10 Salad Upgrades That Go Beyond Bacon Bits

A salad is definitely one of the best ways to get your daily allotment of vegetables, but grazing on greens can get a little boring after a while. Even if you try to switch up dressings, that bowl can often resemble a big, boring trough of rabbit chow. Luckily there are plenty of add-on options. Check out these 10 tasty ways to spruce up that sad salad.

1. Pulse Roasted Chickpeas, $11 from Pulse: Canned chickpeas are a staple of pretty much every salad bar, but these little baked nuggets give your salad an extra crunch. Available in a variety of flavors, they’re also perfect for snacking on during your salad prep.

2. Blue Heaven Blue Cheese Powder, $14 from Mouth: Combining Oregon Blue, Oregonzola, Crater Lake Blue, and other Rogue Creamery cheeses, this shakable concoction adds just the right amount of cheesy deliciousness to your salad.

3. One Organic Nori, $11 from Amazon: This edible plant gives your salad a salty kick without the shaker. For a crispier texture, toast up a sheet, crumble it over your salad, and enjoy.

4. Doux South Pickled Cherry Tomatoes, $15 from Mouth: Brined in red wine, basil, and garlic, these little drunken tomatoes put a burst of color and flavor into your salad.

5. Preservation & Co. Balsamic Beets, $12 from Farm To People: These beet slices marinated balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and lemon juice add a bit of tang to your salad. Talk about pickled perfection!

6. Apple Blossoms, $46 from Marx Foods: This leafy add-on gives your otherwise very green bowl a nice splash of color. Not only are apple blossoms pretty, but they also lend a little sweet-and-sour action to that mix.

7. Ruby Bay Peppered King Salmon Jerky, $7 from Mouth: Looking for a way to sneak a little extra protein into your salads? This jerky packs a protein punch with a twist of tangy citrus and ginger.

8. Bee’s Knees Curry Peanuts, $6 from Farm To People: Why put a fire under that salad when you can put one in it? Sprinkle a few of these on top of your salad for a little heat and a lot of Indian flavor. Just know that a few is all you’ll need!

9. Lars Crispy Onions, $4 at True Foods Market: You could cook up a batch of crispy onions while prepping your salad — or just keep a stash of these shelf-safe, savory treats on hand. A sprinkle can add a nice bit of salt, as well as some crunch. (And good luck not eating a few straight from the container.)

10. Sigmund’s Pretzel Chips, $4 from Mouth: Pastry-chef-turned-pretzel-maven, Lina Kulchinsky, bakes up delicious soft pretzels daily in her East Village bakery. Whatever doesn’t get sold gets toasted and given a second life as pretzel chips that can crush croutons any day of the week!