Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette is the perfect spring themed salad. Of course, we eat them anytime of year!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Natural Ingredients, good for you!
- It’s a hearty meal on it’s own, but makes a perfect side salad too!
- You can change it up (see examples below) and add or take away whatever you want!
- Homemade Strawberry Dressing that just kicks the whole salad up a notch!
We took the above salad, and make it 100% better!
Strawberry Lemon Avocado Spinach Salad Ingredients
baby spinach – if you want to substitute kale or even regular leaf lettuce, go for it.
fresh strawberries – slice them up and make them a big part of this salad!
Meyer lemon – okay so not everyone can get Meyer Lemons, but if you can – do it!
They are so much better than a regular lemon, however if you cannot get them – a regular lemon is a perfectly acceptable substitute.
You could also use limes, oranges, blood oranges – really any citrus.
avocado – this really adds to the texture of the salad, and the vinaigrette makes them taste amazing!
sliced almonds – they aren’t necessary but the crunch they add to this salad is perfect!
lemon juice – you can use regular lemon juice for this, but if you have Meyer Lemon’s go ahead and squeeze them all up instead.
cider vinegar – this is our favorite one
granulated sugar – you can adjust this amount for just the right element of sweetness, honey is also a good addition instead of the sugar.
olive oil – we use extra virgin olive oil
poppy seeds – completely optional, but they are perfect in this salad.
And I made it again. I love the pretty colors and the way the Meyer Lemon slices look in there. So pretty and the salad tasted amazing.
After we changed up the recipe a bit, we discovered we really wanted a bit of crunch too!
The Strawberry Vinaigrette in this photo was a couple of days old so it’s beginning to thicken up a little.
If you want to thin it out a little, just add a couple of drops of water or oil. Shake well.
We decided to add the sliced almonds. That crunch I like with each bite. The crunch is absolutely incredible.
But if you want to leave them out, feel free.
Or switch it up… these make great subsitutions:
Crunchy Salad Toppings
- sliced nuts, any kind
- croutons
- crispy fried onions
- seeds (sunflower/pumpkin/sesame)
- tortilla strips
- roasted chickpeas
- crispy bacon
- chow mein noodles
The best part of this recipe, is that you can whip up a batch of the dressing on Sunday and it will last all week long!
It goes well on any type of salad:
- cabbage salad
- cucumber salad
- spinach salad
- even a fruity coleslaw
While I chose this recipe to really encompass Spring originally, you can change up any part of it to fit what you love or what is seasonally available.
More Spring Recipes
- Asparagus Red Pepper Salad
- Creamy Meyer Lemon Pasta
- Raw Cucumber Sandwich with Avocado and Spinach Sauce
- Strawberry Sorbet
- Meyer Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Candied Flowers
- Lemon Citrus Cookies
- Watergate Salad
Recipe for Strawberry Lemon Avocado Spinach Salad & Strawberry Vinaigrette
Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 4 cups of baby spinach or 2 cups baby spinach 2 cups kale
- 2 ½ cups of fresh strawberries sliced
- 1 Meyer lemon diced
- 1 avocado sliced
- ½ cup of sliced almonds
For Dressing:
- 4 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
- 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of poppy seeds
Instructions
To make the Dressing:
- In a blender, blend the strawberries until pureed. Add the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and sugar and blend again.
- Add the olive oil in and blend until the vinaigrette has thickened. Stir in the poppy seeds and you are ready to use it.
- Stores in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To Make the Whole Salad:
- Layer the baby spinach on a 2 small plates or 1 large plate.
- Add the strawberries and avocado.
- Divide the Meyer lemons among the two plates (or all on one).
- Add the sliced almonds and drizzle with the wonderfully delicious Strawberry Vinaigrette you just made.
- Enjoy!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
Wednesday 20th of March 2013
Wow, the color just pops off the screen in that salad. Looks delicious!
Cindys Recipes and Writings
Tuesday 19th of March 2013
Strawberries and spinach are classic. Your add-ons Nicole sound great!
Tara
Tuesday 19th of March 2013
Oh wow, doesn't that look delish, I love a sweeter dressing like this. Thanks for sharing!!
Angie @ Big Bear's Wife
Tuesday 19th of March 2013
aww haha, but best thing about this dressing is that is looks so good that I don't think it would matter what was on the salad haha. Beautiful color!
Audrey's Mamma
Monday 18th of March 2013
I love a good strawberry spinach salad. It is obvious we eat this a lot because Mo, my anti green eater, claims that spinach is her favorite. She will eat it plain, no toppings or dressing. We have never added avocado to ours, good thought!