This Little Gem Salad with Coconut Ranch Dressing combines crisp lettuce, peppery radishes, crunchy pistachios, and fresh dill with a creamy homemade ranch. And despite the canned coconut milk, it doesn't taste like coconut-my husband and I both tried it and couldn't detect any coconut flavor.
Ready with about 20 minutes of hands-on time, it's easy enough for a weeknight but pretty enough for a dinner party, holiday, or supper club. For a more traditional everyday option, try my Classic House Salad with Homemade Dressing.
Quick Look: Little Gem Salad with Coconut Ranch Dressing
- Ready in: About 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes to chill the dressing
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: Easy
- Best for: Dinner parties, holidays, supper clubs, and easy side dishes
- Make-ahead: Yes! Make the dressing ahead and refrigerate it until you're ready to assemble the salad.
- Taste: Cool, creamy, tangy, herby, and fresh
- Texture: Crisp, creamy, and crunchy
- What is Little Gem lettuce? Small, tender lettuce with the crunch of romaine and tenderness of butter lettuce.
- What makes this recipe different? Coconut milk makes the ranch dressing extra creamy without adding noticeable coconut flavor.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Little Gem Salad with Coconut Ranch Dressing
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredient Notes And Substitutions
- How To Make Little Gem Salad With Coconut Ranch Dressing
- Sharon's Expert Tips
- What To Serve With Little Gem Salad
- Don't Waste That Leftover Coconut Ranch!
- Make-Ahead and Storage
- Little Gem Salad with Coconut Ranch Dressing FAQs
- Need a Little Help with This Recipe?
- From My Kitchen
- Join the Conversation
- Recipes to Serve with Little Gem Salad
- Final Thoughts
- Recipe:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The Little Gem leaves stay crisp under the creamy dressing, thinly sliced radishes add a peppery bite, and pistachios add just the right amount of crunch. Best of all, the platter looks impressive enough for company but takes very little work.
- The real surprise is the coconut ranch. Instead of tasting tropical, the coconut milk simply gives this familiar dill, chive, garlic, and onion dressing a rich, creamy texture.
- If creamy homemade dressings are your thing, you might also like my Southern pea salad with herb buttermilk dressing.
Key Ingredient Notes And Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients and measurements is located in the recipe card below.
- Little Gem lettuce: These small heads have tender leaves like butter lettuce but enough crunch and structure to stand up to a creamy dressing. If you can't find Little Gem, butter lettuce or endive can be substituted. A note to my Tallahassee friends: at the time of this post, Publix doesn’t carry Little Gem Lettuce. I found mine at Fresh Market, and I’ve been told Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods carry it as well.
- Mayonnaise: Mayo forms the creamy base of the ranch dressing. I prefer Duke’s, but feel free to use your favorite brand.
- Canned coconut milk: Here's where grocery-store labeling can make things unnecessarily confusing. Use regular canned coconut milk, not light or reduced-fat coconut milk, and not a refrigerated coconut milk beverage. Your can may not actually say "full-fat," and that's okay. Shake the can well before opening, or stir the contents thoroughly before measuring so the coconut cream and liquid are evenly combined.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds the tang you'd normally expect from ranch dressing. White wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice can also be used.
- Dried chives, parsley, and dill: These give the dressing its classic ranch flavor and make this recipe especially convenient because you don't need three packages of fresh herbs just to make the dressing.
How To Make Little Gem Salad With Coconut Ranch Dressing
- Make the coconut ranch. Whisk the mayonnaise, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Add the seasonings. Stir in the dried chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Chill the dressing. Cover and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. This gives the dried herbs time to soften and the flavors time to come together.
- Prepare the lettuce. Wash the Little Gem lettuce thoroughly and dry it completely. Separate the leaves from the cores, keeping the leaves whole.
- Build the platter. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large serving platter with their curved sides facing up. Scatter the thinly sliced radishes over the lettuce.
- Dress the salad. Drizzle as much coconut ranch as you like over the leaves.
- Add the finishing touches. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios and fresh dill, and finish with a few grinds of coarse black pepper. Serve immediately.
Sharon's Expert Tips
- Dry the lettuce thoroughly. Water left on the leaves dilutes the dressing and keeps it from clinging. A salad spinner makes quick work of this.
- Don't skip the chilling time. The dressing tastes better after the dried herbs have had at least 30 minutes to hydrate and mingle with the other ingredients.
- Arrange the leaves curved-side up. Those natural little lettuce cups hold onto the dressing, radishes, pistachios, and herbs instead of letting everything slide to the bottom of the platter.
- Dress it just before serving. You can prep everything ahead, but wait to drizzle the ranch over the lettuce so the leaves stay crisp.
What To Serve With Little Gem Salad
This crisp, creamy salad is a lovely counterpoint to rich or simply prepared main dishes. Try it alongside grilled boneless chicken thighs, blackened steak, herb-crusted pork tenderloin, pan-fried shrimp, or Parmesan-crusted grouper.
It would also be beautiful as part of a spring or summer dinner party menu when you want a side dish that feels a little more special than an everyday tossed salad. For another fresh side that's particularly good with grilled meats and seafood, try my old-fashioned cucumber and tomato salad.
And because the platter presentation does so much of the work, I'd happily serve this Little Gem salad for a holiday or supper club dinner, too.
Don't Waste That Leftover Coconut Ranch!
This recipe makes more dressing than you’ll probably need, which turned out to be a very good thing. I had almost a cup left and spooned some over a hot baked potato the next day. It was delicious.
Try the extra dressing with mashed potatoes, French fries, fresh vegetables, chicken tenders, sandwiches, grilled chicken, shrimp, or roasted vegetables. I’ve personally tested the baked potato-and can enthusiastically vouch for it!
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make the coconut ranch up to a day ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. It will keep for up to one week; stir well before serving.
The lettuce can also be washed and dried ahead and refrigerated with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Wait to assemble and dress the salad until serving so the leaves stay crisp.
Little Gem Salad with Coconut Ranch Dressing FAQs
Butter lettuce is probably the easiest substitute. Endive also works particularly well because its leaves are sturdy enough to hold the creamy dressing and toppings.
Not exactly. Little Gem resembles a miniature romaine, but its leaves tend to be more tender while still retaining plenty of crunch.
Use regular canned coconut milk. It may or may not say "full-fat" on the label. The important thing is to avoid anything labeled light or reduced-fat, and avoid refrigerated coconut milk beverages.
No, my husband and I couldn’t detect any coconut flavor in the finished dressing. The coconut milk adds richness and creaminess, while the herbs, garlic, onion, and vinegar give it the familiar savory flavor of ranch.
Need a Little Help with This Recipe?
Have a question about this recipe? Leave me a comment below-I'm always happy to help! If you're in a hurry or need an answer right away, try the helpful AI option below.
New to AI? Choose an option below. When it opens, simply click the white arrow in the blue circle to send the question-there’s no need to change the prompt.
From My Kitchen
I’ll admit I approached coconut ranch with a healthy dose of skepticism, so naturally, I recruited my chief taste-tester. My husband and I agreed that if we hadn’t known the dressing contained coconut milk, neither of us would have guessed it.
My favorite discovery came the next day when I spooned some leftover dressing onto a hot baked potato. Now I’m not sure whether this is a salad dressing that’s delicious on potatoes or a potato topping masquerading as salad dressing. Either way, don’t throw away the leftovers!
Join the Conversation
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you make this Little Gem Salad, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I’d love to know how it turned out for you, whether you’re Team Coconut Milk or Team Buttermilk for your ranch dressing, and what you served it with.
Recipes to Serve with Little Gem Salad
Final Thoughts
This Little Gem Salad is easy enough for a weeknight but pretty enough for company. With crisp lettuce, peppery radishes, crunchy pistachios, and creamy coconut ranch, it’s proof that a simple salad can still feel special.
Recipe:
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Little Gem Salad with Coconut Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
For the Coconut Ranch Dressing:
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup full fat coconut milk canned
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad:
- 4 heads Little Gem lettuce
- 4 radishes thinly sliced
- ¼ cup crushed pistachios for garnish
- fresh dill for garnish
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar in a medium bowl.
- Stir in the chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Chill the dressing for at least 30 minutes so the flavors get to know each other.
- Wash the lettuce and dry completely. Separate the whole leaves from the cores.
- Arrange them on a large platter. Scatter the radishes over the leaves.
- Drizzle your desired amount of dressing over the salad.
- Garnish with pistachios, fresh dill, and a few grinds of coarse black pepper.
Notes
- Dry the lettuce thoroughly. Water left on the leaves dilutes the dressing and keeps it from clinging. A salad spinner makes quick work of this.
- Don't skip the chilling time. The dressing tastes better after the dried herbs have had at least 30 minutes to hydrate and mingle with the other ingredients.
- Arrange the leaves curved-side up. Those natural little lettuce cups hold onto the dressing, radishes, pistachios, and herbs instead of letting everything slide to the bottom of the platter.
- Dress it just before serving. You can prep everything ahead, but wait to drizzle the ranch over the lettuce so the leaves stay crisp.
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