This tri tip salad is one of those meals that feels both fresh and filling. With crisp greens, tender steak, and a tangy cilantro vinaigrette, itโs a delicious way to turn salad into a complete, crave-worthy meal.
Why Youโll Love This Recipe
- A main-course salad thatโs hearty enough to serve as a complete meal.
- Made with crisp greens, flavorful tri tip steak, and colorful toppings for the perfect balance of textures.
- A great way to use leftover grilled or roasted tri tip in a fresh, creative way.
- The tangy vinaigrette brings everything together with bold, herby flavor.
- Includes a mix of sweet and savory add-ins like dried cherries, feta, and toasted almonds for unexpected depth.
- One of those great recipes that feels special but comes together with minimal prep.
- Light enough for a summer dinner, but still filling thanks to the tender steak and protein-rich toppings.
- Pairs well with just about anythingโor stands alone as your new favorite thing for weekday meals or casual entertaining.
Are you a fan of steak? Try our steak and rice bowl recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Tri-tip steak - while this recipe calls for tri tip steak, feel free to use your steak of choiceโflank steak, skirt steak, or flat iron steak would all work.
- Romaine lettuce - we love fresh romaine lettuce for this recipe but feel free to swap with another type of favorite greens such as butter lettuce, peppery arugula, baby spinach, iceberg lettuce, etc.
- Roasted bell peppers - we find the easiest option is to buy a jar of roasted red bell peppers. You can roast your own red pepper too if preferred.
- Grape tomatoes - can swap with cherry tomatoes.
- Green onions - can swap with thinly sliced red onion.
- Toasted almonds - can swap with another nut of choice.
- Dried cherries - can swap with dried cranberries.
- Feta cheese - can swap with another cheese of choice such as goat cheese or blue cheese.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Add tortilla strips or tortilla chips for additional crunch.
- Feel free to swap the tri tip for grilled chicken, shrimp, or another protein of choice.
How to Make Tri Tip Salad
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Add one tablespoon of avocado or olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the steak to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side, then flip to the other side for the steak to cook for another 3-5 minutes or until your preferred doneness. Each side should have a nice crust that is golden brown in color. We highly recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure your steak cooks to your liking. You can also grill your steak if preferred.
For medium rare - remove the steak from the pan once the internal temperature reads 130-140 degrees F.
For medium - remove the steak from the pan once the internal temperature reads 140-150 degrees F.
For well done - remove the steak from the pan once the internal temperature reads 150-160 degrees F.
Remove the steak from the pan and place on a cutting board or plate. Lightly cover with foil and let the steak rest for about 10 minutes.
Cut the steak according to preference. We like to cut the steak into bite-sized pieces for the bowl, but you could also cut into fine strips.
Step 2: Prepare the vinaigrette. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and mix until well combined.
Prepare the lettuce, roasted peppers, tomatoes, green onions, toasted almonds, dried cherries, and feta cheese.
Step 3: Place the lettuce in a large serving bowl or on a large platter and add the steak and toppings to the lettuce.
Step 4: Add the dressing to each individual serving.
Tri Tip Salad FAQs
We recommend storing the salad and dressing in separate air tight containers in the refrigerator and consuming within 3-4 days.
This tri tip salad is gluten free. It can be dairy-free with the omission of feta cheese. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
Other Easy Salad Recipes
If you make this tri tip steak salad recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Donโt forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished productโit makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Tri-Tip Salad With Cilantro Vinaigrette (Cubby's Copycat)
Ingredients
For the steak:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 pound tri-tip steak
- Salt & pepper for seasoning the steak to preference
For the salad:
- 8 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (about two medium heads of romaine)
- ยฝ cup jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ยฝ cup green onions, thinly sliced (about 3-4 green onions)
- โ cup toasted almonds
- โ cup dried cherries
- โ cup feta cheese, optional
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ยผ cup olive oil
- โ cup fresh cilantro (just the leaves)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or honey
- ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Add one tablespoon of avocado or olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the steak to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side, then flip to the other side for the steak to cook for another 3-5 minutes or until your preferred doneness. Each side should have a nice crust that is golden brown in color. We highly recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure your steak cooks to your liking. You can also grill your steak if preferred.
- For medium rare - remove the steak from the pan once the internal temperature reads 130-140 degrees F.For medium - remove the steak from the pan once the internal temperature reads 140-150 degrees F.For well done - remove the steak from the pan once the internal temperature reads 150-160 degrees F.
- Remove the steak from the pan and place on a cutting board or plate. Lightly cover with foil and let the steak rest for about 10 minutes.
- Cut the steak according to preference. We like to cut the steak into bite-sized pieces for the bowl, but you could also cut it into fine strips.
- Prepare the lettuce, roasted peppers, tomatoes, green onions, toasted almonds, dried cherries, and feta cheese.
- Prepare the vinaigrette. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and mix until well combined.
- Place the lettuce in a large serving bowl or on a large platter and add the steak and toppings to the lettuce. Add the dressing to each individual serving.
Notes
- We recommend storing the salad and dressing in separate air tight containers in the refrigerator and consuming within 3-4 days.
- Save time/prep ahead:ย
- Prepare the steak ahead of time or use leftover steak.ย
- Prepare the dressing ahead of time.
- Use pre-chopped lettuce.
- Use a jar of roasted red bell peppers.
- This tri tip salad is gluten free. It can be dairy-free with the omission of feta cheese. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Tri Tip Salad." The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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