Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Gloriously sweet strawberries, creamy feta cheese and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette over a bed of tender baby spinach makes one irresistible salad!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette in wooden bowl strawberries in background

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Strawberry spinach salad is such a great way to bring in all the flavors of summer. The sweetness of the berries and the tartness of the feta lends the most incredible combination of flavors.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette being spooned over top

For added yumminess, roasted pecans give the salad the perfect crunch factor.

Between the mouth-watering homemade balsamic vinaigrette and all the wonderful textures of this salad, your taste buds are just going to flip with the very first bite!

closeup of Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette on top

This recipe was inspired my friend Rae Marie in my church’s women’s Bible study group. Spinach and strawberry salad makes a fantastic, quick and easy lunch or it can be served as a fantastic Keto side salad. Either way, you’ve simply just HAVE to give it a try.

What’s in Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

What’s in Spinach Strawberry Salad

Add all of the dressing ingredients to the bowl of a mini chopper and blend until well combined, then set aside.

balsamic vinaigrette ingredients in chopper bowl

Pour the pecans onto a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes @325°F for 8 minutes or until they are lightly toasted.

pecan halves on baking sheet

Allow them to cool, then chop them up.

chopped pecans on cutting board with knife

Add the spinach to a large bowl, then add the sliced strawberries over the top. Add the onions and pecans over the top.

Strawberry Spinach Salad in wooden bowl

Pour the balsamic vinaigrette over the top right before serving.

Note: Using the balsamic reduction is important for the dressing.  If you use regular balsamic vinegar that hasn’t been reduced first, you will get a much thinner dressing and it won’t be as rich and sweet.  I definitely recommend taking the time to reduce it first.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette in wooden bowl with balsamic dressing being poured on top

Is Spinach Keto? What are the Benefits of Spinach?

Spinach is an extremely healthy and nutrient dense vegetable. We all remember how Popeye got his big muscles by popping opening and gobbling down a can of spinach, right? It’s no wonder why! Spinach provides high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.

And not only is it healthy, almost all the carbs in spinach come from fiber. That’s especially the case with raw spinach. There’s less than 1 net carb in raw spinach making it PERFECT for Keto or any low carb diet.

More Keto Spinach Recipes

spinach in wooden bowl

Variations for Strawberry Spinach Salad

  • Use your favorite low carb nut: Pecans and walnuts are my personal favorites, but you can use slivered almond, pine nuts or even pumpkin seeds if you prefer.
  • Extra berries are always great: If you have extra summer berries, add them in right along with the strawberries. In fact, I often add a few blueberries in this salad and they work so well with the other flavors. Be mindful that berries do have carbs, so you’ll want to add them sparingly.
  • Not a fan of feta cheese? That is perfectly okay. Keeping with the flavor profile of this salad, you can certainly substitute goat cheese in its place.
  • Need a heartier meal? You can always make this spinach salad a complete meal by adding shredded chicken or shrimp. You can use leftover roasted chicken like this Instant Pot Roasted Chicken or you can use rotisserie chicken.
closeup overhead view of Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Other Uses for Sugar-Free Apricot Jam

You’ll notice that this recipe uses a sugar-free apricot jam from Good Good. If you’re on the fence about giving it a try, let me encourage you to do so.

It’s by far the best sugar-free jam I’ve tasted. I like to use it as a Keto substitute for honey to thicken and add sweetness to homemade salad dressings.

jar of Good Good apricot jam with some being spooned out

And if you’re wondering what you should do with the remaining jam in the jar, here are some awesome ideas that will put it to delicious use:

  • I absolutely love a summertime berry medley. You can take some of this jam and thin it out with a little water and simple syrup made with Swerve or Allulose and drizzle over a bowl of berries. It makes a super easy dessert everyone will love.
  • Last but not least, in its simplest form, Sugar-Free Apricot Jam served with homemade Keto Biscuits is so good, you won’t even miss traditional jam.
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette on top

More Keto Salads

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overhead view of strawberry spinach salad with dressing on top

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Gloriously sweet strawberries, creamy feta cheese and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette over a bed of tender baby spinach makes one irresistible salad!
5 from 1 vote
Author: Julianne
Servings 6
PREP 10 minutes
TOTAL 10 minutes

Ingredients
 

For the Spinach Salad

  • 10 ounces baby spinach
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
  • cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

Instructions
 

  • Add all of the dressing ingredients to the bowl of a mini chopper and blend until well combined, then set aside.
  • Pour the pecans onto a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes @325°F for 8 minutes or until they are lightly toasted. Allow them to cool, then chop them up.
  • Add the spinach to a large bowl, then add the sliced strawberries over the top.
  • Add the onions and pecans over the top.
  • Pour the balsamic vinaigrette over the top right before serving.

Recipe Notes

Using the balsamic reduction is important for the dressing.  If you use regular balsamic vinegar that hasn’t been reduced first, you will get a much thinner dressing and it won’t be as rich and sweet.  I definitely recommend taking the time to reduce it first.  
If you don’t like feta cheese, you can substitute with goat cheese.
If you don’t like pecans, you can substitute with walnuts, almond or pine nuts, just be sure to roast them first so they have more flavor.
If you don’t like strawberries, you can use any other berry that you like instead.

*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Calories 181kcal
Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Amount per Serving
Calories
181
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
20
g
31
%
Saturated Fat
 
4
g
25
%
Carbohydrates
 
9
g
3
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
4
g
4
%
Protein
 
5
g
10
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.

© Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.

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Bible verse of the day

Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
5 from 1 vote

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6 Comments

    1. I added 1/3 cup to this recipe. Thank you for letting me know that I missed adding it to the recipe card.

  1. I just ordered some SF Apricot jam from Amazon, but need to make this salad today. Any other suggestions for sweeteners?

    1. You can use any Keto friendly sugar free jam you can find at the grocery store. If you can not find any, you can use a little of which ever sugar substitute, like Swerve, Monk fruit or Allulose, you normally use until your Amazon order arrives.