How to Toss a Salad

Last Updated: September 29, 2022

Tossing a salad is very simple, but there is a trick to getting it just right. A lot of it has to do with what bowl you use, in what order you add the ingredients, and when you add the dressing. The best time to prepare a salad is just before you plan to serve it. If you must make it in advance, omit the dressing. You will toss the salad with the dressing just before serving, and not before.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Putting the Salad Together

1
Choose a large bowl that is twice the size of your ingredients. This will give you enough room to move the salad around while tossing it. Don't worry if it's not pretty; you can always move the salad to a nicer bowl or platter when you're done.
2
Rinse and dry the lettuce well. Dressing will not stick to wet lettuce, so you'll have to make sure it is dry before you start tossing it. Rinse the leaves with water, and then dry them in a salad spinner. If you don't have a salad spinner, gently pat them dry with clean paper towels instead.

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3
Prepare your ingredients as specified in the recipe. This might mean cutting or peeling the vegetables a certain way.
4
Put the heaviest, bulkiest ingredients into the bowl first. This includes things like tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. They will help spread the dressing around better if they are at the bottom. They will also be less likely to bruise the lettuce.
- Consider leaving some of the heavier ingredients for garnishing at the end.
- If you are making a fruit salad, you can put everything in at once.
5
Add the lettuce. If this is a pasta salad, you can add the pasta at this point. If you plan on adding herbs, save them until the very end.
6
Hold off on the dressing until you are ready to serve the salad. If you are making the salad in advance, don't put the dressing in yet. If you add the dressing in too soon, your salad will be soggy by the time you are ready to serve it.

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Kathryn Kellogg
Eco-friendly Living Expert
Kathryn Kellogg is the founder of goingzerowaste.com, a lifestyle website dedicated to breaking eco-friendly living down into a simple step-by-step process with lots of positivity and love. She's the author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste and spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic.

Kathryn Kellogg
Eco-friendly Living Expert

Try making your salad in a mason jar for an easy on-the-go option. If you want to take a salad with you for lunch, put the dressing at the bottom of a mason jar, then add your salad toppings. Put your lettuce on top, but leave a little space. When you're ready to eat, just shake up the salad to dress it.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Finishing and Tossing the Salad

1
Pour a quarter of the dressing into the salad. You will be adding the dressing bit by bit as you toss the salad. This will keep you from using too much dressing. It will also ensure that the dressing mixes into the salad evenly.
- Too much dressing is not a good thing. It will overpower the different flavors in the salad. The dressing should just cover the lettuce, and not pool at the bottom.
2
Use a pair of salad tongs to pick up some salad from the bottom of the bowl. If you don't mind getting dirty, you can also use your hands instead — just make sure that they are clean.
3
Drop the bits you just picked up on top of the salad. Lift some more salad from the bottom of the bowl, and bring it to the top a few more times.
4
Add a little bit more dressing, and toss the salad some more. Keep doing this until you have used up all your dressing for the recipe. Plan on using about 2 to 4 tablespoons of dressing for every 4 cups of salad.
5
Add garnishes and herbs last. This will help their flavors really shine through.
6
Taste the salad and adjust it, if needed. Does it need more dressing? What about salt and pepper?
7
Serve the salad immediately. Don't let it sit too long, or the dressing will cause it to grow soggy.