This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Table of Contents
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.
Loved everything about this recipe, but was unsure of the fennel. I’ve used it before & it adds a nice texture to the salad, but on it’s own I’m not crazy about it. I loved the berries, arugula & the dressing And I always keep a bag of honey-roasted sliced almonds on hand for salads! So good!
Another good one. Had it lunch and saving the rest for tomorrow’s lunch. Sweetness of the fruit balances the peppery arugula. Didn’t use the lemon slices in the salad cause I used the rest of the meyer lemons in the bag and made lemonade. Yummm!
This was my favorite salad. I loved the dressing- oh so good & pretty too. This one is definitely a keeper!
I had to have hem lettuce instead of arugula. And blackberries instead of raspberries as I couldn’t get them anywhere. This was so tasty and refreshing
What a wonderful summer salad this is. Left out the fennel (I don’t like it at all) but otherwise love all the fruit that is on the salad. Dressing is great – love poppy seed any time! Thank you so much for the recipe. Will be on my favourites list
Great job making this work for you by omitting the fennel!
Sooooo yummm!yummy!
Another winner.
Another great balance of sweet and savory and crunchy. I added extra nuts and beans to make it more filling.
This will definitely become a new go to salad. Love all the berries!
Strawberries make this salad taste so delicious!
Another great salad!
I love the fennel in this salad. I don’t like sweet dressing and therefore omitted the honey. Also, there are too many berries and way too much fat per serving. I suggest removing the cashews and honey from the dressing, reducing the almonds, and removing one of the types of berries from this recipe.
I made this salad today because I was afraid my berries were going bad. I really enjoyed the whole salad, including the dressing. However my son thought it was a bit spicy; I could only think that it was the Arugula.
So fresh and colorful. Poppyseed dressing is a keeper. (We omitted fennel, as my son admitted after the last one that he wasn’t a fan of fennel….. but I love it!)
I made this salad today as I wanted to use up the berries I had bought before they turned bad.
I liked it. Very colorful. I thought the cashew dressing was tasty.
I was concerned that the arugula would over power the berries. I think the cashew dressing kept all the flavors equal.
We really enjoyed this salad. Did not care for the Myers’s lemons, they were really sour, so I’ll skip those next time.
Cannot go wrong here! Nice balance of fruit and veggies to entice anyone to nom on! I love all the colors!
Fruits can be so refreshing in a salad. Def makes it more exciting.
This looks gorgeous! I’ve learned to love fennel and love that it’s on this salad
That’s a lotta love, Erin! Love it!