Summer Salad with Strawberry Salad Dressing

This easy Summer Green Salad with Strawberry Salad Dressing is so refreshing and delicious. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. 

Recipe Highlights

I can’t believe it’s only May, but we’ve already have several heat waves here in California. The warm weather has got me making lots of summery food, including this delicious salad with strawberry dressing. 

Strawberries are actually a spring food, coming into season around March. But, if you’re like me, you can usually find fresh strawberries at the market almost all year round. Sometimes I find myself with too many fresh strawberries, so this recipe is perfect when you want to use them up and not let them go to waste.

The highlight of this salad is the creamy Strawberry Yogurt Dressing that I made using dairy-free yogurt (you can use regular yogurt if you aren’t dairy-free). 

So, this recipe is:

• dairy-free,
• vegan,
• paleo,
• gluten-free,
• and perfect for using up fresh or frozen strawberries. 

Recipe Steps

Step One

First, you have to gather up all of your ingredients to make this recipe. Please feel free to use whatever berries on top of the salad that you love the most. You can even use frozen strawberries for the dressing. I would suggest defrosting them in the fridge overnight before making this recipe.

The other important part of the salad dressing is finding a dairy-free yogurt at the market. There are some great versions available now! My first choice is coconut yogurt because it is mild in flavor and thick like a traditional yogurt. I also like cashew yogurt a lot. Look for it in the refrigerated section of your health food store.

Step Two

I like to assemble the salad before making the dressing. My preference is to use romaine or baby greens, and then toss them with fresh berries and sliced fennel.

Step Three

To make the salad dressing, you just have to combine strawberries with the yogurt, honey (or dates if you are vegan), vinegar, and olive oil. How easy is that? And, what a pretty dressing, too.

I used to make all my dairy-free salad dressings with hemp seeds or cashews, but using coconut yogurt might just become my favorite trick to get a creamy texture.

Step Four

After you make the dressing in the blender, I suggest you simply pour it over the salad, toss it, and serve.

Would it be cliche to say this tastes like summer? It does to me!

Items Recommended

• Blendtec high-speed blender with mini-jar perfect for dressings and sauces
• California unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil
• California white balsamic vinegar

FAQs

What does fennel taste like?

It is delicious! It tastes like a mild licorice flavor, but with the texture of an apple. You can find it in a bulb in the produce section of most grocery stores. 

To use it, just peel off the outer layer of the bulb, wash it, and slice or chop it. You can eat fennel raw or you can cook with it.

Can I use regular dairy yogurt for this recipe?

Yes, you can. I would recommend using full-fat regular or Greek yogurt if you can eat dairy.

Other Healthy Salads You Might Like

• Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
• Easy Keto Cucumber Salad
• Lemon Quinoa Vegetable Salad
• Romaine Salad with Simple Vinaigrette
• Quinoa & Chickpea Salad

Here’s the printable recipe:

Easy Summer Salad with Dairy-Free Strawberry Yogurt Dressing

★★★★★

5 from 14 reviews

This easy Summer Green Salad with Strawberry Salad Dressing is so refreshing and delicious. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

 

• Author: Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Blender
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 10 ounces fresh salad greens
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
• ½ pint fresh blueberries
• ½ pint fresh blackberries
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced and divided*
• ¼ cup plain dairy-free yogurt
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon raw honey (substitute 2 Medjool dates to make the dressing vegan)
• 2 tablespoons unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine the salad greens in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to gently tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
2. Top the salad with the fennel slices, blueberries, blackberries, and 1/2 pint of sliced fresh strawberries. Toss gently to combine.
3. Next, make the dressing by combining ½ pint of fresh strawberries (about 1 cup) into a high-speed blender.
4. Add the yogurt, vinegar, honey or dates, and olive oil to the blender. Turn the blender on high for about 30 seconds or until the dressing is fully combined and creamy.
5. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

Notes

*If you prefer to use frozen strawberries in the dressing, place 1 cup in the fridge to defrost overnight before blending.

Keywords: how to make a dairy-free strawberry yogurt salad dressing, patriotic salad, vegan yogurt salad dressing

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