Go Back

Gorgeous Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado

Strawberry spinach salad with avocado and balsamic poppy seed dressing is a vibrant, no-cook salad with crisp greens, juicy berries, and creamy avocado. Freshly emulsified dressing lightly coats every bite for a sweet-tangy finish with poppy seed crunch.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 5 oz baby spinach fresh
  • 1.5 cup fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
  • 1 avocado large ripe, peeled, pitted, and sliced
  • 0.25 cup red onion thinly sliced
  • 0.25 cup candied pecans or walnuts
  • 0.25 cup feta cheese crumbled
  • 2 tbsp fresh blueberries optional, for extra color
Balsamic Poppy Seed Dressing
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 0.25 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper to taste

Method
 

Prepare the salad
  1. Wash and dry the baby spinach thoroughly, then add it to a large wide salad bowl.
  2. Hull and slice the fresh strawberries into halves or thirds, then scatter them over the spinach.
  3. Halve, pit, and peel the avocado, slice into thin wedges, and layer on top of the spinach and strawberries.
  4. Add the red onion, candied pecans, and crumbled feta cheese over the top of the salad.
  5. If using, scatter the fresh blueberries over the salad for extra color.
Make the balsamic poppy seed dressing
  1. In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until fully emulsified.
  2. Taste the dressing and adjust as needed, adding a touch more honey if too sharp or a splash more vinegar if too sweet.
Assemble and serve
  1. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat without bruising the avocado.
  2. Serve immediately, garnished with a few extra strawberry slices and a crack of black pepper on top.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the avocado and dressing separate until the last moment so the spinach stays crisp and the avocado doesn’t bruise. Store assembled salad in the fridge up to 1 day, but for best texture keep dressing refrigerated up to 5 days; freeze: no. For a dairy-light swap, use goat feta or omit feta and add extra berries for brightness.