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This simple, colorful Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocados is packed full of delicious flavors and textures. Plus the sweet and tangy poppyseed dressing helps create an unforgettable summer salad!

Add a Spinach Salad Recipe to your menu while strawberries are ripe and sweet and it will be on repeat every summer to come!

Spinach salad in a small white ceramic bowl with a red handled fork.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make
4 Recipe Tips
5 Frequently Asked Questions
6 You May Also Like:
7 Strawberry Avocado Salad Recipe

Why You Must Make

  • While we love a spinach salad with hot bacon dressing, this simple spinach salad is more suitable for summertime!
  • The honey-sweetened poppyseed dressing plays off the vibrant fresh berries perfectly.
  • With avocados, strawberries, and almonds, the variety of textures and flavors are exquisite companions!
Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Avocados Ingredients on a sheet pan with labels.

Ingredient Notes

  • Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Honey – Local honey is supposed to be helpful for combatting allergies (due to the pollen the bees collect on their legs), but any honey will add the necessary sweetness.
  • Champagne Vinegar – One of the best vinegars for salad dressing. Give it a try if you haven’t tried it before.
  • Baby Spinach – More tender than regular spinach, but I still break some of the thicker stems off of the leaves.
  • Avocado – If you’re unsure if it’s ripe, you can remove the little cap where the stem used to connect. The color below will be green when it’s ready to eat. You can also give your avocado a gentle squeeze. If it’s rock hard, don’t use it yet. It should “give” just a bit when ripe.
  • Fresh Strawberries – Make sure they have a slight sheen and the teeny seeds across the surface look fresh, not brown and dry. They should also have a sweet fragrance.
  • Slivered Almonds – They add a nice crunch. Toast if the package has been opened. This will bring out their essential oils enhancing their flavor. If you’re not a fan of nuts, they are an optional ingredient.
  • Green Onions – Also called scallions. Wash well, cut off the roots, and remove the outer layer if it’s dirty before slicing.
  • Poppy Seeds – I recently learned that poppy seeds can go rancid as they age. So if your poppy seeds have been lingering in your pantry for years, take a whiff or even a taste before using to see if they are still fresh. If unsure, just replace your jar.

How to Make

Salad dressing ingredients in a measuring cup with a whisk.
Whisk together salad dressing ingredients.
Dressing in a measuring cup with a mini whisk.
Add salad ingredients to a large bowl.
Overhead view of salad in a white salad bowl.
Toss the salad with the dressing.
Salad in salad bowl with a red handled fork.
Dish out and dive in!

Recipe Tips

  • Wait to cube the avocados until the last minute. Coat the avocado in salad dressing immediately after slicing as this will minimize browning.
  • Use your favorite greens. I like baby spinach, but a spring greens mix or arugula would be tasty, too.
  • If the strawberries don’t look great, try with fresh raspberries or blueberries instead.
  • The salad dressing can be made well ahead of time. If you refrigerate it, the olive oil may solidify so bring it to room temperature and rewhisk it before using.
  • I used slivered almonds but toasted pecans would also be a delicious addition. Gently heating them in a dry skillet for just a minute or two will bring out their essential oils, making them more flavorful if you choose to use nuts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do Salads Get Soggy?

The salad dressing is the culprit! The salt and the acid from vinegar or lemon juice start breaking down the vegetables causing their cells to lose water. To prevent this, you can prepare the salad dressing ahead of time, but don’t add it to the greens until you’re ready to serve.

What’s Needed to Make a Salad Taste Better?

Having a flavorful, balanced salad dressing is key. It shouldn’t be too tart, too sweet, or too oily. Once you find a homemade salad dressing you love, you can tweak it with different kinds of vinegar or citrus juice. You will also want a variety of textures such as crisp greens, soft fruit, crunchy nuts, etc. to make every bite delicious.

How Do You Make a Memorable Salad?

Besides making it delicious, make sure your salad is beautiful and colorful! Fruit, nuts, grains, and greens all add different textures and hues making a visually appealing salad.

Overhead view of salad in a white salad bowl.

You May Also Like:

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White bowl filled with spinach and strawberry salad with avocados.
The Recipe:

Strawberry Avocado Salad Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Yield 6 servings

A tasty twist on the classic Strawberry Spinach Salad with avocados and a sweet poppy seed dressing.

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Salad:

  • 6 cups baby spinach
  • 1 avocado, peel and pit removed, then cubed
  • 10-15 strawberries, stems and hulls removed, sliced
  • ⅓ cup slivered almonds, gently toast in a dry skillet and cool before using
  • 3 green onions, washed, outer layer and roots removed, and thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Make the salad dressing by whisking all the ingredients together except for the olive oil.
  2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously to emulsify.
  3. In a large salad bowl, add the spinach, then top with the avocado, strawberries, almonds, and green onions.
  4. If serving immediately, toss with salad dressing. If serving later, coat the avocado cubes with some of the dressing, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator.
  5. When ready to serve, drizzle with the salad dressing, toss, and serve.

Notes

May use other salad greens or nuts.

Make sure your poppy seeds are fresh---give them a sniff or taste to make sure they aren't rancid (especially if they've been in your pantry for years).

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 262Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 5gSugar: 17gProtein: 4g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Salads