Life-Changing Salads: 100 Plant-Based Salads and Dressings Beyond Your Wildest Greens

by Danielle Brown

Say goodbye to boring salads with 100 unbelievably delicious plant-based recipes from Danielle Brown, the bestselling author of HealthyGirl Kitchen.

Life-Changing Salads is more than just a cookbook—it’s your ultimate guide to creating satisfying, plant-based salads that you'll crave. From crunchy chopped salads to cozy warm bowls, hearty salad wraps, quinoa powerhouses, and even no-lettuce salads (perfect for meal prep), every salad situation is covered!
 
With creative recipes like the spring roll salad and the Caesar pasta salad, you’ll never feel stuck in a salad rut again. Discover how to create creamy, indulgent dressings using nondairy yogurt or hummus, whip up nutrient-packed superfood blends, and master satisfying textures using nuts and seeds—all without compromising on flavor.
 
Whether you’re new to plant-based eating or simply looking to level up your salad game, Life-Changing Salads will inspire you to make these vibrant, nutrient-dense meals a staple in your kitchen. With over 100 recipes for irresistible salads and essential dressings, this is the only salad guide you’ll ever need. Let’s get chopping!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Vegan, Vegetarian, Health

372 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Danielle Brown


Hi besties! If you’re new around here, I’m Danielle, the “healthy girl” behind HealthyGirl Kitchen. After adopting a plant-based diet my freshman year of college with limited resources and living out of a dorm room, I knew that I wanted to share my knowledge of plant-based eating with everyone who would listen. When I first learned that a plant-based diet meant eating a vegan diet, this seemed unfamiliar and foreign to me. Didn’t vegans smoke weed all day and eat tofu? I couldn’t imagine meals without dairy, I was a cheese-a-holic. From feta cheese to soft-serve ice cream, to cheesy pizza, I was scared to give up my favorite foods. In my college dorm, I had to get creative. I was microwaving sweet potatoes in my dorm room; I made the salad bar my best friend and I kept a huge bowl of fruit that didn’t need to be refrigerated on my desk for easy snacking. Four months into plant-based eating, I lost 15 pounds, my skin was clearer, I had so much more energy, and my chronic heartburn disappeared.

Today, I share EASY, nourishing, plant-based recipes with millions of people on social media. I create the kind of recipes and meal ideas that I wish I had back when I first went vegan 7 years ago. I am here to inspire you every day to fall in love with cooking (without meat, dairy, and eggs) and taking care of yourself. It feels SO good to eat foods that fuel you and nourish you.

I live in sunny, gorgeous, Boca Raton, FL with my handsome, amazing husband Ari. I love long walks, the beach, candles, cooking while listening to bossa nova jazz, any meal that involves pasta, chocolate, shoving popcorn in my mouth, and snuggling under the covers with a cup of tea watching Netflix.

Reviews

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I will go ahead and start by saying by no means are these really life changing salad recipes. Many are vegan-ized versions of familiar recipes and if you have read any of my other cookbook reviews then you know how I am not a big fan of incorporating highly processed, store-bought ingredients into dishes.

Recipes are simple and generally easy to prepare. The book is loaded with photos of the dishes and the author. She is a social media personality with a large following, so her fans and newer cooks seeking vegan starter recipes are likely to appreciate this offering most.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to make EVERYTHING in this book!

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full transparency.... these look delicious and make me think I could totally do vegan/vegetarian but I'm probably still going to add meat to mine. The images in this cookbook are stunning and drool worthy. I haven't been this excited for a salad in a long time!!

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review .

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't stop reading every recipe. I want to make them all. Marked 2 to have just today.
Also, beautiful book with fantastic pictures. Excellent references and substitutions.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is touted as a plant-based salad recipe book, but the recipes are actually vegan. There are no recipes containing meat, including Buffalo "Chicken" Salad, Avocado "Tuna" Protein Salad and "Tuna" Pasta Salad. The Don't be Crabby seasonal salad requires 1 batch hearts of palm crab cakes which is not included in the recipe but is in a different cookbook by Danielle.

The best part of the book is undoubtedly the salad dressing recipes, my favorites being the dairy-free tzatziki and the Italian girl dressing.

These recipes would be life-changing if you were thinking of going vegan. They are healthy and colorful.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Life-Changing Salads is a well written recipe collection of style forward vegan salads by Danielle Brown. Due out 29th April 2025 from DK, it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is an accessible, colorful, appealing ode to the perpetually popular salad meal. The author has a great sense of style and the unusual blending of taste and color will definitely pep up the boring standards. The recipes are grouped thematically: go-to salads, fruit salads, grains, pasta, chopped, warm, seasonal, no-lettuce, and dressings. The author/publisher have also included useful content including a background info/salad FAQ, vegan lifestyle FAQ, and an overview over essential equipment.

Recipes are written with an intro, yields, and ingredients in a bullet list followed by step-by-step prep instructions. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units with metric in parentheses. Special dietary info (soy-free, nut-free, good for entertaining, leftover friendly, etc) is provided in color coded header bars for each recipe. Ingredients will be readily available at any well stocked grocery store in North America. Nutritional info is not included in the recipes.

Each recipe is accompanied by one or more photos. Photography is clear and in color throughout. Graphically it's colorful and energetic, with clean lines and easy to read text. Photos of the author and her attractive family are scattered throughout. She has a breezy, chatty, friendly, humorous style and the humor comes through in many of the recipe names and accompanying text.

Four and a half stars. It would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, for home use, and for readers who are looking to incorporate more vegan dishes in their daily routine.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love salads! And I really love when someone can provide me with fresh ideas and inspiration. Kudos and extra points when those ideas are actually healthy. Throwing some leaves together and adding some toppings does not necessarily equate to healthy and Danielle Brown gets that. There are many helpful tips and suggestions for finding good quality and then storing for extended life. I love the labels attached to each entry (they all have gluten free options): ready in 30-min or less, great for entertaining, leftover friendly, no cooking required, nut free and soy free. The pictures capture all the amazing color options that can be captured in a well-crafted salad. You can expect lots of fruits, veggies, and grains in all different combinations. Additionally, there are some nuts, pastas and lots of sauces and dressings included. These recipes are all plant based, so you will only find plant-based proteins, no meats! Health benefits of each salad are included as well as some helpful tips and tricks for either ease or enhanced flavor.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Life-Changing Salads, Danielle Brown explains why her family has adopted the vegan lifestyle. Her salads and dressings incorporate a good variety of filling and delicious ingredients with nuts, legumes, fruits, seeds, grains, pastas, and so on. I am not vegan but do love a good salad! Each of the salads can easily be adapted to dietary restrictions and personal tastes.

Avocado "Tuna" Protein Salad (on toast) looks intriguing. I'm not a fan of tofu so would simply omit it. Hormone Helper, Pretty in Pink, Blackberry & Peach Salad (on whipped ricotta toast), Are You Figgin' Kidding Me? (I'm smitten with fresh figs), Garlicky Shrooms & Greens looks tasty to a mushroom forager like me. Greek Potato Salad and Sesame Vinaigrette look wonderful. See?? Salads need not be humdrum.

What I liked most about this book are the fun bits and pieces of bright flavour pops. A few ideas are different, which I appreciate, but as an experienced cook, I generally make what intuitively works well together. But this would be great for beginners and/or those new to the vegan lifestyle.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Life-Changing Salads is more than just a cookbook—it’s your ultimate guide to creating satisfying, plant-based salads that you'll crave. From crunchy chopped salads to cozy warm bowls, hearty salad wraps, quinoa powerhouses, and even no-lettuce salads (perfect for meal prep), every salad situation is covered!"

OK confession time: I'm not a salad girl. Whenever my family went to a buffet (or as they were called back in the day a smörgåsbord") we collectively skipped the salad bar and went straight to the hot food. As an adult I'm trying to expand my palate but I'm always stuck on salads. This book actually had lots of ideas that make me want to try them! Unbelievable! I'm particularly interested in the warm salads and the chapter on dressings. Lots of beautiful photos and easy to follow instructions make this a salad cookbook I may actually use!

I received a free ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully Healthy!

I purchased this cookbook because I love salads and also because I am transitioning into a more healthy plant based life style. Sometimes eating healthy or trying new vegetable and vegan options can be daunting. But this wonderful cookbook describes in perfect detail not only healthier options but nutritious ones as well. Detailed but easy to follow recipes with beautiful photos of the finished product not only make you hungry but eager to get started as well. The recipes for plant based salad dressings made me want to immediately start to experiment with different herbs and spices, which sound as fun to make as to consume. And finally the photos of her adorable, beautiful son were just to precious for words. The author's personality shines through on every page and I am thrilled that I purchased this cookbook and can't wait to start assembling some of these plant based HealthyGirl salads.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book! It invites you in with its contemporary design & colorful photos. There are lots of creative ideas for vegan salads.

I took off one star because each recipe requires a lot of ingredients if you include the dressing & that’s just not how I cook. I’m more of a buy a few fresh ingredients, look in the pantry & come up with something delicious type of home cook.

On a positive note, there is an entire chapter devoted to homemade vegan dressings. This alone makes it worth buying & each dressing recipe has a photo, which is a rare find in a cookbook. Typically, dressings & sauces are an addendum to a recipe book without photos.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not the best of cookbooks. When you read one recipe that says "Nothing screams summer like..." and turn the page and the very next recipe says, "Nothing screams summer like..." that's not very good writing or editing.

Also why is every photo of only her, not her family members or anybody else? It got a little too pose-y. And the recipe titles were cheesy. So many seemed to have something to do with "girly" this, "girly" that. I get that that seems to be sort of her theme, but the intro of the books spent time talking about how her husband went vegan. So is the vegan lifestyle for anybody, or not?

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life-Changing Salads focuses on plant based salads. The Sections are go-to salads, fruit salads, grain salads, pasta salads, chopped salads, warm salads, seasonal salads, no-lettuce salads, and dressings.

Each recipe has a recipe blurb, recipe labels (ready in 30, great for hosting, leftover friendly, no cooking, nut-free, soy-free), servings, prep time, cook time, ingredients and directions. Each recipe has a photo to accompany.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, with a variety of interesting salad and dressing recipes. The layout of the book is user friendly (although some may need to get used to flipping back and forth between the salad recipes and the dressing recipes).

With a salad for any occasion, I will get my money’s worth from this book. I started with the Moroccan-Inspired Couscous Salad, which is delicious, and I’ve marked several more to try in the coming weeks.

My only critique is that although the recipes are "healthy", I find many to be higher in oil and calories than I’d like.

[Steph Raph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahhhhh. Audiobook Memoirs and Cook Books: The Life of a Concussed Person.
I was a bit disappointed by the descriptions at the top of each recipe. I was hoping for some more pazazz. It seemed a bit generic.
The recipes, however, were not! There were a lot of fun ingredient combinations and I was really impressed with her salad dressing section. She has some very creative ones that I can't wait to try. I have already made one of the chickpea-coated tofu dishes from this book and it was good! It is nice to see mainly whole foods that are accessible!

[Aftan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a solid vegan recipe book this is a good option to inspire your creativity and also try out some imaginiative recipes. The names of the recipes themselves are also super fun. I wouldnt say this cookbook is going to be groundbreaking for anyone that is already experienced in the kitchen but for someone new to vegan recipes or cooking in general this is a book they will reach for consistently.

[Marieke · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Appreciate the vegan focus! So many great options - from spins on traditional salads, cold and warm bowls, to fun fruit salads, and yummy dressings. Also LOVE that every single recipe has an accompanying photo!

However, I do think some recipes (excluding fruit salads) could benefit from more plant-based protein; she didn’t delve too deep into a variety of beans, or different ways to cook tofu, and there was only a couple salads with mushrooms.

[Jennifer Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I give this one an enthusiastic 5 stars! The book itself is beautiful, each recipe has a gorgeous photograph - until now, I don't think I've ever called a salad mouth-watering!

Recipes are easy to follow. We have si far made one recipe, the Golden Goddess Grain Bowl and it was absolutely delicious and filling. Looking forward to making recipes from this book part of our weekly rotation!

[Arminda Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years I’ve wanted Danielle to publish a salads only cookbook. And here we are. I will make every salad in this collection. The photography is beautiful. I’m such a fan of her dressings and creative combinations. It is officially salad season all year round and I’m thrilled to have this book to guide me through it like a pro 😋

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fiesta dressing is the best vegan queso I have made in 14 plus years of vegan cooking and dining. Enjoyed the Buffalo chicken salad, valleygirl ranch, spring roll salad, dreamy peanut dressing, fiesta chop and dressing. and looking forward to making the Fattoush salad and Caesar pasta salad. This is my cookbook for the rest of the year.

[Reba · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was trying too hard to be vegan, despite claiming to be a plant-based recipe book...

The salad dressing section was the best part of the book, but there were a few recipes that caught my eye, mainly Summer Elote Pasta Salad, Spring Roll Salad, and The Zen Bowl.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an eARC of this cookbook.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I should have read the description better. Great for people that are vegan and looking for salad ideas that aren't just lettuce and carrrots. The pictures were stunning and the recipes looked great. It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. But, that's on me.

[Elizabeth Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for all those that want to break away from the common garden or Caesar salad. Big variety of ingredients, step ups, and dressings. The pictures are beautiful and the instructions are simple. I am looking forward to trying out a few of these delicious salads.

[Kristen Barenthaler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never knew there were so many types of salads. As a picky family, we honestly probably wouldn’t eat too many of these recipes. But as curious foodies, I was amazed at how delicious they each sounded.

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I liked a lot about this book but it didn't always seem easy or look so delicious that I had to try it. I think I would enjoy a lot of these recipes though.

[JV Austen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting salads & helpful commentary - however, all the dressings seem heavily oil-based. Also, maybe don't get the ebook - like most cookbooks it doesn't really work.
This would be a great gift for a newbie cook wanting to eat healthy.

[Connie Engle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was more substantial than I was expecting, kinda a coffee table book. The recipes were easy to understand and the pictures were gorgeous. If you’ve never made a big, multi item salad before this is the book for you.

[Bibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! Found something that will definitely stay in rotation. I’ve made at least 5 so far and they’ve all been delicious!

[Dennis Tra · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you are new to salads and want to make them a meal, this is your book

[Dianelys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished hungry after reading this book. The recipes are super easy to make and look yummy. An excellent book to get lots of ideas for dishes to try out!