Take advantage of fresh berry season with this delicious Summer Strawberry Salad! Loaded with fresh strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, pecans, goat cheese, and sparkling orange vinaigrette, it really is the perfect taste of summer!
It’s no secret that I’m all about salads. I love them any way I can get them, and I literally eat them daily. Of course I have my favorites, like my Blueberry Feta Salad or my Pineapple Crunch Salad (trust me…you have to try it!), but the truth is I’ve never met a salad I didn’t like.
And when it comes to summer salads, I especially love them with fresh fruit. Because the fresh fruit selection is amazing…and the savory-sweet combination of fruit + cheese + nuts is exactly what a good salad recipe needs.
Case in point: this Summer Strawberry Salad! It’s loaded with fresh berries, mandarin oranges, goat cheese, and pecans… and the homemade orange vinaigrette is the perfect finishing touch. It’s delicious as a side dish OR main dish, and we love topping it with our favorite grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp for an even more satisfying meal!
what you’ll need for this recipe
Lettuce – I used 8 ounces of spring mix as the base of this salad. You can substitute arugula, baby spinach, a spring mix blend, or any type of lettuce you like.
Fruit – I used a combination of sliced strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges. You could also add blackberries, raspberries, or fresh pineapple to the mix.
Pecans – I added 1/2 cup unsalted pecans for a nutty crunch. Substitute candied pecans for an extra special treat!
Goat cheese – I used 3.5 ounces of crumbled goat cheese. Substitute creamy feta, blue cheese, or Parmesan.
Onions – I added 2 Tablespoons sliced green onions.
how to make summer strawberry salad
Add the spring mix to a large bowl. Pour the lettuce into a large salad bowl.
Top with remaining ingredients. Add the fruits, pecans, goat cheese, and green onions.
Prepare the dressing. In a small jar with a lid, combine sparkling orange juice, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Shake well.
Drizzle and toss the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Serve. Serve the dressed salad in individual serving bowls.
Recipe Variations
- Use any of your favorite types of lettuce
- Add additional fruits, such as mango, pineapple, blackberries, raspberries or kiwi
- Substitute crumbled feta cheese or blue cheese for the goat cheese
- Add homemade croutons
- Top it with balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette
- Substitute candied walnuts, almonds, or pistachios for the pecans
- Use chopped red onion instead of green onion
- Add sliced avocado, tomatoes, or chickpeas
make-ahead & storage tips
You can easily make this salad in advance, cover it tightly, and simply wait to add the dressing until you are ready to serve it. Once you add the dressing, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge but will probably want to eat them within the same day. The good news is this salad will be such a hit, there won’t likely be much leftover.
More Summer Salad Recipes
Looking for even more delicious summer salads? Look no further! These are our tried and true favorites.
Summer Strawberry Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 ounces spring mix
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup mandarin oranges
- 1/2 cup pecans unsalted
- 3.5 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
Orange Salad Dressing
- 1/2 cup orange sparkling juice I used Sanpellegrino
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 Tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid. Shake well. Pour over salad immediately before serving.
What can be used as a sub for the sparkling orange juice, it’s not available in my area?
Try some OJ mixed with a carbonated water like LaCroix.
For the sanpellegrino you used, is it the blood orange or the aranciata (which says orange) ?
This looks so tasty and healthy I cannot wait to try it!
thank you for putting all of these ingredients together in a perfect summer salad, wow, lot of anti-oxidant power too, nice!
I love a good strawberry salad!
This is such an amazing flavor combo!! Would love to try it!
Oh I need to try this ASAP!!! Looks so vibrant and delicious!!!
YUM, this looks incredible! Perfect for Summer!
I have to make this salad asap! It looks so good!
Love all those fresh flavors! SO yummy!
This dish is very delicious and attractive, I want to try it, thank you for sharing.
Strawberry salad is delicious, with many different fruits. Looks very attractive. I really like this dish.
I know your expertise on this. I must say we should have an online discussion on this. Writing only comments will close the discussion straight away! And will restrict the benefits from this information.
This looks so great! Can I use feta cheese instead of goat cheese?
I’ve used both! Either is fine 😀
I’m not a huge salad person but this is my favorite! I make it every chance I get. So glad I found it, thank you!
This salad is flipping amazing, all the flavors from the salad and dressing pair so nicely together! I made it for a BBQ, and I got so many compliments on it. This salad is a must!!
These are some really yummy stuff.
Thanks for making such a healthy and delicious summer salad with so many beneficial elements!
Amazing recipe you have shared here for us.
This summer strawberry salad looks absolutely refreshing! I love how simple it is but packed with flavor. The combination of sweet strawberries, crunchy almonds, and tangy feta is just perfect for a light, summer meal. I also appreciate the idea of adding a light dressing—it keeps everything fresh and not too heavy. I’m definitely going to try this for my next picnic!
Hope you enjoy it!
I hope you keep writing stories like this one and others that are fun to read
This looks like summer in a bowl! Those berries and vinaigrette sound amazing together.