If I had to pick a favorite fruit, strawberries would top the list. They’re amazing in desserts, on top of ice cream, blended in smoothies, mixed in oatmeal, and served on fruit trays.
And they add the perfect touch of sweetness to salads too!
This vibrant Strawberry Spinach Salad is as delicious as it is colorful, with juicy strawberries on a bed of crisp baby spinach, for a delightful combination of sweet and savory.
Made with fresh ingredients and a simple homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, this recipe is easy and a nice change of pace from typical side salads.
Why You’ll Love this Spinach Salad with Strawberries
Delicious mix of flavors & textures. This salad has a little bit of everything–sweet strawberries, creamy feta, crunchy pine nuts and onion tossed with crisp baby spinach.
Easy summer salad – If you’ve gone strawberry picking or find yourself with a bounty of in-season strawberries, add this salad to your list of strawberry things to make.
This salad is light, flavorful and loaded with juicy strawberries, perfect for summer dining.
Lovely salad for entertaining – For holidays and entertaining I like to serve salads beyond the ordinary lettuce and tomato situation. This delicate spinach salad makes a great side for spring and summer get-togethers like Easter dinner, mother’s day brunch, Fourth of July, backyard dining, and summer picnics.
How to Make the Best Strawberry Spinach Salad
Salad Ingredients
- Baby Spinach
- Fresh Strawberries
- Red Onion
- Feta Cheese
- Pine Nuts
- Vinaigrette
Baby Spinach – Baby spinach is ideal for salads since it is smaller and sweeter than regular spinach. Get a bag of pre-washed to save time and effort. I also prefer organic.
You may use a 50/50 mix of spinach and greens or 50/50 spinach and arugula instead of all spinach, if preferred.
Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are the star of the show in this salad. Go for the reddest strawberries you can find. They are the sweetest, juiciest and actually taste like strawberries.
Red Onion – Red onions add vibrant color and crunch to this salad with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. You will want to slice the onion nice and thin for salads.
If you’re red onion is too strong, run cold water over the slices in a strainer to remove some of the pungent flavor. Then, pat dry with a paper towel.
Feta Cheese – Every salad needs a creamy component, and salty, tangy feta cheese pairs well with sweet strawberries.
I recommend getting a block of feta cheese and not the kind that’s already crumbled. It’s so much creamier and simple to break apart with a fork.
If you have leftover feta, you can also make this mason jar Greek salad, or this delicious Mediterranean salad with quinoa.
For stronger flavor, you may substitute with gorgonzola cheese–one of my favs that I use in this Portillo’s chopped salad copycat recipe!
Pine Nuts – Pine nuts give this salad some tiny bits of crunch. They have a delicious buttery taste and the flavor is really enhansed when toasted.
Vinaigrette – For extra strawberry flavor, one of my favorite ways to dress this spinach salad is with homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. I’ve included instructions for it in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You will need extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, strawberries and lemon zest to make it.
See below for additional vinaigrette suggestions.
Instructions
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
- Toast the pine nuts: In a dry pan over medium-low heat on the stove, toast pine nuts in a single layer. They take less than a minute to toast so don’t walk away. Remove from hot pan as soon as they’re done, and set aside to cool before adding to salad.
- Slice the strawberries: Cut tops off strawberries, then rinse the berries and pat dry. To cut the strawberries into uniform pieces, first cut each strawberry in half lengthwise. Next, slice each half into long pieces (cutting from the top of the strawberry where the stem was to the pointy bottom.)
- Slice the red onion into thin pieces. If it’s a strong red onion, rinse the sliced onion in a strainer under cold water and pat dry.
- Assemble the salad: Place the spinach, strawberries, onion, feta cheese and toasted pine nuts in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving or serve the dressing on the side.
- Prepare the optional strawberry balsamic vinaigrette: Using a blender or immersion blender, blend together strawberries, extra-virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, and salt and pepper.
Vinaigrette Suggestions for Strawberry Spinach Salad
Sweet strawberries and tangy balsamic vinegar are a natural pairing, so two of my three suggestions have balsamic vinegar.
Strawberry White Balsamic Vinaigrette – For even more strawberry flavor, this vinaigrette is made with real strawberries blended with extra-virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. The recipe for this homemade vinaigrette is included in the recipe card.
Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette – If you prefer to dress your strawberry spinach salad with a basic balsamic vinaigrette, here’s how to make it. Whisk together 3 parts extra virgin olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. For more tang, increase the amount of vinegar.
Lemon Vinaigrette – For light, bright flavor, this easy lemon vinaigrette recipe gets all its acid from fresh lemon juice (no vinegar), and is delicious with spinach and strawberries.
Ways to Enjoy Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Serve with chicken. For a light meal, this salad goes great with pan-seared chicken tenderloins. Feta stuffed chicken alongside spinach salad is also an easy meal.
- Make it a meal. Add cooked, chopped chicken to the salad for a complete meal with protein and veggies. Shred up rotisserie chicken to keep things quick.
- Serve it for brunch. Strawberry spinach salad is perfect for serving at brunch, alongside egg and potato dishes, ham, bacon or sausage.
More Salad Recipes
- Mediterranean Salad in a Jar
- Easy Greek Mason Jar Salad with Chicken
- Southwest Chicken Salad in a Jar
- Apple Pecan Fall Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Strawberry Spinach Salad
This strawberry spinach salad features sweet strawberries, creamy feta cheese and crunchy pine nuts, on a bed of crisp baby spinach, tossed with homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. This nutritious salad, bursting with flavors and textures, is easy to make, and the perfect side for a light meal, or spring and summer entertaining.
Ingredients
Strawberry Spinach Salad
- 1 (5 ounce) package baby spinach, thoroughly washed
- 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries, (about 10 medium)
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cups pine nuts, toasted
Strawberry White Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1 cup strawberries (quarter berries before measuring)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts: In a dry pan over medium-low heat on the stove, toast pine nuts in a single layer. They take less than a minute to toast so don't walk away. Remove from hot pan as soon as they're done, and set aside to cool before adding to salad.
- Slice the strawberries: Cut tops off strawberries, then rinse the berries and pat dry. To cut the strawberries into uniform pieces, first cut each strawberry in half lengthwise. Next, slice each half into long pieces (cutting from the top of the strawberry where the stem was to the pointy bottom.)
- Slice the red onion into thin pieces. If it's a strong red onion, rinse the sliced onion in a strainer under cold water and pat dry.
- Assemble the salad: Place the spinach, strawberries, onion, feta cheese and toasted pine nuts in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving or serve the dressing on the side.
- Prepare the optional strawberry balsamic vinaigrette: Using a blender or immersion blender, blend together strawberries, extra-virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, and salt and pepper.