Deli-Style Salad Recipes

Potato Salad Recipes

Potato salad recipes made the classic way. Tender potatoes tossed in a simple dressing with just the right balance of tang and creaminess. These are the kinds you see lined up at the deli, served cold with sandwiches or grilled meats.

White Potato Salad

1

This NY deli potato salad is cold and creamy, made with thin-sliced russet potatoes in a sweet and tangy mayo dressing. Just like the kind you'd find at a New York deli. No mustard, no eggs, no relish. Perfect for picnics, BBQs, or any casual get-together. Great with pastrami, roast beef, or your favorite sandwich.

White Potato Salad

Potato Salad with Pickles and Eggs

2

Southern-style potato salad with pickles and eggs made with boiled potatoes and a creamy dressing. A classic, make-ahead side dish for cookouts and family meals.

Get the Recipe

Egg Salad Recipes

Egg salad recipes made the classic deli way. Chopped eggs mixed with a simple, creamy dressing and just enough seasoning. Serve it cold on white bread, a bagel, or with crackers for an easy meal.

New York Deli Egg Salad

3

New York egg salad is a classic deli staple. It's creamy and rich, perfect on rye bread, a bagel, or served over lettuce and tomatoes. Traditional deli-style egg salad skips the mustard and pickle juice, keeping the flavor simple.

New York Deli Egg Salad

Veggie Egg Salad

4

This veggie egg salad is creamy with a little crunch from celery, carrots, red bell pepper, red onion, and fresh dill. Serve it on a bagel, in a sandwich, or over salad greens.

Veggie Egg Salad

Chicken Salad Recipes

Chicken salad recipes made the classic deli way. Tender chicken mixed with a simple, creamy dressing and a few crisp add-ins. Serve it cold on a sandwich, in a wrap, or straight from the bowl.

Sonoma Chicken Salad

5

This Sonoma Chicken Salad is a simple Whole Foods copycat made with tender chicken, grapes, celery, and toasted pecans. Everything is tossed in a creamy poppyseed dressing for an easy salad that works for sandwiches, wraps, or meal prep.

Sonoma Chicken Salad

Deli Chicken Salad

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This classic New York deli chicken salad is made with white meat chicken, creamy mayonnaise, and crunchy celery. It's an easy, old-fashioned recipe that's perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or serving over a bed of lettuce.

Deli Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad with Grapes

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Creamy chicken salad with red grapes, celery, dill, parsley, Dijon, and sliced almonds. Serve it on lettuce, in sandwiches, stuffed into pita, or spooned onto croissants for an easy lunch.

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Dill

Tuna Salads

Tuna salad recipes made the classic way. Flaked tuna mixed with a simple, creamy dressing and a few crisp add-ins. Serve it cold on bread, a bagel, or over lettuce for an easy meal.

Deli Tuna Salad

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Classic New York deli tuna salad made with canned tuna, mayonnaise, and crunchy celery. Serve it on a sandwich, in a wrap, or as a diner-style salad plate over crisp greens. Easy to make and perfect for lunch or a light dinner.

Deli Tuna Salad

Veggie Tuna Salad

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Veggie Tuna Salad is a classic New York deli and bagel-shop favorite. The creamy tuna salad is loaded with crisp, finely chopped vegetables.

Veggie Tuna Salad

Tuna Egg Salad

10

Creamy tuna fish salad with eggs is made with solid white tuna, chopped eggs, celery, dill, pickles, and celery salt. It's a classic deli-style lunch and it's ready in 15 minutes.

Tuna Egg Salad

Whole Foods Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad

11

This Whole Foods Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad copycat recipe combines flaky canned tuna with dried cranberries, diced apple, celery, and a creamy mayo dressing. It's perfect for sandwiches, salad toppings, or an afternoon high-protein snack. It's easy to prepare and full of flavor.

Whole Foods Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad

Cold Deli Salads

Cold deli salads are easy make-ahead sides for sandwiches, cookouts, and casual meals. These creamy classics are served chilled and taste even better after a little time in the refrigerator.

Sweet Coleslaw

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This sweet coleslaw recipe is super easy and delicious. It combines crunchy cabbage, a little carrot, and coleslaw dressing. Perfect for burgers, BBQ ribs, sliders, chicken, or a summer barbecue, it's a side dish everyone will love!

Sweet Coleslaw

Macaroni Salad

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New York Deli Macaroni Salad is a sweet pasta salad made with elbow macaroni, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and a few finely chopped vegetables.

Macaroni Salad

Seafood Deli Salads

Seafood deli salads are light, creamy, and easy to serve cold. Spoon them onto lettuce, tuck them into sandwiches, or pair them with bagels and crackers for lunch.

Shrimp Salad with Old Bay

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This easy shrimp salad with Old Bay and dill is packed with fresh flavor. Cooked shrimp are tossed in a light, creamy dressing with a touch of lemon, Old Bay seasoning, celery, and fresh dill. Perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or a light summer meal. Ready in minutes!

Shrimp Salad with Old Bay

Surimi Crab Salad

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This easy surimi crab salad is made with imitation crab, mayo, lemon, Old Bay, and fresh veggies. It takes minutes to mix together and makes a tasty seafood salad. Serve it in sandwiches, over lettuce, or with crackers for a great meal.

Surimi Crab Salad

Baked Salmon Salad with Lox

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This baked salmon salad is made with oven-baked salmon, mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, onion powder, and chopped smoked salmon for extra deli flavor. Serve it cold on bagels, flagels, bialys, crackers, or fresh vegetables.

Baked Salmon Salad with Lox

Deli Classics

These deli classics round out the counter with familiar old-school favorites. Serve them chilled with rye bread, crackers, sandwiches, or as part of a casual spread.

Chopped Liver Spread

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This deli-style chopped liver spread is rich, creamy, and full of old-school flavor. Made with chicken livers, sautéed onions, hard-boiled eggs, and a touch of sweetness from apple. Serve chilled with crackers, lettuce, or as a sandwich on fresh rye bread for a classic appetizer or lunch.

Chopped Liver Spread

Three Bean Salad

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Three bean salad with a tangy vinaigrette, fresh vegetables, and simple pantry ingredients. This is an easy side dish for cookouts, meal prep, and everyday meals.

Three Bean Salad

Top Tips

Keep a simple vinaigrette on hand
A quick lemon vinaigrette works well alongside these salads. Use it for a side salad or to dress fresh vegetables.

Let the salad chill
Cold salads improve after resting in the fridge. An hour helps. Overnight is even better. Before serving, stir and add a little more salt and pepper if needed.

Dress at the right time
For mixed salads like antipasto, add the dressing close to serving to keep everything crisp. For tuna or egg salads with lettuce and tomato, assemble right before serving so the mayo doesn't turn watery.

Cut ingredients evenly
Small, uniform pieces help deli salads hold together and make each bite balanced. For veggie tuna or egg salad, keep the vegetables about the same size.

About the mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is the base of many deli salads, so quality matters. Use a full-fat mayo such as Hellmann's and add it gradually. You can always add more, but you can't take it out once the salad gets too loose.

Serve at the right temperature
Deli salads should be cold, but not icy. Let them sit out for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the flavors come through.