Strawberry Spinach Salad (With Easy Dressing)

This fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad consists of tender baby spinach, lots of strawberries, almond flakes, and a choice of cheese! Moreover, it is tossed up with a homemade lime vinaigrette.

Strawberry Spinach Salad is one of my favorite spring and summer salads. It comes together super easily and quickly, and it is creamy, fresh, and delicious with homemade lime dressing.

Jump to:

• About Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Why You Will Love This Salad
• Ingredients
• How To Make Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Variations
• Helpful Tips
• More Healthy Salad Recipes
• Recipe Card

About Strawberry Spinach Salad

This salad needs only a few ingredients (even for dressing), but it is delicious, creamy, earthy, tangy, and filling. Also, other than strawberries and spinach, you can customize this salad as per your preferences.

Strawberry Spinach Salad gives pure spring and summer vibes, making a great side dish. Or, if you are often into the salad for a lighter lunch, this must be on your salad list.

The recipe is straightforward, and it comes together super quickly. Strawberries make the salad fresh, juicy, sweet, tangy, and enjoyable. Baby spinach leaves are the base and make the salad highly nutrient. Almonds provide a great crunch, and cheese makes it filling and creamy.

Baby Spinach is my all-time favorite, and I love to use it for different recipes. And in this salad, baby spinach pairs amazingly well with fresh strawberries. Strawberry Spinach Salad is colorful, vibrant, and refreshing.

Ingredients

For Strawberry Spinach Salad

1. Spinach: Use the fresh and tender baby spinach for this salad. The ratio of baby spinach and strawberries in this salad is perfect to have them evenly in each bite. But you can add less or more spinach as you prefer. You can also replace half of the spinach with other baby greens of choice.
2. Strawberries: Use fresh, juicy, and ripe strawberries for the best flavors in this salad. Slice or chop the berries evenly for even distribution.
3. Bell Pepper: I like to add thinly sliced bell pepper for crunch and peppery flavors. I have added orange bell pepper, but you can add what you have on hand.
4. Almond Flakes: I often use flaked almonds for baking and salad recipes. So I always have them handy, but if you do not have almond flakes, use chopped or slivered almonds. And you can also lightly toast the almonds for more flavors.
5. Goat Cheese: It provides creaminess and richness to the salad. Cheese makes the salad satisfying and decadent. Crumble the Goat cheese with a fork instead of your hands.

For Lime Vinaigrette

1. Lime Juice: It provides a perfect tanginess to this salad. And lime juice comes in handy when you are running out of vinegar or if you do not want to buy a whole bottle of vinegar.
2. Olive Oil: Use extra-virgin olive oil for the dressing. Or, if you do not have it, you can also use virgin or light olive oil.
3. Maple Syrup or Honey: I like to use maple syrup as a sweetener for this salad dressing. But you can use honey instead of maple syrup. Also, add more sweetener if you like your dressing on a sweeter side.
4. Salt and Spices: Apart from salt and black pepper, I have added ground cumin and paprika for more flavors.

How To Make Strawberry Spinach Salad

Making The Salad Dressing

• In a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir all the dressing ingredients – lime juice, olive oil, sweetener, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, and paprika until well combined.

Assembling The Salad

• Place spinach into a large mixing bowl and add sliced strawberries and bell pepper.

• Drizzle about half of the lime vinaigrette over the salad and toss well to coat everything well with dressing.
• Then add a little more dressing if you need to.

• Add crumbled goat cheese and almonds.
• Toss lightly to combine.

• Serve the salad immediately with extra dressing on the side.

Variations

• Spinach: Instead of only spinach, you can swap half of the spinach with other choices of baby greens.
• Nuts: I like almonds with strawberries and spinach, but you can add pecans or walnuts instead of almonds. Toss the nuts lightly before using them for the best flavors.
• Make It Nut-Free: Instead of nuts, add pepitas or sunflower seeds.
• Cheese: Instead of goat cheese, you can add crumbled feta cheese. Or, for Indian touch, add grated paneer or crumbled fresh chhena.
• Salad Dressing: You can use your choice of dressing for this salad. However, use the light dressing and avoid creamy salad dressing.
• Make It Vegan: Use vegan cheese or omit the cheese entirely to make the vegan salad.

Helpful Tips

• Dress the salad as shortly as possible before serving. Also, do not pour all the vinaigrette at once. Initially, add half, toss the salad, and add more as needed.
• If you are not serving all the salad at once, dress only the one you plan to eat right away. And store the leftover salad without salad dressing in the refrigerator for three days.
• Store the leftover salad dressing in an airtight container or jar and refrigerate for three days. Then shake it well before using.

More Healthy Salad Recipes

Recipe Card