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Strawberry Spinach Salad is a healthy, vibrant, and easy-to-make recipe that comes together in 15 minutes! Featuring Feta cheese, Pecans, and a simple Balsamic dressing, this salad is a perfect side dish for any weeknight dinner. It is also a crowd-pleaser for many holiday occasions, picnics, potlucks, and other friends and family gatherings!
The best and the easiest spinach strawberry salad
- Simple ingredients and easy recipe instructions. The recipe features only 7 basic ingredients (including spinach, strawberries, feta, and pecans) and takes just 15 minutes to make! It's simple enough to serve with your weeknight dinner or to make it for lunch and snack. My other easy-to-make salad favorites are Arugula Salad with Apples, Cranberries, Pecans and Cranberry Spinach Salad with Cashews, Goat Cheese, Lemon-Honey Poppy Seed Dressing.
- Perfect everyday salad. Drizzled with a simple Balsamic glaze, this basic salad will add fresh greens, berries, and nuts to any dinner. It pairs well with any type of meat, baked chicken, pasta, and pizza dinners.
- Summer salad. This recipe uses seasonal ingredients, such as strawberries and blueberries, that we often associate with beautiful and sunny weather. It's simple enough to make and you can serve this with grilled meats, BBQ ribs, chicken, and other Summer dishes.
- Holiday side dish. Spinach Strawberry Salad is vibrant and colorful, making it a perfect salad to serve for a special holiday occasion, especially during warmer months, such as Memorial Day weekend, 4th of July, or Labor Day. It is also festive enough to make for parties, birthday celebrations, or anniversary dinners.
Salad Ingredients
This salad features healthy, whole-food ingredients that are as nutritious as they are delicious:
- Spinach is a leafy green vegetable high in fiber and is a great source of many vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium.
- Strawberries are incredibly rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, such as Vitamin C, Manganese, Folate, and Potassium. They are a good source of fiber. Not only are they delicious and rich in nutrients, but these berries are also beautiful and add color and brightness to any salad!
- Blueberries are highly nutritious, low in calories, and very tasty! They will provide color, a festive look, and a perfectly balanced sweetness to the salad.
- Pecans. Toasted pecans add a nutty flavor and crunch to the strawberry spinach salad. They are also packed with healthy fats, and protein, and are a good source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
- Feta cheese is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep's milk (or from a mixture of goat and sheep's milk). It has a crumbly, creamy, and sometimes grainy texture - which works perfectly with spinach and strawberries in a salad!
Balsamic glaze salad dressing
- The salad dressing is made with only 2 simple ingredients: Balsamic vinegar and honey (or brown sugar).
- Make the balsamic glaze by cooking down the balsamic vinegar together with a small amount of honey or brown sugar in a saucepan until the mixture reduces by about half.
- In this recipe, combine 1 cup of balsamic vinegar + ¼ cup of honey or brown sugar and cook it down.
- Consistency should be syrupy and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but should not be overly thick.
Other salad dressing options
What I love about the salad dressing for spinach strawberry salad, is that it can be super flexible. You can skip making the balsamic glaze as there are many other options you can use. Here are just a few:
- Use high-quality aged balsamic vinegar made in Italy. High-quality aged balsamic vinegar is not as acidic as regular one and has a thick and syrupy consistency, making it perfect for a salad dressing. It is often sold in specialized stores or sections of foreign foods at some grocery stores. High-quality Italian-made aged balsamic vinegar is usually expensive but it does not need cooking down. Just use it out of the bottle, as is. And, you don't need to use it in large amounts. I use the balsamic vinegar labeled as Aceto Balsamico I.G.P. or labeled Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale D.O.P.
- Use store-bought balsamic glaze. You can buy the pre-made balsamic glaze in many grocery stores, either in the olive oils section or in specialized sections of foreign foods.
- Use your favorite balsamic vinaigrette-based salad dressing. There are many options sold in the stores.
- Combine balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Combine ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Be sure to use high-quality extra virgin olive oil and high-quality balsamic vinegar. Just whisk those ingredients together until emulsified and drizzle over the salad.
How to make spinach strawberry salad
The beauty of this salad is its simplicity. Only 6 ingredients and 15 minutes of your time - and the salad is ready in no time! Here are the basic steps (scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe):
- Combine spinach, sliced strawberries, blueberries, and crumbled feta cheese in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Divide the salad among the individual serving bowls.
- Top each serving bowl with whole and chopped pecans.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze. You can make your own glaze from scratch using balsamic vinegar and honey. Or, use other options that I listed.
Variations and substitutions
- Greens. To spice things up, use arugula instead of spinach, or use half arugula, half spinach. You can also use kale, lettuce, or romaine lettuce.
- Berries. This salad works well with all kinds of fresh berries: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Choose your favorite berry!
- Nuts. Pecans add a nice crunch and subtle nutty flavor to the salad. Toast the pecans for 10 minutes at 350 F in the preheated oven, watching carefully to make sure the nuts don't burn. You can also use cashews or walnuts. You can add toasted sunflower seeds if you don't want to use nuts.
- Cheese. Many types of cheese will work in this salad. My favorites include feta, parmesan, goat cheese, blue cheese, and Cotija cheese.
- Add protein. Add cooked chicken or cooked shrimp to the salad to make it a complete meal! You can add rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, or grilled or sauteed shrimp.
How to make it ahead
The strawberry spinach salad can be made ahead and served later. Here is how to do it:
- Make ahead the balsamic glaze, cool it off, and pour it into a clean glass jar. Refrigerate for up to a week. Or, use other balsamic salad dressing options I listed above.
- Make-ahead tip - combine all the salad ingredients (except the pecans and the balsamic glaze) in a large bowl (or a large airtight container) and keep it covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- When ready to serve, add nuts (to make sure they are crunchy) to individual servings. Drizzle with balsamic glaze immediately before serving.
How to store it
- Store leftover spinach strawberry salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but no longer. Storing the salad will wilt the leaves, however, the salad will still be quite tasty.
- Tip: If you plan on refrigerating the salad for a day or two, don't add nuts and balsamic glaze. Add them right before serving.
Other Salads with Spinach and Strawberries
Below are some other simple salads that you can serve with your weeknight dinner or make for a special occasion. All of them are super easy to make yet look sophisticated enough to share with your friends and family at parties, picnics, and potlucks.
- Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Mango, Avocado, Blueberries, and Cashew Nuts
- Bacon and Strawberry Spinach Salad with Toasted Almonds
- Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Strawberries, Cashews, and Honey-Mustard Balsamic Vinaigrette
15-Minute Strawberry Spinach Salad
Strawberry Spinach Salad is a healthy, vibrant, and easy-to-make recipe that comes together in 15 minutes! Featuring Feta cheese, pecans, and a simple Balsamic dressing, this salad will make a perfect side dish for any weeknight dinner. It is also a crowd-pleaser for many holiday occasions, picnics, potlucks, and other friends and family gatherings!
Ingredients
Balsamic Dressing
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup honey or brown sugar
Spinach Strawberry Salad
- 10 oz baby spinach fresh
- 3 cups strawberries cleaned and hulled, sliced
- 1 cup blueberries
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 cup pecans toasted, some of them chopped
Instructions
Salad Dressing - Balsamic Glaze
- In a small saucepan, heat balsamic vinegar and honey over medium heat.
- Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and reduces by about half (about 10 or so minutes).
- Remove from heat and pour the balsamic glaze into a heat-proof bowl to cool off. The glaze will get thicker as it cools off.
- Consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but should not be overly thick.
Salad
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients, except the pecans. Toss to combine.
- Divide the salad into individual serving bowls.
- Top each serving bowl with whole and chopped toasted pecans.
- Drizzle the top of the salad in each bowl with balsamic glaze.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
15-Minute Strawberry Spinach Salad
Amount per Serving
Calories
264
% Daily Value*
Fat
14
g
22
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7
g
Cholesterol
7
mg
2
%
Sodium
144
mg
6
%
Potassium
521
mg
15
%
Carbohydrates
32
g
11
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
25
g
28
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
4497
IU
90
%
Vitamin C
58
mg
70
%
Calcium
125
mg
13
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
The dressing didn’t cool down or get thick at all???
You can try briefly freezing it to speed up the cooling process. Or, you can add more honey, cook down the dressing even more, and then put it in the freezer for 20 minutes (without freezing it).
Hi Julia,
I've tried several recipes so far all have been amazing. So much so I have recommended you to people.
I'm just wondering if you have a recipe book planned?
I would buy it for me and friends!
Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing!
Best wishes
Lorraine from the UK
Hi Lorraine, reading your comment made my day in a big way! 🙂 I don't have a cookbook, unfortunately, just this website. 🙂
I made the strawberry salad and people loved it. There were three other salads at the gathering, and thank you Julia, my salad (yours) was the only one eaten. It was so good I had company over the next night and made it again!
Wow, Carla, I am so flattred!! Thank you for taking the time to share such a great review! 🙂 🙂
Absolutely delicious and beautiful! Makes any meal feel special!
Aww, thank you, Judith!! 🙂
I have a question about the dressing/glaze. I am wondering if there is a lite substitution for the honey or brown sugar. I can’t do all the sugar in the recipe and was just wondering if there is possibly a diabetic version of it.
Thanks!!
Hi Annmarie, I am sure there are sugar-free substitutes for honey, I am just not really familiar with that market.
My other favorite dressing is simply combining balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil (in equal amounts), but start small: 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Combine them in a small mason jar and stir with a fork until emulsified. It's not as sweet, but still very delicious!
A balsamic reduction is sweet enough without adding honey or brown sugar. I make a reduction to pour over strawberries and it's so yummy.
Thank you for your ideas, Tracy, I'll have to try making a balsamic reduction without adding a sweetener to test it out!
Julia, this salad was really good. I didn't have strawberries but the blueberries and pecans were perfect for a healthy and filling salad. Thanks for your artfully beautiful salad recipes.
Shannon, I am so glad you're enjoying my salad recipes!! 🙂
We had this delicious salad for a Christmas dinner side dish in Sydney Australia. It was so refreshing and a visually beautiful addition to our christmas buffet along with cold meats, breads and other salads. I followed the recipe exactly and it was a big success. Such a festive dish, and a real flavour bomb! Our guests all loved it.
Wow, Karyn, your comment really made my day! Seems like you had an amazing Christmas buffet! 🙂
Thanks for this delicious salad recipe. The Balsamic/Honey dressing was so good! My husband and I ate every bite. It's Easter time instead of Christmas. The only thing I did different is for the fruit I used raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Didn’t have strawberries. I’m sure it would be good with any bread but we had it with TX toast which was perfect for sopping. Will make again.
Wow, Millie, thank you for such a thoughtful and detailed review! 🙂 Using raspberries, blackberries and blueberries sound so delicious!
Awesome Spinach salad w/Strawberries, Blueberries, pecans,
Feta Cheese & Balsamic glaze. Can't wait to try the Brussels Sprouts dishes...they look yummy❣️
Kathleen, I am so glad you loved this salad! ❤️❤️ Enjoy the Brussels sprouts recipes, too!
Absolutely love this salad. I used some peach balsamic with the honey for the dressing. Outstanding!
Jennifer, peach balsamic sounds so good! I'll have to find it and try it, too! 🙂
This salad is delicious! I’m just starting some Mediterranean eating habits and came across this recipe. It was a great starting point for me. I used strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I also added a little olive oil with the balsamic glaze. Definite 5-star.
Bridgett, so glad you loved this salad. Love that you added raspberries! ❤️
I'm making this for tomorrow's Christmas Dinner and can't wait.
Telisa, I hope you loved this salad! 🙂
This looks very delicious. I’m planning to make it for Christmas. Is there a printed version?
Renee, yes, here is a printable version:
https://juliasalbum.com/wprm_print/24504
I served this to my Garden Club. The Salad got positive reviews. However, the Balsamic reduction was too strong for some people. I think I'd make a lighter vinaigrette next time. Very colorful!
Linda, so glad to hear the salad was enjoyed! ❤️ Lighter vinaigrette is a great option.
This salad has been such a success for me. It travels well and looks spectacular when I need to take something for a pot luck or other event. No matter what crowd I serve it to, it always disappears.
Betsey, I am so flattered by your comment! ❤️ So glad this salad has been a hit! 🙂