Butter Lettuce Salad - Two Peas & Their Pod (2024)

I try to serve a salad with every meal. I love adding in more greens. I few of my favorites include my Simple Kale Salad, Arugula Salad, and Easy Green Salad. I also really love this Butter Lettuce Salad. It’s easy to make but is pretty to serve and delicious to eat.

If you haven’t made a salad with butter lettuce, you are in for a real treat. The lettuce is rich, smooth, silky-soft, and basically melts in your mouth. It is the perfect base for this simple salad recipe.

I top the lettuce with cucumber, radish slices, avocado, fresh chives, and salty Parmesan cheese. Dress the salad with a refreshing lemon vinaigrette. Sometimes I even add homemade croutons for a satisfying crunch. The salad is beautiful and the flavors are exquisite.

This salad can be served along side any meal or you can enjoy it for a light lunch. It is especially delicious during the spring and summer months. It’s SO fresh!

What is Butter Lettuce?

Butter lettuce (butterhead lettuce) includes Bibb lettuce and Boston lettuce. It’s bright green in color and is usually sold in small, loosely formed heads with delicate leaves. The roots are usually still attached to preserve freshness. You can find butter at most grocery stores in the produce section.

Butter lettuce is a lot softer in texture than iceberg lettuce. The leaves are tender and slightly sweet and are great for making salads, sandwiches, and wraps.

Salad Ingredients

• Butter lettuce– wash and dry the lettuce before using. You can plate the large lettuce leaves or give them a rough chop.
• Radishes– thinly sliced.
• Cucumbers– I like Persian cucumbers for this salad, but English or regular cucumbers will work too.
• Avocado– Avocado slices are pretty, but you can chop the avocado into pieces.
• Parmesan cheese– buy a nice wedge of Parmesan cheese and freshly grate it over the salad.
• Chives– finely chopped.

Lemon Dressing Ingredients

• Olive oil– avocado oil also works well.
• Lemon juice– always use fresh lemons!
• Vinegar– golden balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar are my favorite. If you can’t find them, apple cider or red wine vinegar will work.
• Honey– to balance out the vinegar and lemon juice. Pure maple syrup will also work.
• Garlic– I love adding garlic to dressings.
• Dijon mustard– the mustard acts as an emulsifying agent and helps the oil and vinegar stay together.

How to Make Butter Lettuce Salad

• In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, garlic, and Dijon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

• In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, avocado, Parmesan cheese, and chives. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss.

Serving Suggestions

• Lemon Butter Chicken
• Spaghetti Carbonara
• Easy Skillet Chicken Thighs
• Pasta Primavera
• Best Grilled Cheese

Storing Tips

If the salad is already dressed and tossed, I recommend eating it the same day for best results.

Butter lettuce is highly perishable so make sure you use it as soon as possible after purchasing it from the grocery store.

You can keep the dressing in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

More Salad Recipes

• Simple Kale Salad
• Simple Arugula Salad
• Easy Green Salad
• Easy Spinach Salad
• Cobb Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Dressing