Try this sweet, savory, tangy, and healthy spinach strawberry walnut salad this summer when fresh strawberries are in season. This nutritious salad is low-cal and comes together in just 10 minutes (gluten-free).
If you are looking for more refreshing salad recipes, then try out some of my other favorites – Watermelon Feta Salad, Cucumber Avocado Salad, Mango Kale Salad, Som Tam Salad, Broccoli Apple Salad, and Thai Watermelon Salad.
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About This Recipe
I love to serve salads for meals and this healthy spinach strawberry walnut salad is my current favorite.
It has the goodness of fresh and juicy strawberries, toasted walnuts, sliced red onions, and baby spinach. This perfect combination is topped with a beautiful strawberry vinaigrette dressing and finished with some soft feta cheese.
This salad is quick and easy to make and is super healthy too. The sweet, savory, and tangy flavors make this nutritious 10-minute salad apt for dinners, potlucks, and picnics.
Be it a light summer lunch or a side dish for your weekend barbecue, this salad with strawberry and walnuts is just perfect for any occasion.
It is very refreshing and every bite screams “summer“. This strawberry spinach salad is light on the stomach and makes you feel instantly refreshed when had on a hot afternoon.
Ingredients & Substitutes
For The Salad – You will need fresh strawberries, toasted walnuts, feta cheese, baby spinach, and red onions.
You can replace walnuts with other nuts like pine nuts, almonds, or pecans. Candied walnuts also pair well in this salad.
While selecting strawberries, see that they are fresh, red, and firm. If they have black or soft patches, don’t use them.
Try to use fresh baby spinach to make the salad. Frozen doesn’t work very well as it may become mushy after thawing.
To keep the spinach fresh for a long time, keep it in an airtight container, cover with 2-3 layers of paper towel, close the lid and refrigerate for 7-8 days. Rinse with water before using.
You can pickle the onions in a mixture of vinegar and salt and then use it in the salad for an added zing.
For The Dressing – To make a refreshing dressing, you will need fresh strawberries, extra virgin olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Use good quality olive oil, as it really makes a difference in the taste.
Honey adds a little sweetness, so you can adjust the quantity depending on how sweet you want the dressing to be. For a vegan option, you can replace it with maple syrup or agave nectar.
Balsamic vinegar is available in the market under various brands’ names. Choose the one that you prefer.
Health Benefits Of Strawberries, Walnuts, and Spinach
Strawberries are a rich source of Vitamin A, B-complex, C, and E, and are a powerful antioxidant too. Strawberries help in reducing the inflammation in the body, are great for your skin/hair and eyes, are great for weight loss, and also lower your cholesterol.
Walnuts are a great source of Omega 3 fat, which is good fat, and consuming it with fruits really benefits the body. Walnuts also reduce inflammation, promote gut health, and reduce the risk of some cancers.
Baby Spinach is rich in Iron and is great when included in salads. Eating it raw, helps us gain all the nutrients in their purest form.
How To Make Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad
Make The Dressing
Rinse 7 oz (200 g) strawberries. Cut the top leafy part and chop them into pieces.
Add the chopped strawberries, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper into the small jar of a blender.
Blend until smooth. Your dressing is ready.
Make The Salad
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Arrange ½ cup walnuts on a baking tray in a single layer.
Toast for 3-4 minutes or until they are crisp.
Remove the tray from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Chop the walnuts into small pieces. Set aside.
Note – I like to toast a big batch of walnuts, chop and store them in an airtight container to snack on or use in recipes later.
While the walnuts are toasting, rinse 17 oz (500 g) strawberries with water to remove any dirt.
Chop off the top leafy part and then slice the strawberry into 0.25 mm slices. Set aside.
Transfer 7 oz (200 g) baby spinach into a large serving bowl.
Top with sliced strawberries, ¼ cup red onion slices, 2 oz crumbled feta cheese, and chopped toasted walnuts.
Drizzle the dressing on top. Toss the salad well and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can add avocados, cucumber, black olives, raspberries, blueberries, or any other cheese such as parmesan, cheddar, goat cheese, etc that you prefer in your salads. You can select other greens, such as baby kale, rocket, lettuce, Swiss chard, or any other leafy green.
You can always experiment with the dressing. Make a combination of
1. Strawberries + balsamic vinegar + lemon juice + almond butter + maple syrup
2. Strawberries/Raspberries + olive oil + balsamic vinegar + mustard + salt + pepper
3. Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette is a slow a great salad dressing for this summer salad.
3. Olive oil + red wine vinegar + honey + mustard sauce + poppy seeds
Serving Suggestions
You can serve strawberry and walnut salad on its own for a light lunch or dinner or with a bowl of comforting soup. You can also serve it on the side with your barbecue meals.
It can also be served for potlucks or summer house parties. I sometimes like to have this salad with garlic bread on the side.
Storage Suggestions
I would suggest you make this strawberry and walnut salad fresh, as it tastes the best this way.
If you keep it for longer, the baby spinach will wilt and walnuts will lose their crunchiness. So storage is a big “No” for this one.
You can make the dressing and store it for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Wash the strawberries and toast the walnuts to speed up the final assembling process.
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Recipe Card
Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For The Dressing
- 7 ounces fresh strawberries (200 g, hulled and chopped)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey (use maple syrup or agave nectar for vegan.)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper
For The Salad
- 17 ounces strawberries (500 g)
- 7 ounces baby spinach (200 g)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced onions
- 2 ounces feta cheese (50 g)
- ½ cup walnuts
Instructions
Make The Dressing
- Add the chopped strawberries, extra virgin olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper into the small jar of a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Your dressing is ready.
Assemble The Salad
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Arrange walnuts on a baking tray in a single layer.
- Toast for 3-4 minutes or until they are crisp.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Chop the walnuts into small pieces. Set aside.
- Note – I like to toast a big batch of walnuts, chop and store them in an airtight container to snack on or use in recipes later.
- While the walnuts are toasting, rinse 17 oz (500 g) strawberries with water to remove any dirt.
- Chop off the top leafy part and then slice the strawberry into 0.25 mm slices. Set aside.
- Transfer the baby spinach into a large serving bowl.
- Top with sliced strawberries, onion slices, crumbled feta cheese, and chopped toasted walnuts.
- Drizzle the dressing on top. Toss the salad well and serve.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!