We are endlessly fascinated by the lives—but even more so the kitchens—of our favorite celebrities. From their go-to pasta dishes to the desserts they indulge in afterwards, Allrecipes own Nicole McLaughlin has dedicated her time to trying some of the most famous recipes of the most famous celebs. Now, McLaughlin is back in our test kitchen to try out some celebrity salads just in time for potluck season. Spoiler alert: there were zero misses, but we were totally surprised by the winner.
The Best Celebrity Salads, Ranked
Bethenny Frankel’s Chicken Salad
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We’ll start by saying that the last on the list isn’t even a loser, per se—it was just bested by the rest. If you’re not a Bravo fan or on TikTok, you may not be familiar with Bethenny Frankel. Frankel is a former “Real Housewives of New York” star, entrepreneur, and, most recently, breakout TikTok personality. She’s also the woman behind one of the most viral recipes from the platform—celebrity or not.
Frankel shared her “excellent chicken salad” recipe on social media after sampling countless chicken salads from restaurants and grocery stores. Frankel uses roasted chicken rather than boiled and specifies it must be shredded, not cubed. She also recommends using chicken that is room temperature or warm so it can absorb the mayo-based dressing better, as well as mincing the celery very small rather than big pieces to get some of the juice in there as well and add moisture. McLaughlin appreciated these smart, pro-level tips.
The chicken salad took second place in our taste test of seven celebrity chicken salad recipes, so it’s no surprise McLaughlin liked it, too. She rated it a 7.9 out of 10, calling it “A purist’s chicken salad,” only docking it for being “a little bit too basic.” McLaughlin recommends adding a little lemon juice or some chopped pickle to amp up the acidity and make it really pop.
Cameron Diaz’s Crunchy Corn Salad
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After Cameron Diaz took top spot in our celebrity corn salad taste test, Nicole knew she needed to give this recipe a try.
McLaughlin followed Diaz’s tutorial from her Instagram, just multiplying the amounts to make enough for a potluck crowd. The corn gets sautéed until brown and almost popped like popcorn, then tossed with sugar snap peas, feta cheese, and a simple dressing made with fresh orange juice. Overall, McLaughlin liked the recipe, especially the “crunch factor” of the corn and snap peas together, rating it a solid 8 out of 10. She was a bit thrown off by the sweetness of orange, so maybe swap in lemon or lime juice if that’s more your speed.
Jennifer Anniston’s Friendship Salad
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Perhaps the most famous celebrity salad recipe of all time, Jennifer Aniston was purported to eat this salad every day for close to 10 years on the set of “Friends” alongside co-stars Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox. And before you ask—no, it’s not the grain-based salad everyone claimed she was eating. Rather, this is a protein-packed salad somewhere between a classic Cobb and the Kardashian-loved La Scala chopped salad.
It features shredded lettuce (McLaughlin opted for iceberg), crisp turkey bacon, chicken, salami, chickpeas, pecorino cheese, and a simple Italian vinaigrette. McLaughlin loved that this salad is “really not fancy or pretentious. It’s like an everyday people’s salad,” anyone could make at a salad bar or at home. With salty bites and a tangy dressing, she could totally understand how Aniston ate this every day for years. It earned a very respectable 9 out of 10.
Matthew McConaughey’s Tuna Salad
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Alright, alright, alright. We’re revisiting the internet-breaking Matthew McConaughey tuna salad once again, and for good reason. The first time she tried it, McLaughlin was seriously impressed with the recipe despite McConaughey’s unorthodox additions of wasabi, corn, peas, apple, dill pickles, and crispy jalapeño chips. According to McConaughey, it’s the recipe he makes weekly on Sundays to clean out the fridge, dubbing himself the “tuna fish salad master maker.”
While the mix-ins get all the attention, the real kicker in this tuna salad is the wasabi paste, which can be found in most grocery stores. According to McLaughlin, it just adds that perfect little bite to keep you coming back for more. Just as with the last time, McLaughlin loved this recipe, calling it “the perfect snack to keep on hand,” and rating it a 9 out of 10.
Guy Fieri’s Mac-Daddi-Roni Salad
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And finally, we reach the pinnacle of potluck salads: macaroni salad. This recipe hails from Guy Fieri, who may be known for cruising around America, searching for the “greatest diners, drive-ins, and dives”— but he’s also a veritable chef in his own right.
Fieri’s Mac-Daddi-Roni Salad starts out pretty traditional before taking a sharp turn directly towards “Flavor Town.” Three types of peppers—roasted red peppers, peppadew peppers, and pepperoncini—add acidity and kick to cut through the richness of the mayonnaise, along with a hefty dose of yellow mustard to add even more tang. McLaughlin loved that it doesn’t add loads of sugar (or any sugar, actually) to the dressing, opting for flavor over sweetness in the dressing, though she recommends adding back in a pinch to bring balance. But overall, Nicole loves the crunch and the punch of flavor in this mac salad, giving it a top score of 9.1 out of 10.
No matter which celebrity recipe you decide to make, you’ve got a winner on your hands. So give one—or all five—a try for your next potluck.
Dining and Cooking