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Strawberry Spinach Salad

This strawberry spinach salad is an irresistibly sweet, tangy, crunchy, creamy, fresh and vibrant explosion perfect for every occasion from Easter to Mother’s Day to today’s lunch or dinner.  This spinach and strawberry salad is made with fresh baby spinach, sweet strawberries, juicy clementine oranges, creamy avocado, caramelized pecans, salty sunflower seeds, tangy feta & thinly sliced red onions all drizzled with sweet and tangy poppy seed dressing that will knock your socks off. Of course, you can customize this strawberry spinach salad just how you like and I’ve included tons of recipe variations and substitutions to help. I’ve also included make ahead instructions (even assembling!) so this strawberry spinach salad can be the stress free, hypnotic steal-the-show side dish of your dreams.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Strawberry Spinach Salad:

  • 10 ounces fresh baby spinach or half spring mix
  • 1 quart strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered if large
  • 3 clementine oranges (like Cuties brand)
  • 1/3 small red onion very thinly sliced
  • 1 large avocado, sliced or chopped
  • 3/4 English cucumber, sliced and quartered
  • 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
  • 1 recipe caramelized pecans (chopped after caramelizing)

Poppy Seed Dressing

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice (may sub 1 TBS vinegar)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried minced onions
  • 1/2 tsp EACH dried basil, pepper

Instructions

  • Add all of the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine or add to a mason jar, cover and shake. Adjust to taste if desired - adding additional sugar for sweeter or vinegar for tangier 1 teaspoon at a time. Refrigerate while you prepare the salad ingredients then whisk/shake again before drizzling over salad.
  • Prepare caramelized nuts according to recipe directions.
  • When ready to serve, toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. You can either drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss to combine or if you expect leftovers, drizzle individual salad servings with dressing.

Notes

*See post for lots of recipe variation ideas! 

HOW TO STORE 

  • Salad: If you plan on storing leftover strawberry spinach salad, do not toss the salad with the dressing or the spinach will become soggy and wilted. Instead, store the salad and dressing in separate airtight containers. The salad without the dressing will last about 3 days in the refrigerator although the strawberries can soften the crunch of the spinach a bit.
  • Dressing:  To store the poppy seed dressing, transfer it to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to one week. The dressing will separate as it sits so shake or whisk to recombine before using.

PREP AHEAD 

This strawberry spinach salad recipe is great to prep ahead so all you have to do is toss the salad:
  • Salad ingredients:  Can be chopped 24 hours in advance and stored in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. 
  • Dressing:  Can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
  • Nuts: The caramelized pecans can be made up to one week ahead of time and stored in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature. I often like to double the nuts for future use.

Make Ahead 

This strawberry spinach salad can be assembled ahead of time if you layer the ingredients in the correct order.  The salad should be layered with the wettest ingredients on the bottom and the driest on the top to prevent soggy salad, covered, then stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Here’s how to layer your salad:
  • Strawberries
  • Cucumbers
  • Clementine oranges
  • Red onion
  • Spinach
  • Feta
  • Nuts
Right before serving, chop or slice your avocado and add it to the salad, then toss, drizzle and dig in!