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For years, I thought salads had to look a certain way—bland iceberg lettuce, salty croutons, and a thick, creamy dressing. I ate them… but I didn’t love them. That all changed when I realized how fresh, vibrant, and satisfying salads can actually be.
This strawberry mixed greens salad is one of my favorites. It’s all about the balance—crisp greens, sweet fruit, creamy avocado, and that bright strawberry basil vinaigrette that brings everything to life. This is the kind of salad you’ll actually crave. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
What is a Mixed Greens Salad?
A mixed green salad is a simple salad made with a variety of leafy greens—like spring mix, spinach, arugula, or lettuce—topped with fresh ingredients and a dressing. It’s known for being light, flexible, and easy to customize based on what you have on hand.
This recipe stands out because it’s more balanced and satisfying—with fruit, healthy fats, crunch, and a homemade strawberry basil dressing that adds fresh, vibrant flavor.
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How to Make Mixed Greens Salad
This mixed greens salad recipe is filled with these greens, plus tangy green apple, creamy avocado, and crunchy almonds. Seriously, this salad is the perfect meal when your sweet tooth comes calling and you’re trying to eat healthy.
1. Wash and dry greens
A recent study done by Consumer Reports says that we should all be washing any produce that comes into our cooking spaces, whether “pre-washed”, organic or otherwise. This is because even those mixed greens carefully washed by well meaning producers can still contain contaminants from E. coli, chemicals and more.
2. Chop apples, avocado and cucumber
I like to chop them all into bite-size pieces (the smaller, the better).
3. Make the Strawberry viniagarette
Combine dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor and puree into the best dressing you’ve ever had with mixed greens.
4. prepare the plate
Add the mixed greens first, and then toppings to the plate. Drizzle dressing on top and enjoy!
Make-Ahead Tips
If you want this salad for work, prep it all in a mason jar. It’s seriously so easy! Simply layer the ingredients in the mason jar. Keep the strawberry dressing in a separate container until time to eat. When you’re ready to eat, pour the dressing on top, give the mason jar a good shake, and enjoy!
Strawberry Mixed Greens Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cup spring mix greens loosely packed
- 1 cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 green apple diced
- 1 avocado sliced
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Dressing
- 1 cup strawberries diced
- 6 fresh basil fresh, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- pinch sea salt, unrefined
- pinch black pepper, ground ground, to taste
Instructions
- Arrange salad ingredients on plates.
- Puree the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Drizzle some of the dressing over salad (you may not need all of it). Eat immediately.
Notes
- Swap mixed greens with the leafy greens of your choice.
- Oil-free? Omit the olive oil. It’ll still be delicious and less caloric.
- Lemon Vinaigrette would also be delicious on this recipe.
- Add the nuts or seeds of your choice for more healthy fats + protein.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks! Winners announced each season in my newsletter.Common Questions
Yes! If you have a favorite dressing, feel free to swap out my Strawberry Vinaigrette. Yet I do encourage you to make it one time like this because it’s out-of-this-world delicious!
You sure can. You can swap it for any leafy green you prefer or have on hand. You might check out our Leafy Greens Guide for more inspiration.
In all my salads, I try and use some sorta nuts, seeds or protein to help me stay full. A salad is typically a meal for me, which means it needs a variety of fiber, healthy fats, protein and carbs to keep me full until the next meal.
Hubby and I loved this salad for lunch today. He ate it as is, and I added a hard-boiled egg for a little extra protein. His exact words were, “This is a TEN.” 🙂 Really liked that the dressing gave us berry flavor in every bite. Thank you!
I absolutely loved this salad. I made it just like the recipe said but WHEN I make it again I will add my vegan cheese. I like how everything is here. Crunchy nuts, apple and cucumber with smooth avocado and the Strawberry basil dressing make this not only a wonderful spring bright salad but will make a wonderful cool summer salad!
This is a keeper!!
This dressing is the bomb digity!. It reminds me of a strawberry julius but with basil. I had to stop myself from drinking it right out of the container…someone should make this into a smoothie! I love, love love avocados too! They paired well with the almonds, apples and strawberry basil dressing. Who knew? Simple Green Smoothies did! Good job!.
Awww! Thank you so much for this review, Tanya! You RAWK!
I did not add olive oil when I made this and it still turned out delicious! There is a massive difference between making your own dressing with fresh herbs and whole food-based ingredients at home versus store-bought dressings. I’ve never liked fruit based dressings, but this one is a pretty big deal. I can’t wait to try the next salad recipe!
Agree! The homemade dressing RAWKS!
This was a really tasty salad. I left the cucumbers out, but otherwise followed the recipe. I liked the combination of green apple and avocado, but the dressing was the star. Jen wasn’t kidding when she mentioned we might be tempted to drink it. The strawberries and basil were a lovely combination. It had just the right balance of tart and sweet and didn’t seem oily. This is a lovely salad as is, but would also be great with some grilled chicken.
I loved this salad, it was very easy to make, and the dressing is delicious. I love the strawberry and basil together. I also had a few strawberries left over so put them into the salad
The best part was the strawberry dressing! I also really liked the apples for a nice crunch – I used red cosmic crisp apples.
The salad dressing was to die for. In fact, I wanted to drink the dressing. It now will become one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing.
Love it, love it, love it ❤️❤️❤️
Dressing amazing and very easy to make.
Will be making his one again for sure.
Good, my boyfriend liked it even better than i did. It’s different and is refreshing.
Yummy! I substituted avocado mash for the avocado (same difference, different form) and added chicken for the protein. Very good! Can’t wait for my hubby to try the leftover dressing!
I enjoyed this easy to make salad and dressing. As a stand alone meal, I would add some feta cheese perhaps. I do not think it will fill my hubby, as his lunch.
Nevertheless, it is wonderful to get more delicious greens in our bodies!
You can always use this as a side salad for your husband! Feat sounds like it would be DELICIOUS on this salad! Yum!
Crispy crunchy cucumber and apple, creamy smooth avocado…happy tummy!