21 Easy Summer Lunch Ideas For Hot Summer Days
These easy to prep, light and healthy summer lunch ideas are packed full of refreshing fresh ingredients to make a quick lunchtime bite a total delight.
Focusing on using seasonal ingredients, these summer lunch ideas are quick to make, meaning you can get in and out of the kitchen in super speedy time, ready to enjoy eating lunch in the cool shade of the backyard or verandah.
I’ve rounded up 21 light summer lunch recipes that won’t have you melting in the kitchen.
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There are plenty of ideas for rainbow bright salads, plus hipster style summer lunch bowls and even a wonderful idea for cold summer soup.
I’ve organised everything by category so you can quickly find what you need.
Also read: 27 Light Summer Dinner Recipes & Ideas
21 Summer Lunch Ideas To Make Your Mouth Water
Salads You'll Love
Salad... it's a classic for summer days. Here are some wonderful ways to make a salad both delicious, healthy and refreshing.
Sweet Heat Watermelon Crunch Salad
Watermelon is one of my go-to ingredients for refreshing lunches on hot sunny days and this salad recipe is my new summer obsession.
Cucumber Strawberry Salad with Burrata and Balsamic
This cucumber strawberry salad recipe is made with simple summery ingredients that shine on their own but come together perfectly! With sweet strawberries, cucumbers, creamy burrata, a mix of herbs, and a quick and easy balsamic glaze, it’s the kind of dish that feels spot on for a refreshing lunch on a hot summer's day.
Greek Vegetable Salad
This flavorsome Greek salad is perfect for hot summer days, picture yourself sitting in a cute blue and white Greek island village whilst eating. it!
Asparagus and Pea Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs
Dippy eggs in a salad, what's not to love? Especially with asparagus tips to dip into them (if you're allowed to use your fingers to eat!!)
High Protein Tuna Salad
This high protein tuna salad is incredibly easy to whip up and is perfect for anyone seeking a nutritious option. Fresh ingredients combined with protein-rich tuna make this salad both satisfying and delicious.
Southwestern Cobb Salad
Southwestern Cobb Salad is a bold twist on a classic favorite and is packed with vibrant flavors and hearty ingredients. Grilled chicken tops a bed of mixed greens, creamy avocado, sweet corn, black beans and juicy cherry tomatoes. A zesty chipotle lime vinaigrette brings it all together with a spicy, tangy kick.
Burrata Caprese
Burrata is a gorgeously refreshing cheese to use for summer lunches, this caprese uses it so well with heritage tomatoes and herbs.
Burrata Salad with Grape Tomatoes: Fresh and Easy
This easy Burrata Salad recipe with grape tomatoes captures the flavors of summer. Infused with garlic and dressed with a savory Pesto Sauce is a must-try.
Cold Pasta
So much more yummy than it sounds!!
Easy Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad
This healthy arugula pasta salad is super easy to make, featuring fresh arugula with a peppery flavor and a quick homemade lemon dressing made with fresh lemon juice, agave, and a few other simple ingredients that bring all the comforting flavors together.
Spaghetti al Pesto
Get ready to twirl your fork around strands of pasta coated in a herby, nutty, and garlicky pesto di basilico. Finished with freshly torn basil leaves, crunchy pepitas and cherry tomatoes just bursting with juicy umami, this spaghetti al pesto is a dish you are going to love.
Italian Cold Spaghetti Salad with Shrimp
The main ingredients are pre-cooked shrimps or tiger prawns, rocket (arugula) and cherry tomatoes tossed with spaghetti in a simple oil and vinegar dressing. This is the kind of pasta salad Italians love to take to a beach picnic but it’s also great as a light lunch or for a potluck or buffet.
Simple Summer Orzo Salad Recipe
Teeny tiny orzo pasta pearls are so easy to eat, add in a selection of fresh bright vegetables and you've got a wonderful light but hearty salad.
Strawberry Quinoa Salad
Strawberries and quinoa with fresh mint leaves... it's the perfect combo of sweet and healthy.
Easy Indian Chickpea Salad | Kabuli Chana Salad
A flavorful and refreshing chickpea salad infused with aromatic Indian herbs and fresh ingredients, all tossed in a zesty, spicy lemon dressing for a perfect balance of taste and nutrition.
Sandwiches - both open and closed
Sometimes you really need a little baked carb or two to make your lunch more sustaining!
Fig, Prosciutto and Brie Open-Faced Sandwich - Sweet Meets Savory
This Fig, Prosciutto, and Brie Open-Faced Sandwich is not only stunning to look at, but it’s also bursting with contrasting textures and bold flavors.
Jalapeno Chicken Salad
This Jalepeño chicken salad recipe is a copycat of Chicken Salad Chick's Jalapeño Holly - and it's jam packed with flavour, heat and creamy yumminess!
Cucumber Wraps with Green Goddess Dressing
My family is obsessed with Green Goddess dressing, so these cucumber wraps smothered in the stuff are a huge hit with us.
Bowls
Go full hipster and present individual lunches in bowls... you will look so cool!!!
Summer Chicken and Rice Bowls
These chicken and rice bowls come together in minutes with leftover brown rice, grilled or rotisserie chicken, fresh berries, and tender baby lettuce. The homemade sweet poppyseed dressing complements all the sweet and savory flavors in these bowls perfectly.
California Roll Sushi Bowl
How about this deconstructed California sushi roll in a bowl to wow summer lunch guests?!
Mediterranean Tuna Stuffed Peppers
Cool, crisp tuna stuffed peppers are a fast and easy recipe for lunch or a light dinner. Brown rice makes them extra hearty, and they’re packed with Mediterranean flavors from hummus, Greek olives, and a sprinkle of feta cheese.
Cold Soup!
Yes really, it's a thing... and it's bloomin' delish!
Tomato Watermelon Gazpacho Soup
It never ceases to amaze me how appealing cold soup is on a hot summer's day!
Also read: 21 Easy No-Bake Summer Desserts
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Hello, I’m Luci, founder of Mums Make Lists. The site is full of useful and fun ideas for life and seasonal celebrations. Plus a growing selection of instantly downloadable fun printables and party planners. Read more.
