Salad bar Ideas – The MEGA List

Whether you are planning a salad bar for a large gathering, a party, or for a family dinner, this list is the ultimate guide to making the best salad bar spread. Packed with topping options from greens, to vegetables, cheeses, nuts, meats and more, we not only cover everything to put in a salad, but also the best combinations for making a salad.

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How to Make a Salad Bar- The EASY Way!

A salad bar is a great option for almost any occasion. It can be scaled to feed a huge crowd, made beautifully for something as elegant as a bridal shower or baby shower, made simply for a family dinner, or anything in between. The beauty of it is, everyone loves it because each person can customize it to exactly what they like!

Today, I am going to share with you my resource list I keep to go through for when I am throwing together a salad bar to pick the toppings.

There are HUNDREDS of toppings on this list that I go through to as a reference to pick and choose what I want to serve. You don’t need them all, but this serves a great place to look through and narrow down what you want without forgetting anything!

Make sure to check out my post on pizza toppings and combos if you need something to go with your salad bar!

What to put on a salad bar:

Here are a few rules of thumb for deciding what you need for your salad bar.

• How many people do you need to feed? For a small family dinner I made do 4-5 toppings and 1 type of greens. For a large party, I may do 20+ toppings with a choice of 3 greens.
  
• Is there a theme? Do you want a caesar salad bar, or is the salad bar an addition to pizza, BBQ, pasta, or another type of cuisine you can try to compliment? This helps narrow down what you may want to offer on the salad bar.
  
• What do you have on hand? Do you have produce already on hand you hope to use, or are certain things readily available and in season?
  
• Combine categories– Make sure to choose toppings from each category below to give more options for creating your salad masterpiece. Having a balance of greens, vegetables, proteins, grains, crunch and dressing makes the most versatile options.

Salad Bar Greens

Choose one or more of these as a base for your salad:

• Romaine
• Shredded cabbage- red or green
• Iceberg lettuce
• Arugula
• Spinach
• Kale
• Mixed greens

Salad Bar Topping Ideas

The possible options for topping a salad are virtually limitless, so we will break down the toppings into categories to help organize it in an easy way to narrow down a few options from each to create a well balanced salad bar. Make sure to check out the section below to get salad topping combination ideas and inspiration.

Vegetables

• Tomato
• Cucumber
• Onion – Red, white, yellow, green
• Carrots
• Bell pepper
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Mushrooms
• Olives
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Beets
• Jacima
• Okra- pickled
• Radish
• Roasted sweet potatoes
• edamame
• Green peas
• Brussels sprouts- shredded or roasted
• Jalapeños
• Basil

Fruits

• Apples
• Pears
• Mandarin oranges
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Figs
• Shredded coconut
• Dried cranberries
• Dried apricots

Proteins

• Bacon/ Bacon bits
• Chicken Breast- shredded, grilled, baked, poached, fried
• Chicken thighs
• Chicken tenders
• Steak
• Ham
• Boiled eggs
• Salmon
• Deli meat- turkey, ham, etc
• Tofu
• Shrimp

Nuts + Seeds

Nuts and seeds can be added raw, seasoned or toasted to a salad.

• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Sun flower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Pepitas

Grains + Beans

Cooked grains or rinsed and drained canned beans are a great way to bulk up a salad.

• Quinoa
• Barley
• Corn
• Black Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Chick peas
• Black eyed peas
• Red beans
• Navy beans
• Cooked pasta

Cheeses

Add cheese either shredded, grated, or cut into bite sized cubes.

• Cheddar
• Parmesan
• Romano
• Monterey Jack
• Blue Cheese
• Gorgonzola
• Mozzarella- Fresh or shredded
• Queso fresco or Cojita
• Fontina
• Goat cheese
• Feta cheese
• Burrata

Crunch

• Croutons
• Tortilla Chips, or crispy strips
• Pita Chips
• Toasted ramen noodles

Salad Dressing

• Ranch
• Balsamic
• Caesar
• Italian
• Blue Cheese
• Greek
• Asian
• Lemon Vinaigrette
• French
• Honey Mustard
• Jalapeno Ranch
• Poppy seed
• Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Olive oil and vinegar

Salad Combinations

If you are putting together a salad bar, it can be very helpful to have some combinations in mind to help ensure you have enough to make a well rounded salad. Here are a few popular salad combinations:

Caesar Salad

• Chopped Romaine
• Parmesan cheese
• Croutons
• Caesar Dressing
• Optional protien: grilled chicken, salmon, hard boiled egg

Southwest Salad

• Chopped Romaine
• Shredded Red Cabbage
• Tomato
• Corn
• Red Bell Pepper
• Avocado
• Tortilla Strips
• Ranch or Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

Spinach Strawberry Salad

• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Candied Pecans
• red onion
• Poppy seed dressing

Classic Wedge Salad

• Quartered Iceberg lettuce
• Tomato
• Blue Cheese
• Crumbled bacon
• Buttermilk or blue cheese dressing

Cobb Salad

• Chopped Romaine or iceberg
• Tomatoes
• Avocado
• Chicken
• Hard boiled eggs
• green onion
• Blue cheese
• Red wine vinaigrette

Caprese Salad

• Sliced Tomato
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Torn basil leaves
• Olive oil + Balsamic vinegar

Steakhouse Salad

• Romaine lettuce
• Tomato
• Shredded carrots
• Cucumber
• Croutons
• Cheddar Cheese
• Ranch dressing

Greek Salad

• Romaine Lettuce
• Tomato
• Cucumber
• Pepperoncini Peppers
• Olives
• Greek dressing
• Croutons or pita chips

With THOUSANDS of combinations of to make from a good salad bar, there is no way to list them all here, but use this a great starting point to put together your own salad bar. Take inspiration from here, or leave me a comment with fun topping ideas and combos that YOU love!