When the warm weather starts to come around, I move away from warm quinoa salads and turn to fresh and vibrant cold summer salads like Apple Salad, Watermelon Avocado Salad, Blueberry Salad, and Peach Avocado Salad.
If you’re wondering what dressing goes with strawberry salad, I take a little help from my poppyseed dressing recipe.
A little sprinkle of cheese, a few toasted nuts, and you have a super cravable (and beautiful!) strawberry spinach poppy seed salad right before your eyes. Panera has got nothing on this one.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
They call it both Strawberry Salad and Strawberry Spinach Salad. Either way, I believe it’s just the right amount of flavor, color, and refreshing goodness that will have you craving it all year long.
I love it because it’s:
- Light, bright, and packed with delicious, nutritious and fresh ingredients, including superfood baby spinach and fresh strawberries, it is the perfect spring salad recipe.
- Easily customizable to suit your taste – keep reading for super simple swaps below!
- Tossed in a lightened up and maple-sweetened homemade poppyseed dressing – the secret is Greek yogurt!
- An incredibly satisfying and healthy lunch, starter, or a great side dish to serve with grilled meat and vegetables! This summer salad makes a beautiful centerpiece on your Easter table, too.
Ingredients
The ingredient list for this strawberry spinach salad recipe comes together in two parts:
- Salad Ingredients: Gather together fresh spinach, romaine, red onion (thinly sliced), strawberries, sliced almonds, and your favorite crumbled cheese.
- My go-to Poppyseed Dressing for Spinach Salad: It’s a lightened-up version with Greek yogurt, vegan mayo, maple syrup, vinegar, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, and kosher salt.
Substitution Ideas
- Greens: Baby spinach and romaine make a great pair, but feel free to use all spinach, baby gem, mixed baby greens, arugula, or whatever you have on hand.
- Fruit: Swap out the strawberries for any fresh or dried fruit, such as blueberries, raspberries, mandarin oranges, raisins, or dried cranberries.
- Different Nuts: Instead of crunchy almonds, try toasted pecans or chopped walnuts. Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds would offer a great crunch factor – they also make the recipe nut-free.
- Cheese: My go-to choice is goat cheese, but feta cheese, blue cheese, or gorgonzola are great options.
How to Make
This spinach salad with strawberries is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- Make the creamy poppy seed dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and give it a whisk.
- Assemble the salad: Layer spinach, salad greens of your choice, red onion, strawberries, nuts, and cheese in a salad bowl. Drizzle it with the dressing.
- Toss & Serve: Give it a gentle toss using salad tongs and serve.
What to Serve it With
This strawberry poppyseed salad is a colorful counterpoint to:
- Meat dishes like baked bone-in chicken, meatballs and potatoes, grilled shrimp skewers, baked shrimp,
- Simple roasted vegetables such as roasted asparagus, baked portobello mushrooms, and baked eggplant slices.
- Cooked grains like quinoa, bulgur, and even black rice.
Because it is so crowd-pleasing, I always make it for Easter, summer BBQs and quiet dinner parties with friends.
Variations
One or two simple ingredient swaps (or add-ins) is all it takes to make this spinach strawberry salad recipe your own.
- Serve it with chicken on top: Add some sliced or cubed baked chicken breasts just before serving.
- Make it a Strawberry Balsamic Salad: Replace the vinegar with balsamic vinegar and feel free to drizzle some extra balsamic on top – juicy strawberries and balsamic are a classic flavor combo. Try this Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette to change it up. Or jazz it up with this cranberry vinaigrette during the holiday season.
- Change up the salad greens: Use half spinach and half arugula for a fun, peppery twist.
- Add one or two cubed avocados and toss gently just before serving. Or, make a batch of my creamy avocado dressing and drizzle that on top.
- Change it up with other sweet berries: Sprinkle some fresh blueberries or rasberries for a fruity pop of color and flavor.
- Use Candied Nuts: Make it a special treat around the holiday season and replace the sliced almonds with candied pecans or try my spicy candied nuts instead.
- Want to make it dairy-free? Omit the cheese in the salad and swap yogurt with an equal amount of vegan mayo in the dressing.
How to Make Ahead & Store
- To Make Ahead: If you’d like to prepare the spinach salad a few days ahead, I would recommend storing the salad greens, sliced strawberries, crumbled cheese, toasted nuts, and poppyseed dressing in separate containers. Then simply toss the salad just before you’re ready to serve.
You’ll want to eat the salad once the poppyseed dressing has been drizzled over the spinach and greens, as the dressing wilts the spinach. - To Store: The composed salad will keep undressed for up to 2 days and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Note, however, the nuts will lose some of their crunch factor.
Helpful Tips:
- Not into raw onions? Simply slice the onions in half moons and place them in a large bowl of cool water while preparing the rest of the ingredients. This takes away the strong and spicy bite of raw onions while still keeping their flavor intact.
- Grocery Store Tip: Steer clear of the containers of pre-crumbled cheese and go for a log of goat cheese or a whole block of feta cheese or gorgonzola. The crumbled cheeses have starch added to prevent them from caking, and the whole block varieties are far better in flavor and texture.
Other Salad Recipes You Might Also Like:
- Quinoa Avocado Salad
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Asparagus Salad
- Mayo Free Coleslaw
- Yogurt Coleslaw
- Healthy Cucumber Salad
- Want more inspiration? Check out all our Healthy Salad Recipes
If you try this Spinach Strawberry Salad recipe or any other one of our salad recipes on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below about your experience. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
For The Poppy Seed Dressing:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain yogurt, unsweeteened
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
For The Salad:
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves, (approximately 10 oz)
- 4 cups romaine , or any salad greens
- ⅓ cup red onion, thinly sliced *
- 1 quart strawberries
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup crumbled goat cheese, optional – feta cheese or blue cheese would also work
Instructions
- Make the poppy seed dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the salad: Layer spinach, salad greens of your choice, red onion, strawberries, almonds, and goat cheese in a salad bowl. Drizzle it with the dressing.
- Toss & Serve: Give it a gentle toss using salad tongs and serve.
Notes
- To Make Ahead: If you’d like to prepare the spinach salad a few days ahead, I would recommend storing the salad greens, sliced strawberries, crumbled cheese, toasted nuts, and poppyseed dressing in separate containers. Then simply toss the salad just before you’re ready to serve.
- To Store: The composed salad will keep undressed for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Note, however, the nuts will lose some of their crunch factor.
- A note on red onions*: If you have a few extra minutes, place the raw sliced onions in a large bowl of cool water while you prep the rest of the ingredients to take away the strong bite.
- Earlier version of this recipe used a different kind of poppy seed dressing. If you prefer that version, below are the ingredients. Simple whisk everything in a bowl.
1 medium size (or 2 small shallot, chopped), 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon vegenaise or fat-free yogurt, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Spinach and Strawberry Salad recipe was originally published in May 2016. It has been updated with new photos, text and adjustments to the originally published post in April 2021.
It is a good recipe but it took me more than 20 minutes to make it. I used vanilla yogurt and honey instead of maple syrup. I toasted the nuts too. I will make it again.
Thanks for your honest feedback Sam. I like the fact that you used vanilla yogurt.
Out of curiosity, what part took the longest?
This is my go-to spring salad that I make as soon as the strawberry season starts. I like that the poppy seed dressing is not too sweet like it is in other recipes. I also think that making it with yogurt is a good idea. Thanks for a great salad recipe.
Hi Jenna,
That is exactly why I came up with this version as I felt like most versions of this salad was way too sweet.
I am happy to hear that you liked it as well.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
I love that you made this dressing lighter, Aysegul! I love poppy seed dressing but you’re right, it can be a bit fattening in the traditional sense, so this is a great take on a healthier version 🙂
I do too. Isn’t it amazing that with just a couple of simple ingredient swaps we can make a dish much healthier while it is still delicious?
This salad is my favorite for this time of the year when strawberries are in abundance. :))
Thank you my friend.
Who said you can’t serve a simple recipe, esp. when it’s so beautifully done. Love is in the SPRING air because of this simply dish. xoxo
Thank you Pang!
I know I say it every time but I really cannot get over your photos every time I look at them. I think you are my favourite food photographer – seriously! And this sounds SO delicious.
Awww Aimee.. You are so sweet. Your kind words mean so SO much to me. Thank you.
Your photography is beautiful too. And I LOVE your creative vegan recipes.
<3
Absolutely nothing wrong with simple, especially when so beautiful! Sometimes I think its easy to overcomplicate the foods we eat; simplicity allows the ingredients to truly shine. I learn so much by looking at how you compose and style every single one of your photos- I love them all, Aysegul. Hope you are able to fit in some rest time in the midst of all that unpacking! It’s grueling, isn’t it?!
This salad and your photos are gorgeous! I love that it is simple with big flavor! I can only imagine how great it must feel to have a studio to work in, not to mention your new PROPS! Woohoo!!! xO
So true. It feels so good to have my props back and have a place where I can call my own studio. 🙂
I agree, sometimes it is good to just go simple and show people what I eat.
Thank you so much for your kind words Stephanie <3
Beautiful photos! Simple is best in my book! Spinach and strawberries are one of my very favorite combinations come springtime and I know I will be making this salad. Best of luck settling in, my dear!
Awww Tessa. Thank you.
My friend you know I love simple and I just love strawberries with a green like spinach! My little guy eats strawberries like he knows the season won’t last. We love to go strawberry picking! Hoping that you are settling in and discovering all your props. It’s like Christmas opening them up again!! Your photos are stunning as always! XOXO
Ha ha.. I was like that when I was a kid. Still to this they strawberries are my favorite fruit.
We are doing well. Good to have my stuff back. Yes, it definitely feels like Christmas around here. 🙂
Thank you for your sweet words Emilie. Coming from you, they mean so much to me.
<3
Oh goodness, this is so gorgeous!! “Creative” or not, this is exactly what I want to be eating these days, and this salad – and those strawberries – are perfection. Beautiful photos, friend! Hope you are settling in to your new home 🙂
Thank you Laura!