This gorgeously colorful Strawberry Blueberry Salad is the ultimate summer salad, perfect when those fresh picked berries are in season! Sweet candied walnuts, goat cheese and a quick honey dijon vinaigrette make this refreshing salad so versatile, from holidays to weeknights, parties to brunch!
- A Salad Worthy of Special Occasions! - This Strawberry Blueberry Salad is a show stopper! Make it your next Easter Salad, Mother's Day Salad, or 4th of July Salad with its red white and blue colors! Perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner, you'll come back to this recipe again and again!
- Seasonal for Summer - This Blueberry Strawberry Salad puts the lettuce in the background, with generous amounts of seasonal berries as the star! The quick candied walnuts pair with the naturally sweet berries and basil, while the creamy goat cheese and a few sharp red onions balance the flavors. A quick, shaken in a jar, Honey Vinaigrette brings it all together.
- If you love bright and fresh summer salads, try my Peach Caprese Salad and this Strawberry Cucumber Salad!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Seasonal summer berries anchor this salad, with easy candied nuts, creamy cheese and a quick homemade vinaigrette!
- Strawberries & Blueberries - Summer fresh berries are simply the best here! You could substitute or incorporate any berries you have like raspberries or black raspberries too!
- Candied Walnuts - A quick toss in butter and brown sugar (try my quick and easy Homemade Brown Sugar) and walnuts go from raw to incredibly delicious in just a few minutes!
- Red Onion - A few slices of red onion offer balance to the sweet fruit, walnuts and honey dressing. You could leave them out, or use milder onions like shallots, scallions or chives.
- Goat Cheese - Creamy goat cheese goes so well with berries, but if you're not a fan, crumbled feta works just as well!
- Basil - It's summer, so I'm tossing fresh basil from the garden on everything! If you don't have fresh, just leave it out, but the natural sweetness pairs nicely with the berry salad.
- Lettuce - Any salad lettuce mix works for this salad, including spring mix, chopped butter lettuce or baby spinach. The toppings are meant to be extremely plentiful, so that lettuce is just in the background.
- Vinaigrette - An easy shake in a jar, and this quick homemade Honey Dijon Vinaigrette is ready to go! Honey gives it extra sweetness to compliment the berries and brown sugar walnuts. The acid can be red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The dressing and walnuts can be prepped in advance, and this beautiful summer berry salad comes together in minutes!
Step 1 - Give the walnuts a rough chop, but leave them mostly whole.
Wash your berries well and slice the strawberries in half or quarters, depending on size.
Shake all ingredients for the dressing in a jar to emulsify.
Step 2 - To make the candied walnuts, add butter, walnuts and brown sugar to a skillet over medium low heat.
Toss for just a few minutes with a spoon until fragrant. Cool slightly.
Nuts and sugar can burn quickly, don't walk away!
Step 3 - Add the lettuce to a large bowl with about HALF of each ingredient, including the dressing.
Toss well with tongs.
Step 4 - Arrange the salad on a platter, or leave it in the bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients over the top and drizzle with the rest of the dressing.
Top Tips
- Assemble the Salad in Layers - A key salad making tip! Only toss half your ingredients with the lettuce and vinaigrette. Then sprinkle the rest over the top with a bit more dressing. This makes for a beautiful presentation without your colorful ingredients getting buried at the bottom of the salad bowl!
- The Dressing - Any light vinaigrette will work for this salad. I especially like one with a bit of sweetener like honey. Try it with my similar Easy Vinaigrette in a Jar or this Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette for a different flavor!
- Make Ahead Instructions - The dressing can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge, just let it come to room temperature when you need it. The candied walnuts can be made a day ahead and kept in a container on the counter. The day of, you can add the lettuce, onion, and goat cheese to a bowl and refrigerate. You may want to wait to slice and add the berries until just before tossing and serving. You can also make the complete salad, tossed with dressing and topped with berries, about an hour before serving and keep it in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
That fruit, nut, cheese combination makes a delicious salad! It's sweet and savory and works well for lots of spring or summer meals and occasions!
- Summer Dinner - Serve this salad with summer cookouts, Grilled Steak Kabobs or burgers, or summers pasta like this Bacon Mushroom Green Bean Pasta!
- Summer Holidays - The perfect Easter, Mother's Day, or 4th of July salad! It's a great dish to bring to a summer party or grill out! Make it after you go strawberry picking along with our Strawberry Shortcake!
- Brunch - A salad with fruit goes so well with brunch! For the perfect brunch menu, try it with my Sausage and Spinach Quiche and a Fruit Platter. Add Apple Cinnamon Raisin Scones, or these Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins.
- Make it the Meal - Add grilled chicken or Simple Roasted Salmon and serve this salad as the main course!
Recipe FAQs
Not everyone loves goat cheese, so feta is a pretty safe alternative. You could also do blue cheese if you're a big fan, but it will give you quite a different flavor.
A little trick I use is to grab a little handful of lettuce, what you think 1 person would eat, and toss it in your bowl. Count out the number of people you're serving with a little handful each. Then adjust your toppings up or down to look abundant! If you're serving more than 4 people, you can easily double the dressing. Extra dressing will keep in the fridge for a month, so don't worry about making too much.
Yes and no! Strawberries are always the best in the summer, but this could be delicious all year for the holidays too! If the grocery store strawberries don't look so great, try subbing pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries instead. Along with the blueberries, candied walnuts and goat cheese, you'll have a festive holiday salad!
Try These Summer Salads Next!
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
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Strawberry Blueberry Salad
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 cup walnuts barely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 to 5 ounces lettuce mix
- 2 cups strawberries cut in half or quarters
- 1 cup blueberries
- ½ cup goat cheese or feta cheese crumbled
- ⅛ cup red onion sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves (optional)
For the Dressing
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Wash the berries well and slice the strawberries in half or quarters.
- For the candied walnuts, in a small skillet over medium low heat, add the butter, nuts and brown sugar. Toss with a spoon for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Don't walk away, nuts and sugar can burn quickly! Cool slightly.
- Add all ingredients for the dressing to a jar with a lid and shake well to emulsify.
- To a large bowl, add the lettuce and HALF of each ingredient, including the candied walnuts and some dressing. Toss well with tongs.
- Arrange on a platter or salad bowl, then sprinkle with the remaining ingredients and another drizzle of dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Strawberries - the 2 cups are measured whole, about half of a 1 pound carton.
- Assemble in Layers - Only toss half of each ingredient with the lettuce. Then add to a platter and sprinkle with the remaining ingredients and another drizzle of dressing. This makes the salad look plentiful without everything sinking to the bottom of the bowl!
- Walnuts could be substituted with pecans. Try making Homemade Brown Sugar if you're out!
- Portions and Servings - This salad serves 4 people with fairly large portions. If it's a large party with lots of side dishes, it may stretch for 6 to 8 people. The recipe could be doubled, or just add a bit more lettuce and toppings and double the dressing. Extra dressing will keep in the fridge for a month.
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