Strawberry Spinach Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

Fresh & Colorful Strawberry Spinach Salad topped with a Creamy Poppyseed Dressing. Loaded with fresh feta cheese, red onions, and walnuts, serve it as a side salad or add protein to make it a meal!

Strawberry spinach salad

I’ve been on a serious salad kick lately. I can’t get enough of them. This light and fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad is by far one of my favorites. Loaded with fresh spinach, strawberries, red onion, nuts, and feta cheese.

This has summer written all over it but you can make it anytime. This salad is similar to Panera Bread’s Strawberry Poppyseed salad which is sadly only served during the summer. Their version is loaded with blueberries, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and chicken. It gets drizzled with an amazing Poppyseed dressing.

I was originally planning on pairing this salad with a balsamic vinaigrette but I couldn’t pass up on this creamy poppyseed dressing. The Creamy Poppyseed dressing makes this salad. It’s super thick and creamy thanks to the Greek yogurt. Don’t let the creaminess fool you. Swapping the Greek yogurt for mayonnaise lightened up the dressing and added a boost of protein!

What you’ll need for this recipe

Strawberry Spinach Salad

• Spinach: Beautiful, leafy, and green, fresh spinach is one of my favorite salad bases. You can substitute another leafy green like arugula instead for a change, but I do love raw spinach!
• Onion: Red onion is sweet and less pungent than most onions. If you’re sensitive to the flavor, add 1/4 of red onion instead of half. You could also soak the sliced onions in cold water for 30 minutes to take the bite out of them.
• Strawberries: Really, you can use any berries in this salad like blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
• Nuts: For crunch, I added walnuts. Pine nuts, pistachios, or pecans are good substitutes too! My candied pecans would be amazing on this salad!
• Feta: Tangy and soft, this greek cheese is so tasty! If you want to try another cheese on this Strawberry Spinach Salad, give goat cheese or ricotta a go.

Poppyseed Dressing

• Vinegar: Adds a nice tartness to the dressing. I like to use white wine vinegar but red wine vinegar would also work!
• Greek Yogurt: Makes the dressing thick and creamy! It’s a healthier alternative to traditional mayonnaise in poppy seed dressing.
• Poppy seeds: You can’t have poppyseed dressing without the poppyseeds! Poppyseeds are an antioxidant AND are loaded with fiber!
• Oil: Use a healthy oil like extra virgin olive oil. Avocado oil is great too.
• Honey: Instead of using regular sugar to sweeten the dressing I opted for a natural sweetener like honey. You can also use maple syrup or agave instead!
• Seasonings: Mustard powder, salt and pepper are added too!

How to make Strawberry Spinach Salad

It’s easy – just 3 steps!

1. Add spinach to a large bowl or 2 individual bowls.
2. Top with red onion, strawberries, nuts, and feta cheese.
3. Drizzle with poppyseed dressing.

How to make Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

Add vinegar, Greek yogurt, poppy seeds, olive oil, honey and mustard powder to a mason jar or bowl. Whisk until smooth and set aside until you are ready to serve the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tips for Success

• Walnuts are added for crunch. If you don’t have walnuts on hand, pine nuts, almonds or pecans would also work in this salad.
• Meal prep: This salad is super easy to toss together or make ahead for a quick work lunch.
• Grilled Chicken or Salmon can be added to this salad for a protein boost.
• Make extra dressing to have on hand for the week.
• Store this Strawberry Spinach Salad in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Store the dressing in an airtight container for a week.

What goes with Strawberry Spinach Salad?

I love to add protein to this recipe! Here are a few suggestions:

• Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
• Baked Firecracker Chicken
• French Onion Chicken
• Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken
• Blackened Salmon
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Grilled Maple Dijon Salmon
• Salmon with Lemon Dill Butter

more healthy salad recipes to try!

• Berry Spinach Salad
• Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
• Mexican Kale Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Japanese Cucumber Salad