This strawberry goat cheese salad with baby greens, almonds, and balsamic vinaigrette is fresh, easy, and perfect for spring and summer meals.
🍓 Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
This strawberry goat cheese salad is light, flavorful, and effortless to put together. Sweet, juicy strawberries, creamy goat cheese, and tender greens are paired with crunchy almond-poppy seed clusters and a simple balsamic vinaigrette for a fresh, seasonal salad.
Perfect for brunches, BBQs, bridal showers, baby showers, or any spring and summer gathering, this strawberry and goat cheese salad comes together in minutes with just a handful of fresh ingredients.
With its contrast of sweet, tangy, creamy, and crisp elements, this strawberry salad with goat cheese works just as well as a light meal as it does alongside a more complete spread.
✨ Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- A balanced combination of sweet strawberries and tangy goat cheese
- Layers of texture from soft cheese, crisp greens, and crunchy almonds
- A simple homemade balsamic dressing that enhances the flavors
- Easy to adapt with different greens, nuts, or add-ins
- Works equally well as a light meal or a side
🥗 Ingredients for Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
(Full ingredient list and directions are in the recipe card below.)
- Baby Greens – A spring mix gives a variety of textures and colors. You can also use baby spinach or arugula for a more peppery bite.
- Strawberries – Choose the ripest, juiciest berries you can find. Slightly overripe strawberries work especially well in a strawberry salad with goat cheese.
- Goat Cheese – Crumbly and creamy, goat cheese pairs beautifully with strawberries. Mild feta can be used as an alternative if preferred.
- Sliced Almonds – Used to make candied almond clusters for added crunch. For a simpler version, toast them and use as-is.
- Maple Syrup – Adds a subtle sweetness to the almond clusters.
- Poppy Seeds – Sprinkled onto the almond clusters for texture, or added to the vinaigrette.
- Dressing – A homemade combination of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, shallot, and strawberry jam. The jam balances the acidity of the vinegar and enhances the berry flavor throughout the salad.
👩🍳 How to Make Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Make the Almond Clusters: Combine sliced almonds and maple syrup in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the almonds are well coated and sticky. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, then transfer to parchment to cool and harden.
- Prepare the Dressing: Whisk together balsamic vinegar, strawberry jam, olive oil, and finely minced shallot until smooth.
- Assemble the Salad: Slice the strawberries and crumble the goat cheese. Toss the greens with the vinaigrette, then gently mix in the strawberries. Top with goat cheese and almond clusters just before serving.
Tip: Both the almond clusters and dressing can be made ahead of time. Dress the salad right before serving if you're transporting it.
💡 Tips for the Best Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Use ripe strawberries for the best flavor—this makes a noticeable difference.
- Dress just before serving to keep the greens fresh and crisp.
- Let the almonds cool completely so they stay crunchy.
- Balance the dressing to your taste by adjusting sweetness or acidity.
🔄 Variations & Swaps for Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
This strawberry goat cheese salad is easy to adapt depending on what you have on hand or the flavor profile you prefer.
- Change the greens – Use baby spinach or arugula instead of a spring mix for a slightly different texture and flavor. Arugula adds a more peppery bite, while spinach keeps it mild.
- Add more berries – Blueberries or blackberries pair beautifully with strawberries in a strawberry and goat cheese salad. (Raspberries are best avoided here, as they’re too delicate for tossing.)
- Swap the cheese – Goat cheese gives this salad its signature creamy tang, but mild feta works well if you prefer something slightly saltier.
- Simplify the nuts – Skip the candied clusters and use toasted sliced almonds for a quicker version of this strawberry salad with goat cheese.
- Try a different crunch – Candied walnuts make a great substitute for almonds and add a deeper, slightly richer flavor.
- Adjust the dressing – For a more subtle sweetness, use maple syrup in place of the strawberry jam in the vinaigrette.
🍽️ What Goes Well with Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad?
A strawberry goat cheese salad pairs well with most warm weather meals.
You can serve this goat cheese and strawberry salad with crusty bread, alongside grilled dishes, or as part of a larger spring or summer spread.
❓ Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad FAQs
What dressing goes best with strawberry goat cheese salad?
A light balsamic vinaigrette works especially well, as it complements both the sweetness of the strawberries and the tanginess of the goat cheese.
Can I make strawberry goat cheese salad ahead of time?
You can prepare the components in advance, but it’s best to assemble and dress the salad just before serving.
Can I substitute the goat cheese?
Yes, mild feta is a good alternative, though it will be slightly saltier and less creamy.
🌿 Wrap Up
With its balance of sweet strawberries, creamy goat cheese, and crisp greens, this strawberry goat cheese salad is a dish that feels both fresh and refined.
Whether you’re making it as a quick lunch or serving it as part of a larger meal, it’s one you’ll find yourself returning to throughout the season.
More Strawberry Recipes:
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup/28g sliced almonds
- 2 teaspoons/10ml maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons/10ml strawberry jam
- 1 teaspoon finely minced shallot
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 5 ounces/142g spring mix or baby green of choice
- 8 ounces/227g strawberries hulled and quartered
- 2 ounces/56g fresh goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- In a small skillet, combine the sliced almonds, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the syrup is sticky and the almonds are completely coated (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat, sprinkle on the poppy seeds, pour onto a piece of parchment and allow to cool and harden completely.
- In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, strawberry jam, shallots, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Combine the greens and strawberries in the bowl and toss to combine. Top with crumbled goat cheese and almond clusters and serve.
Notes
Variations:
- Use baby spinach or baby arugula instead of a spring mix.
- Add blueberries or blackberries along with the strawberries. (Avoid raspberries which
tend to fall apart in a salad when tossed.) - Use a mild feta instead of goat cheese.
- Use toasted sliced almonds instead of almond clusters.
- Use walnuts instead of almonds.
- Use maple syrup or honey in the dressing instead of strawberry
jam.
Make-Ahead:
Both the dressing and almond clusters can be made ahead of time. Store dressing in fridge until needed and store clusters in an airtight container at room temperature. Dressing salad right before serving.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Egg-Free
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 272Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 218mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 11gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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