Strawberry Spinach Salad
Posted Jun 19, 2023, Updated Jul 05, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This easy strawberry spinach salad is simple and delicious! Baby spinach, strawberries, candied pecans, green onions and goat cheese are tossed in a light and flavorful homemade poppy seed dressing. The perfect summer salad you’ll make on repeat!
I make a salad almost every day in the summer, and this strawberry spinach salad is one of our favorites.
The salad itself contains only 5 ingredients: baby spinach, sweet strawberries, spicy green onions, creamy goat cheese and crunchy candied pecans, proving that food doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious! Also try this recipe for the best Waldorf salad!
The homemade poppy seed dressing is light, flavorful and only slightly sweet. It’s easy to whisk together in under 5 minutes and ties all the flavors of this strawberry spinach salad recipe together beautifully.
Strawberry Spinach Salad: Ingredients & Substitutions
Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredient Substitutions
- Baby spinach. I suggest baby spinach over regular because it is more tender and easier to eat in a salad. You can use any lettuce you’d like such as spring mix, romaine, etc.
- Strawberries. Use fresh strawberries that have been washed and dried.
- Green onions. If you prefer, you can use red onions, white onions or yellow onions.
- Goat cheese. I love the creamy tangy flavor of goat cheese in this salad. You can substitute feta or sharp white cheddar.
- Candied pecans. I highly recommend that you make your own cinnamon sugar pecans for this recipe. You can also use candied walnuts or candied almonds.
Dressing Ingredients
You can simply purchase your favorites store-bought dressing to use in place of the homemade recipe!
- Apple cider vinegar. white vinegar or balsamic vinegar work well.
- Honey. Maple syrup and granulated sugar are great substitutes for honey.
- Dijon mustard. choose your favorite mustard variety.
How to Make Strawberry Spinach Salad
This spinach and strawberry salad is very simple to make. We’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Make the Poppy Seed Dressing
Begin my making the homemade poppy seed dressing. You can make the dressing up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator!
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar. Whisk or shake to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Assemble
Once the dressing is chilled, assemble the salad.
Combine spinach, strawberries, green onions, goat cheese and pecans in a large bowl.
Reserve about 1 tablespoon each of goat cheese, onions, berries and pecans to decorate the top.
Toss with the dressing, then transfer the salad to a large salad bowl or serving dish. Then garnish the top with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.
Alternatively, you can serve the salad with the dressing on the side. In this case, assemble the salad directly in a serving bowl/platter and let guests dress their salad portions individually.
Serve
Serve as a side dish to your favorite recipes, or serve as a meal with some protein! Here are some serving suggestions:
- Enjoy it with some grilled chicken kebabs or baked chicken breasts.
- Make some homemade french bread or no-knead bread.
- Have a soup and salad night and make some of our favorite soup recipes.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if the salad is undressed, 1-2 days if it is dressed.
Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe FAQs
You can each spinach raw. We prefer the taste of baby spinach because the leaves are younger and have a milder flavor.
This is entirely based on your own preference. When using small, baby spinach leaves, you don’t have to cut the spinach. If you like a chopped style salad, you can cut it up!
You usually do not need to was bagged spinach, because it comes pre-washed. The packaging usually indicates whether or not it is necessary to wash the leaves before consumption.
You really can use any candied nut. Our favorites are candied pecans, candied walnuts, and candied almonds.
Yes, you can use any dressing of your choice – store -bought or homemade.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 1 pint strawberries halved or quartered
- 3 green onions sliced thin (½ cup)
- 3 oz Goat cheese ½ cup
- ½ cup candied pecans or almonds, walnuts, etc.
Poppyseed dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch black pepper
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar. Whisk or shake to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Assemble the salad.
- Combine spinach, strawberries, green onions, goat cheese and pecans in a large bowl. Reserve about 1 tablespoon each of cheese, onions, berries and pecans to decorate the top.
- Toss with the dressing, then transfer the salad to a large salad bowl or serving dish.
- Then garnish the top with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.
- Alternatively, you can serve the salad with the dressing on the side. In this case, assemble the salad directly in a serving bowl/platter and let guests dress their salad portions individually.
Video
Notes
- Baby spinach. I suggest baby spinach over regular because it is more tender and easier to eat in a salad. You can use any lettuce you’d like such as spring mix, romaine, etc.
- Strawberries. Use fresh strawberries that have been washed and dried.
- Green onions. If you prefer, you can use red onions, white onions or yellow onions.
- Goat cheese. I love the creamy tangy flavor of goat cheese in this salad. You can substitute feta or sharp white cheddar.
- Candied pecans. I highly recommend that you make your own cinnamon sugar pecans for this recipe. You can also use candied walnuts or candied almonds.
- Apple cider vinegar. white vinegar or balsamic vinegar work well.
- Honey. Maple syrup and granulated sugar are great substitutes for honey.
- Dijon mustard. choose your favorite mustard variety.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
