This strawberry arugula salad is easy and versatile enough for a light dinner or a crowd-pleasing side dish, drizzled with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
It goes amazing when paired with grilled meats or seafood.
Best salad for summer picnics!
Strawberry Arugula Salad Recipe
This great recipe has all the best summer flavors: juicy and sweet strawberries, peppery arugula, toasted pine nuts, creamy feta cheese, and a simple sweet balsamic vinaigrette.
Summer salads are our favorite here the most; try these favorites next: fried halloumi beetroot salad, salmon avocado salad, or this evergreen kale Caesar salad (with chicken!).
Jump To
- Strawberry Arugula Salad Recipe
- Ingredients To Make This Salad
- How To Make Strawberry Arugula Salad + Step-by-Step Photos
- Expert Tips For Making The Best Salad Bowl
- Craving More Side Salad Recipes With Strawberries?
- Storing Leftovers
- Salad Substitutions & Ideas
- Other Salad Dressing Ideas
- Arugula Recipes
- Did You Like This Recipe?
- Recipe Card
- Strawberry Arugula Salad: FAQ's
- More Salad Recipes
- Comments
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Ingredients To Make This Salad
- Arugula - did you know that arugula is not a lettuce? Despite its appearance, it belongs to the mustard greens family! Both wild and cultivated arugula share a peppery or mustard-like flavor, but wild arugula tends to be more intense and slightly bitter compared to the milder taste of cultivated varieties.
- Strawberries - fresh strawberries provide the perfect sweetness for the salad and dressing.
- Dressing - This simple arugula salad dressing consists of fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and a drizzle of your favorite sweetener. Simple yet so delicious, you can use the same dressing in other summer salads, like cucumber strawberry salad or strawberry chicken salad.
📋 You can find the full ingredient list in the Recipe Card below the article.
How To Make Strawberry Arugula Salad + Step-by-Step Photos
- Start with fresh arugula: Wash it well to remove dirt and dry thoroughly - either with a salad spinner or pat dry to prevent a watery salad. Set aside.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant and turn a lovely golden brown.
- Make the dressing: Whisk the dressing ina small bowl or jar. Then toss the salad with the dressing.
- To assemble the salad, transfer the dressed arugula mixture to a serving plate and top it with strawberries, crumbled feta cheese, avocado, and toasted pine nuts. You can also gently toss all the ingredients and then add feta cheese.
- Finish by drizzling some fresh lemon juice over the salad and serve it immediately for a delightful freshness!
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
Expert Tips For Making The Best Salad Bowl
- Try other dressing - this creamy strawberry poppyseed vinaigrette will work beautifully here.
- Add dressing just before serving. Arugula can wilt and lose its crunch if left too long mixed with the dressing.
- Strawberries - the riper, the better. They offer unbeatable natural sweetness to the salad. Avoid thawed frozen strawberries, as they can be too soft and mushy.
- Gently toss your salad to preserve its delicate ingredients. Avoid rough handling to maintain the structure and texture of the strawberries and arugula. Add the avocado last.
- I didn't add salt here, but you can add a pinch or two of kosher or sea salt to enhance all the flavors and increase the strawberry sweetness.
- Drizzle the finished salad with sweet balsamic glaze - so easy to make at home and (cheaper too!).
- Season with salt and pepper as needed according to your taste buds!
- 🖤 Read Next: Does Balsamic Vinegar Go Bad?
Keep the Strawberry Tops
Place strawberry tops in an airtight container. Keep them in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a few months. Use them in:
- Infused water or spirits: add to water for flavor or leave them in rum for a few days.
- Add the tops to smoothies: gives a pink hue and a hint of strawberries + nutrition.
🍅 Make Next: Balsamic Chicken Breast With Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Craving More Side Salad Recipes With Strawberries?
You CANNOT MISS THESE!
Storing Leftovers
- To Store. This salad is best consumed within 1 hour. The dressing's acidity can wilt the arugula and soften the strawberries.
- 📝 Tip: Eat as much as you'd consume right away, keep the remaining salad ingredients separately in the fridge. Store the dressing in the fridge for up to a week. When you're ready to serve add the dressing.
- To Make Ahead:
- Prepare dressing and refrigerate in an airtight jar for up to 3 days.
- Store undressed arugula leaves separately from anything else in a bowl up to 3 days ahead, and refrigerate.
- Toss salad with dressing, strawberries, avocado, pine nuts, and feta before serving.
How to get the bitterness out of arugula?
Acid and sweetness in this salad dressing will surely help with that.
However, as an extra step, you can try this blanching method:
- Soak the arugula leaves in ice water for 5-10 minutes.
- This cold water bath can reduce bitterness by blanching the leaves slightly without cooking them.
- Then, drain and pat the leaves dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel before incorporating them into salads or other dishes. You can use the same method to blanch spinach!
🥗 Make Next: Healthy Roasted Beet Goat Cheese Salad
Salad Substitutions & Ideas
- Lettuce alternatives - substitute arugula spinach, kale, or mixed greens for variety.
- Cheese choices - replace feta cheese with creamy goat cheese or aromatic blue cheese. Or leave it out and add more avocado for creaminess.
- Swap out the pine nuts - substitute with slivered almonds, toasted pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds.
- Add protein - Add grilled chicken, shrimp, air fryer salmon or pan fried tofu for a protein boost.
- Other fruit and berries - For a different flavor, try ripe peach slices, blueberries, or tangy raspberries instead of strawberries.
- 🧅 One of my favorite additions to strawberry salad is red onion. It adds a nice zing, especially when paired with grilled chicken breast.
To make this recipe even better, drizzle the finished salad with my homemade balsamic glaze. To make it a meal, add grilled chicken or shrimp!
Other Salad Dressing Ideas
Try these favorites:
🍓 5 Minute Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing
🌿 Best Green Goddess Dip and Salad Dressing With Greek Yogurt
Arugula Recipes
Arugula is also used in various dishes, not only salads.
Its tender, fresh, and peppery qualities make it a favorite ingredient.
Here are some suggestions for leftover arugula:
- Substitute spinach with arugula in Green goddess salad or in green goddess dip.
- Swap out basil for arugula in cashew basil pesto recipe.
- Roasted potato salad
Did You Like This Recipe?
Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Recipe Card
Strawberry Arugula Salad With Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
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INGREDIENTS
Dressing
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salad
- 4-5 cups arugula or baby spinach leaves, rinsed and dried
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 + ½ cup strawberries, sliced or quartered
- 2-3 ounce feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- lemon wedges for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start with fresh arugula. Wash it well to remove dirt and dry thoroughly - either with salad spinner or pat dry to prevent a watery salad. Set aside.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant and turn a lovely golden brown.¼ cup pine nuts
- Next, combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl, then toss in the arugula leaves.1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 4-5 cups arugula or baby spinach leaves
- To assemble the salad, transfer the dressed arugula mixture to a serving plate, and top it with strawberries, crumbled feta, avocado and the toasted pine nuts. Or you can also gently toss all the ingredients and then add feta cheese.1 + ½ cup strawberries, 2-3 ounce feta cheese, lemon wedges for serving, 1 large avocado
- Finish by drizzling some fresh lemon juice over the salad and serve it immediately for a delightful freshness!
NOTES
- Serves 4 large or 8 small servings. Nutrition: is estimate and is calculated per one (if served as 4 small servings).
- You can also serve this salad with a drizzle of homemade balsamic glaze.
- To Store. This salad is best consumed within 1 hour. The dressing's acidity can wilt the arugula and soften the strawberries. The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
- How to get bitterness out of arugula? Acid and sweetness in this salad dressing will sure help with that. However as an extra step you can try this blanching method:
- Soak the arugula or spinach leaves in ice water for 5-10 minutes.
- This cold water bath can reduce bitterness by blanching the leaves slightly without cooking them.
- Then, drain and pat the leaves dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels before incorporating them into salads or dishes.
- To Make Ahead:
- Prepare dressing and refrigerate in an airtight jar for up to 3 days.
- Store undressed arugula leaves separately from anything else in a bowl up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate.
- Toss salad with dressing, strawberries, avocado, pine nuts and feta just before serving.
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Strawberry Arugula Salad: FAQ's
This arugula salad is approximately 209 calories if served for 4 people.
Lettuce wilts primarily due to water loss. Since lettuce is mostly water, it lacks a water source to draw from after being harvested.
Additionally, when dressed and stored in the fridge, it loses moisture to the air, resulting in a soft and limp texture. So consume the salad immediately or store the arugula separately in a container in the fridge and add the dressing just before serving.
Arugula, a nutritional powerhouse, belongs to the same family as cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Packed with vitamins C, calcium, folate, iron, fiber, and protein, it's a versatile ingredient, perfect for both raw and cooked dishes.
Try grilled or roasted salmon, salmon burgers, grilled chicken, white wish (like baked cod), roasted air fryer chickpeas.
BeaHive22
OMG, just made this salad and it was soo good! Who knew arugula and strawberries could go so well together! gonna add this to my fav recipes!
Julia
thank you, so good right!
Markus_P
lovely and refreshing summer salad!
Julia
thank you!
LizBeth_Anne
While I see the appeal of using arugula for its peppery bite, I often find baby spinach to be a gentler green for these kinds of salads. It pairs beautifully with the sweetness of strawberries.
Gerry M.
Spinach is good but doesn't have the same kick as arugula. Depends on what you're after I guess.
jason_c
nice tip on keeping the strawberry tops, never thought of that. gotta try this salad recipe out for the next potluck, looks easy and fancy
Karla Hughes
Hey Julia, thanks for this! Was wondering if using frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones would change the taste or texture of the salad too much? Trying to use what I got in the freezer. Thanks!
Sam T.
I've used frozen strawberries before, just let them thaw a bit. Changes the texture slightly, but still tastes great in the salad!
Julia
fresh is the best for salads, keep the frozen ones for smoothies 🙂
Julia
one of my favorite summetime salads, hope you enjoy!