In this vegan Nicoise salad, roasted potatoes, green beans, briny olives, and lots of garden fresh veggies, like juicy cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and carrots, are served over a bed of crispy lettuce then dressed with a zesty Dijon vinaigrette. This vegan version offers a plant-based twist on the classic and is destined to be served outside, under the summer sun alongside a glass of wine. Perfect for hot summer nights!
What is Vegan Nicoise Salad?
The classic Nicoise salad hails from the city of Nice, France, and is known for offering a bevy of fresh vegetables, olives, tuna, and hard-boiled eggs under a simple dressing of olive oil or a fresh vinaigrette.
It's both light and filling, ideal for the warm summer months, but not exactly a great fit for vegans.
This vegan salad Niçoise keeps the essentials, like the potatoes, green beans, garden fresh veggies, and delicious vinaigrette, but offers a few extras to round out the flavor and texture, like tender beets, shaved carrots, and more.
It's the perfect alternative to the classic, and proves eating vegan doesn't have to be a compromise.
Why you’ll love this Vegan Nicoise Salad Recipe
- Vegan version of one of the most iconic salads of all time
- Loaded with colorful vegetables prepared for a range of textures and flavors
- The potatoes, beets, and green beans make this salad especially satiating without feeling heavy
- Relies on simple, everyday ingredients and staples
- Celebration of summer abundance
- Filling enough to serve as a main meal but also makes a great side dish for summer gatherings
Vegan Nicoise Salad Ingredients
It may look like there are a lot of components below, but the you can absolutely make the vinaigrette ahead of time and most of the vegetables are prepared very simply (roast, boil, or saute). It's worth the effort - I promise.
For the dressing:
- Extra virgin olive oil - Traditional Nicoise salad is often dressed with just olive oil, but I find that this slightly sweet, punchy roasted garlic vinaigrette really brings it all together.
- Basil leaves
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh lemon juice - Fresh is always best. If you don't have lemon juice, use a mild vinegar, like red or white wine vinegar.
- Roasted garlic - I often like to do this while I'm cooking the potatoes to make the most of the time. Consider roasting a couple of extra heads of garlic to use in other recipes later in the week.
- Maple syrup
For the salad:
- Small red potatoes - These baby potatoes add a creamy texture and help make the salad so distinctly satisfying. I prefer to use red potatoes, but you can use other colors or substitute your favorite fingerling potatoes.
- Fresh green beans - You want the freshest green beans you can find. Tender haricots vert are ideal, but not required. If green beans are not in season, try fresh asparagus.
- Pitted kalamata olives - Traditional Niçoise salad is made with Nicoise olives, which can be hard to find outside of France. Kalamatas are a close alternative with a briny, salty flavor.
- Stuffed manzanilla olives - Or your favorite green olives. Buttery castelvetrano olives can be a decadent option, but generally cost more.
- Lettuce - Depending on how much crunch you like, you can use a soft lettuce, like butter lettuce, or something with crunch, like romaine lettuce.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Garden cucumber
- Carrots
- Beets - These aren't traditional, but they add a meaty texture, beautiful color, and soft bite.
- Red onion - Sliced thin into strips for a little sharpness.
How to Make the Best Vegan Nicoise Salad
While the potatoes are roasting, work on preparing all the other elements. Then, assemble and serve!
- Make potatoes by tossing in olive oil and seasoning with salt and spreading on a sheet pan, Roast at 400 degrees until soft inside and crisp outside (about 30 mins)
- Roast garlic by slicing off the bottom carefully then making a packing with foil. Drizzle with oil and wrap tightly. Roast for about 20 minutes in oven with potatoes. Place foil packet on the sheet pan to prevent dripping in oven.
- Make beans by sauteing in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsp of water and cook two more minutes to finish steaming
- Make dressing by combining the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
- Arrange salad ingredients attractively on a platter in sections and then drizzle with the dressing.
- Enjoy immediately. Or, do not dress until serving and enjoy for up to 3 days.
Tips for Making the Best Vegan Salad Nicoise
- Add more veggies. To replicate the tender, flaky texture of the tuna, you can also add artichoke hearts or sliced hearts of palm.
- Add beans. A can of white beans, like cannellini beans, adds extra creaminess, protein, and fiber. Rinse well and drain before adding. Or, add some crispy chickpeas like this Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad.
- Work ahead. You can absolutely roast the garlic and potatoes the night before, boil the beets, and make the vinaigrette. If you're serving this salad for a party or special event, these little extra steps can be a big help on the day.
FAQs
The main elements that make a traditional Nicoise salad not vegan are the hard-boiled eggs and tuna or anchovies. You can easily skip these ingredients, add a few more colorful veggies, and bring it all together with a refreshingly sharp vinaigrette. This version adds extra veggies, like carrots and beets, to complement the more traditional elements and offer plenty of texture to satisfy your appetite.
One of the best things about this salad is that you can prep most of the ingredients before you need them. Roast the garlic and potatoes, saute the green beans, and boil the beets. When you're ready, just assemble everything together and serve.
The potatoes are typically served at room temperature or cooled completely.
Other Delicious Vegan Salad Recipes
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Vegan Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
FOR DRESSING:
- 5 basil leaves
- ½ tsp salt
- Few grinds black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 1 head roasted garlic (Roasted in oven with olive oil until soft at 400 for 20 mins)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
FOR POTATOES:
- 5 small red potatoes cut in cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
FOR BEANS:
- 8 oz green beans
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR SALAD:
- 10 pitted kalamata olives
- 10 stuffed manzanilla olives
- 4 cups lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large garden cucumber seeded and cut in half moons
- 2 carrots peeled and shredded with peeler
- 3 beets boiled until soft and sliced thin
- ½ red onion sliced thin
Instructions
- Make potatoes by tossing in olive oil and seasoning with salt and spreading on a sheet pan, Roast at 400 degrees until soft inside and crisp outside (about 30 mins)
- Roast garlic by slicing off the bottom carefully then making a packing with foil. Drizzle with oil and wrap tightly. Roast for about 20 minutes in oven with potatoes. Place foil packet on the sheet pan to prevent dripping in oven.
- Make beans by sauteing in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsp of water and cook two more minutes to finish steaming
- Make dressing by combining the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
- Arrange salad ingredients attractively on a platter in sections and then drizzle with the dressing.
- Enjoy immediately. Or do not dress until serving and enjoy for up to 3 days.