This red white and blue salad is bursting with all the goodness of summer! Ripe, juicy berries combine with spinach and goat cheese for a strawberry spinach salad that is sweet, savory, and perfect for patriotic holidays.
Ready in minutes and ideal for picnics and backyard barbecues, you’ll love this pretty garden-fresh salad! It can be arranged as an American flag for long summer weekends and the 4th of July, or tossed like a traditional salad.
Any way you serve this spinach and poppyseed berry salad, it’s sure to be a hit!
With just four ingredients for the salad and your own favorite dressing or my go-to strawberry poppyseed dressing, this spinach salad is not only easy, but so delicious.
Serve this up for a weeknight dinner, or create an American flag for all those patriotic summer holidays! If you love to celebrate with classic patriotic style, don’t skip this incredible collection of 30 Easy 4th of July Recipes.
So many red white and blue recipes are indulgent desserts, so I love bringing something a little healthier to parties. Much like our family favorite Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing, the fresh fruit in this salad makes it super kid-friendly, too!
The simplicity of this salad is awesome! I loved making it for dinner last night. So good!
★★★★★
– emily –
Why You’ll Love this Salad
Healthy and nutritious – This light, refreshing summer salad is full of vitamins A and C, along with calcium and iron.
Easy to make – With minimal ingredients and prep work, this red white and blue salad comes together in a snap.
Perfect for summer potlucks and picnics – But you’ll love it for weeknight dinners too!
Shopping List
Copy and paste the fresh ingredients below into your grocery list!
- Baby Spinach
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Goat Cheese
- Optional Pecans
- Poppyseeds
- Staple Dressing Ingredients: Olive Oil, Vinegar, Honey and Dijon Mustard
Salad Ingredients
- Spinach – I used fresh baby spinach as a base for the salad. You can switch it up and use whatever greens you like, of course!
- Strawberries – Fresh is always best! Slice them on the diagonal if you’re creating the flag shape, as it makes the stripes more clear.
- Blueberries – Fresh blueberries work beautifully for a bright pop of color and the “stars” part of the stars and stripes in this 4th of July salad.
- Goat Cheese – Fresh goat cheese is ideal in this salad because it can be rolled into little balls for a neat appearance as the white stripes on the flag.
- Optional – Pecans or your favorite chopped nuts.
Dressing Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Vinegar – White white vinegar, champagne vinegar, and even raspberry vinegar work well.
- Honey – Sub with agave, or just a tablespoon of white granulated sugar instead.
- Mustard – We like dijon mustard but any kind of mustard will do.
- Poppyseeds
- Strawberries – Sort through your strawberries and use any with imperfections for the dressing. Save the best looking ones for the salad!
Variations
- Different Berries – Make your red white and blue salad with raspberries, blackberries or even cherries.
- Switch Up the Cheese – Not a fan of goat cheese? Try feta, blue cheese or mozzarella pearls.
- Add Nuts – This salad is delicious with a little added crunch, too. Try my Candied Nuts, or add chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds.
- Add protein – We love this red white and blue salad with slices of my ever-popular Baked Chicken.
Test Kitchen Tips
- Be sure to wash your salad ingredients and then spin them so that they stay crispy and don’t have excess water.
- It’s best not to dress the salad until just before serving. This keeps the greens nice and crisp!
Red White and Blue Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh spinach
- ½ cup blueberries
- 1 cup strawberries sliced
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Optional Dressing
- ¾ cup strawberries
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup vinegar white wine or champagne
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon poppyseeds
Instructions
- Combine strawberries, olive oil, vinegar, honey, and mustard in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Fold in poppyseeds.
- Toss with spinach to evenly coat your greens.
- Spread the coated spinach onto a platter if you're creating a flag.
- Add your blueberries to the left top corner of your salad display.
- Add sliced strawberries into stripes across, lengthwise.
- Finally, create small balls of coat cheese by rolling it into ½ inch spheres in your hands.
- Add goat cheese spheres to be the white stripes. Serve and enjoy!
Julie’s Tips
- Goat cheese is easier to work with when chilled. Make goat cheese balls ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble.
- Use strawberries of a similar size to make effective stripes.
- Be sure to wash your salad ingredients and then spin them so that they stay crispy and don’t have excess water.
- To prep this red white and blue salad ahead of time, you can make the dressing and keep it in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator.
- It’s best not to dress the salad until just before serving. This keeps the greens nice and crisp!
Variations and Substitutions
- Spinach – If you don’t want to use spinach, serve this salad with any favorite greens.
- Dressing – You can use the dressing of your choice, if you don’t want to make a homemade dressing.
- Cheese – Try feta, blue cheese or mozzarella pearls.
- Honey – Sub with agave or just a tablespoon of white granulated sugar.
Storage Tips
Once the spinach is coated in dressing, it will wilt as it’s stored. It can be kept up to two days in the refrigerator after serving. However, if you want to prep this salad ahead of time, just make the dressing up to five days ahead!Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Love this! Just wondering about halving the strawberries and turning them over for more red…?
Hi Becky!
That’s a great idea! Any way you choose to display it, I’m sure it will be a hit.
Have a wonderful week,
Julie
Hello, I’m not a fan of honey (vegetarian). Can I substitute maple syrup for honey in the dressing? Or sugar? Thanks!!
I haven’t tested, but I would simply add a tablespoon of sugar and let it marinate.
The simplicity of this salad is awesome! I loved making it for dinner last night. So good!Â