Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Creamy, tangy, and sweet, this Strawberry Spinach Salad is bursting with flavor and texture! It's easy to throw together and ready in just 5 minutes. Then it's drizzled with a simple Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing which you'll want to add to all of your salads! Perfect as a side dish or a main meal!

Healthy, hearty salads are where it's at throughout spring and summer! We love tucking into this Peach Panzanella Salad when the peaches are in season, and our Watermelon Basil Feta Salad is the most refreshing side dish for grilling!

When I make a salad, it has to tick a few boxes. It must be 1. Full of goodness, (i.e. fresh, tasty ingredients), 2. Full of flavor (no dressing? no way!), 3. Good enough to eat on its own, not just as a side, 3. EASY to throw together! This Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe ticks all of these boxes, and more!

To make this strawberry spinach salad there are really just 3 easy steps, which can be done in less than 10 minutes, probably closer to five! Cut the fruit and veggies, whip up the dressing, toss and serve. There's nothing more simple!

These fresh, flavorful ingredients are available all year round, however, strawberry picking season here in California is from April-June making this Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe perfect for lunches or special occasions throughout Spring and Summer. It accompanies Easter dinner or Mother's Day brunch just perfectly, but I also like to make it as a quick, easy lunch to get my fruit and veggies in throughout the day. If I want to make this more of a substantial meal for dinner, I add some grilled chicken. It tastes SO good, even the kids gobble it up!

Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients

Strawberry Spinach Salad

• Spinach: Spinach is the leafy green of choice for this strawberry spinach salad! It's flavorful, soft yet crunchy, and carries all of the other ingredients so well.
• Strawberries: There's nothing like a ruby-red, sweet strawberry! They're loaded with healthy nutrients, perfect for snacking, or adding to desserts and salads!
• Avocados: Avocados are creamy and filling with healthy fats, and they make a great addition to this Strawberry Spinach Salad!
• Red onion: I love how red onion can really lift the flavor of a fresh salad, without being overpowering!
• Almonds: Finely shaved almonds add a great crunch and nutty taste. You could try other nuts like pistachios or cashews instead. These candied walnuts would be excellent as well!
• Feta cheese: Creamy, and tangy with the perfect crumble, Greek feta cheese is the perfect addition to any salad! Another good choice would be goat cheese.

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

• Mayo: Thick, creamy mayonnaise is the foundation to many good salad dressings, including this poppy seed dressing for this strawberry spinach salad.
• Milk: A little milk is added just to help thin out the mayo without losing any creaminess.
• Sugar: Poppy seed dressing is a sweet dressing that goes great with fruit-forward salads, so we use sugar for that much-needed sweetness!
• Apple cider vinegar: I love using apple cider vinegar as it not only gives the dressing a tartness to cut through the sugar. It goes perfectly with this strawberry spinach salad recipe!
• Poppy seeds: Poppy seeds don't really add to the flavor, but they definitely give a nice texture and make the salad look amazing! A little goes a long way here!

How to Make Strawberry Spinach Salad

1. Prep the dressing. Firstly, combine the poppy seed dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
2. Wash the spinach. Wash your spinach well and allow it to drain.
3. Slice your veggies. Secondly, cut up the strawberries, avocado, red onion, and crumble the feta cheese.
4. Combine and serve. Finally, combine all of the Strawberry Spinach Salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss with as much of the dressing as you like just before serving.

How do I store the Poppy Seed Dressing?

Any remaining salad dressing (or if you want to make a double batch and save half for later) can be stored in an airtight container like a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Can I use different nuts in this salad recipe?

Yes! I prefer them to be chopped or sliced rather than whole. Candied nuts are great, and if you want to bring out even more nutty flavor, you are welcome to toast the nuts first before adding them to the salad.

Some other nuts that might taste well in this salad are macadamia nuts, pine nuts, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts.

What are some other things I can add to this Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe?

This is definitely a salad that you can customize with other flavors, depending on what you have on hand! Try some of these ideas out:

• Add more fruit! You can add more fruit and berries to this salad like kiwis, oranges, grapefruit, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries to name a few.
• Switch out the cheese! Try adding goat's cheese, roquefort, stilton, cheddar or gouda instead of feta cheese.
• Toss in some more greens! Spinach is awesome in this strawberry and spinach salad recipe (and a great way of using up a big package of spinach from Costco before it goes bad), but other salad greens like a spicy arugula or mesclun blend (also known as "spring mix") would be perfect as well.

More Strawberry Recipes To Try

• Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
• Homemade Strawberry Milk
• Fresh Strawberry Pie
• Strawberry Pineapple Coconut Swirl Popsicles
• Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
• Spring Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Strawberry Pretzel Icebox Pie

Recipe adapted from Recipe Critic.

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