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Nothing says spring quite like juicy strawberries, crisp fennel, and peppery arugula. I first made this strawberry arugula salad for my latest cookbook, and it’s been a favorite ever since. Honestly, the toppings are what made me fall in love with it—but everyone who tries it always asks about the Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette in top. It’s so simple and so good.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I know a few of these ingredients might be new to you (they were for me once, too!), but that’s part of the fun—discovering how incredible new flavors can be. This salad is packed with good-for-you plants that make you feel amazing inside and out:
- Arugula: a leafy green with a little peppery bite (it’s in the same family as kale and broccoli).
- Fennel: crunchy and lightly sweet with a hint of licorice flavor.
- Orange + berries: full of vitamin C and antioxidants, and they add bright pops of flavor.
- Meyer lemon: slightly sweeter than regular lemons and totally addictive. I use them in my Ginger Lemon Honey Tea.
How to Make Strawberry Arugula Salad
- 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.
Ingredient Swaps
While Meyer lemons are definitely preferred, you can swap them out for regular lemons. Just know the dressing will be tart.
You can swap fennel for yellow 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, unrefined
- ⅛ black pepper, ground
- 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
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
You can prep most of it ahead! Slice the fennel, citrus, and berries up to a day in advance and store them separately in the fridge. Wait to toss everything with the arugula and dressing until just before serving to keep it crisp and fresh.
Meyer lemons are sweeter and less tart than regular lemons, but if you can’t find them, you can absolutely use regular lemons. Just know the flavor will be a bit more tangy—still delicious, just a little brighter.
Soaking helps make the dressing super creamy, but if you’re short on time, do a “flash soak.” Just pour boiling water over the cashews, cover the bowl for 10 minutes, then drain and blend.
Yes! Swap the sliced almonds for hemp hearts or sunflower seeds, and use the same seed swap in the vinaigrette instead of cashews. It will still taste rich and delicious.
Store the Meyer lemon vinaigrette in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge for up to 1 week. Give it a good shake before using again.
Absolutely. Use whatever berries you have on hand—strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries all work beautifully.
Good combination of citrus and berries. I used almonds (soaked) rather than cashews. Dressing came out creamy and delicious. I will make this again!
Salad: Strawberrt Arugula Salad
Specs: Lemon dressing (vegan version of creamy lemon poppyseed dressing) with
& sliced almonds topped on a bed of arugula.
This dressing is EPIC. I love it almost as much as the strawberry basil dressing. It’s subtle and pairs well with the arugul and fruit. Cashew cream is LIFE. I think I’m almost ready to go based! I almost feel like the title of the salad should have the word lemon somewhere in it too.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This wonderfully light, crunchy, sweet salad is one of my top 3 favorites. I love the arugula with the fruit and fennel together, and the yummy lemon poppyseed vinaigrette was so good with the combination of flavors.
Once again I was surprised how these flavors complimented each other and am looking forward to having the second serving for dinner tonight
This salad was delicious and reminded me of the first salad. I was able to slice the fennel much thinner so it worked much better. I liked the dressing but wasn’t quite sure how much water to use and so may have made it too soupy. However it still tasted great.
This was so good!! I did change up the arugula to spinach and went light on the fennel but wow! The vinaigrette was awesome!
Absolutely love this salad!!! It was a hit for my family. I think the only time I have used fennel was in stuffing one year for Thanksgiving. Who knew I’d love it in these different salad recipes. I really enjoy Meyer lemons too. Whenever I have a recipe that calls for them, I usually sneak a few pieces to eat by itself. This salad is so pretty and tasty.
A perfect spring salad. It was so deliciously sweet my husband thought it tasted like dessert! I wasn’t able to find a Meyers lemon, but a regular lemon sliced very thin was fine. We enjoyed this salad challenge. Thank you. We will have many of the salads again.
What a perfect salad to end our challenge with. The overall presentation of this salad made me happy. So colorful and screams “Spring time”. Wonderful blend of flavors. The dressing was amazing and I will definitely be making this again. I honestly never paid attention that there were different lemons. This was the first time I ever bought/used a Meyer lemon. Much enjoyed!
Last salad and did not disappoint!! Loved it! So fresh….like eating a bowl of summer:)
This challenge has been awesome! I have enjoyed every salad. Thanks, Jen. You Rawk!
Loved this salad. I often make fruit and arugula salads however I have never added fennel before, really liked it! Wasn’t able to find a Meyer lemon so substituted regular lemon but that seemed to work. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and a great 10 days.. Let’s keep the green train rolling!!
Way to go for trying (and liking!) fennel!
What’s better than a bowl of summer? Great job, Rawkstar!
This was not my favorite. It seemed a jumble of flavors that got lost. Not worth the effort
I need to perfect the cashew dressing but this was a great salad. It will be in my rotation for sure!
I love how the 10 Day Challenge began with strawberries and ended with strawberries! I just love strawberries! This is another one of my favorites!
Yum! This gorgeous salad tasted as good as it looked!
In the past I have not really cared for fresh fruit on my green salads. But this was really good! Love the Meyer lemon. Left the peel on. I used blood orange segments and added grapefruit as well. Very tasty salad!
Very nice leaving the peel on your lemon – it’s FULL of nutrients! #RawkstarStatus
This was another good salad. I couldn’t find meyer lemons so I substituted plain lemons and just didn’t add the sliced lemons to the salad. I’ll try it again if I ever see meyer lemons in the store. I loved the creamy taste of the dressing. Paired great with the arugula. This would be a great addition to a spring buffet.