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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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I am a huge salad fan so I eat them frequently and am always looking for new recipe ideas! These are awesome!
Thank you so much Jennifer
Yum ! Sooooo many delicious food ideas ! I’m obsessed with pasta salads. I definitely need to try some of these recipes.
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!
I liked how some of them were pretty exotic. I tried to give an array of choice. And yes, let me know which ones you try and like.
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👍
Hi Rose, no books. They are links to free recipes online. When you try one, come back and let me know how you liked it.
Love this round up, so many great salad recipes in one post. Pinning this!
Thank you Diana, I needed this post myself, so I wrote it:)
This is a fantastic post! I love that you gathered all these great recipes in one place!
We’re having a bbq this weekend and need some side ideas, so this is great!!
What a great collection!! I love potluck parties!! Some if my favorites are the ones with peas!! I love a good pea salad!!
It’s so funny because I had no idea how popular they were until I started to make this round-up.
Nice list! I need to bring a salad to an event on Tuesday – perfect timing!
So many yummy new recipes to try. Thanks so much for including some of mine. 🙂
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
Of course, it looks wonderful Holly.