re a bit more assertive in flavor. Castelvetrano olives have that mild, buttery quality that plays really nicely with the lemon vinaigrette.
Make it a grain salad. Toss in ½ cup of cooked farro, quinoa, or Israeli couscous to bulk it up into a full meal.
Troubleshooting
Salad getting watery? Make sure your cucumbers, tomatoes, and thawed peas are patted dry before adding them. Excess moisture is the enemy of a crisp everything green salad.
Dressing too sharp? Add a little more honey or a tiny splash of water to mellow it out.
Spinach wilting too fast? Dress only the portion you’re serving immediately and keep the rest undressed until ready to eat.
If you’re building a whole spring spread, this salad is the fresh, vibrant opener—then follow it up with more bold, satisfying favorites from this roundup: Savory Salad Recipes
Storage & Make-Ahead Instructions
This arugula spring salad is best served fresh, but you can totally prep components ahead of time.
| Component | Storage Method | How Long |
|---|---|---|
| Undressed salad (no avocado) | Airtight container, fridge | Up to 2 days |
| Basil lemon vinaigrette | Sealed jar, fridge | Up to 5 days |
| Dressed salad (with dressing) | Airtight container, fridge | Up to 1 day |
| Avocado (sliced, with lemon) | Airtight container, fridge | Up to 1 day |
Reheating
This salad is served cold, so no reheating needed! If the dressing has been refrigerated and solidified slightly (olive oil does this), just let it sit at room temp for 10 minutes and give it a good shake.
No-Waste Kitchen Ideas
Leftover spinach? Make a healthy moong dal chilla — it’s a fantastic way to use up fresh greens. Extra herbs going soft? Blend them into more vinaigrette and freeze in ice cube trays for future use. Leftover cheese? Crumble it into a delicious frittata the next morning.
Nutritional Information
Approximate values per serving (6 servings total). Values may vary based on specific ingredients used.
| Nutrient | Per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~310 kcal |
| Total Fat | 24g |
| Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Carbohydrates | 18g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6g |
| Sugars | 6g |
| Protein | 9g |
| Sodium | 380mg |
FAQs
Can I make this Everything Spring Green Salad ahead of time?
Yes! The trick is to keep the components separate until you’re ready to serve. You can prep all the veggies, make the basil lemon vinaigrette, and store everything in the fridge. Assemble and dress it right before serving for the freshest result. Just add the avocado last.
What makes this a good Easter salad recipe?
It’s vibrant, fresh, and uses all those gorgeous spring vegetables that are in season right now. The colors are beautiful on a holiday table, it feeds a crowd, and it’s light enough to serve alongside heavier Easter mains without anyone feeling weighed down. It’s basically designed for the occasion.
Can I use a different green instead of spinach?
Absolutely! This works wonderfully with mixed greens, baby kale, or even a peppery arugula spring salad base. Arugula gives it a slightly more grown-up, bitter edge that pairs really nicely with the sweet honey in the vinaigrette.
What are Castelvetrano olives and can I substitute them?
Castelvetrano olives are Italian green olives with a mild, buttery, slightly sweet flavor — they’re totally different from the briny olives you might be used to. If you can’t find them, use any pitted green olive, but note the flavor will be a bit stronger. They’re worth hunting down at most grocery stores or delis!
Is this everything green salad vegan?
It can be! Simply swap the feta or goat cheese for a plant-based alternative or extra avocado, and use sugar instead of honey in the vinaigrette. Everything else is naturally vegan and packed with good stuff.
Let’s See Your Salad!
If you make this Everything Spring Green Salad with Basil Lemon Vinaigrette, I seriously want to see it — it’s too pretty not to share. Save it to Pinterest so you can find it again (and so your friends can too!), and drop a comment below letting me know how it turned out. Did you add any fun twists? Go full Easter salad recipe mode with a beautiful platter? Tell me everything.
And if you’re in a spring cooking mood, you might also love these cornflake cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar for dessert — because every gorgeous salad deserves a little sweet ending.
Happy cooking!
Everything Spring Green Salad with Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Large Serving Platter
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 6 cups organic spinach
- ½ head red or green cabbage shredded
- 1 cup microgreens or alfalfa sprouts
- ¾ cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
- 2 Persian cucumbers sliced or roughly chopped
- 3 radishes trimmed and chopped or sliced
- ¼ cup pickled red onions or very thinly sliced raw red onion
- ½ cup pitted Castelvetrano green olives halved
- 1 medium ripe avocado sliced or chopped
- 4 oz crumbled feta or goat cheese
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pistachios
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey or sugar
- 4 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
- freshly ground salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the basil lemon vinaigrette: Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, and finely chopped basil leaves in a small bowl until well combined and emulsified. Alternatively, blend everything in a high-speed blender. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
- Dress the spinach base: Add the spinach to a large bowl and drizzle half of the vinaigrette over the top. Toss gently to coat every leaf lightly. This keeps the base fresh without over-saturating it.
- Build the salad: Transfer the dressed spinach to a large serving platter (or leave in the bowl). Arrange and layer all remaining ingredients on top of the greens — shredded cabbage, microgreens, peas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, pickled red onions, olives, avocado, feta, pistachios, and sunflower seeds.
- Finish and serve: Season the assembled salad with a pinch of kosher salt and a crack of fresh black pepper. Serve with the remaining basil lemon vinaigrette on the side so guests can drizzle on as much as they like.
