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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.
Love having a health Meyer Lemon salad dressing to refer back to. Delicious recipe.
I give it a 5 ( loved it!) but hubby said a 2 because he’s not a fan of mixing fruits & veggies. The dressing was very nice too! THANKS Jen. It’s been a great 10 days.
Fennel, arugula and berry is a nice combo with almonds for a wee bit of Crunch
Aww! So happy you enjoyed it! We all had a blast too! 🙂
What a nice way to end the salad challenge! This is my FAVORITE!!! I think I have even embraced fennel!!!!
Whoo hoo!! Way to give fennel a chance!! Glad you’re enjoying it.
Love it one of the top three!!!!
Delicious and beautiful!
Not a berry in salad person but the dressing is great over mixed greens with some chopped cucumbers and carrots.
This was a nice salad but the dressing was delicious!!
My greens were Arugula & spinach. No raspberries only because my store didn’t have any in stock.
I like the blueberries & strawberries but I don’t think I will add the lemon & orange next time. But I will give the salad a squeeze of lemon.
An absolute delight of a salad! My finicky husband who HATES salad even tried it and liked it!! I loved the sweetness of the berries paired with the lemon poppy seed and cashew dressing. We thoroughly enjoyed it and I will make this again!
Wow! What a salad to end on! Deliciousness on a plate (but not for long-soon to be in my belly!)
Definitely one of the best I have had in this challenges line up ! So fresh and tangy . Reminds me of summer !
Loved this salad. All the fruit with that amazing dressing. What a fabulous combination of flavors.
Beautiful Salad, Great composition and taste
Salads with fresh fruits. What could be better?
Not a berry person but all else is good. Didn’t see any Meyer lemons.
Very light and springy salad ~ a rainbow of flavors. Didnt have all the ingredients for the dressing and subbed chia seeds for poppies. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but maybe perfecting the dressing next time will push me over the top!
BURSTING with sweet juiciness, the Strawberry Arugula Salad should be classified as an afrodisiac!!
Seriously, this is “dating salad!”
The fennel crunches, the arugula peppers, the fruit pops, and the creamy cashew-based poppy seed vinaigrette brings it all together in a delightful, exciting salad! I’m in love!