Strawberry Spinach Salad with Granola Croutons

This Strawberry Spinach Salad with Granola Croutons makes for the perfect healthy summer salad; or for any season really! This SUPERFOOD salad recipe is vegan with paleo friendly options. It’s a quick side dish or entree and is a great way to use seasonal strawberries and berries. Topped with granola croutons to give it a nice crunch and your choice of healthy salad dressing. Great side dish for bbq’s, pot lucks, meal prep, and more.

We are now in the second half of the year. Enter SALAD SEASON x 10! Right? Haha, in all seriousness, every season should be a salad season. Or some sort of  FULLY LOADED seasonal vegetable dish with all your favorite Farmer’s Market blends.  Farmer’s Market Sammy anyone?

But let’s be real here, the best part of summer and summer produce is probably the abundance of strawberries! As a child, I remember picking fresh strawberries in our garden with my dad. It was a Saturday morning ritual. I think that’s why strawberries are extra healthy, they come with memories of love and happiness. Serotonin release. Corny Cotter moment over. You’re welcome. Now let’s talk about the REAL health perks and then get to this strawberry salad recipe, mmm k?

What are the benefits of eating strawberries?

While I love all the strawberry desserts, like Gluten Free Strawberry Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites, I also love adding strawberries to salads and homemade dressings. As you saw last week with this strawberry vinaigrette recipe. Ya, the obsession is real. But also, I just I love the natural sweetness they add and the health benefits they provide.

• Full of Vitamin C & Manganese
• Rich in Antioxidants
• Contains decent amounts of Folate (Vitamin B9) and Potassium

Talk about an anti-inflammatory summer!

What’s in a Strawberry Spinach Salad? How do you make the BEST strawberry spinach salad?

Oh girl (or boy), I got you covered!

Since strawberries are in season right now, I like keeping it fairly traditional by using seasonal produce in my strawberry spinach salads. But really, the possibilities are endless! Here are some of our suggestions, but I also want to know…what do YOU put in your strawberry spinach salads?

• Strawberries, of course! When possible, I love using fresh garden strawberries or strawberries from the farmer’s market. If you don’t have access to local berries, be picky when shopping! Try to find the ripest strawberries that you can for this salad; it really makes a difference!
• Spinach: rich in Iron and Vitamin K.
• Healthy Fats: Healthy fats can really transform this salad. Try adding feta or goat cheese crumbles, sliced hard boiled egg, or for a dairy-free/vegan option, add sliced avocado.
• Nuts and/or Granola: A good salad needs a bit of crunch so it’s not just one note! Sliced almonds, toasted pecans, naturally sweetened granola, or all of the above! We’ve added both nuts AND granola croutons (aka gluten free granola clusters) to this salad to step up its game. For nut-free option, feel free to add more granola croutons to keep that crunch alive.
• Onion, radish, or other summer vegetable: Red onion is typically used in a strawberry spinach salad, but I prefer using shallots or radish for a more mild flavor. They definitely give your salad a little bit of pizzazz!
• And last of all, a healthy salad dressing! See list below. And that’s what makes it THE BEST STRAWBERRY SALAD recipe. Yep, my bias opinion.

Easy (& healthy) dressings can you pair with this strawberry spinach salad!

These are some of my favorite dressings to pair with strawberry spinach salad…they really make the berries shine!

• Sesame Yogurt Dressing
• Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar
• Sweet Honey Onion Dressing
• Strawberry vinaigrette recipe with mint
• Green Goddess Dressing

What do I serve with strawberry spinach salad?

This salad is great for summer BBQ’s and potlucks, but you are definitely not limited to just summer foods! Here are some of our favorites to pair it with:

• Grilled chicken (or anything grilled, really!)
• BBQ Meatloaf (gluten free)
• Lettuce wraps, like these Miso Mango Chicken Salad Wraps
• For a great vegan pairing, Creamy Fennel Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• For meal prep, try pairing with one of these lighter Make Ahead Instant Soup Jars

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Granola Croutons

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★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

• Author: Lindsay Cotter
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x

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Description

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Granola Croutons. An easy healthy summer salad!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4–5 cups spinach leaves
• 1 cup diced or sliced radish (or other spring/summer vegetable of choice)
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• ½ cup blueberries
• ½ cup gluten free or grain free granola bars or granola to be broken into large pieces for granola croutons. Plain, honey, or berry flavor. (See notes)
• ½–1 avocado, sliced
• sprouts or microgreens
• 1 ounce almond slivers, optional
• Dressing of choice – example: strawberry vinaigrette, olive oil/vinegar, poppyseed, etc.

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Wash and prepare the produce.
2. Place spinach, strawberries, cut vegetables, and berries in one large bowl. Toss.
3. Place granola bars in ziploc bag and smash into clusters. Sprinkle with sea salt. May also use store bought or homemade granola, like my grain free granola, to make granola croutons. Simply toss with a bit of sea salt and save the bigger clusters for the “crouton” topping.
4. Next add a few tablespoons of slivered almonds on top, along with microgreens, and avocado. Top with granola croutons.
5. Drizzle with favorite dressing. Sea salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide into smaller bowls to serve or serve family style.

Notes

• You may also use you are using granola, like my grain free granola, simply toss with a bit of sea salt and save the bigger clusters for the “crouton” topping.
• Favorite Gluten Free granola bars that I think make good toppings are caveman bars, kind granola bars, or Enjoy Life Foods new crispy granola bars.
• Nutrition below estimated without dressing and 180 calories grain free granola or granola bar to make “croutons.”

• Prep Time: 10
• Category: salad
• Method: mix
• Cuisine: american

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 331
• Sugar: 12.6 g
• Sodium: 280.3 mg
• Fat: 17.7 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 37.5 g
• Fiber: 17.6 g
• Protein: 15.8 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: salad, spinach, healthy, gluten free, vegetarian, summer salad, no bake, lunch

Alright my friends! Have a great week! If you’re in Canada or USA, have a great Canada and 4th of July. I’m taking the rest of this week off, but might pop in a for a quick catch up. It’s needed, right?

Whatcha making for the 4th? Favorite Summer Salad Recipe?

Share it, for reals! Comment below.

You know I read everyone and love to engage with you all. Mwah!

Cheers,

LC

MORE HEALTHY SPRING SALAD RECIPES HERE!

This recipe is part of our fave Healthy Spring Salad Recipes collection. Check it out!