Strawberries, spinach, and pecans – Oh my! Drizzle some sherry vinaigrette over the top of this keto strawberry salad and you’ll be in summertime euphoria.
Looking to lighten it up with more keto salads? Try this keto chicken salad, Chinese chicken salad, or avocado chicken salad.
Sweet Little Garden Jewels
This time of year is so poetically beautiful, with the thawing earth and budding trees. My own garden is like a small oasis of peace and happiness. Sometimes I just go and stare at it to shake off a little stress. My salad greens are looking lovely, and my garlic and shallots are growing strong. But the thing I’m most excited for? Strawberries!
I planted extra this year because we can never get enough. And they’re just about ripe for the pickin’! Which means it’s strawberry salad time.
This salad is truly better than most. The key is the sherry vinaigrette, it’s my whole family’s dressing of choice. We like to top it all off with chicken to create a delicious, well-rounded meal. Then there’s blue cheese… MWAH! And a little crunch from the pecan… OH, BABY!
Usher in the season with this sweet spinach strawberry salad.
What I Love About This Strawberry Salad
Now let’s talk flavor. Here’s what to expect:
- CRUNCH from the pecans
- SWEETNESS from the strawberries
- CREAMINESS from the blue cheese
- FRESHNESS from the spinach
Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredient Notes (+ Options)
Here’s our family favorite way to make a green salad with strawberries:
- The greens. Spinach is mild in flavor, soft, and slightly sweet. We also love mixed greens and/or arugula, odd I know, but it works. Skip Romaine and other grassy-tasting greens.
- The chicken is totally optional, but we love to make a strawberry salad with chicken for more substantial keto lunch ideas.
- The nuts. Roasting the pecans will bring out their flavor and increase their crunch. Don’t skip!
- The cheese. Blue cheese is my fave here, but really, can you go wrong with keto cheese in a strawberry salad? Other options include goat cheese, feta, or manchego.
- The dressing. This strawberry salad dressing is a shallot balsamic vinegarette that we can’t live without–so make it as is, and adjust it to your liking after you’ve tried it.
How Can I Make a Healthy Salad Taste Better?
The secret to a healthy salad that tastes delicious is a combination of ingredients with varying TEXTURES and FLAVORS–the texture is often overlooked. For every salad, I add TEXTURE with crunchy nuts, crumbled bacon, or crispy veggies.
Then, I add a myriad of flavors with different cheeses, fruits, and of course, a delicious dressing.
Is This Strawberry Salad Keto?
This spinach and strawberry salad is a great option for those of you following a keto eating plan! The one swap you’ll want to make is honey for allulose (I always do this). The reason I use allulose instead of my beloved erythritol, is the dressing isn’t heated, and when erythritol isn’t heated, it’ll add a crunchy texture (not ideal for any dressing).
More Salad Recipes
- Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad
- Cauliflower Potato Salad
- Jalapeno Coleslaw
- Pesto Chicken Salad
Strawberry Salad
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Salad:
- 10 ounces Spinach
- 2 Cups Strawberries sliced into quarters
- 1/4 Cup Blue Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Pecans roasted + chopped (Note 1)
- 1 pound chicken breast cooked and sliced (Note 2)
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup Shallot minced (about 1 small)
- 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/4 Tablespoons Avocado Oil or another mild tasting oils
- 2 Tablespoons Honey or 3 tablespoons allulose (sugar free!) (Note 3)
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a bottle with a lid. Secure the top and shake vigorously. (You can also whisk everything together in a small bowl) Set aside.
- Toss + Serve. Add salad ingredients to a bowl, then pour the dressing over the top. Toss, and serve immediately.
Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:
Lindsey's Tips
- To toast pecans, spread them on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 350 F for 6-9 minutes.
- Cooked chicken. This salad is delicious with rotisserie or leftover grilled/pan-seared chicken. If you're cooking chicken specifically for this recipe, I suggest giving it a pan sear. To nail this, you'll want to get a thinner piece of chicken. Sear in an oil-coated pan over medium-low for 9 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and lift the chicken so the butter gets between the breast and the pan -- cook for an additional minute. Flip your chicken and be ready to watch carefully -- we want the chicken to reach an internal temp of 155 F, which can take between 4-8 minutes, so check periodically. Pull the chicken from the pan, tent, and let it stand for 10 minutes. Check that the temp has raised to 165 F before slicing.
- Sweetener options: Use allulose instead of honey for a sugar free alternative. Erythritol will work, however, when cold, erythritol can have a gritty texture.
- Nutritional information was calculated using allulose as the sweetener (not honey). Allulose is a rare sugar, which typically is not counted in net carb counts:
I’ve been having this salad 3 days in a row! Hehe so addicting!
Hehe right Claire? SO happy you liked it!😀
What a delicious salad and I love that it is keto too! It sounds so flavourful!
So glad to hear that!🥰
Berry season is my favourite time of year, but I never think of adding them to salads. I must up my game.
Yay! Hope you give it a try! 😄
What a flavor-packed salad! It’s full of all my favourite things and I can’t wait to try it out!
Hope you enjoy Katherine!😄
I was pleasantly surprise that how the marriage of balsamic and strawberry blended perfectly in flavors great recipe!
So happy you liked it Claudia!🥰
Thanks a lot for this very delicious and easy to make strawberry salad! I did it and it taste really amazing! highly recommended!
Thanks Allysa! Glad you enjoyed it as much as I do!😁
Loving this beautiful summer salad! Great combination of tastes
So happy you liked it Vikki!🥰
This is my new favorite salad! Its incredible! Perfect for lunch!
Glad you liked it Katerina!🥳
I love the flavors in this salad! I can’t wait to try it out! YUM!
Hope you enjoy Beti!🥰
This Strawberry Salad is the ultimate comfort food! Highly recommended this delectable salad!
Yahoo! Glad to hear that Erin!😁
That dressing is so delicious! Even my picky eaters love this salad.
Awesome! Glad you all liked it!🤗
We are always looking for new keto friendly recipes and this salad was so delicious! My hubby and I loved it! Definitely making this salad again soon!
I’m so glad you and your husband liked it!😃
I love everything about this salad! Everyone at my house loved this!
So happy to hear that Sandra!🥰
Picture looks delish. So excited to get back into salads for the summer. I usually find a regular salad dull I’ve never thought of adding strawberries. I would love to add a bit of blackberries too, what do you think? Anyone tried it before?
Right, Natalia? Sometimes, it’s not bad to try something new — especially if it can bring a lot of healthy benefits to your keto meal. Strawberries are low in carbs and high in fiber so it can really fit into your meal, while blackberries can also make great addition. Hope you enjoy! 😋
How colorful and flavorful is this strawberry salad. One of the best keto salad recipe. Thanks for sharing
So glad you liked it!🥰
This is one of our favorite salads to make! Really love how the blue cheese goes so well with all of the other flavors!
Right Suzy? SO happy you liked it!😄
This is by far my favorite salad. What is not to love, strawberries, pecans, blue cheese. All the best!
Yahoo! I’m so happy to hear that Jayne!😁
We loved this recipe! I loved the combination of strawberry and blue cheese.
Hello Tavo! Thanks for giving it a try!😄
Tasty and easy! Love how the sweetness of the berries works wonders with the crunchiness of the nuts and the saltiness of the blue cheese!
Awesome Elle! So glad you liked it as much as we do!🤩