43 Easy Potluck Salads Ideas to Feed a Crowd

Just about every time I’m asked to bring a salad to a potluck I’ll bring my Chinese chicken cabbage salad because it’s easy to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser. 

I’m sure you have a family favorite potluck salad that you make all the time, one that you know is always a hit. That’s why I wanted to broaden my horizons and find out what others we’re making.

So I asked around and came up with this long list of 43 easy potluck salads ideas from a bunch of talented bloggers. You’re sure to find a great new dish for that event when you need to feed a crowd. 

43 Easy potluck salad ideas

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These potluck salads are perfect to bring to your next get-together, summer picnic, family reunion, church potluck, fourth of July party, backyard barbecue, work potluck, or any special occasion. They are much more than a mere side salad, these potluck ideas are ready to be the main course.

Because I love to be organized, I structured these potluck recipes by main ingredients. 

You’ll find cabbage salads, salads with broccoli and bacon, a traditional potato salad and not-so-traditional potato salads, a whole bunch of pasta salads, bean salads, and even pea salads. There are very few leafy green salads and no fruit salads on this list. I wanted to feature hearty salads to endure the summer sun. These potluck salads run the gamut from healthy recipes to no so healthy eating.

I’ll be trying a bunch of potluck dishes during the summer months for all those family and church get-togethers we have planned.

Potluck Salads with Cabbage

That first cabbage salad is my most liked, go-to potluck summer salad of all time. I love it because you can make it a day ahead of time, because it has no mayo and because cabbage is so hardy it will endure any kind of weather. I’ve perfected this amazing recipe through the years and I guarantee that it will be a huge hit at your next potluck and people will go back for seconds. It’s also fantastic at room temperature.

Potluck salads with cabbage- 43 potluck salad ideas

1- Crispy Crunchy Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad | Press Print Party!

2- Mexican Salad with 3 Minute Guacamole | This Healthy Kitchen

3- Coleslaw Salad w/ Oil Free Thai Peanut Dressing | This Healthy Kitchen

4- BLT Coleslaw | Plating Pixels

Potluck Salads with Beans

A bean salad will also withstand the heat very well. It’s also a good salad to make for the next day.  I love beans even if sometimes they don’t love me. And I can’t wait to try out some of these easy recipes.

Potluck salads with beans - 43 potluck salad ideas

5- Bean Salad Recipe | A Magical Mess

6- Black Beans and Corn Salad with Balsamic Vinegar | The Welcoming Table

7- Easy Chickpea and Carrot Salad | Tonya Staab

8- Caribbean Black Bean Salad | A Couple Cooks

9- Simple Black-Eyed Pea Salad | Delightful Adventures

10- Cowboy Caviar Recipe | Tasty Galaxy Blog

11- Greek Chickpea Salad | The Olive Blogger

Potluck Salads with Broccoli

Bacon and broccoli salad is an all-time American potluck favorite and a great way to eat some fresh vegetables. Here I found 2 with different dressings for you to try out as well as a good-looking kale-broccoli salad.

Potluck salads with broccoli - 43 potluck salad ideas

12- Bacon Broccoli Salad | Baking Beauty

13- Bacon Ranch Broccoli Salad | Making Time for Memories

14- Kale and Broccoli Salad | The Olive Blogger

 

Easy Pasta Salads to Feed a Crowd

Pasta salads can be one of the best make-ahead salads for a crowd. Pasta is cheap, easy, and plentiful. They can be made the night before and taste better the longer they soak up the yummy dressing. From creamy to tangy dressing, I’m sure you’ll find an easy pasta salad to satisfy your taste for your next potluck party.

Potluck salads with pasta - 43 potluck salad ideas

15- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad | Snappy Gourmet

16- Caesar pasta salad | Little Sunny Kitchen

17- Creamy Parmesan Veggie Pasta Salad | Serena Bakes

18- Easy Greek Orzo Salad | Happy Kitchen.Rocks

19- Easy Greek Pasta Salad | Food Meanderings

20- Italian Shell Pasta Salad | Kudos Kitchen by Renee

Potluck salads with pasta - 43 potluck salad ideas

21- Peach Pasta Salad | A Magical Mess

22- Pizza Pasta Salad | Conservamom

23- Pressure Cooker Best Macaroni Salad | This Old Gal

24- The Easiest Red, White, and Blue Pasta Salad (GF/V) | Pink Fortitude

25- Simple Summer Corn Macaroni Salad | Strength and Sunshine

Pea Potluck Salad Recipes

When I started this Roundup, pea salads were not what I was thinking of. But I discovered that they’re far more common than I’d understood. And after thinking about it I realized that they show up regularly at potlucks. Now I am very curious to make a pea salad at home.

Potluck salads with peas - 43 potluck salad ideas

26- Creamy Pea Salad | Recipes From A Pantry

27- Pea Salad | Baking Beauty

28- Pea Salad with Smoked Turkey | Simply Happy Foodie

Favorite Potato Salads for Potlucks

Potato salads can be a little tricky to bring to outdoor summer potlucks because mayo and heat are not good friends. For our Memorial Day picnic, we fill a kiddie pool with ice water and let people set their salads into it. It keeps the potato salads and watermelon slices nice and cold all day long.

That’s one great solution but skipping the mayo altogether is another one. This list has some great non-mayo potato salads in case you don’t have a way to keep your salad cool.

Don’t pass over the Harissa potato salad, it will bring an unexpected flavor to an otherwise traditional recipe.

Potluck salads with potato - 43 potluck salad ideas

29- Harissa Potato Salad | Strength and Sunshine

30- Instant Pot Potato Salad | This Old Gal

31- Red Potato Salad with Greek Yogurt | Eating Richly

32- Cauliflower “Faux Potato” Salad | Whole New Mom

33- Instant Pot potato salad | Little Sunny Kitchen

34- Pierogi Potato Salad | Food Meanderings

Quinoa Potluck Salads

Quinoa is definitely the new kid on the block and very popular right now. Its nutty flavor and mild crunch make for a delicious salad. If you haven’t tasted it, I encourage you to give it a try.

Potluck salads with quinoa - 43 potluck salad ideas

35- Caprese Quinoa Salad | Cooking With Carlee

36- Orange Cranberry Quinoa Salad | In The Kids’ Kitchen

37- Roasted Beet, Squash, and Black Bean Quinoa Salad (Vegan) | Just Beet It

38- The Tastiest Quinoa Salad | MoneywiseMoms

Lentils, Fresh Corn, and More…

Here’s a group of salads that sound delicious and don’t take a lot of time. I thought were worthy of mentioning but didn’t fit neatly into my categories.

Potluck salads - 43 potluck salad ideas

39- Chopped Chicken Salad | Diabetes Strong

40- Crispy Corn | Your Veg Recipe

41- Ethiopian Lentil Salad | Adamant Kitchen

42- Summer Corn Salad | Cooking With Carlee

43- Taco Salad with Fritos | Dancing Through The Rain

I hope this salad round-up was a bit of an opener for you. It sure was for me I had no idea pea salads were so popular, and that quinoa had taken over the world. However, the classic pasta salad is still the clear winner for a yummy and inexpensive way to feed a crowd. These homemade salads are a lot more than just a side dish but could be a main dish on their own. So let’s pick up a large bowl and make one for the whole family.

What’s your favorite potluck salad? Let me know in the comments.

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17 thoughts on “43 Easy Potluck Salads Ideas to Feed a Crowd

  1. Susan SugarPartiesLA says:

    Yum ! Sooooo many delicious food ideas ! I’m obsessed with pasta salads. I definitely need to try some of these recipes.

  2. Bri says:

    I am so excited to try a few of these. I, like you, stick with the same thing over and over – and while it is delicious – I’m ready to try something new. Saved these and will let you know what my family thinks!

  3. Rose Piatt says:

    Are these books I must buy? I am on Facebook can I save them on or do I print them out? They are look delicious. I just got a pressure cooker, so I am new to this👍

  4. Holly says:

    Hi Nathalie – What great ideas for potluck salads. PINNED! Thank you for including my gluten free pasta salad. My heart is full of gratitude. Hugs, Holly

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