Citrus Spinach Salad with Avocados and Oranges
When the heat is on, a cool, refreshing Citrus Spinach Salad with Avocados, Oranges, and Dried Cranberries hits the spot. A simple Dijon Vinaigrette with fresh orange and lemon juice complements these ingredients perfectly.
But this is not a salad recipe restricted to any one season. Fresh oranges are plentiful throughout the year, and this Spinach Salad Recipe would be wonderful with any meal, anytime.
Why You Must Make
- This simple spinach salad is easy to pull together, and the flavors and textures go together swimmingly.
- From the crisp greens to the juicy supremed oranges, creamy avocados, and chewy dried cranberries, every base is covered!
- When fresh summer produce like garden tomatoes isn’t available, this winter salad recipe is a delicious alternative.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Vegetable Oil (I use canola oil), Salt, Black Pepper (I use freshly ground), Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
- Salad Greens – I used baby spinach and baby romaine
- Oranges – Peel, then remove the outer membrane and cut out the segments
- Avocados – Cut in half, remove pit, and cut into cubes. Gently toss in the vinaigrette unless you cut right before serving. This will minimize oxidation AKA browning.
- Dried Cranberries – Also known as Craisins. Dried cherries can be used instead.
- Fresh Orange Juice – May use bottled juice in a pinch.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – Don’t use the bottled juice that’s on the store shelves. You’ll get a brighter, fresher flavor if you squeeze your own.
- Champagne Vinegar – My favorite vinegar for making salad dressings.
Recipe Tips
- As with every dish, this spinach salad is customizable. You can add your favorite greens to the mix, sprinkle in toasted almonds for some crunch, or add some ruby red grapefruit along with the orange slices.
- I used baby spinach and tossed in some baby romaine for a boost of color. All spinach or a combination of greens would be perfectly fine.
- PRO-Tip: Add the cubed avocados right before serving. I gently coated them in my vinaigrette since the acids help prevent the avocados from browning.
- PRO-Tip: My dried cranberries were a little too dry, though the package had not expired. To revive them, soak them in the vinaigrette or some hot water for an hour or so to plump them. I added them back to the salad bowl before serving.
- I used one navel orange and one blood orange. Try this salad with your favorite variety or even a drained can of mandarin oranges if you’d like.
Frequently Asked Questions
embranes. It isn’t as difficult as you might think. This is my process:
First, slice off a round at the top and bottom of the orange. Then, from top to bottom, slice off a strip of the peel and the pith, trying not to remove any excess orange flesh in the process.
Rotate the orange and repeat until the whole orange is peeled.
Locate one of the segments. With your sharp knife, slice on each side of the segment, just inside the membranes, to release a perfect orange segment. Repeat for each segment.
If you’d like to save the juices for the salad dressing, squeeze the leftover membranes into a bowl. Plus make sure to supreme your segment over a bowl to collect the juices as well.
This procedure can be done with any citrus fruit including grapefruit, lemons, and limes.
This video on How to Supreme an Orange makes the procedure crystal clear.
Do not slice your avocado until just before serving so it has less time to oxidize (turn brown from exposure to oxygen). You can also coat your avocados with salad dressing to create a barrier minimizing oxygen exposure.
Yes, salad dressing can be made early in the day, and then depending on the ingredients in your recipe, it can be parked in the refrigerator or left on the counter until it’s time to toss the salad. The oil in the dressing may solidify when chilled, so it’s best to allow time for it to come to room temperature so it can be whisked again before serving.
You May Also Like
- I love this Strawberry Bacon and Brie Salad with its sweet, salty, and creamy components.
- Or this Summer Vegetable Salad with the best of the season’s harvest.
- Barefeet in the Kitchen shared her tutorial on How to Eat Salad Every Day and Like It. It didn’t take much to persuade me!
- This lovely Cucumber and Chick Pea Salad has a Mediterranean flair!
- I recommend this California Cobb Salad for a perfect warm-weather entree. What’s your favorite salad recipe?
- Plus, all my Best Salad Recipes.
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Citrus Spinach Salad with Avocados and Oranges
A tasty Citrus Spinach Salad with Avocados and Oranges and a lovely Dijon vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups salad greens, I used baby spinach and baby romaine
- 2 oranges, cut into segments
- 1-2 avocados, cubed (gently toss with some of the vinaigrette unless you cut right before serving)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Dressing:
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add greens to a serving bowl.
- Arrange oranges and avocados over the greens. Sprinkle with dried cranberries. Add avocados right before serving.
To make salad dressing, whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, sugar, and Dijon mustard. - Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Either toss the salad with dressing before serving or pass the undressed salad with dressing.
Notes
The vinaigrette can be made ahead of time. Just store it in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature and whisk before using.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 479Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 318mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 17gSugar: 22gProtein: 10g
11 Comments on “Citrus Spinach Salad with Avocados and Oranges”
This is the way I like to have my spinach and I can never get enough of avocados. Adding dried cranberries is an extra treat and I love it!
This week I am going to make a version of this and serve it with a One-Pot Tomato, Chickpeas and Orzo dish to welcome back a friend of mine who is returning to The Gant for the Spotlight Health and Ideas Festival at the Institute. (Bill would love the 4-day Spotlight Health.)
Love this salad. I’m always equally interested in the dressing/vinaigrette recipe as I am the salad ingredients, and I also love your vinaigrette!
I have tried to supremed oranges a few times, takes a bit of practice lol. A very summer salad that can be done year round. And nice creamy touch with the avocados.
Thank you I have learnt something new from the post. I did not know about supreme Orange. I would love to try the skill but I probably need a very sharp knife?
The dressing on this salad takes it to the next level! YUM
This salad has such an awesome mix of flavors!
Never knew there was a way to supreme an orange. At any rate, your spinach avec citrus does look and sound supreme. Good to know, too, that a bit of acid preserves the avocado. And if we can soak raisins in brandy for cake, why not cranberries in vinaigrette for salad?
I love salad with oranges/citrus. This is perfect for summer. It is always a good thing to be eating salads.
This is my kind of salad, I just love all the fresh flavors in this and it sure looks great!
Really delicious Lizzy, send you hugs and love!