Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips 48 No-Cook Appetizers and Salads So You Don't Have To Spend a Minute by Your Stovetop By Southern Living Editors Updated on June 22, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis During summertime in the South, it can get too hot to even think of turning your oven or stovetop on. Luckily, hot summer temps don't have to hold you back from exploring delicious new recipes. These no-cook appetizers and salads showcase the best of summer's gorgeous produce. Without having to put much work in, you can still show up at the church potluck or neighborhood cookout with the prettiest appetizer or salad in sight. Whether you're in the mood for an old-school no-cook appetizer like Pimiento Cheese or Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, or you want to branch out with no-cook recipes that will be new to guests like Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Pickled Okra and Pineapple-Pepper Slaw, these no-cook recipes have your back for every event. Busy weeknights call for quick, easy dinner recipes, and our no-cook salads fit the bill beautifully. Don't waste a minute of summer standing by the stovetop. These no-cook appetizer and salad recipes are summer time savers. 01 of 48 Herbed-Goat Cheese Spread Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Herbed-Goat Cheese Spread You're just 5 minutes and a few stirs away from setting this easy goat cheese spread out for your guests. 02 of 48 Strawberry-Spinach Salad Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Strawberry-Spinach Salad This recipe is made to serve 10, but you can easily double if you're expecting a larger crowd. 03 of 48 Texas Caviar Southern Living Recipe: Texas Caviar This tailgate-favorite dip is actually pretty healthy, so go ahead and dig in. 04 of 48 Classic Pimiento Cheese Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Basic Pimiento Cheese This might be a simple pimiento cheese recipe with very few ingredients, but it surely doesn't taste basic. Set it up with crackers and crudité or make tea sandwiches with it for easy grab-and-go access. 05 of 48 Creamy Avocado Dip Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Creamy Avocado Dip Mayonnaise transforms avocados into a creamier version of guacamole. Serve alongside chips and veggies of your choice. 06 of 48 Sweet Pea-Parmesan Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Sweet Pea-Parmesan Dip Everyone will enjoy eating their peas when you serve them up in the form of a dip. 07 of 48 Fresh Fruit Salad Jen Causey Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad Every luncheon, potluck, and brunch spread could use a simple, delicious fruit salad, like this lightly dressed one. 08 of 48 Spring Mix Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Spring Mix Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese Making your own herbed goat cheese takes just a few minutes. You can prepare a day in advance so all you have to do on the day of serving is toss the remaining ingredients together. 09 of 48 Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette Chickpeas serve as a crunchy alternative to croutons in this refreshing cucumber salad. 10 of 48 Pineapple-Pepper Slaw Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pineapple-Pepper Slaw Fresh pineapple and peppers create a colorful coleslaw that just may become your family's new favorite slaw. 11 of 48 Marinated Tomato-and-Herb Salad Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Marinated Tomato-and-Herb Salad Make the most of fresh herbs from your garden by using them to make this tomato salad that's ready in just 10 minutes. 12 of 48 Creamy Broccoli Slaw Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Creamy Broccoli Slaw Follow this simple recipe to upgrade bagged broccoli slaw and turn it into a refreshing summer dish. 13 of 48 Tomato Sandwiches Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Tomato Tea Sandwiches What's a shower or luncheon without an arrangement of tea sandwiches? This recipe takes a Southern classic and makes it portable for parties. 14 of 48 Spicy Pineapple Slaw Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Kellie Kelley; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Spicy Pineapple Slaw This crunchy, festive slaw recipe combines sweet pineapple with spicy jalapenos for a side dish that can get the party started. 15 of 48 Orange-Basil Yogurt Dip Iain Bagwell Recipe: Orange-Basil Yogurt Dip You can prepare this savory, sweet, and tangy dip up to three days in advance of serving. 16 of 48 Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad Two summer favorites, watermelon and tomato, come together to create a refreshing summer salad you'll want to serve immediately. 17 of 48 Creamy Feta-and-Herb Dip Antonis Achilleos; Prop styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Creamy Feta-and-Herb Dip This rich homemade dip is so much better than store-bought, and yes, guests will be able to taste the difference. 18 of 48 Mango-Rose Fruit Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Mango-Rose Fruit Salad In this fruit salad, chopped banana, apple, strawberry, pineapple, and grapes are covered in a creamy mango mixture that gets a delicate floral aroma from rose essence. 19 of 48 Tomato-and-Watermelon Salad Photo: Oxmoor House Recipe: Tomato-and-Watermelon Salad Combine sweet, juicy watermelon chunks with fresh tomato, onion, and a red wine vinaigrette for a salad that is the essence of summer. 20 of 48 Creamy Crab Dip Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Creamy Crab Dip Fresh lump crab is the star of this easy dip recipe, and the flavor of Lowcountry favorite Old Bay seasoning shines through. 21 of 48 Our Best Ambrosia Recipe Ever Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Our Best Ambrosia Recipe Ever Toasted coconut chips add a layer of crunch and tropical flair to colorful ambrosia. 22 of 48 Ham Salad Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Ham Salad Whether with crackers, cheese puffs, croissants, or in tea sandwiches, your friends will love this old-school recipe at the luncheon or potluck. 23 of 48 Brussels Sprout Slaw with Apples and Pecans Greg DuPree Recipe: Brussels Sprout Slaw with Apples and Pecans This fresh, crunchy slaw has everything you could want in a side dish, and the presentation is much prettier than the time you spent on it would let on. 24 of 48 Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad Summer produce shines in this simple salad that will start the meal off on a bright note. 25 of 48 Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Pickled Okra Hector Sanchez Recipe: Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Pickled Okra This fun appetizer is about as Southern as it gets, and it's so ideal for a casual cookout. 26 of 48 Whipped-Cream Corn Salad Southern Living Recipe: Whipped-Cream Corn Salad If you don't have time to make corn pudding before the potluck, no worries! This no-cook salad has all the fluffy goodness you crave. 27 of 48 Herbed Shrimp-and-Rice Salad Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton; Recipe: Herbed Shrimp-and-Rice Salad Your guests will never know this colorful, light salad was made with shrimp you didn't cook yourself and microwaveable rice, but they don't have to. 28 of 48 Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad This summer stunner showcases all those gorgeously fresh fruits and veggies you picked up at the local farmers' market. 29 of 48 Tropical Chicken Lettuce Wraps Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Tropical Chicken Lettuce Wraps This fresh, 15-minute appetizer gives us another reason to love store-bought rotisserie chicken. 30 of 48 Sesame, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad Alison Miksch Recipe: Sesame, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad No one will guess that the most beautiful summer salad to hit the potluck only took you 10 minutes to throw together. 31 of 48 Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball This springy cheese ball will brighten up any cheese and charcuterie platter. 32 of 48 White Cheddar-Chive Pimiento Cheese Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: White Cheddar-Chive Pimiento Cheese Here's the secret to nice pimiento-cheese texture: Grate the cheese by hand, half on the large holes of a box grater and half on the small holes. 33 of 48 Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus You can make a gorgeous platter of crudité and homemade pita chips to surround this Southern spin on classic hummus. 34 of 48 Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Toss Greg DuPree Recipe: Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Toss This farm-fresh salad might be the prettiest way to use up that rotisserie chicken in your fridge. 35 of 48 Easy Summer Appetizer Board Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Easy Summer Appetizer Board No Southern appetizer board is complete without spicy-sweet pickled okra. 36 of 48 Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad Southern Living Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad There's no need for fuss: This simple chicken salad recipe will do the trick at any luncheon. 37 of 48 Smoky Brussels Sprout Slaw Southern Living Recipe: Smoky Brussels Sprout Slaw Sweet, salty, tangy, smoky—this crunchy slaw recipe has it all, and everyone will be begging for your secret. 38 of 48 Strawberry Caprese Salad IAIN BAGWELL Recipe: Strawberry Caprese Salad Celebrate spring with this fresh salad that can be served over French baguette slices as an appetizer or mixed greens as a starter salad. 39 of 48 Strawberry-Tomato Salad Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Strawberry-Tomato Salad The only directions needed for this pretty salad? "Stir together all ingredients." You're welcome. 40 of 48 Squash Ribbon Salad Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Squash Ribbon Salad You just need six ingredients and a veggie peeler to throw together this pretty summer salad. 41 of 48 Mini Caprese Bites William Dickey Recipe: Mini Caprese Bites These savory bites are the easiest appetizer for guests (and hostesses) on the move. 42 of 48 West Indies Crab Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: West Indies Crab Salad Showcase fresh lump crabmeat with this old-school recipe from Mobile, Alabama. Guests who haven't had it before will fall in love. 43 of 48 Caesar Salad Bites Photo: Jennifer Davick/Prop Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell/Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Recipe: Caesar Salad Bites Everything you love about Caesar salad, in pick-up form! Don't fuss with tossing a salad (or said salad getting wilted and soggy during the party) with this colorful starter. 44 of 48 Herbed Cucumber-and-Tomato Salad Photo: Greg Dupree Recipe: Herbed Cucumber-and-Tomato Salad This Greek-inspired side dish is fresh, easy, and only gets better the longer it marinates. 45 of 48 Stuffed Endive with Herbed Goat Cheese Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Stuffed Endive with Herbed Goat Cheese These veggie bites are a hostess-favorite appetizer. Why? They look pretty, they're easy to grab-and-go, they're not messy, and they're so easy to put together. 46 of 48 Herbed Goat Cheese-Melon Party Bites Jennifer Davick Recipe: Herbed Goat Cheese-Melon Party Bites This four-ingredient appetizer looks beautiful but takes basically no work on your end, which makes it a busy hostess win. 47 of 48 Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad We updated the classic caprese with farm-fresh cherry tomatoes for easy big-batch serving. 48 of 48 Marinated Feta With Cherry Tomatoes Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Marinated Feta With Cherry Tomatoes Cheese and tomatoes are always a winning combination in our book. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit