Healthy Recipes Healthy Salad Recipes 18 Creamy Deli Salads That Are Perfect for Sandwiches By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 31, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Make a batch of these tangy deli salad recipes for the perfect sandwich. This roundup features ingredients like chickpea, egg and tuna in creamy mixes that go great on your favorite bread, from pumpernickel to pita. You can even slap them onto some crackers for an easy and flavorful snack. Keep some of our Best Chicken Salad in the fridge for days of tasty lunches. And make our refreshing Cucumber Salad Sandwich to keep you cool on warm days. 01 of 18 Cucumber Salad Sandwich Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Who said you couldn't put a salad on a sandwich? Flavor this creamy cucumber filling with your favorite fresh herbs, tangy feta cheese and lemon. Salting the cucumber then patting it dry removes some of the moisture from the cucumber so the filling doesn't make the bread too soggy. If you like crispy bread, toast it first for extra crunch. View Recipe 02 of 18 The Best Chicken Salad Recipe for Sandwiches Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster What’s the key to the best chicken salad? Use punchy, flavorful ingredients that pack in the flavor, like zesty herbs, acidic lemon juice, sharp onion or shallots. This herbaceous chicken salad recipe is perfect sandwiched between two slices of whole-wheat country bread, but don’t stop there! Enjoy it with crackers, in a wrap or serve it on top of greens. View Recipe 03 of 18 Nonny's Tuna Salad From Y'ALL EAT YET? by Miranda Lambert with Holly Gleason. Copyright © 2023 by Miranda Lambert. Reprinted by permission of Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. This simple tuna salad recipe gets its great crunch from a combination of celery and apple. From Y'all Eat Yet? by Miranda Lambert with Holly Gleason. Copyright © 2023 by Miranda Lambert. Reprinted by permission of Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. View Recipe 04 of 18 The Best Egg Salad Recipe for Sandwiches Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Creamy, crunchy and satisfying, this healthy egg salad recipe is the perfect choice for sandwiches, wraps and more. The filling spread can be made ahead of time, which makes this recipe great for meal prep. View Recipe 05 of 18 Chickpea Salad Sandwich Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It's got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a healthy boost of fiber. Celery brings a nice crunch. View Recipe 06 of 18 Curried Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco The creamy cauliflower mixture in this vegetarian sandwich was inspired by the flavors of Indian raita. A combination of yogurt, cashews and mustard round out the spices in the curry powder, with pomegranate arils adding a juicy pop of sweetness. Buy cauliflower florets in a bag instead of the whole head and look for containers of pomegranate arils to keep prep simple. View Recipe 07 of 18 Tuna Salad with Egg Photography / Jennifer Causey, Styling / Ali Ramee / Audrey Davis This simple tuna salad with egg has a clean and balanced flavor. The capers and lemon bring acidity to help everything come together and chopped arugula adds a peppery kick. Enjoy it with greens or on a slice of your favorite whole-grain bread. View Recipe 08 of 18 Salmon Pita Sandwich This quick lunch recipe is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s thanks to the canned sockeye salmon. If you're bringing this sandwich for lunch, keep the salmon salad separate and stuff the pita just before eating. View Recipe 09 of 18 Creamy Pesto Chicken Salad with Greens For a healthy variation on creamy chicken salad, we've replaced half the mayonnaise with basil pesto. Serve over greens or make it into a sandwich for a healthy lunch. View Recipe 10 of 18 The Best Tuna Salad Recipe for Sandwiches Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle The tuna salad in this easy recipe has crunch from the celery and apple, which also delivers a hint of sweetness. We use Greek-style yogurt in place of mayonnaise to bind everything together and to add a tangy, creamy finish. You could take this up a notch and make it a "Waldorf tuna salad" by adding 2 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts, 3 tablespoons quartered small grapes and 1 tablespoon additional Greek yogurt. Serve over a bed of greens or between two slices of whole-grain bread. View Recipe 11 of 18 Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches Lighten up classic egg salad by swapping in creamy avocado instead of using mayonnaise. Sandwich it between toasted whole-wheat bread and you've got an easy, packable lunch ready for work or school. View Recipe 12 of 18 Avocado Ranch Chicken Salad Avocado makes an exceptionally creamy and healthful dressing for this chicken salad. A bit of ranch dressing with pickled jalapeño adds a tangy spin to the lunchtime classic. Serve it on a slice of whole-wheat toast for an open-face sandwich or in a lettuce cup for a low-carb lunch. View Recipe 13 of 18 Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad Jamie Vespa No mayo, no problem. This healthy tuna salad uses probiotic-rich strained yogurt as its creamy, tangy base. Crunchy celery, earthy chives and delicate microgreens keep this easy lunch recipe fuss-free, so you can customize it with your own healthy ingredients. Give it a spin with chickpeas, cucumber and Kalamata olives—or add a little sweetness with sliced grapes. Spread this tuna salad over a slice of whole-wheat bread, stuff it into an avocado or spoon it into crisp lettuce cups for a low-carb version. View Recipe 14 of 18 3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad Carolyn Hodges We put a flavor twist on the classic chicken salad by using a lemon-herb mayonnaise. Try other mayo varieties, like roasted garlic or chipotle lime, in this fast, no-cook lunch recipe. Serve this rotisserie chicken salad recipe with whole-grain crackers. View Recipe 15 of 18 Cucumber–Tuna Salad Sandwich Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco, Cucumber adds a refreshing crunch to the creamy tuna salad in this easy sandwich. We opted for Greek-style yogurt to reduce fat and calories and add some tanginess to the dressing. Add some relish, chopped celery or pickled peppers to the tuna mixture to boost the flavor even more. Serve with potato chips, chopped fresh veggies or with bagel chips on the side. View Recipe 16 of 18 Avocado Chicken Salad Caitlin Bensel This avocado chicken salad is herbaceous, bright and creamy. The blend of cilantro, dill and chives pairs nicely with fresh avocado. Enjoy this easy chicken salad over lettuce, on crackers or in a wrap. View Recipe 17 of 18 High-Protein Tuna & Chickpea Salad Sandwich Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This zesty tuna sandwich gets an extra boost of protein from chickpeas. Smashing some of the chickpeas into the tuna enhances the texture and helps hold the filling together. The combo of garlic and Sriracha adds a delightful kick, but feel free to opt for an alternative hot sauce of your preference or skip it altogether for a milder flavor. View Recipe 18 of 18 Open-Face Egg Salad Sandwich This egg salad recipe is spiked with dill and lemon zest. Crisp pancetta adds texture and flavor. If you don't want to go with the pancetta, try a few capers sprinkled on top instead. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit