Strawberry Salad combines sweet berries, juicy oranges, tart cranberries, and the most flavorful citrus dressing for the ultimate salad.
Author’s Notes
The Last-Minute Salad That Stole the Show!
A few weeks ago, I had family over for dinner.
I planned one of our go-to favorites—shepherd’s pie—with roasted veggies on the side… then realized I completely forgot a salad.
So I dug through the fridge and threw this Strawberry Salad together last-minute—and it ended up being the one thing everyone couldn’t stop talking about. It disappeared fast, and I knew I had to re-create it to share here!
The dressing is borrowed from my reader-favorite mandarin orange salad, and let me tell you—it’s so good with strawberries. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Strawberry Salad Ingredients
- Greens: You can use mixed green or spinach in this salad.
- Fruit: Use ripe strawberries and clementines for the best sweetness.
- Pistachios: Use shelled, dry-roasted for more flavor with no extra work.
- Cranberries: I love sweetened cranberries; dried tart cherries are another favorite.
- Feta: If you aren’t a fan of feta, try goat cheese.
- Dressing: Make it ahead if you can—it gets better as it sits.
How To Make This Strawberry Salad Recipe
- Start with the dressing: Make the dressing first so it can chill while you prep. It can be made up to 5 days ahead—store it in a Mason jar and shake before using.
- Prep the fruit: Hull and thinly slice the strawberries. Here’s a guide to cut strawberries without wasting any fruit.
- Assemble the salad: Add sliced strawberries to the greens, then top with pistachios, goat cheese, and dried cranberries.
Quick Tip
To keep strawberries fresh, remove them from the plastic container, line it with a paper towel, and layer the berries with more towels in between. Don’t wash them until you’re ready to eat.
A Couple Quick Tips
- Use fresh citrus: Fresh zest and juice make all the difference—skip the bottled stuff.
- Keep it cold: Strawberry salad tastes best when the fruit, dressing, and greens are nice and chilled.
Variations
Salad Variation Ideas
- Nuts: Try walnuts, pecans, almonds, or candied pecans.
- Add a grain: Try quinoa or farro.
- Add protein: Grill chicken (try this marinade), slice it, and add it in.
- Other additions: Add avocado for creaminess or red onion for some bite.
- Dressing: For a less sweet dressing, try this balsamic vinaigrette.
- Vegan: Skip the cheese.
- Whole 30: Omit honey in the dressing and cheese in the salad.
Storage
Only add the dressing and cheese to what you’ll eat the same day—Strawberry Salad gets soggy fast once dressed.
Featured Comment
“I made this salad last night, and it was absolutely delicious…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!”
– Nicole
More Salad Recipes To Love:
Strawberry Salad
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 10 ounces spring mix lettuce blend 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
- 3 to 4 clementine oranges
- 1 large lemon
- 2-1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, strawberries, clementines, and cranberries.
- Zest and juice the citrus to get 2 tsp orange zest, ½ tsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp orange juice, and 2 Tbsp lemon juice.Add zest, juice, honey, Dijon, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Slowly stream in the olive oil and pulse just until emulsified. Don’t over-blend.
- (This salad is best served immediately after it’s dressed, so wait to add dressing until you’re ready to serve.) Drizzle dressing on to taste (you may not need all of it), then top with pistachios and cheese. Toss gently and serve right away.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
I am so happy my tips were helpful! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Can you use canned mandarin in this recipe?
Sure!
I prepared this recipe and came out really good!!
So happy to hear! Thanks! 🙂
This was great! I especially liked the dressing. I’ll be making it again and again!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
SO good! it was so fresh and not too sweet, all around perfect!
So happy you enjoyed this salad! 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Lovely salad with the most wonderful dressing! I’ll definitely be making this again – especially the dressing! Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
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 !!
Mmm those subs sound great! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks! 🙂