“The perfect summer salad doesn’t exist,” that is… until now. Meet my Strawberry Arugula Salad with lemon Poppyseed Dressing, aka the perfect salad for your late summer days. Peppery arugula blends beautifully with the sweet strawberries and the tangy lemon poppy seed dressing. It’s light, refreshing, and bursting with flavor. Plus, it’s gluten-free, with the option to make it dairy-free and vegan-friendly, so it’s perfect for parties or social gatherings!
I’ll admit: for the longest time, I was never one to like fruits in my salad. I was strictly on the “savory salads only” belief, and liked my fruits to be kept to my desserts. But let me tell you, that has all changed. I have now fallen in-love with fruit in my salads, and that is because of this strawberry arugula salad with lemon poppy seed dressing!
There’s something so perfect about salads in the summertime, and the same goes for strawberries. Both are crips, refreshing, and hold such a quintessential, nostalgic, summertime flavor. I knew that I had to find the perfect way to combine both of them, and lo and behold, this salad was born!
And if you love this salad recipe, then you’ll have to try Ultimate Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Lemon Dressing. It’s a fan-favorite salad recipe (just like this one) and is also perfect for the summertime!
In my opinion, the “perfect” salad comes down to one key thing: LOTS of fun toppings! Nobody wants to eat plain lettuce with dressing. The most fun part of making (and eating) a salad comes down to loading it up with all of the fixings and making each and every bite exciting.
In this salad, we’re keeping it fun with avocado, red onion, slivered almonds, a little feta cheese (optional – remove to make dairy free / vegan-friendly), and of course, strawberries. All of these different ingredients provide a nice mix of flavors and textures that really help to make this salad fun.
If you want to get creative, you can try adding in additional berries (blueberries, for example), or add in some protein. Eggs, grilled chicken, or even some salmon could be a wonderful addition to this salad, and help make it a little more filling.
But, of course, while the toppings are a key part of crafting the “perfect” salad, another aspect that plays an important role is the dressing! Dressings really help to tie a salad together, and this lemon poppyseed dressing is no joke. It’s sweetened with a little honey, tangy thanks to the lemon, and has nice texture thanks to the help of the olive oil and poppy seeds. If you’ve been looking for a great, dairy-free dressing to add to your rotation, look no further, because this one is epic, if I do say so myself.
The best part about this dressing too, is that it all comes together so easily. Simply whisk all of your ingredients together in a bowl until well-combined, and you’ve got the dressing of your dreams ready to go.
For the Dressing:
For the Salad:
In four simple steps, this salad can be yours! Does it get any easier than that?
If you want to make this salad ahead of time, I recommend storing it undressed, in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to one week. You can also store the dressing in the fridge in a separate mason jar or airtight container. Storing them together will make the salad soggy, so it’s best to keep them separate.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below – this really helps others decide whether to make this recipe as well. And since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations so I can see them and repost! Enjoy! xx
I’d love to see what you made – tag @kalejunkie
in your posts and I’ll re-share!
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