This strawberry spinach salad is filled with pecans, feta, and a tangy poppy seed dressing. Perfect for spring or summer, it's simple and fresh.

This strawberry spinach salad is perfect for spring and early summer. It starts with a base of fresh spinach—one of the first vegetables to appear at my farmers market each spring—and is topped off with juicy strawberries, crisp red onion, toasty pecans, and salty feta cheese. My sweet and tangy poppy seed dressing ties it all together.

I think it’s fair to say that this combination is pretty classic (doesn’t Panera have a strawberry poppyseed salad on its menu?), but I still wanted to share this recipe because it’s so simple and fresh, with a wonderful pop of sweetness and color from the strawberries. It feels special enough to serve at holiday gathering or potluck (I’m making it for Easter on Sunday!), but it’s so quick and easy that you could toss it together for any spring meal.

You can find the complete strawberry spinach salad recipe at the bottom of this post. Along the way, I’m sharing fun swaps and variations, make-ahead tips, and more. I hope you love this salad as much as I do!

What’s In This Strawberry Spinach Salad

Here’s what you’ll need to make this spinach and strawberry salad:

Strawberries, of course! They add sweetness, ruby red color, and soft, juicy texture. Rather than chop them, I thinly slice them for this salad. I love eating the thin slices alongside the spinach leaves, and they look so pretty!
Fresh spinach – Use baby spinach if you can—its small leaves and tender texture are great here. Mature spinach also works, but you may want to chop it before you assemble the salad.
Red onion – For savory, oniony flavor.
Toasted pecans – For crunch and rich, nutty flavor.
And feta cheese – It adds a tangy, salty pop that contrasts perfectly with the sweet berries.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Possible Swaps

Replace the strawberries with another fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, orange segments, thinly sliced apples, or pears.
Use spring mix instead of spinach. Butter lettuce would work nicely too!
Try another nut. Replace the pecans with toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds.
Swap out the feta for crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. You could even substitute diced avocado to make this recipe dairy-free!

Let me know what variations you try!

My Easy Poppy Seed Dressing

A sweet and tangy poppy seed dressing brings this salad together.

It’s easy to make with white wine vinegar, shallot, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and poppy seeds. If you’d like to make the dressing lightly creamy, you can add a little mayo too.

Just whisk the ingredients together in a bowl, or place them in a lidded jar and shake to combine.

Possible Swaps

Want to try another dressing on this salad? Any of these recipes would be great:

Lemon vinaigrette
Apple cider vinegar dressing
Balsamic vinaigrette (Balsamic vinegar + strawberries are sooo good together!)

What to Serve with This Strawberry Spinach Salad

This strawberry spinach salad is a great addition to any spring or early summer meal! Serve it alongside your favorite protein or with any of these recipes:

Best egg salad (I LOVE this combo for lunch!)
Crustless quiche
Asparagus risotto
Lemon pasta
Pasta primavera

It would also be a fantastic side dish for an Easter brunch.

To make this salad meal on its own, add a cooked grain like farro or quinoa and/or a handful of crispy roasted chickpeas.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

The spinach strawberry salad and poppy seed dressing are best stored separately.

You can toss together the salad ingredients—minus the dressing—up to 1 day in advance. Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
You can make the dressing up to 5 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. The olive oil in the dressing may solidify as it chills in the fridge. Just allow it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before drizzling it over the salad!

Undressed leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Once dressed, this salad is best eaten within a few hours.

More Spring Salad Recipes

If you love this strawberry spinach salad, try one of these fresh spring salads next: