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Nothing rings in Springtime like strawberries, fennel and arugula. I originally created this strawberry arugula salad for my cookbook, Simple Green Meals, and it is definitely a favorite. The toppings are my favorite, yet I constantly get emails about the lemon vinaigrette I created for it, too.
While this salad recipe may contain a few plants you aren’t familiar with, give it a try! These were new to me at one time too, and I got to discover just how incredible they are. Trust me.
Special Salad Ingredients
This strawberry arugula salad will leave you feeling great inside and out. The rawkstar ingredient list includes antioxidant-rich fruits, peppery leafy greens and a beautifully creamy salad dressing.
- Arugula– This leafy green is in the same family as kale, broccoli and brussels sprouts, with the same powerful health benefits.
- Fennel– A super-fiber bulb that is lightly licorice-flavored and crunchy.
- Orange– A vitamin C powerhouse.
- Berries– All the berries in this arugula salad are bursting with antioxidants that fight cancer, aid in cell repair and taste heavenly.
- Meyer lemon– Lemons can help lower blood sugar through their pectin.
Strawberry Arugula Salad Tips
- For an extra creamy dressing, combine all dressing ingredients (except for the poppy seeds!) in a blender or food processor. Blend until creamy. You may need to add a bit of water to help it blend well. Hand mix in the poppy seeds, then store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Slice the fennel bulb, Meyer lemon, strawberries, almonds and orange, then toss with the arugula and berries. Once you’re ready to eat, shake up that homemade vinaigrette and pour over the salad.
- I won’t judge if you lick the bowl on this one. It’s ridiculously good. I love Meyer lemons so much I started growing them in my yard and eating them like apples. If this is your first time trying one then I dare you not to immediately fall in love :-).
Helpful Ingredient Swaps
- While Meyer lemons are definitely preferred (they have the best flavor) in this strawberry arugula salad, you *can* swap them out for regular lemons. Just know they will be tarter and smaller.
- You can swap fennel for white onion as well as the berries for any berries you have on hand.
- If you need this salad to be nut-free, then swap the almonds with hemp hearts or sunflower seeds, and swap the cashews in the lemon vinaigrette with the same.
Strawberry Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups arugula
- ½ fennel bulb very thinly sliced
- 1 orange peeled and segmented
- ½ cup strawberries sliced
- ½ cup blueberries
- ½ cup raspberries
- ½ Meyer lemon seeded and very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp raw cashews soaked
- 2 tbsp Meyer lemon juiced
- 1 tsp raw honey
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Combine the cashews, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add a teaspoon of water if needed. Mix in poppy seeds and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the arugula, fennel, oranges, berries, lemon and almonds.
- When ready to serve, drizzle dressing on top.
Notes
- If you have time, soak cashews in water for 2+ hours to get creamiest result. You can also “flash soak” by putting cashews in a bowl with boiling water. Cover with a plate for 10 minutes, then rinse and drain.
- Store dressing in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Swap in whatever berries you have on hand.
- Hemp hearts or sunflower seeds can be swapped in for almonds in the salad and for the cashews in the dressing.
- Meyer lemons are less tart and much sweeter (and larger) than regular lemons. You can swap in regular lemons if you can’t find Meyer lemons, yet it will change the flavor of the salad and vinaigrette.
Nutrition
Strawberry Salad FAQs
Arugula typically has a stronger, peppery flavor. I like to pair it with lighter, sweeter ingredients like berries as well as tangy fruit like oranges.
My Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette is the perfect pairing for this salad. It’s sweet, tangy and creamy.
If you mix up this salad without the dressing it can keep up to 48 hours in the fridge. For the best results though, I recommend eating it right away.
my dressing wasn’t smooth at all, but, very delicious… I don’t mind it chunky. Great salad, will make again!
Wow!! This one exceeded my expectations! The flavor combinations were wonderful, and I will definitely make it again.
Can’t go wrong with any salad with strawberries and I love the pepper flavor of the arugula! The lemon vinaigrette just completed this salad!
The Strawberry Argugula I left out the cashews out of the Lemon Vinaigrette and
Salad still tasted good
A delightful salad. Didn’t have poppy seed but the dressing was still good without. Didn’t have Meyer lemon. Used regular lemon in the dressing and left out the slices. Overall, an enjoyable combination of ingredients and visually appealing.
I halved the salad, but kept the vinaigrette to serve two to have leftover dressing. I used the appropriate amount of Meyer lemon to each. The salad was way too sour for my liking. I tasted the dressing, and it was fine. It was so sour that I couldn’t finish the salad. If I try this again, I will omit the Meyer lemon from the salad and use more orange segments.
Very fresh salad, I’ll probably use less fruit for next time.
Very fresh salad. I will probably use less fruit next time.
Good summer salad!
Strawberry Arugula Salad
I was really looking forward to this salad. Unfortunately, I found the salad dressing disappointing. The fennel with the orange and berries was a toothsome combination. I couldn’t find any Meyer lemons, so I used regular lemons. I tried adding a little more honey, but the flavor was still not up to my taste. I guess I was expecting the same flavor as the Kale Caesar salad which I love. I will try that dressing on this salad next time.
Salad was good, but loved the dressing!
While this is not my new favorite salad, I do think I’ll save the dressing recipe though!
Everyone likes different flavors… for us this had a tad too much fruit for our preference, but if you enjoy fruit on your salad, you would probably love it!
I preferred the more savory salads, but this one was a good way to get in your greens and berries.
Sweet & peppery, creamy and delightful! I love this salad. The dressing is just delicious and really takes it over the top for me.
This recipe is so rawkin’ fresh! It is so easy to assemble, and versatile with substitutions. I realized I snacked on the raspberries earlier in the week and didn’t have for this recipe. It was still colorful and delicious!