Strawberry Salad

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This refreshing orange and Strawberry Salad is packed with good-for-you ingredients and dressed in a flavor-packed citrus vinaigrette. 

This is one of my go-to salads to serve as a quick dinner side dish. There isn’t too much prep required, it comes together exceptionally fast, and it’s so versatile. Swap out the fruits, nuts, and cheese to your preference or what you have on hand. Plus, you can prepare the dressing ahead of time and use it all week long!

Overhead photo of a bowl of strawberry salad

Strawberry Salad

A few weeks ago, I had some family over for a casual dinner. We have some vegetarians in the crowd, so I’d planned a veggie-packed main course and these roasted vegetables as a side, but I had forgotten about a salad. So, I surveyed what I had in the fridge and ended up making this Strawberry Salad on a whim. 

Turns out this salad was the most popular dish of the night — everyone went crazy for it and so, of course, I had to re-create it to share here!

Image of the dressing and lettuce for Strawberry Salad.

Ingredients In Strawberry Salad

  • Greens: You can use mixed green or spinach in this salad. If using spinach, I like to remove big stems.
  • Fruit: Use ripe strawberries and clementines for the best sweetness.
  • Pistachios: Grab dry-roasted pistachios from the store — more flavor and less effort. While you’re at it, grab the shelled.
  • Cranberries: I love sweetened cranberries, dried tart cherries are another favorite.
  • Feta: If you aren’t a fan of feta, try goat cheese.
  • Dressing: If you’ve got time, make it ahead of time because it gets more flavorful as it sits.

This salad whips together quickly and easily. I’ll break down the process below, outline a few tips, and then give you some variation ideas for this recipe!

How to make Strawberry Salad

  • Start with the dressing: Prepare the dressing so it can chill while you assemble everything else. The dressing can be made up to five days in advance! Store in a Mason jar in the fridge and give it a quick shake before adding to the salad.
  • Prepare the fruit: Remove the tops of the strawberries and thinly slice. Here’s a guide to cut strawberries without wasting any fruit.
  • Combine: Add the prepared fruit on top of the mixed greens. Top with the rest of the ingredients: pistachios, goat cheese, and dried cranberries.

QUICK TIP

Strawberries are perishable fruits. To keep them at their freshest, keep them dry. Remove them from their plastic clamshell container, and line the box with a paper towel. Return half of the berries to the container, add another paper towel, and then the rest of the berries. That will absorb any excess humidity and moisture. It’ll help your berries last longer. Don’t wash them till you’re ready to use them–so there is no extra moisture added while they’re in the fridge.

Overhead image of the citrus dressing and the oranges and strawberries going into the salad

A few quick tips

  • Only add dressing and cheese to the salad that will be consumed the same day. Strawberry Salad doesn’t sit well with the dressing. (It will get soggy and become inedible.)
  • Use fresh citrus: Bottled citrus juice won’t cut it for this recipe! The dressing depends on the fresh zest and juice from the clementines and lemon.
  • Keep ingredients chilled: The colder the fruit, dressing, and lettuce are, the better the salad tastes! Keep everything in the fridge right up until you’re ready to eat.

Image of the pistachios and cranberries going into this Strawberry Salad.

Salad variation ideas

  • Nuts: Instead of pistachios, toasted pecans or almonds would be delicious. For a sweeter salad, use chopped candied pecans.
  • Fruit: Pretty much any berry would work in this salad – raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries all pair well with citrus.
  • Cheese: Feta or blue cheese would work well in this salad! 
  • Add protein: Grill some chicken (use this chicken marinade), slice it up, and add it to the salad.
  • Add healthy fats: A chopped or sliced avocado would be a great filling ingredient to add.
  • Dressing: for a less sweet dressing, you can use the balsamic dressing in this cucumber salad recipe!
  • Vegan: This salad is naturally vegetarian. Omit the cheese for a vegan meal.
  • Whole 30: Omit the cheese and honey (in the dressing) and this salad will be Whole 30 compliant!

Image of the dressing being poured over the Strawberry Salad.

Serve this alongside

 

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Strawberry Salad

5 from 7 votes
This refreshing orange and Strawberry Salad is packed with good-for-you ingredients and dressed in a flavor-packed citrus vinaigrette. 
Print Recipe

Strawberry Salad

5 from 7 votes
This refreshing orange and Strawberry Salad is packed with good-for-you ingredients and dressed in a flavor-packed citrus vinaigrette. 
Course Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Cuisine American
Keyword strawberry salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6 -8, as a side
Chelsea Lords
Calories 482kcal

Ingredients

Salad*

  • 10 ounces mixed green lettuce or fresh spinach
  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
  • 4 clementine oranges peeled and separated into segments
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 3/4 cup pistachios, shelled and coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (or feta)

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
  • 3-4 clementine oranges (2 teaspoons zest and 4 tablespoons juice)
  • 1 large lemon (1/2 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
  • 2 and 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, strawberries, clementines, and dried cranberries.
  • For the dressing: combine all of the ingredients together except for the oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until all ingredients are well incorporated and zest has been broken down. Add in the oil in a slow, steady stream and pulse until just combined and emulsified. Avoid blending the oil in for an extended period of time as it can make the oil taste metallic.
  • Right before enjoying, add the dressing (add to taste -- you may not need/want it all), pistachios, and feta cheese. Do not add pistachios, cheese, or dressing to any salad you'll have leftover. (It doesn't sit/store well together.) Toss and enjoy immediately.

Recipe Notes

*With all salads, adjust the amount of fixings and how much dressing you use to your personal preference!

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 462mg | Potassium: 863mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 4932IU | Vitamin C: 150mg | Calcium: 237mg | Iron: 3mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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Recipe Rating




16 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    It is very simple to make and super tasty!! I added soaked Rasind instead of Cranberries and chopped almonds and walnuts. The dressing combination is so perfect. Thank you so much for providing such a tasty recipe !!

  2. 5 stars
    Lovely salad with the most wonderful dressing! I’ll definitely be making this again – especially the dressing! Thank you!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this salad last night, and it was absolutely delicious. I did use goat cheese (not feta) and I threw in just a tiiiiny bit of red onion but kept all else the same. The dressing was tangy but smooth and the entire combination was just amazing. Husband wouldn’t shut up about how good it was. I rarely leave reviews on recipes but this was so good I felt compelled to. Thank you!

    1. This is such a win! I’m so happy you guys loved this so much and I’m so grateful you took the time to write this review! Thanks so much! 🙂

  4. I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks amazing.
    Thank you for the awesome tips through out the article. I found adding paper towels to the strawberries so helpful. So well as cutting strawberries.

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