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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.
I absolutely loved this salad. The dressing reminded me of orange and poppy seed muffins I had to make a couple changes because I couldn’t get any meyer lemons, so added half a mandarin to the salad, and used some juice from an orange with lemon juice in the dressing. Will definitely be making this again.
Amazing Spring Salad!! This one is going on my menu for Easter, but it will be on a regular menu rotation, definitely! I lightly roasted the fennel with some lemon zest and it was so delicious! Loved the cashew cream dressing!
This is a delicious and filling salad. It makes great use of spring and summer berries. I don’t normally love fruit in my salads, but this hit the spot. The dressing is really nice, even using regular lemons. The almonds and fennel add a crunch factor that is very satisfying. You won’t be sorry you made this.
Love the bursting fruit flavors!
Tasty!!
Ok tasting, slightly sweet with fruit , slightly tangy with salad and dressing
I love this salad. It has sweet, tart, crunchy and the peppery taste of the arugula brings it all together. I couldn’t find the Meyer lemons near me so had to use regular and I grabbed what I thought was poppy seed from my pantry but it turned out to be chia seed (oops). Otherwise this is a nice fresh tasting salad. One that I will definitely make again.
I bet chia seeds did just fine on this one! 😉
Great salad for ending the challenge! Loved the fruit aspect! Wanted to use up my greens so used the rest of my spinach. Liked this salad so much that I ate it twice. Once for lunch and then again for dinner.
Love, love, love this salad. Tasty. Beautiful. Relatively easy to put together. You should definitely give it a try.
Tasty and filling. A winner!
This salad would be great for entertaining guests. Beautiful colours and lots of fabulous flavours!
Great salad. The flavors all mingled really well together the tartness of the lemon mixed with the sweetness of the honey and the creaminess of the cashews and all of the yummy fruit and the peppery arugula make a wonderful salad
I really liked this salad. I am a fan of arugula so it’s something I typically already have around my kitchen. This was my first time working with fennel although I’ve had it in food at restaurants. I enjoyed this salad and it demystified fennel for me so now I’m thinking of other ways to use it since I have a bunch left. It did take me 3 trips to find Meyer lemons so if I make this again I will likely just use a regular lemon. I thought all these ingredients worked well together and my son ate it too, which is a huge win for our family.
Oh my goodness – 3 trips! Way to follow through and get all the ingredients! You RAWK!
I never think of putting fruit in salads. This was amazing.
Don’t care for arugula; substituting baby spinach leaves seemed a good option. I don’t “cook” much, so dressing is a bit complicated.
Well done! We finish this 10 Day Salad Challenge with a perfectly beautiful salad. The ingredients totally complement each other (arugula, fennel, fruit—amazing). I have overcome my fear of many of the salad ingredients and how to make a Rawkstar dressing too! Loving my Meyer lemons too!