Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing, avocado, roasted almonds, red onion, 6-minute jammy egg, and feta cheese is famously delicious! An epic crowd-pleaser, this salad is great for any summer gathering.
Just when I think strawberry spinach salad recipes get too much hype, I make one, and I’m reminded why they’re so great.
Sweet, tangy, creamy, savory, crunchy, this particular rendition hits all the major bases with absolute precision.
Just great. No ifs, ands or buts about it 😉
The way I see it, this salad is perfect for entertaining friends and family. It is easy to make in a big batch (you may want to double the recipe if you’re serving more than 4 people), and can be turned into an entrée salad recipe with the simple addition of chicken or steak.
Have I mentioned how much flavor is in this thing?
Truly, the poppy seed dressing is where it’s at.
That sweetness, creaminess, perfect acidity and unmistakable poppy seed flavor makes an amazing dressing to seal any salad deal!
Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients:
At a minimum, you need spinach and strawberries to make this happen, and the rest is up to you!
The best salads have a lot of flavor and texture, and cheese, nuts, seeds, avocado and dried fruit always pair nicely with strawberries and spinach. For the cheese, you can go with goat cheese, gorgonzola or feta cheese. Raw or roasted walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and/or sunflower seeds are amazing additions, and dried cranberries or blueberries are great too!
I roast up some raw almonds (325 for 8 to 11 minutes), go big on avocado and feta because they’re creamy and delicious, and toss in some red onion for the ultimate zing.
I also love a good jammy egg and find they pair nicely with the salad, but you can skip the egg or go hard-boiled. Hard-boiled eggs are amazing in salads!
For the salad dressing, I went with a homemade poppy seed dressing, which I just zipped up in my Magic Bullet. If you don’t have a small blender, you can always just whisk the ingredients together until they’re well-combined.
Of course, a store-bought poppy seed dressing always works, or a nice balsamic vinaigrette.
Here are more options for changing up the salad ingredients.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Add sunflower seeds and/or dried cranberries.
- Omit the egg altogether if you’re not interested 😉
- Use gorgonzola instead of feta cheese.
- Swap the spinach for spring greens.
- Chop up some hard boiled eggs and toss them in!
- Add in grilled chicken for a complete meal.
- Use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the salad dressing for a lemon poppy seed version.
- Replace the pure maple syrup in the dressing with regular granulated cane sugar.
- Use Creamy Raspberry Vinaigrette or Mayo-Free Green Goddess Dressing instead of poppy seed. Or go rogue and pick your own!
More Amazing Salad Recipes:
- My Current Favorite Salad Recipe
- Greek Chicken Spinach Salad
- Crispy Jamaican Jerk Salmon with Mango Basil Vinaigrette
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach and Grapes
- Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Avocado and Jammy Egg
Enjoy this flavor parade with your favorite people!
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
Strawberry Spinach Salad:
- 5 ounces baby spinach or spring greens
- 1 cup fresh strawberries chopped
- 1 large ripe avocado sliced or diced
- ⅓ cup roasted almonds
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbles
- 6- minute eggs for serving optional
Poppy Seed Dressing:
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1 tsp dijon or whole grain mustard
- 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp mayonnaise optional*
Instructions
- Begin by cooking the egg and toasting the almonds if desired. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the eggs to the boiling water and immediately set a timer for 6 minutes (or 10 minutes for fully hard boiled). Once the time is up, transfer the eggs to an ice bath and allow them to chill for at least 15 minutes (longer is better this makes them easier to peel).
- While the eggs are cooking and chilling, roast the almonds in the oven for 8 to 11 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until they reach desired level of crisp.
- Prepare the salad dressing by either blending the ingredients in a small blender or whisking them together in a measuring cup until combined.
- Transfer all of the ingredients (except for the 6-minute eggs) to a large serving bowl and drizzle in desired amount of dressing. Toss until everything is well-coated in salad dressing. Serve in big bowls with 6-minute eggs and enjoy! Note: if using hard boiled eggs, chop the eggs and toss them with the salad.
Nutrition
What a pretty spring salad!
Thank you! It truly is a crowd-pleaser 😉