Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

This delicious seasonal salad is made with fresh strawberries and creamy goat cheese. Top it all off with this honey lemon homemade dressing. The fresh ingredients used are always a crowd-pleaser.

Please note: This recipe was originally published in June of 2019, but has been improved and re-photographed as of May 2022. We hope you enjoy it!

This salad recipe is going to become your go-to during strawberry season! If you need a light lunch, this late spring and summer salad is a perfect choice.

Looking for more salad recipes? Be sure to check out this keto fruit salad or watermelon berry salad! You may also love this strawberry blueberry pie.

Jump to:

• ❤️Why we love this recipe
• 🍓Ingredients
• ✏️Ingredient notes
• 📖Instructions ​
• ✨Substitutions & variations
• 🥣Storage
• 🌟Leave a review!
• 📖 Recipe

❤️Why we love this recipe

• Easy to customize for different preferences or with other seasonal produce - If you have picky eaters, feel free to leave anything off that doesn't suit them. You can also add more produce like other fresh berries, or avocado.
• Simple recipe - Just chop your fruits and veggies, make your dressing, and go! Quick and easy.
• Uses pantry staples - Lots of these ingredients are probably already hanging out in your fridge or pantry. Anything else you need can be found at nearly any grocery store.
• Perfect for summer - Summer is everyone's favorite time of year, so why not highlight ripe strawberries in a delicious salad? The sweet strawberries combined with tangy goat cheese are the perfect combo.
• Gluten free, low carb & can be made vegan - This salad is made with whole foods. It's naturally low carb, gluten free, and refined sugar free. It can easily be made dairy free and vegan as well with a few simple swaps.

🍓Ingredients

The ingredients in this salad can be added or omitted to suit your preference. The full quantities and nutritional information can be found in the recipe card.

✏️Ingredient notes

• Leafy greens - You can use any mixed greens you like for this. We prefer a mixture of baby arugula and spring mix. Other popular choices are romaine or butter lettuce, and fresh baby spinach.
• Strawberries - Fresh, ripe, and sweet berries. Generally, we slice them thin or quarter them.
• Red onion - For a bit of pungent flavor and balances out the sweetness. Slice the onions really thin, and if you like you can soak them in cold water for 10 minutes or so before adding them to the salad to reduce the sharpness of onions.
• Cucumbers - Optional, for freshness and crunch.
• Nuts & seeds - Anything you see fit here. We love using pecans and hemp hearts for extra flavor, crunch, and added nutrients. Sometimes we use some of our homemade keto nut granola too!
• Goat cheese - We prefer crumbling our own log of goat cheese, but you can also purchase creamy goat cheese crumbles.
• Kosher salt & black pepper - We like to lightly season our greens with just a pinch of salt and pepper. It makes a big difference in the overall flavor of the salad.
• Honey - An optional ingredient, but we like to drizzle it over the top of the salad. The additional sweetness and flavor are absolutely delicious!
• Fresh herbs - Optional, but a very tasty and fresh addition. We love lots of basil and a few sprigs of fresh oregano.
• Salad dressing of choice - We used our honey lemon vinaigrette for this, but also recommend trying our raspberry vinaigrette, or just a simple creamy balsamic dressing.

📖Instructions ​

🔪Prep work

• Prepare salad dressing in advance and store in the fridge until time to use.
• Thinly slice red onion, and cucumbers.
• Cut strawberries into the desired shape.
• Allow the goat cheese to sit out at room temperature for a few minutes to make it easier to crumble by hand.

Arrange greens in a large bowl or on a serving platter. Season with some salt and pepper. If you plan to eat the salad all at once, drizzle some of your salad dressing over top.

Add basil, followed by hemp hearts, and use tongs to toss the salad and distribute the ingredients.

Layer on red onions, strawberries, cucumbers, and pecans.

Crumble on the goat cheese, then season again with more salt and pepper. Drizzle on honey, and the salad dressing. Add more basil, oregano, and hemp hearts.

Enjoy!

✨Substitutions & variations

• Try adding a little blue cheese in addition to goat cheese if you want to pack a punch of flavor.
• No salad dressing? No problem! You can always dress the salad with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a little extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, champagne vinegar, or a little red wine vinegar.
• Swap honey for pure maple syrup. Maple syrup is a perfect swap for vegans, or just for folks who love the flavor of maple syrup!
• Dairy free or vegan. As mentioned above, swap the honey for maple syrup. You can also use a vegan goat cheese substitute.
• Make it the main dish. Add your favorite protein for a more filling salad, chicken breast would be our first choice!
• Make it totally sugar free. If you don't want any refined sugar to make this recipe suitable for the keto diet, omit the honey, or use a honey substitute. You could also try our raspberry vinaigrette instead of the honey lemon dressing.

🥣Storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. We don't recommend putting dressing on the salad ahead of time. Simply add dressing when you're ready to enjoy.

For meal prep, make the salad in a mason jar, adding fresh ingredients at the bottom, the top with nuts and seeds, followed by the greens. Store the dressing separately.

🌟Leave a review!

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📖 Recipe