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This fajita salad recipe is one of our our go-to dinner ideas, bursting with charred vegetables and covered in a creamy salsa ranch dressing! We eat it often and it works for almost any diet: it’s easily gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan—plus it’s ideal for serving a crowd!
Why we love this recipe
Hello and welcome to one of our favorite ever easy dinner ideas that works for any diet: fajita salad! Fajita salad is simply fajita fixings on top of a salad, turning the Tex Mex favorite into a bowl meal. And if you know us: there’s nothing we love more than a good bowl meal!
Alex and I eat a spin on this almost every week. It’s full of charred vegetables, and crunchy greens, with this creamy salsa ranch dressing that you’re going to want to put on everything! You can make it with either grilled chicken or pinto beans, so it works for gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets. it’s such a fun recipe for parties and serving a crowd! (Serve with this margarita recipe, just because.)
Components in a fajita salad
This fajita salad is so customizable: it works as an easy weeknight meal, or a summer grilled meal on the patio! The grill method takes about 1 hour to complete, so it’s great for weekends or when you have time to fire it up. Here are the basic components in a good fajita salad recipe:
- Fajita veggies: We like a mix of multi-colored bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Then you’ll need a few spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. We prefer using our own mixture to a pre-made fajita mix.
- Chicken or pinto beans: It’s absolutely delicious with grilled chicken, but for vegetarian or vegan diets, pinto beans are just as satisfying.
- Fresh veggies: You’ll use a base of romaine lettuce, plus fresh cherry tomatoes. We like grilling avocado slices along with the fajita veggies (optional).
- Salsa ranch dressing: A few ingredients like sour cream, mayo, and salsa combine into an absolutely delicious creamy drizzle! If you prefer, you can simply use sour cream mixed with salsa, or this easier salsa dressing.
Methods: grilling, skillet, and sheet pan
There are a few different methods for making fajitas. The main method is the grill, but we’ve got a few alternatives for you:
- Grilled: In the recipe below for fajita salad, we grill the fajita veggies and the chicken or beans (the beans go in packets). This is our preferred method because it infuses a delicious charred flavor.
- Skillet: If you prefer, you can simply whip up these skillet fajita veggies to use in your fajita salad. For the chicken, make pan seared chicken breast with the seasonings in this recipe. For the beans, simply warm them on the stove.
- Oven: You can also make sheet pan fajitas using this vegan fajitas recipe!
Sauce variations
This salsa ranch dressing is one if our favorite parts of this recipe! (Well, every part of this recipe is our favorite…but I digress.) It’s so intensely creamy and savory. But you can use a few other options:
- Sour cream or mayo mixed with salsa: This cheater method works pretty well, and you don’t even need to measure! (We tried it.)
- Cilantro sauce: This cilantro sauce is a great dairy-free and vegan option, made creamy with a cashew base. This cilantro lime dressing or cilantro lime sauce are also delicious.
- Chipotle sauce: This chipotle sauce is also vegan, or try chipotle ranch dressing (a family favorite!).
- Avocado sauce: This avocado crema or avocado sauce are also tasty options.
Storing leftovers
This fajita salad recipe is a great gluten-free dinner, vegetarian dinner, and vegan dinner. You can store leftover vegetables and chicken for up to 3 days refrigerated; gently reheat in a skillet before serving.
Dietary notes
This fajita salad recipe is gluten-free. With the pinto beans it is vegetarian. For dairy-free and vegan, use cilantro sauce, chipotle sauce or cashew cream as the sauce.
More fajita recipes
Frequently asked questions
Fajita salad is a fun way to enjoy all the classic fajita ingredients (grilled meat or veggies, peppers, onions, etc) in a lighter salad format. It’s all your favorite fajita fillings, minus the tortillas, piled onto a bed of crisp greens and drizzled with a zesty dressing.
A simple lime vinaigrette or a creamy cilantro lime dressing are popular choices. You can also spice things up with a chipotle ranch or go for a tangy avocado dressing. Feel free to experiment and find your favorite!
It’s best to assemble the salad just before serving to keep the greens crisp, but you can prep all the ingredients ahead of time. Grill your meats and veggies, whip up your dressing, and chop your toppings. When you’re ready to eat, simply toss everything together.
Fajita Salad
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This fajita salad recipe is one of our our go-to dinner ideas, bursting with charred vegetables and covered in a creamy salsa ranch dressing! It’s delicious with either chicken or beans as the protein. We eat it often and it’s easily gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan—plus it works great for serving a crowd!
Ingredients
For the veggies
- 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, and green)
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 medium white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon each chili powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the chicken (or substitute 15-once can pinto beans)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4 cutlets (1 to 1 ½ pounds, organic if possible)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, oregano
- ¼ teaspoon each cumin and chili powder
- 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (see instructions)
For the fajita salad
- 1 avocado, pit removed
- 1 handful tomatoes
- 2 romaine hearts (6 cups chopped, or a mix of romaine and iceberg lettuce)
- ½ cup jarred sliced pickled jalapenos
- Cilantro
Salsa Ranch Dressing (vegan options in Notes)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup red salsa
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to high heat (450 to 550°F). (If you don’t have a grill, you can make Fajita Veggies or Shrimp Fajitas in a skillet, or Sheet Pan Fajitas in the oven.)
- Prep the chicken (or skip to Step 3 for plant-based): Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. If not already in cutlets, slice the chicken in half horizontally (see these steps for how to butterfly chicken). Add the chicken to a container and add the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, chili powder, kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix with your hands until evenly coated. Cover and marinate until ready to grill.
- Or, prep the beans: Drain and rinse the beans, and place them on a square of aluminum foil. Mix the beans with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the same spices as the chicken, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Fold up the sides of the foil to form a square packet.
- Prep the fajita veggies: Thinly slice the bell peppers and onions. Smash the garlic cloves. Place them in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Spread on a large piece of foil and seal the foil tight.
- Grill the veggies: Place the foil pack with the vegetables on the grill and cook for 15 minutes, then carefully use tongs to open the pack. Continue to grill until veggies are tender and lightly charred, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the dressing & prep salad ingredients: Meanwhile, make the salsa ranch dressing by mixing all ingredients together in a medium bowl (make ahead if desired; stores up to 1 week refrigerated). Prepare the lettuce and tomatoes. Rub avocado halves with olive oil and add a pinch of salt.
- When the vegetables are almost finished grilling, grill the chicken or beans: Grill the chicken breasts until grill marks appear and it releases from the grates, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until no longer pink in the center and the internal temperature is 165°F, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove to a platter and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing for maximum juiciness. Alternatively, place the bean packet on the grill and grill for 5 minutes.
- Grill the avocados (optional): Grill the avocados cut side down for 4 minutes, until grill lines appear and they are bright green.
- Serve: Place the greens on a plate, then top with the vegetables, grilled chicken or beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro. Drizzle with the desired amount of dressing and serve. If making in advance, refrigerate the components separately; bring the dressing to room temperature before serving. Leftover chicken, veggies, and beans store up to 3 days, refrigerated.
Notes
This fajita salad concept works well with other methods for cooking the vegetables and protein! Try our Fajita Veggies (in a skillet) plus Pan Seared Chicken Breast, Vegetarian Fajitas, Shrimp Fajitas, or Sheet Pan Fajitas.
For vegan, substitute Cilantro Sauce, Chipotle Sauce, or Cashew Cream.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Grilled
- Diet: Gluten Free
