Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Salads | Sides | Spring | Summer
Butter (Bibb) Lettuce Salad With Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
Bibb lettuce salad is tangy, sublty sweet, salty, and oh so good. It has tender butter lettuce leaves, crisp vegetables and is tossed with a lemon honey vinaigrette. This recipe is dairy free and can easily be made gluten free.
Looking for more side salads? Try my mediterranean cucumber salad, cabbage crunch salad with lemon tahini dressing, or shaved fennel apple salad with kale.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this butter lettuce salad:
- Lemon honey vinaigrette – extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Panko bread crumbs – add a nice crunch for some textural contrast.
- Bibb lettuce – also referred to as boston bibb, boston lettuce, butter, or butterhead lettuce. It has a mildly sweet, buttery flavor with soft semi-crisp leaves.
- Radish slices – thinly slicing them adds a nice crunch without tasting too bitter.
- Capers – adds briny/saltiness.
- Fresh basil – for added flavor and freshness.
How to Make Bibb Lettuce Salad: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Make the dressing. Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey and dijon mustard in a small bowl until emulsified. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Toast the bread crumbs. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs, stirring often until golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl so they stop cooking.
- Prep the lettuce. Gently pull the leaves off the outer layers so the root sticks out a little bit. Twist the root off each head of lettuce and discard. It should come out pretty easily. Alternatively, you can buy a large container of the loose leaves. Add the leaves to the bowl of a salad spinner, lightly rinse with cold water and then spin until dry.
- Combine. Roughly chop the lettuce and add it to a large bowl with the thinly sliced radish, hand torn basil leaves, and capers. Toss with the dressing and top with the toasted bread crumbs.
Helpful Tips
- Use a mandoline slicer to get consistently paper thin radish slices.
- It’s important to use a vinaigrette dressing over a creamy dressing so the leaves don’t get weighed down.
Quick Tip: Only add the dressing right before eating. Because butter lettuce leaves are so delicate, this salad has the ability to get soggy if it’s left on for too long. If you know you’ll have leftovers, only dress individual servings.
Storage
Store the salad and dressing in a separate airtight container in the fridge and consume the following day.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this simple butter lettuce salad recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No radishes? – thinly slcied jicama or cucumber (English or Persian are best) would also work well.
- No capers? – pitted castlevetrano olives are a great alternative.
- No panko bread crumbs? – make homemade bread crumbs or pulse crackers of choice in a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs.
- No fresh basil? – use another fresh herb such as parsley, chives, or dill.
- Make it gluten free – use gluten free panko. Aleia’s is my favorite brand for gluten free and dairy free breadcrumbs. It tastes identical to traditional panko. Or use the ground cracker option above.
- Add-ins – toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds for added crunch, or dairy free (or traditional) parmesan cheese for more umami flavor.
More Salad Recipes
- Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
- Cabbage Crunch Salad With Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Shaved Fennel Apple Salad With Kale
- Roasted Beetroot and Feta Salad (dairy free)
I hope you love this Bibb Lettuce Salad! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Butter (Bibb) Lettuce Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
Bibb lettuce salad is tangy, sublty sweet, salty, and oh so good. It has tender butter lettuce leaves, crisp vegetables and is tossed with a lemon honey vinaigrette. This recipe is dairy free and can easily be made gluten free.
Ingredients
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- zest 1 small lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons dijon mustard
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 heads bibb, boston or butter lettuce they're all the same thing
- 4 small radishes thinly sliced
- handful fresh basil hand torn
- 2 tablespoons capers
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey and dijon mustard in a small bowl until emulsified. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Toast the bread crumbs. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs, stirring often until golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl so they stop cooking.
- Prep the lettuce. Gently pull the leaves off the outer layers so the root sticks out a little bit. Twist the root off each head of lettuce and discard. It should come out pretty easily. Alternatively, you can buy a large container of the loose leaves. Add the leaves to the bowl of a salad spinner, lightly rinse with cold water and then spin until dry.
- Combine. Roughly chop the lettuce and add it to a large bowl with the thinly sliced radish, hand torn basil leaves, and capers. Toss with dressing and top with the toasted bread crumbs.
Notes
See the blog post for helpful tips and storage.
Best Butter Lettuce Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette yet!
Perfect for anytime for a refreshing compliment to anything.
I added crushed roasted almonds because they were handy.
Thanks for the recipe
Thanks, Evie!
I prepared the butter lettuce salad for a dinner party we attended. It was a great hit and everyone ooh’d and ah’d at the flavors. The only thing I did different was add a can of hearts of palm…they complemented the spicy radishes for sure. The honey lemon vinaigrette was just delicious. Such a lovely dressing. Thank you Lindsey…it is a wonderful recipe.
Yum, that sounds delicious! Thanks Sandy, so glad to hear you enjoyed it!