We love this trending Hot Girl Summer Salad, the refreshing and tasty viral TikTok recipe made with cucumber, bell pepper, pepperoncini, red onion, eggs, and more. It makes a great lunch or a flavorful side dish, this vegetarian salad is sure to satisfy your taste buds and leave you feeling energized and refreshed.
Why This Recipe is the Best
We first saw this recipe on TikTok and knew we had to recreate it. See the original TikTok viral video, look here. We immediately started using it for meal prep and summer lunches.
This salad is easy to make and requires minimal effort in the kitchen, making it an ideal option for busy weeknights or weekend gatherings. A quick, large salad makes the perfect summer meal.
We have other delicious tasting salads like our Jennifer Aniston Salad, chickpea salad, and our easy Korean cucumber salad. Bring on the warm weather with these flavorful dishes.
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Key Ingredients
This recipe uses delicious fresh ingredients that give tasty nutrients and flavor. The combination of spices adds a great dressing that pairs great with the vegetables and hard-boiled eggs.
- Zesty Italian dressing- The dressing that goes with this salad is a zesty flavor that brings all the tastes together. It adds a punch of flavor while not diminishing the tastes of the other vegetables. You can adjust how much you use based on your taste preferences.
- Cucumber- A medium cucumber is perfect for this recipe. I love using mini cucumbers whenever I can because they are so crisp. If you aren't a fan of cucumber seeds, you can deseed the cucumber.
- Green bell pepper- This is an easy-access bell pepper packed with flavor. You can also use red, orange, or yellow peppers.
How To Make Hot Girl Summer Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the fresh-cut vegetables.
- Sprinkle on the paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the chopped hard-boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, and Zesty Italian Dressing.
- Lightly mix together until the ingredients are well incorporated and evenly mixed.
Hint: You can make this salad ahead, up to 2 days, for a great meal prep meal. Make sure you don't add the dressing if you aren't serving right a way. This helps the vegetables stay fresh.
You can use it as a tasty side dish. It pairs great with grilled meats, and seafood.
Common Mistakes
I made this salad up for meal prep and assembled all the vegetables and dressing. By the second day, the vegetables weren't crisp anymore and had soaked in the dressing. The next time I meal prepped this recipe, I kept the dressing separate. It made a huge difference, and the salad was so fresh and yummy!
Top tip
Make this a meal prep meal and store the seasoned vegetables separately from the dressing. When ready to eat, add a portion of the dressing to the amount of salad you wish to eat to help the rest of the salad from spoiling quickly.
Recipe
Hot Girl Summer Salad (tiktok recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber medium/large, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- ⅓ cup pepperoncinis sliced
- ¼ red onion
- 3 eggs hard boiled, cubed
- 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika smoked if possible
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup Zesty Italian dressing use more or less, to taste
Instructions
- Chop the cucumber, bell pepper, pepperoncinis and boiled eggs. Finely chop the onion. Place together in a bowl.
- Measure in the sunflower seeds, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to combine thoroughly. Top with Zesty Italian dressing and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- This tiktok salad is meant to be eaten as a full meal. You can easily serve this as a side dish and serve 6 people.
- Refrigerate any leftovers and eat within 1 day.
- It is not recommended to freeze this salad.
- Make ahead (up to 2 days): Chop the vegetables and place together in a bowl, mix together the spices and store separately. Before serving, toss together the veggies with the spices, then top with the dressing.
- Colored Bell Peppers- While this recipe calls for green bell peppers, you can add your favorite colored bell peppers for added flavor and color. We love mixing in red bell peppers where we can.
Nutrition
Substitutions
Try these tasty substitutions to make this recipe your own. They can also help with any dietary needs you may have.
- Vegan- To make this a vegan option, omit the hard boiled eggs. You still will get tasty results.
- Fat-Free Italian Dressing - If you are looking for less fat in your diet, use a fat free Italian Dressing. Zesty Italian and Fat Free Italian Dressings can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio.
- Jalapeño- For a spicer version, instead of using mild pepperoncini, try sliced jalapeños. Or add red pepper flakes when you add the paprika and garlic powder for an added kick.
- Quinoa-Try adding in a cup of cooked quinoa for extra protein and texture.
Storing Hot Girl Summer Salad
Once the vegetables are combined with the Zesty Italian Dressing, Hot Girl Summer Salad should be consumed within 2 days. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an air tight container.
This salad does not freeze well. The texture of the vegetables will not stand.
FAQ
This recipe uses cucumber, red onion, bell peppers, pepperoncini, hard-boiled eggs, and zesty Italian dressing. It also has a few spices for flavor, like paprika and garlic powder.
Most salads typically include fresh vegetables like lettuce, cucumber, red onion, or tomatoes. They also include a way to season the vegetables like a salad dressing.
Once the vegetables are combined with the dressing, this recipe will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Andrea says
Hot girl summer salad is such a good meal prep meal. I've also made this for lunch and it was the perfect size, very filling. I love when viral tiktok recipes are worth trying and making again.