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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.
Absolutely refreshingly delicious!!!
Salad Challenge: Day 10. Another winner! The dressing was deliciously sweet and creamy, but next time I would a touch of extra liquid to help it drizzle more easily. My husband expressed disappointment that this is the last day of the challenge. He’d be happy if I repeated it all. I enjoyed having most of the meal decided upon for me, which made up for the veggie and dressing preparation time. Glad we embarked on this challenge.
Whoo hoo! You guys totally RAWKED it! Thank you so much for participating and for all of the feedback!
I’m normally not a fan of fruit in salad but this was really good! Next time I would prob use a little less fruit. The dressing was delicious!
A great salad that reminds me of summertime. The dressing is a delicious addition. You can put in any berries you have.
Great salad. I enjoy mixing fruits and veggies for a fuller meal. The dressing was yummy but I’ve liked all your dressings. I used arugula & some other leftover greens which was fine. I’m finding it easier to mix in leftover veggies now! Thanks
Strawberry Arugula Salad was my least favorite. To be fair, partly because of operator error. I had some issues with the dressing. As you can see in my picture, it is pink. I added too much water to get it to blend so I added some strawberries to give it some more flavor. Didn’t care for the arugula as being the only greens. I see I forgot the almonds. Ugh!. Would try again with different greens and making the dressing properly.
I loved everything about this salad; all the flavors worked so well together. The dressing is so good, I could eat all of it with a spoon!
Wonderful ingredients and THE BEST dressing!
Loved this salad because I love fruits. The combination was really good and the dressing was perfect
Yummy, love it
I used Organic Girl Super Greens for this salad instead of arugula. Meyer lemon added a sweet touch to this dish.
So bright in color and flavor!
Delicious And Beautiful 🙂 I Enjoy Salads With Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries And Oranges. A Burst Of Berries With Every Mouthful Of Salad. I Mixed Arugula With The Last Of The Kale I Had. So Good 🙂 , My Taste Buds Where Allover The Place With The Sweetness Of The Berries And The Bitterness Of The Greens. The Cashew Lemon Poppy Seed Salad Dressing Is A Keeper. I Will Make This Salad Again 🙂
The cashew lemon dressing is so good and the salad ingredients are so refreshing!
Yummy sweet and savory salad.
Love, love, love this one! It came together quickly and easily (once the cashews had soaked for several hours for the dressing).