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    Home » Salads » Strawberry Spinach Salad

    Strawberry Spinach Salad

    Posted on June 14, 2021 · Last Updated on June 16, 2022 · By Srividhya G · 22 Comments

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    spinach and strawberry salad in a wooden bowl with the dressing on the side with text overlay for pinterest

    Classic, colorful and crunchy strawberry spinach salad with poppy seed dressing! A healthy salad with a light dressing.

    close up shot of spinach strawberry salad with nuts in a wooden bowl

    I love salads. I have mentioned this before on my blog; I started exploring different salads only after coming to the US. Kosambari (Moong dal and veggie salad) and carrot-coconut salad are something that I grew up eating. But I started enjoying green-based salads and wraps only in the US. 

    Jump to:
    • Balsamic Vinegar
    • Poppy Seeds
    • Ingredients required.
    • Dietary specifications and servings
    • How to make spinach strawberry salad
    • Recipe Notes
    • Explore other salad recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Now coming back to this salad, I tried this salad for the first time at one of our office potlucks. The dressing was slightly different, and it had milk in it. When I started exploring this salad, I figured out it’s a classic. Also, I found a similar recipe in a calendar clipping. So I took that as a base and modified the recipe, especially the dressing with readily available pantry ingredients, and that’s what I am sharing today. 

    The husbandman, who is not a big fan of salads, really enjoys this one, and that says it all. :-) Call it spinach strawberry salad or strawberry spinach salad; this salad is great for parties and potlucks. You can relish it as a meal or as a side salad with soups or other main dishes.

    Before getting into the ingredient details, let me talk about two main ingredients that we use for the strawberry spinach salad dressing.

    Balsamic Vinegar

    The original recipe calls for white wine vinegar, and most of the spinach strawberry salad you find online will call for white balsamic vinegar. But I went with the regular balsamic vinegar. 

    So what is balsamic vinegar? It’s a popular condiment from Italy, and it is the reduction of grapes, mainly from Trebbiano grape juice. White Balsamic is also the reduction of the same grape variety but cooked at low temperature to retain the clear color. So if you want to retain the color of the cheese and salad, then opt for white balsamic vinegar. 

    Poppy Seeds

    Again, most online recipes call for black poppy seeds, but I went with white poppy seeds as I always have them in my pantry. Yes, poppy seeds are pretty standard in the Indian kitchen, and we use them for kurma masala and poppy seeds kheer. 

    Ingredients required.

    For the dressing: Apart from balsamic vinegar and poppy seeds, we need salt, pepper, olive oil, honey, and citrus juice. I like orange juice in this dressing. But you can use lemon juice too. 

    Spinach: For this salad, I would recommend fresh baby spinach. If you can’t find baby spinach, you can use the regular ones. Make sure to remove the long stems and chop them into bite-sized pieces. 

    Strawberries: Fresh juicy, and sweet strawberries make this salad luscious and colorful. 

    Nuts: I have used sliced almonds and walnuts. You can use nuts of your choice. I toasted them a bit before adding them to the salad. 

    Cheese: While feta cheese is the commonly used cheese for this salad, I have used cottage cheese for this salad, and we love it. Also, with cottage cheese, I don’t need to worry about the animal rennet. 

    Optional ingredients: Sometimes, I add cucumbers or avocado to this salad. Today, I went with some avocado. But both are optional. 

    overhead shot of spinach and strawberry salad in a wooden bowl with the dressing on the side

    Dietary specifications and servings

    This spinach and strawberry salad is vegetarian. Skip the cottage cheese and make sure to use maple syrup in the dressing for a vegan version of this salad. 

    The below measure serves three, and this is a cold salad. Prep the ingredients and make the dressing ahead. Before serving, combine all the ingredients and add the required dressing and serve immediately. 

    I know I am repeating this, but make sure to add the dressing just before serving. No one wants soggy salads.

    Now let’s see how I made this salad.

    How to make spinach strawberry salad

    Toasting the nuts:

    • Heat a pan and when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the nuts. Toast them for 2 to 3 minutes and remove them from the pan, and set them aside. (No need to add oil)
    toasting the nuts for salad

    Prepare the dressing:

    • In a mason jar or salad dressing mixer, add all the ingredients given under “for the dressing” – poppy seeds, ground pepper, salt, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and orange juice. Whisk well and set it aside. 
    salad dressing for spinach strawberry salad

    Assemble the salad:

    • In a big salad bowl, add spinach, strawberries, toasted nuts, and cottage cheese. 
    adding the spinach, strawberries, nuts and cottage cheese
    • Just before serving, add the required amount of dressing.
    adding the dressing
    • Gently combine. Add avocado if using and serve right away.
    spinach salad with strawberries and almonds served in wooden bowl

    Recipe Notes

    • I did not toast the poppy seeds, but you can toast if needed. In that case, toast for about 1 to 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
    • Cheese is optional. You can replace cottage cheese with feta or cheese of your choice.
    • You can use white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar instead of regular balsamic vinegar.
    • Adjust spices, honey/maple syrup, and citrus juice as per your taste preference.

    Explore other salad recipes

    • Mixed Greens and Fruit Salad with Honey | No Oil Salad
    • Barley Salad | Indian Kachumber Salad with Barley
    • Couscous Salad | Mediterranean Style Couscous Salad
    • Vegetarian Ceviche Salad | Ceviche Salad with Beans

    If you love fruit-based salads, also checkout my fruit chaat recipe.

    Loved this recipe?

    If you try this strawberry spinach salad, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest or Instagram or join my Facebook Group for recipe updates and simple Indian meal ideas.

    📖 Recipe

    square image of spinach and strawberry salad in a wooden bowl with the dressing on the side
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Strawberry Spinach Salad

    Classic, colorful and crunchy strawberry spinach salad with poppy seed dressing! A healthy salad with a light dressing.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time3 mins
    Total Time18 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 3
    Calories: 205kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowl
    • Frying pan or kadai
    • Masor jar

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;

      For the dressing

      • 1 tsp poppy seeds
      • ¼ tsp ground pepper
      • ¼ tsp salt
      • 1 tbsp olive oil
      • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
      • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
      • 1.5 tbsp orange juice can use lemon juice too.

      For the salad

      • 1.5 cups spinach preferably baby spinach. If using regular spinach, cut the stems and chop roughly
      • 6 strawberries hulled and chopped
      • 2 tbsp sliced almonds toasted
      • 2 tbsp walnuts toasted
      • ¼ cup cottage cheese
      • ½ avocado chopped optional

      Instructions

      Toasting the nuts:

      • Heat a pan and when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the nuts. Toast them for 2 to 3 minutes and remove them from the pan, and set them aside. (No need to add oil)
        toasting the nuts for salad

      Prepare the dressing:

      • In a mason jar or salad dressing mixer, add all the ingredients given under “for the dressing” – poppy seeds, ground pepper, salt, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and orange juice. Whisk well and set it aside.
        salad dressing for spinach strawberry salad

      Assemble the salad:

      • In a big salad bowl, add spinach, strawberries, toasted nuts, and cottage cheese.
        adding the spinach, strawberries, nuts and cottage cheese
      • Just before serving, add the required amount of dressing.
        adding the dressing
      • Gently combine. Add avocado if using and serve right away.
        square image of spinach and strawberry salad in a wooden bowl with the dressing on the side

      Notes

      • I did not toast the poppy seeds, but you can toast if needed. In that case, toast for about 1 to 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
      • Cheese is optional. You can replace cottage cheese with feta or cheese of your choice.
      • You can use white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar instead of regular balsamic vinegar.
      • Adjust spices, honey/maple syrup, and citrus juice as per your taste preference.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 272mg | Potassium: 274mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1453IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg

      I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

      Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
      For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

      Update notes: Earlier posted this recipe in 2016, updated with new pictures and a recipe card with nutritional information. 

      280 shares
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      Filed Under: Salads Tagged With: almonds and strawberries, greens and fruit salad, how to prepare strawberry spinach salad, spinach salad with cucumber, strawberry spinach salad with cucumber and almonds, summer salad, sweet salad

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Deborah says

        June 15, 2021 at 9:46 am

        5 stars
        Such a lovely salad. Loved the dressing. This is a keeper!!

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          June 15, 2021 at 1:32 pm

          Thanks so much. :-)

          Reply
      2. Srivalli says

        May 11, 2016 at 12:03 am

        What a lovely looking salad Srividhya..good one..I am not a salad person yet this combination sounds good..

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          May 11, 2016 at 7:29 am

          Thanks Valli. Yeah I know salads are acquired.

          Reply
      3. Mireille Roc (@ChefMireille) says

        April 03, 2016 at 11:27 am

        adding fruit in salad is always a delicious idea and the color contrasts you achieved in this version makes it pretty to look at and inviting

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          April 03, 2016 at 3:59 pm

          Thanks a lot. I love fruits in salads.

          Reply
      4. kushigalu says

        March 30, 2016 at 4:17 pm

        beautiful colors and healthy salad!

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 30, 2016 at 6:51 pm

          Thanks Kushi. :-)

          Reply
      5. CHCooks says

        March 29, 2016 at 1:22 am

        This sounds so so delightful – have never tried it before and I am tempted to prepare this right away! :) Only if I can find Baby Spinach leaves….

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 30, 2016 at 1:05 pm

          Thanks CH. You can try it with regular spinach too. Just chop them up.

          Reply
      6. cookingwithsapana says

        March 28, 2016 at 10:27 am

        This salad looks very delicious and refreshing.Love the nutty dressing.

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 28, 2016 at 10:28 am

          Thanks a lot Sapana.

          Reply
      7. Priya Suresh says

        March 28, 2016 at 8:38 am

        This salad gets 5 stars from me, just fallen in love with this salad.

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 28, 2016 at 10:09 am

          ha ha.. thanks for that wonderful comment Priya. Glad you liked it.

          Reply
      8. Bharani says

        March 27, 2016 at 9:25 pm

        Looks delicious…. And dressing with poppy seeds is interesting…. Will try this soon…thanks for sharing this awesome recipe

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 28, 2016 at 10:10 am

          Thanks a lot and you are most welcome. :-)

          Reply
      9. Pavani says

        March 26, 2016 at 1:39 pm

        That is a yummy looking salad. Dressing with poppy seeds sounds interesting and delicious. Cottage cheese on a salad is new to me, but looks great.

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 26, 2016 at 6:46 pm

          Thanks a lot. I had the same thought too but when I tried it I was taken aback. Loved it. Please do give it a try.

          Reply
      10. Deepa - Veg Indian Cooking says

        March 26, 2016 at 7:32 am

        Looks absolutely delicious. This salad is such a wonderful combination of flavors.! Such a lovely colors dear.

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 26, 2016 at 6:47 pm

          Thanks a lot Deepa. :-)

          Reply
      11. sandhyakumar says

        March 26, 2016 at 7:06 am

        Lovely salad :)

        Reply
        • Srividhya G says

          March 26, 2016 at 6:47 pm

          Thanks :-)

          Reply

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