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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.
Delicious dressing with the combination of basil and strawberry! It definitely benefits from added salt to make the flavor pop. Will be an awesome summer salad.
I am enjoying making my own dressing. This has really been an awesome experience to be able to supplement what I buy in a way that I could never have imagined on my own.
Thank you so much for sharing the awesome recipes.
Didn’t have time to comment last night but I had it for dinner. It was absolutely delicious! I love fruit mixed with salad – right up my alley!
What a delicious spring salad! My husband and I both enjoyed. I thought there was still a little flavor missing…I couldn’t exactly pinpoint it, but maybe some fresh strawberries on top or maybe it was a little Dijon mustard in the dressing. Regardless, the salad says Spring!
I made the salad on Mon but it was too much basil in the salad dressing for me but will try again when my home grown basil is ready to be picked.
Delicious salad. Never tried a sweet, strawberry-based dressing before, but I loved it. Will definitely make it again.
Awesome, glad you enjoyed it!
The apple is what really sets this salad apart. I love the tang with the leafy greens!!!!
This was a very refreshing salad and loved the dressing! Will be making this again!
Loved this salad will be making it again
I love this dressing! I will be using it on other salads and veggie mixes in the future. The salad was also quite good. I added a few chopped green onion tops.
Yummy!
The dressing was the best part but I will only use half the amount of Basil next time. (Maybe I don’t know how to measure herbs because I stuffed the tablespoon.). And I think I will not use avocado (I love avocado but it did not add anything to this recipe) or cucumber (the crunch factor that cucumbers usually add was lost in the apples) next time I make this salad. Like others have said, the star is the dressing.
Feel free to make adjustments next time. When I measure herbs I just loosely pack them.
This was an easy salad to make. I couldn’t find fresh basil at the supermarket because it was sold out and I didn’t have time to to another one so had to use dried for the dressing. The dressing was light and refreshing and complimented the salad. I made it for dinner for my boyfriend who felt it was missing something, like maybe Gorgonzola cheese. I must admit he may have been right, but it is still a salad I would eat again.
Such a delightfully refreshing meal, just love the dressing!