Green Goddess Salad

What Makes This Green Goddess Salad the Bomb?

• Every bite has crunch and creaminess. Between the romaine, cucumber, avocado, and sunflower seeds, this salad checks every texture box.
• That homemade dressing seals the deal. The Green Goddess Dressing is fresh, tangy, and packed with herbs and garlic. It ties everything together like magic.
• It’s ready in 15 minutes. Perfect for lunch, a light dinner, or a colorful side dish when you want something fast but fresh.
• Easily customizable. Add grilled chicken, toss in extra veggies, or make it your own with what you have on hand. It’s flexible and forgiving.

Why is it Called Green Goddess Salad?

It’s called a Green Goddess Salad not just because it’s packed with green goodness and tastes like something divine—but because the original version was created back in 1923 to honor a stage play called The Green Goddess. Since then, it’s taken on a life of its own, and this version is hands-down one of my favorites.

What You’ll Need

Let’s go over the good-for-you ingredients that make up this tempting salad. The amounts are included in the recipe card below this post.

• Green Leaf Lettuce: Roughly chopped.
• Diced Green Pepper
• Diced English Cucumber
• Halved Cherry Tomatoes: If preferred, you can swap these out for halved grape tomatoes.
• Diced Red Onion
• Sunflower Seeds: Stick with the unsalted ones to avoid adding unnecessary sodium – the salad dressing will provide plenty of flavor.
• Sliced Avocado
• Green Goddess Dressing: I highly recommend whipping up my light and creamy homemade version rather than buying it bottled!

How to Make Green Goddess Salad

Get ready to fall in love with the convenience of this recipe. You’ll have a wholesome salad on the table in no time!

1. Combine Everything But Avocado & Dressing: Add the prepared lettuce, green pepper, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes and sunflower seeds to a large mixing bowl.
2. Toss With Dressing: Drizzle the green goddess dressing over the salad ingredients. Use two wooden spoons to toss the salad until everything is evenly coated.
3. Add Avocado & Serve: Top the salad with the sliced avocado, then serve it immediately.

Tips and Tricks

• Make the Dressing in Advance: Making your salad dressing a few hours or even a day ahead of time allows the flavors to fuse together, giving you an even yummier end result. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
• Use a Large Mixing Bowl: It’s important that everything is evenly coated in dressing so that every inch of your salad is packed with flavor. Grab the biggest mixing bowl you can find so you won’t have to worry about spillage slowing you down.
• Serve the Salad Immediately: If you’re not serving all 6 helpings of this salad at once, I recommend serving the dressing on the side or tossing it with individual portions. Leftovers will last longer if the dressing and the salad ingredients are stored separately.

Variation Ideas

• Bulk It Up: Cooked chicken and crumbled feta cheese would taste incredible in this salad. Try it out if you’re looking to serve a substantial main course.
• Swap Out the Greens: Not a fan of green leaf lettuce? Substitute it for another kind of lettuce or the salad greens of your choice (such as spinach, arugula or kale).
• Crank Up the Heat: If you’re looking for a spicy version of this salad, then go ahead and blend a jalapeño into the dressing. Alternatively, dice it up and mix it into the salad, removing the seeds if desired.
• Make the TikTok Version: Green goddess salad has recently gone viral on TikTok, only the internet sensation is more of a chopped salad that’s served as a dip. To mimic that trendy adaptation, leave out the tomatoes and make sure everything is diced up nice and finely, including the avocado. Toss the salad as usual, working gently to avoid smooshing the avocado, then serve it with your favorite pita or tortilla chips for dunking.

Serving Suggestions

So many different dishes will complement this crave-worthy salad, from Air Fryer Salmon to Grilled Chicken Kabobs. If you’re adding a protein and turning it into an entree, partner it with Garlic Ranch Potatoes or Honey Roasted Carrots. Anything you’d normally serve with a fresh green salad is fair game!

Storage Instructions

Keep leftover green goddess dressing chilled in an airtight jar and refrigerate any extra salad ingredients in a separate airtight container. The salad will last for up to 24 hours and the dressing will stay good for 5 days. Note that neither one is suitable for freezing.