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    Home » Recipes » Salads & Salad Dressings

    Published: Feb 20, 2020 · Modified: May 30, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 4 Comments

    Strawberry Spinach Salad

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN WATCH VIDEO
    5 from 3 votes
    A simple, super tasty Strawberry Spinach Salad made with soft, deep green spinach, ripe juicy strawberries & buttery avocado all finished off with a fresh, oil-free, strawberry vinaigrette and some optional creamy, salty crumbles of vegan feta cheese.

    A simple, super tasty Strawberry Spinach Salad made with soft, deep green spinach, ripe juicy strawberries & buttery avocado all finished off with a fresh, oil-free, strawberry vinaigrette and some optional creamy, salty crumbles of vegan feta cheese or toasted nuts.

    a bowl of strawberry spinach salad with avocado and vegan feta, drizzled in vinaigrette

    This healthy Strawberry Spinach Salad is the only salad you need to see you through spring and summer.

    It's refreshingly delicious, with rewarding little bites of strawberry and soft buttery avocado. The optional addition of some creamy, salty vegan feta cheese, toasted or candied nuts takes it right over the top.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • How to make Strawberry Spinach Salad
    • Success Tips
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Variations
    • Tips for making the vinaigrette without fresh strawberries
    • How to prep Strawberry Spinach Salad ahead of time
    • How to store leftovers
    • Recipe Video
    • Recipe
    • Comments & Reviews

    It also happens to be super easy to make from scratch in barely any time at all. That even includes the strawberry vinaigrette which is made in seconds in a blender.

    Yep. You're gonna be making salad and dressing like a boss!

    How to make Strawberry Spinach Salad

    Ok so you wanna know how this Vegan Strawberry Spinach Salad is done? First up you'll be needing to gather up some spinach leaves, strawberries and avocado.

    And here's what we're doing:

    Step 1: Make the oil-free strawberry vinaigrette by adding all of the ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth.

    ingredients for oil-free strawberry vinaigrette in a blender
    oil-free strawberry vinaigrette in a blender

    Step 2: Wash, dry and chop the strawberries.

    strawberries in a colander

    Step 3: Wash and dry the spinach then prepare the avocado.

    baby spinach in a colander

    Step 4: Toss the spinach in a little of the dressing, then layer it up in a bowl with the avocado and strawberries.

    spinach strawberries and avocado in a bowl

    Step 5: Drizzle over some more dressing and a few sprinkles of optional nuts or vegan feta cheese if you're using it.

    a large bowl of strawberry spinach salad

    Success Tips

    1. If you don't buy already washed spinach, I really recommend the use of a salad spinner to get the spinach leaves as dry as possible after washing. This will help keep the leaves fresher and in better condition until they are dressed and avoid accidentally diluting the salad dressing.
    2. Buy the ripest and reddest strawberries possible.
    3. This is a salad that is better layered than tossed. If you toss it together all of the strawberries and avocados end up sliding to the bottom. So first toss the spinach leaves with a bit of the vinaigrette, then add a layer of the leaves followed by a layer of the mix-ins, then another layer of spinach leaves. The number of layers you need will depend on how deep your bowl is.
    4. Don't prepare the salad until shortly before you are ready to serve it. Spinach doesn't hold up to moisture well and the leaves become a little wilted after about 30 to 40 minutes. The avocado could discolor a little too.
    5. My vegan feta cheese works brilliantly with this salad and adds a lovely creamy, salty, texture/flavor. Strawberry Spinach Salad + Feta = Perfection. I highly recommend you sprinkle some all over!
    a fork digging in to a bowl of strawberry spinach salad

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve this strawberry spinach salad as:

    • A light meal just as it is or with some No Knead Focaccia on the side .
    • A side salad with dinner. It would work really well with my vegan spanakopita or vegan quiche.
    • Make it more substantial by topping it with some crispy tofu, baked tofu, vegan crab cakes or vegan chic'n.
    • Take it along with you to potlucks. Just carry everything (spinach, vinaigrette, chopped strawberries, avocado and optional mix-ins) separately then assemble at the last moment.

    Variations

    Here are some tips for summer strawberry salad mix ins and substitutions:

    • Baby spinach works incredibly well with the other flavours and it's soft texture goes really well with the juicy strawberries but you could use any other greens if you need to. Butter lettuce would probably make the best sub or use half arugula and half spinach for a peppery twist.
    • Add vegan croutons, nuts (walnuts, pecans) or seeds (pumpkin or sunflower) for some extra texture and crunch.
    • Bulk it up with some cooked grains like farro, wild rice or quinoa.
    • Add some poppyseeds to the dressing for some extra "nuttiness" and texture.
    • Add some clementine segments or chopped orange
    • Add a handful of fresh blueberries in addition to the strawberries.
    • Use raspberries, blueberries or blackberries instead of strawberries in the salad and vinaigrette.

    Tips for making the vinaigrette without fresh strawberries

    The strawberry vinaigrette is really good when made with fresh strawberries. You can't beat their flavour. Raspberries, blueberries or blackberries would all work well instead though.

    Homemade Strawberry Vinaigrette in a bottle

    How to prep Strawberry Spinach Salad ahead of time

    This is a salad that is best when put together right before serving. However you can prepare many of the individual components ahead of time.

    • Make the Oil-Free Strawberry Vinaigrette up to several days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
    • The spinach can be washed and dried the day before and kept in an airtight container.
    • The strawberries can be washed, hulled and chopped and stored in an airtight container.
    • Toast the optional nuts up to a week ahead and store them in a jar for freshness.
    • My vegan feta keeps well in the fridge for about a week.

    This will save you some preparation time on the day and all you will have to do before serving is cut the avocado and combine everything.

    close up of dressed strawberry avocado salad

    How to store leftovers

    Once dressed this salad doesn't keep well so it's best to dress it as you need it and store leftovers undressed in a sealed container in the fridge. They should keep for up to 2 days as long as the spinach leaves were nice and dry when you packed it up.

    Leftover strawberry spinach salad dressing and the vegan feta can be kept in the fridge for up to one week and nuts will keep for weeks in a sealed jar.

    The good news is that this salad will be such a hit that it won't be likely you'll have much leftover!

    Recipe Video

    Recipe

    a bowl of strawberry spinach salad with avocado and vegan feta drizzled in strawberry vinaigrette

    Strawberry Spinach Salad

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    5 from 3 votes
    A simple, super tasty Strawberry Spinach Salad made with soft, deep green spinach, ripe juicy strawberries & buttery avocado all finished off with a fresh, oil-free, strawberry vinaigrette and some optional creamy, salty crumbles of vegan feta cheese or crunchy nuts..
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 15 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 oz / 227 g baby spinach leaves
    • 16 oz / 1lb / 454 g fresh strawberries
    • 2 ripe avocados
    • 1 batch Oil Free Strawberry Vinaigrette
    • OPTIONAL vegan feta cheese
    • OPTIONAL nuts or seeds of choice

    RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

    • Salad Spinner
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Wash the strawberries then hull them and either half or quarter them.
    • Wash and dry the spinach leaves. Put them in a serving bowl, drizzle over a bit of strawberry vinaigrette (be sure to shake the vinaigrette first) and toss the leaves gently to coat.
    • Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and skin and chop into chunky pieces.
    • Layer up the dressed spinach leaves with the avocado and strawberries reserving some for the top. I recommend layering over just tossing everything together so that you don't end up with all of the good bits finding their way to the bottom of the bowl.
    • Scatter the top with the reserved strawberries and avocado then drizzle with a little more vinaigrette. Scatter over the optional nuts and feta cheese.

    NOTES

    The salad is best eaten immediately. 
    You likely won't need all of the vinaigrette but it will keep for up to a week in the fridge. 
    If adding nuts or seeds to the salad I recommend toasting them first for ultimate flavor. Here's how: Warm a small skillet over a medium heat, add the nuts and toss them around in the pan for about 3 minutes until they smell nice and toasty. Remove from the heat, tip them into a small bowl and allow to cool. Walnuts and pecans work very well. 
    Nutrition is calculated without the optional vegan feta cheese and nuts.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 203mgPotassium: 978mgFiber: 12gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 5482IUVitamin C: 123mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 3mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Diane says

      September 19, 2020 at 6:50 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! Will definitely make again. Salad was top notch and the oil free dressing just took it over the top. ?

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        September 19, 2020 at 11:52 am

        So pleased you enjoyed it Diane!

        Reply
    2. Alison Cover says

      April 11, 2019 at 2:01 pm

      5 stars
      This was SO good. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        April 11, 2019 at 2:09 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it Alison!

        Reply

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