This vegan strawberry spinach salad is a fresh summery salad that you can whip up in minutes with a bag of baby spinach and some fresh strawberries! It is surprisingly delicious and makes my whole family, even my kids, eat plate after plate of spinach salad!

You will LOVE this strawberry spinach salad because it’s…

vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free so everyone can enjoy it!

kid-friendly and encourages even picky eaters to eat their spinach!

the perfect combo of sweet, savory, and tangy.

easy to add protein and make it into a meal!

What you will need to make strawberry spinach salad…

For the Salad:

Baby Spinach – the pre-washed bagged or boxed spinach makes it quick and easy! If you are using fresh-picked or farmstand spinach make sure to wash it very well. You will need to soak it and rinse it with a salad spinner to get all the sand and dirt off.

Strawberries – fresh in-season strawberries taste the best!

Protein – (optional) vegan chick’n Crispy fried tofu strips or Butler Soy Curls are delicious on this salad and turn it into more of a meal.is also delicious on this salad.

For the Dressing:

Oil – canola oil has the best flavor in this dressing.

Sweetener – sugar, coconut sugar, agave nectar, or maple syrup all work well to sweeten this dressing.

Vinegar – for acidity to balance out the sweetness. You can use white or red wine vinegar.

Strawberries – to make it a beautiful pink color and give the salad more strawberry flavor.

Mustard Powder – for flavor. You can leave it out if you don’t have any, but it does provide more depth of flavor to the dressing.

Poppy Seeds – for a little crunch and texture. (optional).

How do you make strawberry dressing for the vegan spinach salad?

My kids call this dressing “Strawberry Milkshake Dressing” because it’s sweet, creamy like a strawberry milkshake, but the vinegar balances out the flavors perfectly, so it still tastes like dressing. (If you like poppy seeds, they are great in this dressing too).

immersion blender Put all the dressing ingredients into a blender or ancontainer and blend until creamy! If you want poppy seeds, stir them in with a spoon after your done blending. Pour over the baby spinach and toss with some sliced strawberries. Add some cooked vegan chicken strips if you want and enjoy it!

I promise a bowl of spinach will go in minutes with strawberry dressing on it! I have to admit, I have an addiction to the dressing! It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to lick the plate clean!

Can I make the Strawberry dressing sugar free?

If you don’t like a sweet dressing, you can reduce the sugar or even leave it out. I’ve found that about 3 tablespoons of sugar in the whole batch of dressing makes it sweet enough that my kids eat plate after plate of spinach! (The amount of sugar needed will vary depending on the sweetness of the strawberries).

What if I want to add vegan “chicken?”

Grill up some vegan chick’n if you want to make it more of a meal. The chick’n patties from Gardein or the Beyond Meat grilled chick’n strips work well sliced up on the salad.

I love the Butler Soy Curls for this salad too. If you haven’t used them before, they are great for anything that you would make with chicken strips. They come dehydrated and will take on the flavor of the broth that you rehydrate them in. They’re gluten-free too!

To make the Butler Soy Curls into chicken strips:

Rehydrate 2 cups of soy curls in 1 cup of very hot chicken-style vegan broth and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Saute over medium heat in a frying pan in a little oil until slightly crispy.

Does this strawberry salad make good picnic food?

Yes! This beautiful summer salad is perfect to bring to picnics and parties! Just make sure to leave the dressing on the side until you are ready to serve it or it will get soggy.

This salad is also delicious with vegan feta sprinkled on top!

If you love strawberries, be sure to check out my vegan strawberry shortcake recipe too!

More vegan summer salad ideas:

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for daily vegan inspiration and recipe ideas! Tag me at #thehiddenveggies! I love to see what you made too!

5 from 1 vote Print Strawberry Spinach Salad with Vegan Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 10 mins Total Time 20 mins A vegan spinach strawberry "chicken" salad made with baby spinach and homemade strawberry vinaigrette dressing. Course: Salad Cuisine: gluten free, vegan Keyword: strawberry spinach salad, vegan spinach salad, vegan strawberry dressing Servings : 4 Calories : 285 kcal Author : Monica Davis | The Hidden Veggies Ingredients 1 5 oz. package of washed baby spinach

5 strawberries

1 package vegan chick’n strips of choice like Gardein, Beyond Meat, or Butler Soy Curls (optional) For the dressing: ½ cup canola or any neutral-flavored oil

2-4 tbsp vegan sugar (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

½ tsp dry ground mustard powder

2 tbsp white vinegar or wine vinegar

3 medium strawberries

1 tsp poppy seeds (optional) US Customary - Metric Instructions Prep the Ingredients: Cook the chick’n strips according to package directions, and let cool (optional). While chick’n is cooling, put the spinach in a salad bowl. Slice a few strawberries and mix in with the spinach. Make the Dressing: Put oil, sugar, salt, mustard, vinegar, and 3 strawberries in a blender or use an immersion blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Stir in poppy seeds after blending if desired. Assemble the Salad: Top the salad with sliced strawberries and chick’n strips. Pour the dressing over the salad just before eating. Recipe Notes Do not mix the dressing and the spinach ahead of time.

Pour dressing just before eating.

Stir poppy seeds into the dressing after mixing with a blender. To make the Butler Soy Curls into chicken strips: Rehydrate 2 cups of soy curls in 1 cup of very hot chicken-style vegan broth and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Saute over medium heat in a frying pan in a little oil until slightly crispy. Nutrition Facts Strawberry Spinach Salad with Vegan Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing Amount Per Serving (2 cups) Calories 285 Calories from Fat 252 % Daily Value* Fat 28g 43% Saturated Fat 2g 13% Sodium 146mg 6% Potassium 37mg 1% Carbohydrates 8g 3% Fiber 1g 4% Sugar 7g 8% Protein 1g 2% Vitamin A 23IU 0% Vitamin C 14mg 17% Calcium 11mg 1% Iron 1mg 6% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*This recipe was originally published on June 1, 2017. It was updated on May 1, 2020, to include new images.