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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!

Mixed greens salad topped with a strawberry dressing.

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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Jar of strawberry dressing.

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!

👉 How to Meal Prep Salads

mixed greens salad
4.70 (731 votes)

Strawberry Mixed Greens Salad

This strawberry mixed greens salad is a fresh, flavorful way to enjoy a variety of fruits and veggies in one bowl. Crisp greens, juicy strawberries, crunchy almonds, and creamy avocado come together with a bright strawberry basil dressing for the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and satisfying. It’s quick to make and ideal for a light meal or refreshing side.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Serves: 2 servings
Author: Jen Hansard

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
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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

Serving: 3 cups | Calories: 462 kcal | Carbohydrates: 38 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 35 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24 g | Sodium: 13 mg | Potassium: 1016 mg | Fiber: 13 g | Sugar: 21 g | Vitamin A: 378 IU | Vitamin C: 67 mg | Calcium: 93 mg | Iron: 2 mg

Did you make this recipe?

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Common Questions

Can I make this salad with a different dressing?

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!

Can I swap mixed greens for baby spinach?

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.

What’s the point of the sliced almonds?

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.

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4.70 from 731 votes

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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    I didnt get an email today, but went by the recipes I printed out. I thought it was a potato salad.? Anyhoo… i made it without the pickles and since we had snow, turned it into a soup! Turned out yummy!

  2. 5 stars
    Day 2 the Taco Salad
    Did not expect to like this salad but boy were we wrong. Hubby and I both enjoyed it , cashew cream too. So glad I joined this challenge.

  3. 1 star
    Potato salad not a hit here, hubby called it cold potatoes
    Disappointed as I thought it would be tastier, I’m not a fan of creamy potato salad & thought this might change my mind. I’ll fry it up tomorrow, hash browns will be delicious

  4. 5 stars
    Very good salad. I made it as in the recipe but I’m allergic to walnuts so I prepared but did not eat the walnut meat. It was easy as I shopped for week one on Sunday. Had everything and just put it together. I’m taking photos but I don’t see anywhere to post them.

  5. 5 stars
    Yummy, yummy, yummy…healthy food for the eyes, as well as the tummy! I loved this combination of greens, fruits, and crunchy nuts…delicious. This Mixed Greens Salad is the perfect dish to kick-off the beginning of Spring! ***** 5 stars

  6. Since I never got an email today about day 2 and the recipe I will have to leave my review for day 2 salad here. The “Healthy Taco Salad” was hearty and I didn’t even miss real meat. The walnut meat was delicious! I liked uncovering new layers of the salad as I ate. Very good!

  7. 5 stars
    The Healthy Taco salad is a winner! It’s truly a spin on the traditional taco salad. All of the ingredients went well with the cashew cream. I didn’t make the walnut meat but will next time it’s taco Tuesday.

  8. 4 stars
    Healthy Tacos it was a wonderful change to our turkey tacos. Made a 2nd strawberry mixed greens today too! Thanks and looking forward to here’s recipe

  9. 5 stars
    I really enjoyed this salad with osm dressing.
    I don’t like strawberry so lil bit scared to use it but once I taste it, I said just WOWW… .
    Thank you so much for this osm recipe.

  10. Loved the dressing! Dressing went well with this salad and loved the crispness of the apples and crunch of the nuts included in it. I’ll definitely be making it again!

  11. 5 stars
    I didn’t think all these strong flavors would work well together but they did.

  12. Great salad! I used blueberries instead of strawberries due to allergies and loved the sweet, yet tangy, flavor. Definitely will do this one over and over. And, I do wash all my produce, even the organic ones and prewashed ones.

    1. 5 stars
      Sorry, forgot to give it the 5 stars it deserves!
      BTW, how do we obtain the coupon for the Organic Girl greens? I clicked on an earlier email I received, but it only took me to the Organic Girl home page, no coupon. I have been buying Organic Girl super greens for a long time, wish they had them in the 10 ounce size, would love to save some green on the greens since everything is so expensive now.

  13. 5 stars
    Very good. Lots of textures. I used arugula instead of mixed greens which would have been milder. The dressing was very good and I added the apple and avocado to it to prevent browning as I ate this salad for 2 meals. Preparing all the greens ahead of time was an excellent idea.

    1. 2 stars
      I was not too impressed by the Strawberry Mixed Greens. It works as a side dish, but I would add more ingredients to it for a meal.

    2. You can def bulk this up or use as a side salad! Way to go for trying it!