Strawberry Spinach Salad

This recipe for Strawberry Spinach Salad is perfect for a healthy lunch or side salad for your dinner.  It also makes a great salad to take to a party.

I am really excited about sharing the salad recipe for this Strawberry Spinach Salad with you.  It is one that my family loves to eat!  The salad is made up of just three ingredients…fresh strawberries, spinach and slivered almonds!

The recipe is one that our friend who caters party shared with us.  Whenever we have a big party we ask him to cater and the one thing we always have him make each time has been this Strawberry Spinach Salad.  Everyone always loves it!

It really is easy to make.  And the homemade dressing takes it over the top in flavor. 

Ingredients you will need to make the dressing:

• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Granulated sugar
• Olive oil
• Distilled white vinegar
• Paprika
• Minced Onion

This is such a great summer salad with fresh strawberries mixed in! The combination of the spinach, strawberries, almonds along the homemade dressing makes an amazing flavor.

It always is a hit at parties.  If you are making it for a party, I would at least double it.  This recipe is written to serve 4-6 people.

How to make the delicious homemade dressing:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika and minced onion. Cover tightly and chill for one hour.

When ready to use, whisk again because it may have settled at the bottom of the bowl.  That’s all you need to do for the dressing.

How to make Strawberry Spinach Salad:

Use fresh, ripened strawberries for the best results.  I love making this salad during strawberry season with freshly picked berries.

Wash the strawberries by rinsing them with warm water.  Pat them dry or let them sit on some paper towels to dry.

Once they are dry, slice off the tops of the strawberries and slice the rest of the berry into thin slices.  I usually cut the strawberry in half and then cut thin slices so that they are not such big pieces of strawberries in the salad.

Place your spinach in a serving bowl.  Top it with the slivered almonds and sliced strawberries.

Gently mix the ingredients together so the strawberries and almonds are mixed throughout the salad.

Keep the salad chilled in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.  I would make it as close to serving time as you possible.

Add the dressing when serving the salad, not ahead of time.  The salad will become soggy if you add it ahead of time.

Two ways to serve the salad: 

You can serve it in the large serving bowl and add the dressing to the entire salad.  If you do it this way, pour the dressing over the salad and give it a gentle toss to mix it evenly.

You can also serve it on individual plates.  By serving it this way, each person can add the dressing on their own salad.  This way they can control how much dressing they would like on their salad.

You do not need to use all of the dressing.  Use  however much you prefer on your typical salad.

Got leftovers? 

If you have leftover salad without the dressing, it can be stored in the refrigerator 2-3 days.

Any salad with dressing on it should only be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.  The salad may be a bit soggy the next day.

Discard any leftover salad dressing.   The poppy seeds and sesame seeds soften by the next day and the flavor is just not the same so it is best to discard any leftover dressing and make a fresh batch if you have leftover salad.

Have a nut allergy?

Replace the almonds with sunflower seeds.

Want to make the salad a full meal?

Add in a shredded or cubed rotisserie chicken to make this a main lunch or dinner recipe instead of a side salad.

Recipe Tips:

Make sure the strawberries are fully dry before adding them to the salad so there is not any excess moisture added to the salad.

Add the salad dressing right before serving the salad to prevent the salad from becoming soggy.

Discard any extra dressing.  The seeds become soft and the dressing looses its flavor so it is best to make a new batch for any leftover salad.

Looking for more delicious strawberry recipes to make?  Here are a few of my favorite recipes for you to try…Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Kiwi Popsicles and Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Pie!

I think I am going to try these Strawberry Cupcakes soon for my family…they look yummy and perfect for a summer party!

Did you make this recipe?  I would love to hear from you if you did!  Please leave a comment and rating below.  Hearing from you makes my day!

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Update Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2015, but was published again in 2019 to include step by step directions and new photos.