This spring chopped salad recipe is your new warm-weather obsession — packed with crisp veggies, sweet blanched corn, and a zippy vinaigrette that makes it the ultimate easy vegetable salad for any occasion.
Okay, real talk — I made this salad for a backyard get-together once, and it disappeared before I even got a second bowl. There’s something about all those bright, crunchy vegetables chopped into perfect little bites that just makes people go absolutely feral for it.
It’s fresh, it’s colorful, and it tastes like summer decided to throw a party on your plate.
Table of Contents
What Makes This Spring Chopped Salad So Good
This isn’t your sad desk-lunch salad. Every bite has something going on — tender-crisp green and wax beans, sweet corn straight off the cob, juicy tomatoes, crunchy peppers, and cool cucumber, all tied together with a simple olive oil and rice wine vinegar dressing.
It’s one of those easy vegetable salad recipes that looks incredibly impressive but is honestly pretty low-effort once you get your chopping groove going.
It’s also naturally vegan, gluten-free, and works beautifully as one of those go-to vegetable salads for parties — you can prep most of it ahead and just toss it right before serving. Win-win.
Spring Chopped Salad
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Saucepan
- Large bowl
- Colander
Ingredients
Produce
- 2 ears corn
- 0.5 lb green beans cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 0.5 lb wax beans cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 4 plum tomatoes seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 red pepper seeded, deveined and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 yellow pepper seeded, deveined and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 red onion cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 English cucumber peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Herbs
- 0.75 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Dressing
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Seasonings
- coarse salt for boiling and dressing
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Chop all vegetables into uniform 1/4-inch pieces and set aside.
- Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water.
- Bring salted water to a boil, add corn and a pinch of sugar, and blanch for about 6 minutes. Transfer to ice bath, cool, then cut kernels off the cob.
- Blanch green beans and wax beans in the same water for 1 minute. Transfer immediately to ice bath, then drain.
- In a large bowl, combine corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onion, cucumber, and cilantro.
- Add olive oil, rice wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Toss well, adjust seasoning, and serve immediately.
Notes
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need. The chopping is the biggest job here, but I promise it’s worth it.
| Category | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Produce | 2 ears of corn |
| ½ lb green beans, cut into ¼-inch pieces | |
| ½ lb wax beans, cut into ¼-inch pieces | |
| 4 plum tomatoes, seeded & cut into ¼-inch pieces | |
| 1 small red pepper, seeded, deveined & cut into ¼-inch pieces | |
| 1 small yellow pepper, seeded, deveined & cut into ¼-inch pieces | |
| 1 small red onion, cut into ¼-inch pieces | |
| 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded & cut into ¼-inch pieces | |
| Herbs | ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves |
| Dressing | 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil |
| 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar | |
| Seasonings | Coarse salt (for boiling + dressing) |
| Pinch of sugar | |
| 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper |
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Get Your Chop On
Chop, chop, chop! Seriously, this whole recipe comes together so much faster if you do all your prep first. Get every vegetable cut into those neat little ¼-inch pieces before you even touch the stove. Put on a podcast, a playlist, or your favorite reality TV drama — this is your zen chopping moment.
Pro tip: A sharp knife makes this 10x more enjoyable. Dull knife = frustrated chef = slightly uneven pieces. You deserve better.
Step 2: Set Up Your Ice Bath
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it aside. This is your secret weapon for keeping everything bright, crisp, and gorgeous. Blanching without the ice bath is basically just… boiling vegetables with extra steps and none of the payoff.
Step 3: Blanch the Corn
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and that pinch of sugar — yes, the sugar! It’s a small touch that really nudges the natural sweetness of the corn. Blanch for about 6 minutes until the corn is tender and golden.
Pull the ears out and immediately plunge them into your ice water. Let them cool completely before you handle them. Once they’re cool, use a large knife to slice the kernels right off the cob and transfer them to a large bowl. Those little golden nuggets are the heart of this salad.
Step 4: Blanch the Beans
Add your green beans and wax beans to the same boiling water. Blanch for just about 1 minute — you want them tender but still snappy. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and drop them straight into the ice water.
Once they’re cooled down, drain them in a colander. The color on these beans after blanching is stunning — that vivid green is everything.
Step 5: Bring It All Together
Add the drained beans, tomatoes, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, cucumber, and cilantro to the bowl with your corn. Give it a good stir so everything gets friendly with each other.
Now add the olive oil, rice wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons of coarse salt, and the black pepper. Stir again, taste it, and adjust the seasoning to your liking. More salt? Go for it. A tiny splash more vinegar? Absolutely. This salad is very forgiving and very customizable.
“Adjust seasonings to your liking” is not just recipe filler — it genuinely matters here. A little extra salt can transform this from good to “why is everyone asking me for this recipe?”
Serve immediately for maximum crunch!
Expert Tips, Variations & Troubleshooting
Tips for the Best Results
Don’t skip the ice bath — I know it feels like extra work, but it’s what keeps the beans and corn vibrant and crisp instead of dull and mushy. Room-temperature blanched vegetables are a sad thing.
Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find. Since the dressing is so simple, the ingredients carry a lot of weight. A grassy, peppery olive oil makes a real difference here.
Easy Variations to Try
Make it heartier: Toss in a can of drained chickpeas or white beans for protein. It turns this easy vegetable salad into a full meal and makes it even better as one of those satisfying easy salad ideas for party spreads.
Add some heat: A finely diced jalapeño or a pinch of red pepper flakes gives this a nice kick that plays really well with the sweet corn.
Swap the herb: Not a cilantro fan? (No judgment, it’s a whole thing.) Fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil works beautifully in its place.
Add cheese: A crumble of cotija or feta on top takes this spring chopped salad recipe into another dimension entirely.
If you love fresh, veggie-forward salads, you’ll also want to check out this healthy winter salad with pomegranate for the colder months, or this stunning Easter salad for your next holiday spread.
Troubleshooting
Salad is watery: This usually happens when the cucumber or tomatoes release liquid after sitting. Make sure you’ve seeded both well before chopping, and don’t dress the salad too far in advance.
Vegetables taste flat: Seasoning is your friend. Don’t be shy with the salt — it’s what brings every individual flavor into focus. Taste and adjust before serving.
Beans are too soft: You only need 1 minute in the boiling water! Any longer and they lose that satisfying snap. Set a timer.
Storage Instructions
This salad is best eaten the day it’s made, but here’s how to handle leftovers or prep ahead:
| Storage Method | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator (dressed) | Up to 1 day | Vegetables will soften slightly |
| Refrigerator (undressed) | Up to 2 days | Keep dressing separate, toss just before serving |
| Freezer | Not recommended | Texture suffers significantly |
Reheating
This one’s meant to be served cold or at room temperature, so no reheating needed! If it’s been chilling in the fridge, pull it out 10–15 minutes before serving to take the edge off the cold.
No-Waste Kitchen Ideas
Got leftover chopped salad? Toss it into a grain bowl with quinoa or farro, spoon it over avocado toast, or stuff it into a wrap with some hummus. The flavors actually deepen a little overnight, so day-two leftovers have their own kind of magic.
For more fun ways to use fresh produce creatively, this Gordon Ramsay radish salad is worth a look — and if you’re in a snack mood after all this chopping, these air fryer 3-ingredient protein bagels are a ridiculously easy treat.
Nutritional Information
Per serving (approx. 6 servings)
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~110 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | ~16g |
| Protein | ~3g |
| Fat | ~5g |
| Fiber | ~4g |
| Sodium | ~320mg |
| Sugar | ~6g |
Note: Nutritional values are estimates and will vary based on exact ingredient sizes and brands used.
Spring Chopped Salad Recipe FAQs
Can I make this spring chopped salad recipe ahead of time?
Yes! This is actually one of the best easy salad ideas for party prep. Blanch the vegetables and chop everything up to a day in advance, but store the dressing separately. Toss it all together right before serving so everything stays crisp and fresh.
What can I substitute for wax beans?
If you can’t find wax beans, just use all green beans — the flavor is very similar and the salad will still be delicious. You can also use sugar snap peas cut into small pieces for a slightly sweeter crunch.
Is this salad good for parties and potlucks?
Absolutely — it’s one of my favorite vegetable salads for parties because it travels well (keep the dressing separate), feeds a crowd, and looks gorgeous on a table. It also works for people with various dietary restrictions since it’s naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Can I use frozen corn instead of fresh?
You can in a pinch! Thaw it completely and pat it dry before adding it to the salad. You won’t get quite the same sweet pop as fresh corn off the cob, but it’s a totally solid shortcut when fresh ears aren’t available.
What dressing works best with this easy vegetable salad?
The simple olive oil and rice wine vinegar combo in this recipe is light and lets the vegetables shine. That said, a lemon tahini dressing or even a classic red wine vinaigrette would also work really well if you want to switch things up.
Ready to Chop?
If you’ve made it this far, you’re basically already halfway to having this salad on your table — and trust me, you won’t regret it. This spring chopped salad recipe is the kind of dish that makes people think you’ve got your life together, when really you just chopped some vegetables and let them do all the work.
Give it a try this week! And if you do, I’d love to hear how it went — drop a comment below with your thoughts, tweaks, and verdicts. Did you add jalapeño? Did you sneak some feta in? Tell me everything. And if it was a hit, save it to Pinterest so your friends can find it too! 📌
For more fresh and easy inspiration, don’t miss this fun tanghulu recipe — a crunchy candied fruit treat that makes a perfect sweet finish after a light salad meal.
