Strawberry Spinach Salad brings fresh ingredients and pop of color to your table! Tossed with poppy seed dressing, this easy salad recipe can be served as a side dish or topped with chicken for a light meal.
Hold onto your hat. This is a salad you’ll actually be EXCITED to eat!
Look, I’m not usually the first person in the room to rave about salad. This Strawberry Spinach Salad, though? It’s worthy of all the praise I’m about to heap upon its leafy greens.
The combination of fresh spinach with sweet strawberries and juicy mandarin oranges absolutely explodes with flavor! Add the sweet and sour dressing and a handful of crunchy almond slices and this salad is not only healthy–it’s downright crave-able!
SAVE THIS STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
Salad with strawberries and spinach make me think of breezy summer days and gardens overflowing with abundance. It’s totally perfect for the warmer weather, but I also love to make this salad in the depths of winter to give me a little morale boost (not to mention a nutritional boost!).
Sitting down to a brightly colored bowl of greens and berries is a great reminder that spring is coming.
Whether you’re a total salad enthusiast or looking for new ways to enjoy your greens this year, you’re going to love this easy spinach salad with poppy seed dressing.
What do I need?
One of my favorite things about this salad is that there are so many ways to customize it based on your taste preferences, or what’s in season. Here’s what I put in my basic strawberry spinach salad to start with:
- Fresh spinach – Baby spinach leaves are my preference!
- Sliced strawberries
- Mandarin oranges – The canned variety with juices drained.
- Sliced almonds – Slivered almond pieces are perfect.
The poppy seed dressing has these ingredients:
- sugar
- apple cider vinegar
- poppy seeds
- minced onion
- paprika
- Worcestershire sauce
- canola oil
I’ve also made this salad plenty of times with variations like fresh blueberries, walnuts or pecans. It’s so easy to mix it up so you never get bored.
Can I add chicken or another protein?
Absolutely! Grilled chicken turns this spinach salad into a satisfying and healthy meal. You can even go the super easy route and pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to serve on top of this salad.
I love goat cheese and if you do, too, you’ll find that it’s a delicious addition to spinach and strawberry salads. Feta cheese is another great option!
Salad Recipes
Gone are the days of squeezing bottled dressing over wilted iceberg lettuce and calling it a salad. Spinach based salads are my go-to for quick and easy side salads these days. They just have so much more flavor and have more nutritional value, too.
Spinach and arugula are the main greens at play in this Couscous Chicken Salad. It’s loaded with bell peppers, mushrooms and feta too, then finished with a spicy paprika dressing.
Looking for a great low-carb lunch idea? These Avocado Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps are delicious and easy to make!
Greek Quinoa Chicken Salad makes a regular appearance on our lunch and dinner menus, especially in the summer. With or without the olives, the flavor is incredible.
What to serve with Strawberry Spinach Salad?
As a side dish, this spinach salad pairs perfectly with almost any main dish. It’s delicious served with Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken and a basket of Dinner Rolls for a Sunday dinner.
Today’s salad recipe makes a great addition to a potluck meal too. Bring a big bowl of this salad and some BBQ Pork Mac & Cheese for a balance of hearty and healthy dishes!
~ FOLLOW ME ~
~ FACEBOOK ~ PINTEREST ~ INSTAGRAM ~ TWITTER ~
SIGN UP FOR THE WEEKLY
365 DAYS OF BAKING & MORE
NEWSLETTER BELOW!
The best Strawberry Spinach Salad comes together in no time. Bursting with juicy mandarin oranges and sweet strawberries, it’s a salad that packs in as much flavor as it does nutrients!
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
Poppy Seed Dressing
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced onion
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup canola oil
Salad
- 9 ounce bag fresh spinach
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries sliced
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges drained
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
Poppy Seed Dressing
- In a blender, combine the sugar, apple cider vinegar, poppy seeds, onion, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until well combined.
- With the blender on low, slowly pour in the canola oil through the opening of the cover. Mix thoroughly.
- In a large salad bowl, place spinach, strawberries, drained mandarin oranges, and almonds.
- Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss to combine.
Comments & Reviews
I made this salad a few weeks ago for a family dinner. Everyone loved it and of course the dressing was a hit. My daughter keeps asking me to make her dressing now. I changed up the sugar and added 1/2 honey. It was certainly sweet enough still.
Nila, that’s so wonderful to hear. I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback!
How many will The strawberry spinach salad serve with this recipe. We are having a women’s retreat at church and I need to feed 150 ladies. We are having chicken salad on a croissant and the salad. I need to know how many times to multiply this. Thank you for your help.
Hi Pat, I have been away from my blog enjoying some much needed time with family, so I apologize for my delayed response.
The recipe will serve four people. I hope the ladies enjoy it and have a wonderful retreat if it hasn’t already happened.
Thank you!
Had to share this. My husband does not eat salad. The 7 years we’ve been together he has not touched a salad no matter what I say. He isn’t a vegetable person in general, but over the years I have gotten him to like some. I made this last night for my daughter and I (she’s 4, but loves almost all veggies including salads). My husband decided to try some and he cannot get enough!! He was almost as surprised as I was! I did forget the almonds, but followed the rest of the recipe. It will definitely be a keeper in our house!!
My friend invited us for a party and had this salad. It is amazingly beautiful and delicious. Can’t wait to make it.
OMG! I made this salad and everyone loved it, especially the dressing!!! Second time I made it I changed the sugar to 1/3 of a cup instead. Tasted just as great!!
Sarah, thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it so much and good to know about the sugar. I’ll be sure to try it that way next time I make it.
Made this yesterday. It’s delicious and light. A winner!!
OMG! I made this salad and everyone loved it, especially the dressing!!! Second time I made it I changed the sugar to 1/3 of a cup instead. Tasted just as great!!
It was a huge hit on our girls trip to the cabin. They loved it.
Used red wine vinegar. Absolutely delicious.
Add cut in half grapes to it, and it’s amazing!!
amazing salad! Added blueberries too.
Great idea, Stacy! Thanks so much for letting me know and I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi,
If I don’t have a blender how else can I make this dressing?
Looks yummy
Thanks
DT
Dee, if you don’t have a blender, you can whisk the dressing ingredients together. My recommendation would be to mince the onion as finely as you can since the blender will do that. And then when adding the canola oil, continuously whisk the dressing as you slowly add it, and then continue whisking until everything is completely incorporated. Then pour onto the salad immediately if serving it right away. If not, then whisk it again before adding to the salad. Just remember not to dress the salad too early or the spinach will become limp after sitting in it a while.
Hi Lynne! I would like to know if you have any more dressing recipes that would work with this salad? I would like to try different options. Thank you!
Regina, salad dressings are definitely something that I need to work on adding to the site, so thank you for the inspiration!
I do have a Gorgonzola Dressing, but at his point that’s it.
I would suggest doing a Google search for Strawberry Spinach salad as I know there are many others, and see what those use.
In the meantime, I’ll work on it. 😉
So good! Love the dressing!
Could I substitute olive oil for canola and honey for sugar?
Dorothy,
I have not made those substitutions to the poppy seed dressing, so not sure how it would taste. If you are going to do that, my suggestion would be to make half of the recipe, in case you shouldn’t like the outcome, and then if it works, make it again. If you do, I’d love to hear what you thought and your feedback would help others who might be interested in doing the same, so please report back!
AMAAAAAZZZZZING!!!!!!!!❤️🥗❤️
Wonderful