Easy Strawberry Spinach Summer Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing
This salad is one of those recipes that looks like you worked way harder than you actually did. Sweet strawberries, baby spinach, crunchy almonds, and creamy feta all hit the bowl in minutes, and that poppy seed dressing ties everything together beautifully.
We make this one on repeat all summer long, and honestly, it works just as well for a backyard cookout as it does for a quiet weeknight dinner. You'll find it becomes a go-to once you taste how good simple ingredients can be when they're treated right.
Easy Strawberry Spinach Summer Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing
Fresh strawberries, tender spinach, and a sweet homemade poppy seed dressing come together in this bright, crowd-pleasing summer salad.
Ingredients
Salad
- 5 oz baby spinach , about 4 to 5 big handfuls
- 1 lb fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds , toasted if you have a couple extra minutes
- 1/4 cup red onion , very thinly sliced
Poppy Seed Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Tips & Notes
- Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until they smell nutty and turn golden. It makes a real difference in flavor.
- Slice the red onion as thin as possible or soak the slices in cold water for 5 minutes to mellow out the sharpness.
- Dress the salad right before serving. If you dress it too early the spinach will wilt and the berries will release juice into the bowl.
- This dressing works great as a make-ahead. Store it in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week and shake before using.
- Swap feta for goat cheese if that is what you have on hand. Both work wonderfully here.
Nutrition per serving · estimated
Why This Salad Works So Well in Summer
Strawberries are at their absolute best from late spring through summer, and this recipe is built to celebrate that. When berries are ripe and sweet, they do not need much help, just a little honey-kissed dressing and some salty feta to bring out every bit of their flavor.
The combination of textures here is what keeps people coming back for seconds. You get tender spinach, juicy strawberries, creamy cheese, and that satisfying crunch from the almonds all in one bite. This recipe proves that a great salad is really just about balancing a few elements thoughtfully.
Simple Swaps to Make It Your Own
One of the best things about this salad is how flexible it is. If strawberries are not quite in season yet, sliced peaches or blueberries work beautifully in their place. Both fruits pair well with the poppy seed dressing and hold up nicely against the other ingredients.
For added protein, grilled chicken or chickpeas tossed right on top turn this into a complete meal. We have served it both ways at summer gatherings and it always gets cleaned out before anything else on the table.
