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True story, I helped cater a wedding and this strawberry spinach salad was on the menu (requested by the bride).
It is the strawberry spinach salad recipe, that you can’t stop eating! I’m talking about getting seconds because it’s that GOOD and flavorful!
Don’t wait for Easter to serve up something this good. This spinach and strawberry combination works and is so easy to make (if we can toss it together for a wedding of 200+ guests, I think you can make it at home)!
No worries, this recipe isn’t for an enormous crowd. We simply scaled up the recipe for how much we needed at the wedding, but the point is make this variation because it’s truly the best type of spinach I’ve had on my plate!
I’ve also had this same exact salad at church functions in the Mennonite community. They sure know their stuff!
It’s really the perfect strawberry spinach salad! And the only way I’ll be eating it until further notice. Refreshing and simple. Crunchy with the maple glazed pecans. Tangy and sweet.
Totally worth picking fresh strawberries for! And most of all it’s a delight to serve all summer long! You won’t be disappointed! Add these few ingredients to your shopping list and try it out!
How To Make Strawberry Salad with Spinach:
Let’s walk through how to make a delicious strawberry spinach salad step-by-step and don’t forget to watch my Instagram reel.
Make the Sweet Onion Poppy Seed Dressing
This salad dressing is on the sweeter side, but you will have spinach haters eating this salad if you make it!
It is seriously that good! And the tanginess pairs perfectly with sweet strawberries! I can imagine this dressing to make great subs, too! Think of it as a sweet and sour sauce, sprinkled with poppy seeds.
To make the poppy seed dressing, combine all of the ingredients into a wide-mouth mason jar.
I like to layer all of the ingredients into a mason jar, except for the poppy seeds. Then using my immersion blender, emulsify the dressing. When the dressing looks smooth and creamy, stir in the poppy seeds with a rubber spatula, so that you can see the poppy seeds.
Don’t blend the dressing after you add the poppy seeds. Ideally, you can add all ingredients to a mason jar and give it a good shake before tossing the salad, but it tends to separate after sitting in the fridge.
That’s how we served it at the wedding, and it came out just as good!
Make this a day ahead, for the best flavor and keep it shut with a lid until you’re ready to use it.
Wash the Lettuce and Strawberries
This is easy, as most boxes of baby spinach and spring mix containers come pre-washed.
The only ingredients I do wash are the fresh strawberries and romaine lettuce.
Use a colander or fine mesh sieve to rinse the strawberries or submerge them in cold water with 2 Tbsp of white distilled vinegar to thoroughly clean them.
I like the submersion method for washing my lettuce too, only I run them through a salad spinner to prevent having a soggy salad. You want the crisp salad greens to dry anytime you wash them.
Slice the Strawberries
Remove the leafy green top (called the calyx) from each strawberry (about 1/2 pound worth) and thinly slice them lengthwise.
For the romaine I just slice the head crosswise into 1-inch thick pieces. Nothing fancy.
Make Healthier Candied Pecans
Traditional candied pecans are way too sweet for me! They’re sweetened to be more crunchy. Instead, I like to toast them in the oven with maple syrup and dijon mustard. So good!
To make them crunchy with a healthier sweetener, preheat the oven to 375°F (not too high). Line a pie plate with parchment paper and add the pecans, avocado oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and pinch salt; mix together.
Bake in the preheated oven for 27 minutes or until slightly hardened. You will know it’s done when the pecans turned browned and the maple syrup has thickened.
Let this cool completely before using. These maple candied pecans are best to use up within a day or two.
I like reviving leftovers in a skillet or the oven by quickly toasting them before topping them onto salads again. Optional, but it makes them crunchy again if you have too many leftovers.
Assembling
After you’ve prepped the ingredients, choose the plate you’re going to serve this in. Ideally, you want something deep enough to hold your greens and toppings.
It doesn’t need to be a bowl, I think a shallow oval dish can look just as appealing.
Plan on using kitchen tongs to dish it out.
Mix all of the greens together, first. This spinach salad mix relies on a 2:1 ratio of romaine lettuce to spinach. Mainly to impart the perfect balance of crunch and variety.
So, for example two parts of Romaine (1 medium head) and half part of baby spinach and spring mix (about 2 handfuls each weighing around 2 oz each).
Now, Combine the greens, sliced strawberries, and pecans. Add the dressing and go light on it, a little goes a long way.
Lastly, sprinkle over the feta cheese.
When strawberries aren’t in season you can totally pull this salad off with dried cranberries! Just add 1/2 cup.
Storing
This strawberry spinach salad is best served fresh. Keep all the ingredients separately in the fridge until you’re ready to make it. It takes minutes to throw together!
The poppy seed dressing can keep up to two weeks. Shake before each use as the poppy seeds can settle.
If you want to meal prep a single serving, simply arrange the mixed greens into a glass container, then sprinkle the top with sliced strawberries, pecans, and feta cheese. Pour a portion of the poppy seed dressing into these portable sauce containers, and keep refrigerated until needed. Then toss together before eating.
Serving
When serving this salad, at the wedding that we catered, we paired it with shrimp and grits and homemade crescent rolls. At home I served it with baked English muffin pizzas.
Anything savory is a good match with a spinach strawberry salad. Such as pizza, seafood, BBQ cookouts, sandwiches, and at any gathering really. It would make a great Easter salad and one to bring to potlucks for its stunning look!
I wouldn’t over think it. And if you enjoy salads as your main dish, simply add some grilled chicken to this salad to make it a filling meal.
Mise en placeEverything you need! :
You can totally make this strawberry salad with minimal equipment. I just like the consistency of the dressing emulsified with a hand blender.
Equipment:
- Immersion blender (can use a plain mason jar and just shake well).
- Serving dish
- Cutting board and sharp knife (to remove the green tops off of strawberries)
- Kitchen tongs
- Pie plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper
The Best Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients & Substitutes
There are a few things that can be changed up or mixed-in without taking away the flavors from the dressing. Because the poppy seed dressing has an onion profile it’s best to leave out raw onions as the topping. This is a super flavorful salad as is!
- Salad greens- I use organic baby spinach, romaine, and spring mix. When catering a wedding, we used chopped romaine and a few big handfuls of spinach per huge serving bowls. Mix and match the greens according to what you have. You want to make sure you have some crunch. Using all spinach doesn’t have as much texture.
- Strawberries- we love to pick our own fresh strawberries locally, or from the garden. The season for that is late Spring or Summer here, in South Carolina. Wash them well and use organic if possible for the best flavor!
- Feta cheese- is what I’ve ever used for this spinach strawberry salad. I know some people add goat cheese, but I honestly prefer saltier, firmer feta over a creamy cheese. At least in this salad, it really cuts all the sweetness from the dressing and strawberries.
- Candied pecans- are a must for this salad! It adds crunch and more texture! It’s so easy to make and the healthier version is just as good if not better with a kick of dijon mustard!
- Sweet onion poppy seed dressing- tastes amazing! It’s sweet and sour with an onion flavor. You can make so many fresh salads using this dressing! It pairs perfectly with tart fruit (including dried cranberries)! To make it healthier use even parts of Sucanat (or coconut sugar) and honey to make up for the cane sugar.
FAQ’s about Strawberry Spinach Salad
Can I omit cane sugar for the poppy seed dressing?
Absolutely! I’ve made healthier salad dressings by using part Sucanat and part honey. So, to substitute the granulated cane sugar in this poppy seed dressing use 3 Tablespoons honey and 3 Tablespoons of Sucanat or coconut sugar. It will taste just as good!
Can I add different fruit?
Yes, tart and sweet fruit like blueberries and raspberries can be seamlessly interchanged with the fresh strawberries. This salad goes great with dried tart fruit too, like dried cranberries when fresh fruit is out of season (just use 1/2 cup of any dried and tart fruit).
Would this salad work with all spinach?
Yes, it could but an “all spinach” salad would lack crunch and variety. The spring mix and Romaine head, add variety and crunch making an appealing salad. A variety of greens also, add texture and is suggested when making a strawberry salad.
Can I skip the candied pecans and use plain pecans?
Yes! If candied pecans is another step that will hinder you from making this strawberry spinach salad then skip the toasting and sprinkle in raw pecans. This spinach salad will still taste as good!
Helpful Tips
- Don’t use frozen strawberries. You want to use freshly sliced strawberries for texture and the right flavor.
- I like to pulse the dressing until it emulsifies so that the minced onion still looks visible. I don’t puree it smooth. This can mean that it can separate once sitting in the fridge (which shaking revives). This is also because if you blend it fine, the onion flavor comes out stronger.
- For easy meal prep store the mixed greens in a big glass bowl with a lid. That way you can plate the greens at any time and add all of the toppings in a cinch.
- This salad is best eaten the same day you make it. To switch it up, top it over grilled meat to make it a complete meal and as a fun way to serve it (not the same thing).
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Strawberry Spinach Salad with Sweet Onion Poppy Seed Dressing
Equipment
- 1 large serving bowl or plate, (enough to hold 8-10 cups of greens)
- 1 wide-mouth pint mason jar, (with lid for salad dressing)
- 1 round pie plate, (for toasting the candied pecans)
- 1 sheet of parchment paper, (for toasting pecans)
Ingredients
Sweet Onion Poppy Seed Dressing:
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, (see notes** to omit cane sugar)
- 3 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
- 1/2 tsp organic poppy seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp coconut liquid aminos, (or soy sauce)
- 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
Strawberry Spinach Salad:
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, (chopped)
- 2 oz spring mix, (2 handfuls)
- 2 oz baby spinach , (2 handfuls)
- 1/2 lb strawberries, sliced , (1 1/2 cups)
- 3 oz feta cheese , (2/3 cup)
Maple Candied Pecans:
- 1 cup pecans, (shelled, we pick them from our trees and get them shelled locally)
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Make the salad dressing. In a pint, wide-mouth mason jar, combine 1/3 cup, plus 1 Tbsp of sugar, 3 Tbsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp minced dried onion, 1/4 tsp each of salt, liquid aminos, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 cup avocado oil. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender. Then fold in 1/2 tsp poppy seeds. Keep refrigerated.
- Make crunchy maple candied pecans. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with a sheet of parchment paper. Add 1 cup pecans, 1 Tbsp avocado oil, 2 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp dijon mustard, and pinch salt. Mix together and bake for 27 minutes. Cool completely before using.
- Assemble Salad. Mix together the greens (Romaine, spring mix, and spinach). Then in a large bowl or serving plate combine the greens, sliced strawberries, and pecans. Drizzle a little dressing (not all) and toss together. Top with crumbled feta cheese before serving.
Notes
- If you don’t have an immersion blender you can combine all of the salad dressing ingredients into a pint jar and shake well before using. The hand blender emulsifies the dressing so it doesn’t separate while sitting. And is optional.
- To omit cane sugar and use a healthier sweetener, use 3 Tbsp honey and 3 Tbsp Sucanat for the cane sugar in the recipe. I often make this swap when I want to make a healthier salad dressing.
- Candied pecans are so good. If you are in pinch of time you can just add 3/4 cup of raw pecans or walnuts for the candied pecans.
- This salad is best eaten after tossing with the dressing. It gets soggy after sitting too long. So, toss as much greens with the dressing as you think you’ll eat.
- When fresh fruit is out of season use 1/2 cup dried cranberries instead.
Nutrition (per serving)
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