Naturally Green Recipes for a St. Patrick’s Day Spread—No Food Coloring Needed

Yogurt drinks are popular across the Middle East and South Asia, and combine flavors like mango and rose in blended beverages. To give them a light green makeover, we make ours with puréed cucumber and herbs, plus a spritz of club soda. If the cucumber peels and seeds are tender, they don’t need to be removed.

This recipe is excerpted from Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Drinks for When You’re Not Drinking for Any Reason by Julia Bainbridge. Coconut milk “works to marry two seemingly incompatible ingredients in this drink: basil and matcha,” says Bainbridge.

If you seed the chile, this super-light refresher will have just a hint of heat. The green comes from the combination of chile, cucumber, and lime juice.

Matcha and sake come together in this out-of-the-ordinary (and festively colored) cocktail. Bonus: If you thought to chill a can of sake ahead of time, you can whip it up in seconds!

We took the flavors of the seasoning paste served at falafel shops and turned it into a salad dressing that’s vibrant and bright green. To tame it, seed the chile.

Chef and cookbook author Joanne Weir first made this tangy, mellow salsa at Copita, her restaurant in Sausalito, California. It’s still her favorite salsa for chips, chicken tacos, and enchiladas verde. She also customizes it by adding mint or avocado—which will add to its color.

At Vik’s Chaat Corner, in Berkeley, California, this zingy chutney offsets the deep-fried richness of the samosas. Add the yogurt for a more mellow flavor, though it will make it a more pale green color.

Toasted mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, and coriander infuse a Mexican classic with the flavors of India, as does serving it with crispy pappadums instead of tortilla chips.

To keep the color in this mild spring soup bright, use a deep green head of lettuce, cooking it only enough to wilt it, and peel favas shortly before using them.

At Alfred’s Steakhouse in San Francisco, the creamed spinach looks like it’s from 1960, but it appeals to modern palates hungry for big flavor: It’s made with a smoky bacon-fat roux, plus fennel pollen and chile for spark. Although this recipe is labor-intensive, it’s worth it.

Fresh sorrel, a hardy, leafy green perennial, gives simple white beans a zap of color and a lemony tang. Farmers’ markets often carry it from spring into early fall, depending on where you live. If you can’t find it, swap in basil.

Whorled broccoli romanesco is an exotic treat, yet it’s very easy to prepare: just steam until tender. If you can’t find small heads, just break a full-grown head into florets (cauliflower works, too).

California cookbook author and cooking teacher Andrea Nguyen based this fragrant, creamy coconut-milk curry on one from Hawker Fare restaurant in Oakland. Use asparagus or green beans instead of bok choy if you like, and serve it with steamed jasmine rice—or a warm baguette.

Adapted from Dishing Up the Dirt, a farm-to-table cookbook by Andrea Bemis, the green ingredients in this salad all work together to offer a cooling side perfect to accompany a chili rub steak or fried dish of some kind.

Although not strictly traditional, this pesto provides an excellent backdrop for the additional romanesco florets as well as a vibrant colored sauce. We combine crisp fried bread crumbs with finishing cheese for a deep contrast of texture.

The creamy, delicately flavored salsa tastes equally good with salmon (though it won’t be as bright). To clean tomatillos, pull off and discard papery husks, rinse fruit well (it will be sticky), and rub dry.

Rich, creamy, and gorgeous, this mild-flavored tart is sure to make you an avocado-dessert convert. We love the combination with pistachios, but feel free to try almonds or even macadamia nuts.

“I grew up inhaling whoopie pies, bless my mother’s soul,” says Bay Area cookbook author Eric Gower, the creator of these fantastic, tender little cakes. “While I would like to offer her recipe, I’m afraid that just reading the quantities of trans fats (Crisco) called for might incite immediate cardiac arrest! This relatively healthier version tastes even better.”

These elegant, individual custards can be made a few days ahead of time for a party. Allowing the mint to steep in the milk and cream intensifies the flavor and color. If you like a rich custard, use only cream.