This Asparagus Salad is healthy, refreshing and easy to make with crispy asparagus, peppery arugula, cucumber, cherry tomatoes tossed with a homemade lemon herb dressing. It’s the perfect lunch or light spring dinner and simple to customize with your favorite crunchy toppings.
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Updated April 2023
Healthy Aspragus Salad
Who doesn’t love a fresh, healthy and flavorful bowl of veggies to add to their meal rotation? This asparagus salad is bright, beautiful and full of spring flavors. It features crispy and tender aspargus is roasted to perfection and served with a medley of peppery arugula, refreshing cucumber and more! What we love about making spring salads like this is that you can put them together quickly with ingredients that can easily be swapped out for what you have on hand.
After throwing it together in less than 30 minutes, each bite you take will seem like it’s too good to be true. You can keep the roasted asparagus as simple or dress them up however you’d like – their versatility makes them a fail-proof side dish for all sorts of different main courses! From big holiday feasts to light weekend lunches, this tender-crisp asparagus makes an amazing addition to any meal.
Not only do they have the best taste and texture, but they also supply your body with plenty of vital nutrients. They’re a wonderful source of vitamins, magnesium, dietary fiber and more!
Why we love this salad recipe
Not only is this asparagus salad delicious, it’s also so simple to make! It makes a quick and easy lunch, dinner and is naturally gluten-free and fits into various diets such as paleo, low carb, Keto, vegan and Whole30 compliant.
You can serve make a big batch for summer barbecues, picnics or serve as a side to a comforting and cozy dinner.
Ingredients you need
- Arugula
- Mixed greens of choice – I used green leaf lettuce, green and red cabbage but feel free to use escarole, romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce
- Asparagus: cut on a bias
- Cucumber: you can use one medium English cucumber or two Persian cucumbers.
- Grape Tomatoes: cut into halves
- Toppings – Pecans, pistachios, sliced almonds and hemp seeds add that perfect crunch
- Herbs – Chopped parsley
For the Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
The light and bright asparagus salad dressing is made with just a few simple ingredients:
- Lemon juice: about 1/4 cup
- Dijon mustard: just 2 teaspoons
- Avocado oil (or extra virgin-olive oi)
- Shallots: minced
- Fresh herbs: mint and rosemary
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Optional sweetener: we used maple syrup but you can use Sugar-free maple syrup, yacon syrup or your preferred liquid sweetener. Leave out for Whole30.
How to make Asparaugs Salad
- Make the Dressing: Add all the ingredients for the dressing in jar or a bowl. Shake or whisk until combined.
- Prepare and cook the Asparagus: Wash and dry your asparagus. Remove the tough woody ends. Air fry the asparagus at 375F for 5 minutes or until just cooked. You can also blanche, sauté or roast them in the oven for 7-8 minutes. We want them to still be crispy and not mushy. Or leave them raw if you prefer.
- Cut asparagus: Once the asparagus is done, allow to cool then cut into a bias
- Assemble the Salad: Place the arugula leaves in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper and little bit of the dressing.
- Garnish and serve: Add the remaining salad ingredients and drizzle with more dressing. Top with nuts and seeds of choice.
Tips for Success
There are a few more things you should know before you get to work on this salad recipe:
- Don’t Cook All the Asparagus At Once: If you over-crowd your Air Fryer or oven, the vegetables won’t cook evenly. They should be spread out in a single layer.
- Remember to Season the Salad Greens First: It’s important to season the arugula first with a little bit of dressing before adding all the other salad components. This ensures that your salad base is flavored evenly when mixed with the other ingredients.
- Add the Dressing Right Before Enjoying: After a while, the vinaigrette will cause the greens in your salad to wilt. We recommend adding the dressing to individual portions right before you serve them, especially if you expect to have leftovers.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
If prepping this salad ahead of time, store the dressing separately until ready to serve.
- To Make This Easy Asparagus Arugula Salad Ahead. Prepare the dressing in a jar and seal with an airtight lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Rinse and dry the arugula ahead of time and wrap with a paper towel in a large resealable bag. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Wash and cut the tomatoes and cucumber and store in a glass resealable container or a separate resealable bag. When ready to serve, assemble the salad.
- To Store. You can store leftover dressed salad in the refrigerator for 1 day.
Variation Ideas
Don’t hesitate to make changes to this healthy asparagus salad as you see fit. It’s super versatile!
- Switch Up the Greens: Got spinach in your garden or kale hanging around in the fridge? You can use any greens of your choice in place of the arugula. We like to mix and match!
- Use Another Dressing: There are plenty of other dressings you can pair with Cobb salad. Caesar dressing, Poppy Seed Dressing, or even balsamic dressing would be absolutely scrumptious.
- Vegetables: Add pickled onions, aritchoke or sun-dried tomatoes for an extra punch of flavour
- Cheese: Sprinkle on some vegan ricotta or feta if not dairy-free, Whole30 or paleo
- Protein: Serve with some roasted chickpeas, air fryer tofu to make this a complete vegan dinner or some grilled salmon, grilled chicken or any protein of choice.
More healthy salad recipes you might like:
Kale Salad with Avocado Caesar Dressing
This Asparagus Salad is healthy, refreshing and easy to make with crispy asparagus, peppery arugula, cucumber, cherry tomatoes with a homemade lemon herb dressing. It's the perfect lunch or light spring dinner and simple to customize with your favorite crunchy toppings.
- 1/2 bunch asparagus , washed, dried and trimmed
- 3 cups loosely packed organic arugula leaves , washed and dried
- 1 cup mixed greens , washed and dried
- 4-6 grape tomatoes , cut into halves
- 1/3 medium cucumber or 1 Persian cucumber , chopped or sliced into rounds
- 1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 teaspoon sliced almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil OR extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup or preferred liquid sweetener - leave out for Whole30
- 1 tsp minced shallots
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper , to taste
MAKE THE DRESSING:Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar or a bowl. Shake or whisk until combined.
Prepare and cook the Asparagus: Wash and dry your asparagus. Remove the tough woody ends. Air fry the asparagus at 375F for 5 minutes or until just cooked. You can also blanche, sauté or roast them in the oven for 7-8 minutes. We want them to still be crispy and not mushy. Or leave them raw if you prefer.
Cut asparagus: Once the asparagus is done, allow to cool then cut them into thirds on an angle.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD: Place the arugula leaves in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper and little bit of the dressing.
Add the remaining salad ingredients and drizzle with more dressing. Top with your favorite nuts and seeds and serve.
Did you try this recipe?
vivian -
Made this for salad night at our house and everyone liked it. The meat eaters had grilled chicken too. I added some crumbled feta and used roasted pistachios for the crunch. This would also be good with chopped hard boiled egg added and/or some marinated or sauteed mushrooms. The dressing is lovely and really makes the salad. Croutons would also be good. Thanks for the inspiration!