This beautiful strawberry spinach salad with strawberry dressing is made with tender baby spinach leaves, arugula and juicy strawberries. Add red onions, avocado and a handful of roasted sunflower seeds, then toss it with a sweet and tart strawberry vinaigrette for a perfect salad for spring celebrations!
Here's a perfect salad to welcome spring and warmer weather! It's an ideal salad for an Easter or Mother's Day brunch or a summer potluck! This one is always a crowd-pleaser that gets rave reviews.
Or simply make it for a Wednesday night dinner because it's so good and will keep you on your healthy eating plan. Guaranteed to be a huge hit with friends or family!
While many strawberry salads are made with a poppy seed dressing or a balsamic dressing, this one is made with my new favourite strawberry vinaigrette. So fresh and naturally sweet!
Jump to:
❤️ Why you'll love this strawberry spinach salad recipe
- Tender baby spinach leaves, peppery arugula and juicy, ripe strawberries all cozy up together with crisp red onion slices, creamy avocado and a handful of crunchy sunflower seeds.
- And then . . . the best part? They're all tossed together with this irresistible strawberry vinaigrette! This favourite summer salad is one that everyone seems to love.
- Did I mention blue cheese? Of course, it's easy to replace with feta or goat cheese, but if you're a blue cheese fan, go for it! Those strong salty flavours contrast beautifully with the sweet strawberries!
Love strawberry salads?
So do I! These fresh strawberry salads are all favourites that I make regularly!
Strawberry Mango Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
Strawberry Kale Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Triple Berry Mixed Green Salad
Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing
If you're searching for more summer salad ideas, you'll find more than 20 in Best Sumer Salad Recipes.
🛒 Ingredients and substitutions
You'll find a complete list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But before we get to the full recipe, here are a few notes about some of the key ingredients.
Use this recipe as a guide and feel free to switch up the ingredients, using your favourites.
Greens: I like to use a mix of greens (in this case, organic spinach and arugula) as I find baby spinach leaves tend to sink to the bottom of a salad. Try adding a little butter lettuce, too.
Strawberries: Use the freshest organic strawberries you can find at the peak of ripeness.
Cucumber: Adds a little fresh crunchy element.
Avocado: Buttery avocado adds a creamy texture. More interest!
Red onion: It's crisp and tangy! Too spicy for you? Soak your slices in water for 30 minutes, then drain before adding to your salad. Soaking red onions tames their bite!
Cheese: blue cheese, feta cheese or goat cheese will all add that salty contrast to the sweet strawberries that makes this salad so appealing!
Nuts or seeds: Roasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, maple-glazed walnuts, pecans or coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts are all good in a spinach salad with strawberries.
Fresh Quick Strawberry Vinaigrette: made with heart-healthy olive oil, fresh strawberries, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and sweetened with honey, this is a strawberry dressing you'll want to drizzle on all your summer salads!
🔪 Instructions
- First, combine the ingredients for Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing in a blender or mini food processor. Set aside to allow the flavours to blend. You can even make this strawberry salad dressing a day in advance.
- Next, wash and dry the greens.
- Slice the cucumber (I like the mini cukes for this salad) and the strawberries, cut the onion into thin slices, and cut the avocado into cubes or slices.
- Arrange the greens in a large bowl and add the sliced vegetables and strawberries.
- Crumble blue cheese (or feta or goat cheese) on top and add toasted sunflower seeds or nuts of your choice just before serving.
- Toss with Quick Strawberry Vinaigrette and enjoy!
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
Both strawberries and spinach are on the "Dirty Dozen" list, so it's best to choose organic spinach and strawberries. The Dirty Dozen is a list of fresh produce items that consumers should avoid based on pesticide residue levels.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Drizzle the strawberry vinaigrette over the salad, toss until combined and serve right away! Sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy . . . this spinach salad with strawberries has it all!
This salad makes a great starter or side salad. Try it with Easy Baked Lemon Chicken, Fennel-Crusted Salmon, or 30-Minute Creamy Lemon Salmon Piccata.
⏰ Food Safety Storage Instructions
If you've dressed the salad, it is best eaten right away.
If you don't plan to eat it all right away, dress only what you need. Store the undressed salad in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days (without avocado which will turn brown.)
Refrigerate the leftover strawberry dressing in a jar with a lid for up to 5 days. Give it a quick shake before serving.
🗒 More healthy salad recipes
When you make this strawberry spinach salad recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing from you! Thanks in advance. Subscribe to my newsletter and receive new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 ounces baby spinach leaves
- 5 ounces baby arugula leaves
- ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 mini cucumber, sliced
- 1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
- 2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 4 ounces blue cheese, or feta or goat cheese
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds, or coarsely chopped pecans or hazelnuts
Quick Strawberry Vinaigrette
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Place the sliced red onions in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand while you prepare the rest of the salad. Soaking the onions will remove the harsh bite.
- If you're using raw sunflower seeds (or pecans) toast them in a skillet on the stove top over medium heat. Watch carefully and remove from the heat as soon as they start to brown a little. Let cool.
- Combine the strawberry vinaigrette ingredients in a blender or mini food processor. Blend until smooth, then set aside.
- Add washed and dried greens to a large bowl.
- Arrange the sliced cucumber, drained red onion, sliced strawberries, and blue cheese crumbles on top. Just before serving, sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds (or other nuts) and add the cubed avocado.
- Toss with Strawberry Vinaigrette and serve.
Terri
One of my fave salad and the extra burst of strawberry in the dressing is divine!
Elaine
Thanks Terri! So glad to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Asha
This salad looks delicious! I'm intrigued by the strawberry and blue cheese combination. Such a beautiful salad as well.
Bernice
Even though the weather outside says otherwise (yes ANOTHER 25 cm of late April snow!) this salad has all the flavours of spring. It was the perfect mood lifter!
Elaine
Happy to hear that, Bernice! You've had brutal weather this spring!
nancy
strawberries in a dressing? count me in!!! this is a lovely bright and sweet dressing I can use any day!
Elaine
Thanks Nancy! So easy and everyone seems to love this one!