Simple Arugula Radish Salad

This fresh and simple arugula radish salad is the best salad to throw together when you’re short on time but want something green on your lunch or dinner plate! Made with peppery arugula, thinly sliced radish, sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and a simple lemony dressing. Gluten free and easily made dairy free / vegan.

The best simple arugula salad

This simple arugula salad recipe is always the answer to adding something green to our plate when we’re short on time and ingredients.

It’s made with just a few basic ingredients that can easily be swapped for other options depending on what you already have on hand.

We have served it for lunch, dinner, BBQ’s, dinner parties, and even brunch. It’s that versatile and always a crowd pleaser! Ideal for summer dining and beyond.

This watermelon salad is another favorite arugula salad of ours, but the recipe I’m sharing in this blog post is perfect for when you want a salad that’s extra easy to make!

Why you’ll love this arugula salad

It is:

• Fresh and green
• Full of texture
• Low carb / keto friendly
• Easy to make
• An ideal side dish
• Super versatile
• Bright and peppery
• Easily made dairy free / vegan
• Made with the best lemon dressing
• Ultra tasty!

Ingredients and substitutions

The beauty of this salad truly lies in the simplicity of the ingredients, and how they all come together to create such a delicious side dish. Besides being simple, it’s also super versatile. I’ll share the ingredients and some options for substitutions below.

Here’s what you need

• Fresh arugula – Fresh arugula (also sometimes called rocket), is the leafy green base for this salad. You could easily swap it out for another type of salad green.
• Radish – Watermelon radish is what I generally choose for this recipe when I can get my hands on it. The flavor is perfectly spicy, and the bright pink color can’t be beat! Red radishes, easter egg radishes, or french radishes would all work.
• Sunflower seeds – Toasted and salted is our preference, but feel free to use whatever you like / have on hand. Another nut or seed like walnuts or pumpkin seeds could be used instead. They add great texture and crunch!
• Grated parmesan – Many arugula salad recipes use shaved parmesan, but for this one I prefer the texture of grated. Feel free to use whichever you like best.
• Simple lemony dressing – A bright and easy vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper!

How to make this salad dairy free / vegan

The only ingredient you need to change to make to this salad dairy free and vegan is the parmesan cheese.

It can either be omitted, or substituted with a dairy free parmesan option like this homemade version, or your favorite store bought option.

Recipe variations

If you feel like switching things up you can easily add in a few extra vegetables, use a different dressing, cheese, seed, or nut.

What else goes well in arugula salad?

• Veggie and fruit additions – Steamed beets, sliced apples or pears, strawberries, or cherry tomatoes would all be delicious additions or swaps for the radish!
• Dressing alternatives – Many other types of dressings or vinaigrettes would work well in this recipe! A lighter dressing is probably best for arugula salad. You could use a balsamic dressing, Italian vinaigrette, or even a creamy Caesar style dressing would be yummy.
• Alternative cheeses – Shaved parmesan (instead of grated), feta cheese, crumbled goat cheese, or blue cheese would all work well.
• Nuts / seeds – Pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, or toasted walnuts would be phenomenal substitutions for sunflower seeds.

Additionally, you could make this salad a complete meal by adding some heartier ingredients like cooked quinoa, chickpeas, salmon, chicken breast, or hard boiled eggs.

How to make a simple arugula salad

This easy salad comes together in just a few steps and is ready in less than 15 minutes!

Here’s the step-by-step

• Prep the salad. Combine all salad ingredients in large salad bowl and set aside.
• Make the dressing. Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl or shake together in a jar until well combined.
• Toss and serve. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt. Serve with extra sunflower seeds and parmesan if desired and enjoy!

Serving suggestions

The different ways you can serve arugula salad are endless!

We love to pair it with a variety of simple meals.

It’s especially delicious with baked chicken, gluten free chicken patties, oven roasted salmon, a hearty burger, cast iron steak, or as an addition to a veggie heavy spread.

Simple but impressive enough to serve at your next get together (especially if you find some watermelon radish for that bright pink pop of color!).

Can you make arugula salad ahead of time?

Parts of the salad can be made in advance, however I would wait to fully assemble until just before serving.

If you’re prepping the salad ahead of time here’s how I would do it:

• Make the dressing and store it in the refrigerator if making more than an hour or two in advance. Bring to room temperature before it’s time to use so the olive oil isn’t solidified.
• Wash your arugula and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
• Slice or julienne radishes and store in water in the refrigerator. This will keep them fresh and crisp. Just drain the water well before adding to the salad.
• Measure remaining ingredients and have ready. The parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds can be measured out and waiting for when you’re ready to toss the salad together.

Love this arugula salad? Try these other vibrant salad recipes!

• Watermelon Arugula Salad
• Lemony Chickpea Feta Salad
• Summer Peach Salad with Almonds and Feta
• Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
• Chopped Vegan Chickpea Salad
• Gluten Free Italian Pasta Salad

If you enjoyed this recipe we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review the recipe below. It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any changes you made! 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK! We’re so grateful you’re here.

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