Berry Crunch Salad with Strawberry-Balsamic Dressing

A fresh Berry Salad recipe with crunchy maple-vanilla candied nuts! It's topped with a strawberry balsamic dressing that's sweet, tasty, and customizable. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)

This bright Berry Salad recipe is so flavorful and delicious!

It combines fresh greens, sweet berries, and naturally-sweetened candied nuts for a delightful crunch.

Then it's topped with a simple but tasty strawberry balsamic dressing.

It's a great side dish for potlucks, BBQs, or simply at-home enjoyment.

Ingredients for Berry Salad

For the salad portion you will toss together:

• Mixed baby greens: Or other salad greens or lettuce of choice such as arugula, baby spinach salad, etc.
• Fresh strawberries
• Fresh blueberries
• Clementine: Or mandarins, oranges, etc.
• Maple-Vanilla Candied Nuts: This gives the salad nice crunch, texture, and added protein. You can make these ahead of time if desired.

Ingredients for Strawberry Dressing

For the dressing you will combine in a small blender:

• Fresh strawberries: Be sure your berries are ripe and flavorful as that can make all the difference. I purchase organic when possible.
• Balsamic vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• A touch of salt: I use fine-grain salt for this recipe.
• Water to thin if desired
• Poppy seeds: These are optional (but recommended!) if you'd like a poppyseed dressing. We will stir or whisk them in after we blend the dressing.

Customizing

Fruit: Toss in other fresh berries like fresh raspberries, fresh blackberries, or even pineapple. (You could even substitute raspberries in the dressing to make it a raspberry vinaigrette instead.)

Nuts and seeds: I enjoy this salad with the maple-vanilla candied walnuts, but add any nuts and seeds of your choice such as candied almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc.

Dairy-free cheese: Top your bowl with a sprinkle of vegan feta cheese or vegan goat cheese crumbles if desired.

Storing

Preparing ahead: If making ahead of time, store salad and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. We find it keeps for about 2-3 days.

For more inspiration, also browse all vegan salad recipes or gluten-free recipes.

Berry Crunch Salad with Strawberry-Balsamic Dressing

A fresh berry salad with crunchy maple-vanilla candied nuts! Topped with a strawberry balsamic dressing that's sweet, tasty, and customizable.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Author: Kaitlin - The Garden Grazer

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Vegan

Servings: 4

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

• 5 oz. mixed baby greens
• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
• 2-3 clementines/mandarins (or 1 large orange)
• 1 cup maple-vanilla candied nuts
• Optional: other nuts/seeds, berries, green onion, avocado, etc.

For the strawberry-balsamic dressing:

• 1 heaping cup fresh strawberries (about 5 oz. de-stemmed)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. water (if needed to thin)
• 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds (optional)

Instructions

• Make the candied nuts.
• Meanwhile, make the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients (except poppy seeds) in a small blender or food processor. Blend well to combine. Stir in poppy seeds after blending, if using.
• Prepare your salad: Add mixed greens to a plate/bowl. Remove stems from strawberries and slice. Peel clementine and break into single segments. Top salad greens with strawberries, blueberries, and clementine.
• Add candied walnuts, and top with desired amount of dressing.
• If saving leftovers or preparing for later, store salad and dressing separately in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

Notes

Tip: Be sure to find ripe berries + produce. This salad is great for seasonal eating when ingredients are at peak harvest and flavor.

Variations: Add your own favorite additions such as raspberries, blackberries, green onion, other seeds/nuts, avocado, etc.

Quicker prep: If making the candied walnuts ahead of time, this salad only takes about 10 minutes (or less) to prepare.

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Nutrition Facts

Berry Crunch Salad with Strawberry-Balsamic Dressing

Amount per Serving

Calories

226

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

11

g

17

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Potassium

 

239

mg

7

%

Carbohydrates

 

28

g

9

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

19

g

21

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

423

IU

8

%

Vitamin C

 

50

mg

61

%

Calcium

 

78

mg

8

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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If you are enjoying this Berry Crunch Salad with candied nuts and strawberry balsamic dressing, also check out:

• Vegan Italian Pasta Salad (Oil Free)
• Lentil Salad with Capers and Balsamic-Dijon Dressing
• Quinoa Tabbouleh
• Cucumber Salad

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