Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

This strawberry goat cheese salad recipe is packed with crunchy lettuce and mixed greens, juicy strawberries, and creamy goat cheese. It's my favorite salad recipe to make in the late spring and summer during strawberry season, either as a main dish or a side dish. It's even better when topped with spicy candied pecans!

The strawberry salad itself and homemade dressing it's tossed with are made with simple ingredients. I love topping this beautiful salad with chicken breast for extra protein and more slices of sweet strawberries for the perfect light lunch during those spring or summer months!

Jump to:

• Equipment
• Ingredients
• How to Make a Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
• Variations & Substitutions
• Pro Tips
• Storage & Making Ahead Instructions
• Recipe FAQ
• Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

Equipment

• Large salad bowl - in my opinion, every kitchen should have one of these. We eat a lot of salads and love a good large mixing bowl to make them in!
• Tongs - the best way to toss a salad is with tongs! You could also use large spoons and/or forks.

Ingredients

Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

For the Salad

• Mixed greens + romaine lettuce - you can use any combination of spring mix, baby spinach, arugula, kale, etc.! Leafy greens are nutrient powerhouses while the romaine adds a nice crunch, which combine for the ideal salad base.
• Goat cheese - this is a creamy yet tangy cheese that adds a lot of flavor and texture to this delicious salad.
• Strawberries - these are a great source of fiber (LINK), vitamin C, and antioxidants like anthocyanins and polyphenols. You could also use a mix of berries or whatever seasonal berries you have to make this a tasty seasonal salad. I definitely recommend using fresh berries as opposed to dried or frozen!

For the Dressing

• Extra virgin olive oil - a high quality EVOO is crucial for any good salad dressing. It has a robust, deep flavor that can really make a dressing amazing!
• Shallot - I love using shallots in homemade salad dressings because they add a subtle onion flavor that compliments essentially any vinegar and EVOO.
• Dijon mustard - I'm a big fan of using dijon mustard in salad dressings because it just gives so much flavor! You can substitute a spicy brown mustard instead of dijon.
• Lemon juice - I always incorporate some sort of acid to a homemade salad dressing and lemon juice adds the perfect amount of lemon flavor.
• Champagne vinegar - using different vinegars is a fun way to change up traditional salad dressings. This vinegar can be found in the oil/salad dressing aisle at the grocery store, near balsamic vinegar!

How to Make a Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

For the Salad

For the Lemon Champagne Vinaigrette

Variations & Substitutions

• You can substitute your favorite balsamic dressing for the lemon champagne vinaigrette!
• Other potential salad toppings: red onion, chickpeas, salmon or shrimp, candied walnuts or crunchy pecans
• Feta cheese would be a good substitute to goat cheese!
• Balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar can be used in lieu of champagne vinegar. You could easily use balsamic vinegar in the salad dressing recipe to make a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. And a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top would be fantastic if you love balsamic!

Pro Tips

• If you like sweeter dressing, I would add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup until the desired sweetness is reached.
• I love making a big batch of this salad dressing to store in the fridge so I recommend doubling or even tripling the recipe!
• I like to top the salad with extra goat cheese crumbles and more fresh strawberries before serving.

Storage & Making Ahead Instructions

• To make this salad ahead of time, I recommend prepping the ingredients and tossing the salad (without dressing!) in a separate airtight container from the salad dressing. Dressing the salad a day or more ahead of time will cause the lettuce to wilt and become soggy.
• If making the salad ahead, I recommend letting the dressing get to room temperature before using to let the oil get back to normal viscosity. It hardens slightly in the fridge so I'd let it sit out for about an hour before using!
• If you have leftover salad, I recommend eating it as soon as possible as it will wilt and get soggy fairly quickly!

Recipe FAQ

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