This Easy Spinach Strawberry Salad Recipe with Pecans and Cranberries is the perfect salad—bursting with flavor, color, and texture. With sweet, fresh strawberries, crunchy pecans, tart cranberries, and a homemade dressing that ties it all together, this quick and simple saladis perfect for picnics, cookouts, a crowd, or a simple lunch on the patio.
My spinach salad with strawberries and pecans is always a hit. It’s the kind of dish that looks elegant but comes together in minutes using simple ingredients. And if you’re like me and love a dish that’s easily prepped beforehand, it checks every box.
This was so delicious! Amazing how well the flavors of strawberry and spinach go together. The apple cider dressing was perfect to brighten up and balance everything else! – Kim
Quick and Easy: Toss this easy spinach salad together in under 15 minutes. A beautiful salad that makes a great side dish for your weeknight table or to serve at a special occasion.
Simple Ingredients: Nothing fancy here—just fresh, everyday items you probably already have on hand.
Crowd-Pleaser: This delicious spinach and strawberry saladis always a huge hit at showers, brunches, or BBQs.
Make Ahead: Prep the ingredients in advance and assemble when ready to serve.
🛒 Ingredients Needed for Strawberry Salad
Here’s what you’ll need to make this best-ever strawberry spinach salad:
Baby Spinach: Fresh baby spinach is the base for spinach strawberry salad. Baby spinach is tender and perfect for holding all the toppings.
Strawberries: Juicy strawberries are the star of this recipe and bring a nice pop of color. I love to make this dish during strawberry season when there are plenty of sweet strawberries.
Dried Cranberries: I love dried cranberries in recipes. These are tart and add a nice contrast and chewy texture to the salad. This spinach salad with cranberries is sweet, savory, and satisfying.
Red Onion: The red onion balances the sweetness and adds more color to the salad. If you don’t have a red onion, substitute with a white, Vidalia, or sweet one.
Toasted Pecans: These add a satisfying crunch and nutty flavor. See this recipe for toasting pecans on the stove top or in the oven. You choose to either salt them or leave them unsalted for the salad.
Vegetable Oil: I prefer to use a neutral oil for the base of the vinegar dressing.
Apple Cider Vinegar: It adds a slightly tangy kick and brightens the whole dish, making each bite fresh and satisfying.
Sugar: Sugar gives the dressing just the right amount of sweetness.
Dijon Mustard: Helps emulsify the dressing and adds a little zip. If you don’t have Dijon, any yellow mustard will work.
Salt: Enhances the flavor but is optional if your pecans are salted.
🔪 How To Make Strawberry Salad Recipe
This fresh salad comes together in just a few simple steps and makes a great side dish for any time of year.
Step 1:Make the Dressing. Make the salad dressing. Add all ingredients for the salad dressing to a Mason jar. Add a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Shake again before serving.
Step 2:Prep the Salad Ingredients. Slice the strawberries.
Step 3: Slice the onion.
Step 4: Toast the pecans.
Step 5:Assemble the Salad. Toss all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 6: Dress and Serve. Add the dressing (*see tip below). Serve.
🔄 Spinach Salad Variations
Add Protein: Top with grilled chicken, shrimp, or sliced steak.
Add Cheese: Crumbled feta or goat cheese adds a creamy and tangy touch.
Wait to Dress the Salad: Dress the salad just before serving, or allow each person to dress their salad to keep the spinach from wilting.
Toast the Pecans: The pecans add a nice salty crunch to the salad. Toast them ahead of time and store them in an airtight container.
Slice the Onion Thinly: You don’t want the red onion slices to overpower the salad, so thinly sliced onion is recommended.
Make Extra Dressing: Double the recipe for the dressing if serving to a crowd. It’s better to have more than not enough. It stores nicely in the fridge.
⏲️ How to Toast Pecans
Adding toasted pecans to this simple strawberry salad adds so much flavor and crunch. Toasting pecans is very easy and worth the few minutes it takes to get that added flavor you want. Check out this link on How to Toast Pecans on the Stovetop for easy step-by-step instructions.
🥗 How to Serve Spinach Strawberry Pecan Salad
Serve Fresh and Chilled: For the best flavor, serve this salad fresh and chilled. This keeps the spinach crisp and the strawberries juicy. Serve with salad croutons for added crunch.
Serve as a Main Dish: Make this easy salmon patties recipe and crumble over the top of the salad. Dice some grilled chicken over the top for a complete meal.
❔ Recipe FAQs
How can you store this spinach salad with strawberries?
The best option for storing this spinach salad with strawberries recipe is to store it without dressing. This keeps the spinach from getting soggy. If already dressed, store it in an airtight container or wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Eat it within 1-2 days.
Can this fresh strawberry salad be made in advance?
Of course, it can! Just prep all of the ingredients and store them in separate containers. Before you are ready to serve it, toss the ingredients together. Allow your family or guest to add their dressing to their salads.
Can I use other fruits in this salad recipe?
You bet! Try some blueberries, raspberries, or even blackberries in this spinach salad. They will be amazing.
If you tried this Spinach Strawberry Salad recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments. Thanks for visiting!
This Strawberry Spinach Salad is the perfect salad for lunch, dinner, or as a side. It's beautiful, colorful, and most of all– delicious! It comes together in minutes and is always a favorite.
Make the Dressing: Add all ingredients for the salad dressing to a Mason jar. Add a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Shake again before serving.
Prep the Salad Ingredients: Slice the strawberries and onion. Toast the pecans.
Assemble the Salad: Toss all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Dress and Serve: Add the dressing (*see tip below). Serve.
Notes
Wait to dress the salad: Dress the salad just before serving or allow each person to dress their salad to keep the spinach from wilting.
Toast the Pecans: The pecans add a nice salty crunch to the salad. Toast them ahead of time and store in an airtight container.
Slice the Onion Thinly: You don’t want the red onion slices to overpower the salad, so thinly sliced onion is recommended.
Make Extra Dressing: Double the recipe for the dressing if serving to a crowd. It’s better to have more than not enough. It stores nicely in the fridge.
I prefer my dressing cold, so I refrigerate it before serving. It will also be fine to serve at room temperature.The link below will show you how to quickly toast pecans for this salad. You decide if you would like to salt the pecans or leave them unsalted for this salad.How to Toast Pecans
This was so delicious! Amazing how well the flavors of strawberry and spinach go together. The apple cider dressing was perfect to brighten up and balance everything else!
Yummy! Still hanging on to those last few days of summer and this recipe was the perfect lunch for today!
This is a really lovely tangy and sweet Strawberry Spinach Salad. Perfect to switch up my
Salad dressings.
I love strawberries in a salad and this was delicious. Especially with the dressing.
This is such a lovely and refreshing salad. The dressing brings the entire salad together perfectly.
This was so delicious! Amazing how well the flavors of strawberry and spinach go together. The apple cider dressing was perfect to brighten up and balance everything else!
My family loved this salad and they want it at Christmas now too. Loved the crunch of the pecans and the sweetness of the fruit too.
This is such a fresh and wonderful salad! Love all of the additions and sweetness from the strawberries.
I loved this salad; it was super fresh and perfect for the hot weather!