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    Eat Love Eat » Recipes » Salads

    Strawberry Walnut Salad with Balsamic Pepper Dressing

    Published: Aug 22, 2022, Last Modified: August 16, 2023, By Sasha Hooper · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    strawberry salad served on a platter with a fork and a bowl of balsamic dressing to the side.

    This strawberry walnut salad is a super quick and healthy salad that you can whip up in under 20 minutes. It's packed full of nutrients and is great as a main or served as a side dish.

    Strawberry walnut salad on a platter with a fork with walnuts and balsamic dressing to the side.

    If you're after a tasty salad, look no further this strawberry walnut salad is packed with super ripe red strawberries. None of those bland flavorless strawberries. There's so much wonderful produce to enjoy right now and this recipe certainly makes the most of it.

    If you've got a reputation for making uninteresting salads, give this one a go. Get your mojo back with this delicious platter of summer flavors. And if you love this idea for a salad, you'll have to try our Nectarine Salad, Chicken Tostada Salad Bowl or Watermelon Basil Salad too. Or if you've gone fall already try out our Roast Pumpkin Salad with Chorizo.

    Crisp salad greens with cucumber and crunchy toasted walnuts combined with sweet juicy strawberries and a drinkable black pepper balsamic dressing. What's not to love?! This strawberry walnut salad feeds two very hungry people or it's perfect to serve as a side dish too. Maybe alongside our Zucchini Galette.

    We know you'll love this salad so don't forget to leave us a rating and a comment when you've made it. Follow the links below to get where you need.

    Jump to:
    • ⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 📖 Customizations
    • 📋 How to make a strawberry walnut salad
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Expert tips
    • 💭 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍽 Related recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ⭐ Why you'll love this recipe

    Here are some reasons why you need this strawberry walnut salad recipe in your life:

    Delicious - the combination of flavors in this salad are just perfect. Strawberries work so well with walnuts, feta, balsamic and black pepper. YUM!

    Quick & easy - this is almost not even a recipe. It takes as long (less than 20 minutes) as it takes to toast some walnuts and hull some strawberries. Very simple.

    Healthy - packed full of nutrients and vitamins, this salad gives the boost your body needs.

    Side dish - serve as a main or a side dish, it works great with some grilled meat.

    Dressing - the dressing is packed with flavor, you're not mistaken with the quantity of black pepper involved, it totally works!

    🥘 Ingredients

    You only need simple ingredients for this strawberry walnut salad recipe, this is what you'll need:

    Bowls of ingredients with labels, including, strawberries, feta, spinach, walnuts and cucumber.

    Strawberries - these perfect ruby jewels need to be picked when sweet. Unripe or bland ones just will not do unfortunately - this is a summer strawberry walnut salad! The flavors will be incredible if you get the ingredients right.

    Walnuts - we lightly toast our walnut halves in the oven for 5-10 minutes whilst preparing everything else. It brings out more of their delicious nuttiness. You can use smaller pieces as they're cheaper but just watch them as they may burn more quickly than the halves.

    Balsamic - we recommend using a quality balsamic vinegar, one that is almost syrupy if you can, it will lend a more complex flavor and balances nicely between acidic and sweet.

    Greens - you'll need a mix of your favorite salad greens. We've used baby spinach and arugula as the leafy base to this salad, for a mixture of mild and peppery.

    📖 Customizations

    We know you love to mix things up with customizations and substitutions so here are some of our recommendations for this strawberry walnut salad recipe:

    Cheese - you can switch out the feta crumbles with goat's cheese, shaved parmesan or shaved pecorino. All would be amazing on this salad.

    Greens - mix it up with some alternative salad leaves, use some soft round lettuce, lambs lettuce or pea shoots. Whatever is fresh and available.

    Glaze - if stuck for time or some ingredients, simply use some balsamic glaze from the store mixed with some black pepper and thinned down with a touch of water.

    Dairy free - if you need to make this salad dairy free, just omit the cheese or use a dairy free alternative.

    📋 How to make a strawberry walnut salad

    Follow these simple step by step guides to success for this strawberry salad recipe:

    Process of balsamic dressing in a bowl with a whisk and a salad on a platter before being dressed.
    1. Toast your walnuts on a baking sheet in the oven. Meanwhile, add all the salad dressing ingredients together in a bowl and whisk together. Alternatively you can add them to a jar and shake them together.
    2. Arrange and assemble the salad ingredients in a bowl or on a platter, top with the feta crumbles and drizzle with the balsamic dressing.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Expert tips

    Make sure to read and follow these expert tips to ensure complete success with this strawberry walnut salad recipe:

    Mandolin - make your preparation easier by slicing your cucumber and onion with a mandolin. Just be careful not to slice your fingers off!

    Prep ahead - The salad preparation can be done ahead of time, even prepared in a box in the fridge for up to 3 days in advance. Just leave the dressing off until you're ready to eat.

    Dressing - grab yourself a small jar or a squeezy condiment bottle, pour in the dressing ingredients, seal and shake it up. It'll be in an easily storable container once made too!

    Multi tasking - Toast your nuts in the oven at the same time as you are preparing everything else. It'll take far less time doing it this way.

    💭 Recipe FAQs

    Should you refrigerate strawberries?


    We find that if you get strawberries nice and fresh, they will last far longer if they're stored in the fridge. You can rinse them in a very diluted vinegar or lemon/water solution, dry them off and place them in an unsealed container lined with kitchen paper - this will extend their life too.

    What veggies go well with strawberries?

    All of the ingredients we have in our salad! Spinach, arugula, red onion, sweet onion, green onions, cucumber, watercress and lettuce. The list is not exhaustive.

    A messy platter showing some of the strawberry salad having been served up, a fork and bowl of dressing to the side.

    🍽 Related recipes

    Love this strawberry walnut salad recipe? Then you may want more of our salad recipes - here are some suggestions to get you started:

    • White bean salad dressed with salsa verde in a bowl with a spoon and a napkin to the side.
      Italian White Bean Salad
    • Fall grain salad with harissa dressing in a serving bowl with two spoons.
      Wholesome Fall Grain Salad with Harissa Dressing
    • beetroot feta walnut salad served on a plate with a fork and a napkin to the edge.
      Beetroot Feta Walnut Salad with Dukkah
    • Chicken tostada salad served in a bowl with a fork with a lime and napkin to the side.
      Chicken Tostada Salad Bowl

    Love this recipe? Leave us a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe below and don't forget to leave a review in the comments section underneath the recipe. We love hearing from you!

    Why not follow along with us on our social media channels @Instagram @Facebook and @Pinterest and tag us with #eatloveeats when you've tried one of our recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    A platter of strawberry walnut salad served with balsamic dressing to the side with a fork.

    Strawberry Walnut Salad

    A simple, vibrant strawberry walnut salad that's quick and easy to make and served with the most delicious black pepper and balsamic dressing.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe ⭐️ Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2
    Author: Sasha Hooper

    Equipment

    • Baking Sheet

    Ingredients 

    • 1 ½ cups hulled and quartered strawberries, approx 12 strawberries
    • 1 cup baby spinach
    • 1 cup wild rocket, baby arugula
    • ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber , about ¼ cucumber
    • ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
    • ⅓ cup walnut halves, toasted
    • ¼ cup feta crumbles

    For the Black Pepper Balsamic Dressing

    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon honey
    • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1-2 teaspoons water, to thin if needed

    Instructions

    Black Pepper Balsamic Dressing

    • Add all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl or jar and whisk or shake together until combined.
      3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey, ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1-2 teaspoons water

    Toasting walnuts

    • Place your walnut halves on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 5-7 minutes until aromatic and toasted.
      ⅓ cup walnut halves

    Salad assembly

    • Layer your salad ingredients however you like on a platter or just toss them gently together in a bowl. Top with feta crumbles and drizzle over the dressing. Serve immediately.
      1 ½ cups hulled and quartered strawberries, 1 cup baby spinach, 1 cup wild rocket, ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber, ¼ cup red onion, ¼ cup feta crumbles
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    Notes

    • Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side.
    • Use a mandolin to slice your cucumber and onion. Just be careful not to slice your fingers off!
    • The salad preparation can be done ahead of time, even prepared in a box in the fridge for up to 3 days in advance. Just leave the dressing off until you're ready to eat.
    • Use a jar or squeezy condiment bottle, pour in the dressing ingredients, seal and shake it up. It'll be in an easily storable container once made too!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 portion | Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.8g | Protein: 7.6g | Fat: 38.2g | Saturated Fat: 7.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17.7g | Cholesterol: 16.7mg | Sodium: 514.7mg | Potassium: 482.3mg | Fiber: 4.8g | Sugar: 12.5g | Vitamin A: 108.6IU | Vitamin C: 75.2mg | Calcium: 175.8mg | Iron: 2mg
    Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine British
    Diet Vegetarian
    Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below with how you got on and don't forget to give the recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag @eatloveeats on Instagram - we love to see your creations!
    « Strawberry Crumble Bars with Brown Butter Glaze
    Easy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread »
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    Comments

    1. Susan says

      October 08, 2021 at 5:58 pm

      5 stars
      I'm not usually a sweet and savoury person but this is amazing. Wonderful bursts of flavour with every mouthful. Love it!

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi there, I’m Sasha and I’m excited that you’re here! At Eat Love Eat, I work with my husband Jacob to create modern and approachable recipes that highlight the magic in simplicity; it’s our passion.

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