Best Weight Watchers Salad Recipes, Light + Healthy

As the days get longer and the weather warms up, I naturally start craving lighter, fresher meals—and that means salads. Whether you’re looking for something crisp and refreshing, hearty and satisfying, or quick and easy to prep ahead, this collection of 35+ light and healthy Weight Watchers–friendly salad recipes has you covered.

From chicken, tuna, and shrimp salads to grain bowls, veggie-packed creations, and fruity combos, there’s something here for every craving, every season, and every WW plan. These salads are perfect for spring and summer, but many are just as delicious and satisfying year-round.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, eat more mindfully, or just add more color to your plate, you’re sure to find new favorites in this flavorful lineup. Enjoy!

Light & Tasty Crunchy Ramen Slaw

If you love Asian-style salads as much as I do, you’ve got to try my Crunchy Ramen Slaw. Thanks to all the prepared veggies available at the market these days—like shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, and shelled edamame—this refreshing slaw comes together in no time.

I gently toss everything in a delicious dressing that’s lightly sweetened with a touch of honey and perfectly spiced with freshly grated ginger and minced garlic. It’s the perfect side dish for anything off the grill, but it’s also easy to turn into a satisfying main course. Just add a little cooked shrimp, chicken, pork, or tofu, and you’re all set.

Trader Joes Easy Asian Chicken Salad

This is an even easier version of the Weight Watcher’s Crunchy Asian Salad I shared recently. Made with mostly ready-to-go ingredients from Trader Joe’s: shredded cabbage, broccoli slaw, cooked chicken, green onions, cilantro and Asian style spicy peanut vinaigrette, it comes together in minutes. No cooking required.

Light & Healthy Broccoli Salad

Combining broccoli, grapes, celery and sunflower seeds in a light and slightly sweet dressing, it’s a perfect summertime side dish solution.

Fresh Tomato Peach Caprese Salad

This simple summer caprese salad, a variation on the traditional, marries fresh peaches, ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, arugula and basil with a simple olive oil and balsamic dressing.

Light & Healthy Italian Sub Pasta Salad

Inspired by the flavors of a classic Italian sub, this salad is colorful, flavorful, and full of crunch—all with a lot less fat and fewer calories. It’s perfect for meal prep, and ideal for lunches, picnics, barbecues, or potlucks. Best of all, it only gets better after a day or two in the fridge, making it a total win in my book!

Weight Watchers Orzo Salad with Vegetables

Weight Watchers Orzo Salad with Vegetables
This salad is a perennial favorite. Combining orzo pasta, chopped vegetables and fresh herbs, it is easy, pretty and flavorful. I love how it pairs with any kind of grilled meat, chicken or seafood.

Easy Chicken Satay Pasta Salad

Diced cooked chicken, pasta, shredded carrots, red bell peppers and basil tossed in a Thai-inspired vinaigrette. This Chicken Satay Pasta Salad is both simple and delicious. Every time I make this easy pasta salad it’s a big hit. Even people who didn’t think they would like it, have gone back for seconds!

Easy Healthy Rotisserie Chicken & Wild Rice Salad

Simple and delicious, this chicken and wild rice salad is a new favorite at our house. The only thing that has to be cooked is the wild rice blend. (I like either Uncle Ben’s or Far East brands.), provided you’ve got leftover rotisserie chicken at the ready.

Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Salad (SkinnyTaste)

This is one of Gina from SkinnyTaste’s FAVORITES! Chopped romaine lettuce tossed with sweet, juicy watermelon, grilled shrimp and goat cheese and a golden balsamic vinaigrette sounds light, healthy and delicious.

Easy Healthy Tuna Salad Nicoise Salad for Two

Salad Niçoise (pronounced nee-swaz) is essentially a French composed salad, similar to our American Cobb salad, but with tuna, green beans, and potatoes, instead of chicken, bacon, and avocado. I’ve been a big fan since first experiencing it in the south of France.

Southwest Shrimp + Black Bean Salad

This simple Southwest Shrimp Black Bean Salad is an easy, healthy and delicious winner in my book. Combining brown rice, corn, black beans, tomatoes and cooked shrimp, It’s perfect for a light one-dish lunch or supper for Weight Watchers.

Skinny big Mac Salad for One (AKA Burger Bowl Supreme)

A lighter, healthier way to enjoy all the flavors of a your favorite fast food burger with fewer calories and no bread, this Skinny Big Mac Salad Recipe is a new lunch and dinner favorite.

Seasoned ground beef atop a heap of shredded lettuce topped with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese, sesame seeds chopped pickles and a light and zesty “special sauce” this salad is sure to satisfy in just 20 minutes or less.

Light & Tasty Shrimp & Grapefruit Salad

Light and refreshing, this low calorie salad with shrimp, grapefruit and mixed greens comes together in minutes. Tossed in a light dressing that uses the leftover grapefruit juice, this salad has quickly become a warm weather lunchtime favorite.

Greek Turkey Feta Mason Jar Salad

My first salad in a jar, but not my last! The secret to success with these salads is the order in which you layer the ingredients. The dressing and any juicy ingredients go in first. Then heavy, sturdy things with the fragile lettuce going in last. That’s really all there is to it.

Skinny Everything But the Bagel Salad

A light and healthy low carb salad recipe based on the classic bagel and lox combination that I adore. If you love bagels with smoked salmon, but not all the fat, carbs and calories, you are going to love this flavor packed salad as much as I do.

Light & Tasty Chicken Souvlaki Salad for One

This Chicken Souvlaki Salad from the Hungry Girl Fast & Easy Cookbook (affiliate link) is a new favorite.

I love the fresh flavors of Greek and Mediterranean food, like this Skinny Chopped Greek Salad, Vegetarian Greek Quinoa Salad, and Easy Greek 7-Layered Dip.  So, I had I hopes for this easy to make entrée-sized salad for one. It exceeded my expectations. 

You can use whatever salad dressing you prefer to top this light and tasty Weight Watchers friendly chicken salad. It’s especially delicious with skinny creamy cucumber feta dressing.

If you’ve never had a Chicken Souvlaki Salad before, I highly recommend you give this one a go!

Pampered Chef Cheeseburger Salad made Weight Watchers friendly

A great easy recipe that will satisfy the whole family, young and old alike. If you’re looking for a salad dish with ground beef or are wondering what can I make with ground beef that would be easy, tasty and healthy, you may want to give this delicious cheeseburger salad a try. Its a family favorite WW Salad Recipe!

Doritos Taco Salad (Emily Bites)

This salad from Emily Bites is sure to be a crowd pleaser whether out at a party or at home on your dinner table. Doritos and tacos together in a waistline friendly salad – who wouldn’t want that!

Weight Watchers Southwestern Beef Salad with Chile Lime Dressing

This Southwestern Beef Salad with Chile Lime Dressing was a big hit when I made it for dinner recently. I liked it because it was easy to make. It’s a no-cook, one-bowl recipe, perfect for summer. All I had to do was some assembly. And Rod liked this Southwestern Beef Salad’s main ingredients: beef and corn. A winning combination in his book.

Panera Fuji Apple Chicken Salad Made Skinny (Skinny Kitchen)

From Skinny Kitchen with many of the same ingredients and a few skinny substitutes. It’s lower in fat and calories with fat-free feta cheese instead of Gorgonzola and fresh apple in addition to the apple chips.

Chicken Salad with Apples and Cranberries

This salad, which has been shared more than 85k times is a winner! Leftover rotisserie chicken, apples, celery, and dried cranberries in a light creamy Greek yogurt based dressing combine to create this light and delicious chicken salad with apples and cranberries. Which reminds me of a classic Waldorf salad—only lighter and with chicken.

Weight Watchers Chicken Salad Recipes

All easy healthy and delicious with low calories and Weight Watchers Points. 9 Weight Watchers Chicken Salads—To keep from getting board, I’m always trying out new Weight Watchers chicken salad recipes. Here are 9 of my favorites, all with calories and WW Points including Chicken Avocado Salad, Grilled Chicken Greek Salad, Chicken and Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruit, Satay Chicken Pasta Salad and more.

Healthy Crunchy Tuna Salad

Fresh and crisp, this healthy crunchy tuna salad is more cabbage than tuna, perfect when you’re craving a light but satisfying lunch. I added dried cranberries for a dash of color and sweet chewiness and a tiny bit of dijon mustard for tang. Lemon juice would work too.

Vegetarian Thai Farro Salad

A refreshing alternative to rice or pasta salad, this Thai-Style Farro Salad makes a wonderful addition to any picnic or potluck table. Crisp cucumbers, shredded carrot and crunchy bell peppers contrast nicely with the chewy farro and the simple dressing of fresh lime juice, olive oil and soy sauce is lightly sweetened with a little pure maple syrup.

This deliciously hearty salad stands on its own as vegetarian main dish salad but also pairs well with any grilled or roasted meats (from beef to chicken to seafood).

Quinoa Tabbouleh

If you have a gluten sensitivity but love tabbouleh, you may want to give this Gluten-Free Quinoa Tabbouleh a try. It’s delicious and naturally gluten-free. The main ingredient in traditional tabbouleh is bulgur, which is cracked wheat. This yummy Ina Garten version swaps quinoa for the bulgur. With it’s nutty flavor, quinoa is a great alternative to, and contains more protein than, many grains.

Nana’s Pineapple Carrot (Sunshine) Jello Salad

This salad was one of my grandmother’s favorites. When made with sugar-free Jello-O, this jell-o salad is also low in calories and Weight Watchers Points. Perfect for those watching their waistline or on a low calorie diet. Jello salads are most often made in a mold and then turned out onto a plate for serving. But Nana usually just spooned her jello out of a bowl into a small serving dish. When doubled this carrot pineapple jello salad works well for holiday meals, family gatherings, and potlucks too!

Weight Watchers Red Potato Salad

I don’t think anyone would ever guess that it’s a Weight Watchers recipe. Everybody ate it up when I made it for Memorial Day. It’s a great basic old-fashioned All-American Potato Salad, lightened up with light mayonnaise and Greek yogurt.

Weight Watchers Salad with Chick Peas and Feta

This easy, healthy, and delicious WW salad is another winning recipe from the July 8-14, 2012 Weight Watcher’s Weekly. It makes a great satisfying lunch on a bed of greens and would be a nice change of pace from the typical potato salad or macaroni salad at your next summer potluck or barbecue.

Simple Summer Corn and Tomato Salad

Easy. Healthy. Fresh. Delicious. Wait to make this simple summer corn tomato salad, which I like even better than corn-on-the-cob, when corn and tomatoes are fresh and in season.

Easy Artichoke Tomato Salad

I ran across this recipe for artichoke and fresh tomato salad as I was researching artichoke recipes for last Fridays’s 38 Power Foods Group post. I almost made this simple artichoke salad with tomatoes, olives and cheese, but decided on the easy whole wheat pizza with artichokes instead.

Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and decided it was the perfect way to use up the couple of quartered artichoke hearts I had left from making the pizza. And since everything else I needed was either in the fridge or pantry, it seemed the perfect quick and easy accompaniment to our grilled turkey burgers the other night.

I love quick and easy salads like this, especially during the long hot summer here in Phoenix when you want to keep your time at the stove to a minimum.

Italian Summer Rice Salad

I’m pleased to share this recipe for Italian Summer Rice Salad which captures the essence of sunny days and Mediterranean flavors in every bite.

When the weather is warm, rather than serve salads made with pasta, which can get mushy, Italians make salads with rice. Long-grain rice is used to help the grains remain separate—not sticky and clumpy.

Combining the light chewiness of long-grain rice with the richness of roasted red or yellow peppers, the freshness of cherry or grape tomatoes, and the savory notes of chopped anchovies and black olives, this salad is a delight of tastes and textures.

Cucumber Apple Radish Fennel Salad

Here’s a terrific salad perfect for those looking to boost their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables in a simple and delicious way. Thinly sliced raw fennel, crisp cucumber, juicy apple, and zesty radish combine to create a light and refreshing side dish that’s both delicious and easy to prepare.

Each ingredient brings its own unique taste – the fennel has a subtle licorice-like flavor, the apple adds sweetness, the radish provides a spicy kick, and the cucumber keeps things cool and crunchy.

Classic Macaroni Salad Made Lighter

It doesn’t get more simple or delicious than this classic macaroni salad. Growing up, it was part of most picnics and backyard barbecues. To keep things Weight Watchers friendly, I substituted plain nonfat Greek yogurt for half the mayonnaise. So this is technically classic macaroni salad made lighter.

Light & Delicious Pear & Blue Cheese Salad

Sliced autumn pears and mesclun greens tossed with pear Dijon dressing topped with crunchy toasted walnuts and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. All I can say is YUM! I love a salad that’s as great tasting as it is good-for-you, and this simple classic combination really delivers. It’s easy, healthy and delicious.

Watergate Salad Made Lighter

How the name “Watergate salad” originated is open for debate. The basic recipe, calling for only two ingredients—Jello Instant Pistachio Pudding and Cool Whip, was first published by General Foods around the time of the Watergate scandal. It’s popular dish at potlucks and family gatherings and goes by many different names. This lightened version replaces the marshmallows with smooth cottage cheese, which adds a nice protein boost.

Trisha Yearwood’s Creamy Grape Salad Made Lighter

’ve got a sweet and refreshing salad/dessert for you today. Trisha Yearwood’s Creamy Grape Salad/Dessert is a winner anytime of year, but especially in the summertime. Creamy, light and refreshing, this no-cook creamy grape salad made lighter and healthier is sweet enough for most of us Weight Watchers to eat for dessert!

Skinny + Delicious Fall Fruit + Grain Salad

Crunchy apples, juicy grapes, hearty grains, tangy dried cranberries, sweet chopped dates, and crunchy walnuts tossed with a luscious creamy vanilla-cinnamon yogurt dressing. All I can say is YUM. This easy, healthy satisfying salad works equally well for breakfast, lunch, side dish or snack.

Ina Garten’s Avocado Grapefruit Salad Made Lighter

A lighter healthier version of this Barefoot Contessa favorite by changing the ratios of grapefruit and avocado and skipping the step of dipping each avocado half in dressing. If you are concerned that your avocado slices will turn brown on you, simply dip them in lemon juice instead.

Simple Arugula Salad with Sunflower Seeds and Parmesan

Simple and flavorful, this simple salad is easy to toss together with ingredients I mostly have on hand—arugula (or other salad greens), sunflower seeds and parmesan. The dressing is vinegar and white truffle oil, but I just used plain old olive oil instead.

Weight Watchers Skinny Cucumber Salad

The longer the cucumbers marinate the better this tastes. I placed mine in a plastic container that I could shake once in a while to coat the cucumbers in the marinade. A ziplock bag with the air squeezed out would work well tool. Works with Simply Filling too.

35 Skinny Salad Dressings with SmartPoints

.You’ll find vinaigrettes, creamy ranch dressings, spicy dressings, cheesy dressings, fruit dressings, vegetable dressings, mustard dressings and more. With this delicious list I’ll never again have an excuse to settle for a humdrum salad. I’ve included some of my favorite bottled options too at the end of the post.

Skinny Upside Down Strawberry Pretzel Salad

The irresistible combination of creamy, crunchy, salty and sweet makes this fruity no bake dessert salad a winner with everyone who tries it. In addition this satisfying dessert is best made ahead of time for the perfect potluck or party treat.

More Weight Watchers Friendly Salads

• Trisha Yearwood’s Orzo Salad (Made Lighter) – A slimmed-down version of Trisha’s popular orzo salad—loaded with fresh veggies, bright flavor, and fewer calories. Great for potlucks, meal prep, or a light lunch.
• Favorite Mason Jar Salads – Layered for freshness and easy to grab-and-go, these Weight Watchers–friendly mason jar salads make healthy eating convenient and delicious—perfect for lunch on the run.
• How to Make Healthier Pasta Salads for Weight Watchers – Learn the smart swaps and flavor-boosting tips that make pasta salads lighter without losing taste. A must-read for WW members and pasta lovers alike!
• Weight Watchers Savvy Salad Survival Guide – Your go-to guide for building balanced, satisfying salads that support your wellness goals. Includes tips, tricks, and mix-and-match ideas for every season.
• Easy Egg Salad Recipe for Weight Watchers – Creamy, satisfying, and surprisingly light—this egg salad is made with a few smart tweaks to keep it WW-friendly while delivering classic comfort and flavor.
• Watermelon Feta Salad – A summer favorite that’s sweet, salty, and refreshing. Juicy watermelon, tangy feta, and fresh mint come together for a bright, hydrating salad you’ll crave on hot days.
• Citrus Couscous Salad with Pistachios – A vibrant grain salad bursting with fresh citrus, crunchy pistachios, and herbs. Light yet satisfying—a perfect side dish or meatless main with a Mediterranean twist.