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Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

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Posted by:

Erin Lynch

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Updated:

March 8, 2025

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This spinach salad with poppyseed dressing may just be the perfect summer salad. Sweet strawberries and creamy poppyseed dressing are a match made in heaven, and the spinach adds a touch of healthy greens.

Prepared berry spinach salad in white bowl with dressing drizzled on top.

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Table of Contents

  • Salad ingredients
  • Poppyseed dressing ingredients
  • How to make it
  • Variations
  • How to make ahead & store
  • Full Recipe

Why you’ll love it

This salad is light, delicious, flavorful, and so quick & easy to put together!

This salad is a great way to use up fresh strawberries in the summer. It’s also a healthy and refreshing option for a light lunch or dinner.

Plus… that dressing!

You can mix up the poppyseed salad dressing in a matter of minutes. A simple mix of mayo, poppy seeds, rice vinegar, and Dijon mustard is whisked together, then ready to use! The finished result is deliciously creamy, subtly sweet, tangy, and rich.

Poppyseed dressing in bottle on counter.

This salad works well as a side salad with Smoked Burgers.

Or, you can make it the main dish by adding your favorite protein. Try it with these Traeger Chicken Breasts, Air Fryer Chicken Breasts, or Sous Vide Chicken Tenders.

Salad ingredients

  • Baby spinach: You can also use kale (more hearty) or arugula (more peppery).
  • Mandarin oranges: I like to purchase the canned no-sugar-added mandarin oranges. You could also use fresh mandarin oranges or canned peaches.
  • Strawberries: I like to quarter or halve the berries, depending on their size.
  • Blackberries & blueberries: Or, use all strawberries.
  • Chopped walnuts: You can also use sunflower seeds, sliced almonds or chopped pistachios or pecans instead.

Poppyseed dressing ingredients

  • Mayonnaise – Mayonnaise is used as the base of this poppyseed dressing recipe. It gives it a thick and creamy texture and rich flavor that tastes very comforting. 
  • Milk – To help thin out the dressing without losing the rich consistency.
  • Sugar – The sweetness from the sugar balances the rest of the tart and rich flavors. If you don’t want to use granulated white sugar, use coconut sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey instead.
  • Poppy seeds – Poppy seeds don’t add much in terms of flavor here, but they do give the dressing some personality and crunch! Plus, the small black seeds speckled throughout the dressing make it look totally irresistible.
  • Rice wine vinegar – If you don’t have rice wine vinegar, use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead. Regular white vinegar is too tart and acidic for this recipe.
  • Dijon mustard – Try not to replace this with regular yellow mustard. A fancy brown mustard is a much better option because of the depth of flavor.
  • Kosher salt

If you’re not up for making your own dressing, you can use store-bought poppy seed dressing or a creamy balsamic vinaigrette instead.

How to make it

First, make the dressing. Whisk all of the ingredients together until you have a smooth and creamy dressing. Season with additional salt, to taste.

Combine the spinach, mandarin orange slices, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and walnuts in a large bowl. Gently toss to combine.

If you are serving it right away, you can add the poppyseed dressing and toss to combine. Then, plate it up on a large platter, salad plates or simply serve this simple salad in the large salad bowl you mixed it in.

If you’re meal prepping for later, don’t add the dressing until you’re ready to eat. More tips on that below…

Overhead shot of prepared salad in white bowl with berries scattered around.

Variations

  • Dairy free dressing – Use your favorite dairy free milk instead of regular milk.
  • Instead of mayonnaise – Make a lighter version of this dressing by swapping the mayo for Greek yogurt or sour cream.
  • Add tartness – By stirring finely diced or shredded shallots or red onion into the dressing.
  • Cheese – Add some crumbled feta or goat cheese to the salad for a salty, tangy flavor.
  • Nuts – Swap the walnuts for almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, or hazelnuts. You can also sprinkle on some dried cranberries for texture.

How to make ahead & store

If you don’t plan on serving the salad right away, it’s best to store the salad and the dressing in separate containers. You can make the dressing up to 5 days ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, simply toss and enjoy!

Overhead close up of prepared strawberry spinach salad with poppyseed dressing drizzled on it.

More flavor-packed salad recipes

  • Chicken Cobb Salad
  • Southwest Chicken Salad
  • Sugar Snap Pea Salad
  • Cauliflower Chickpea Salad with Quinoa
  • Tomato Cucumber Salad
  • Peach Caprese Salad
  • Avocado Chickpea Salad
  • Jennifer Aniston Quinoa Salad

Did you make this strawberry spinach salad?

If you loved this salad with poppyseed dressing, I would appreciate it so much if you would leave a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings & Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

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Overhead close up of prepared strawberry spinach salad with poppyseed dressing drizzled on it.

Full Recipe

Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

This spinach salad with poppyseed dressing is quick, easy & delicious! Featuring sweet strawberries & a creamy poppyseed dressing.
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Serves 4 people
Created by Platings and Pairings
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 0 minutes mins
Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces baby spinach
  • ½ cup canned mandarin oranges (no sugar added)
  • ¾ cup strawberries (stems removed and halved or quartered)
  • ½ cup blackberries
  • ½ cup blueberries
  • ¼ cup walnuts

Poppyseed Dressing

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until well combined. Season with additional salt, to taste.
  • In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients, then drizzle on the desired amount of poppyseed dressing on top. Toss gently to combine. Enjoy!

Notes

The poppyseed dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge. 

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 598mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 7061IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!
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One response

  1. Mimi Rippee
    August 21, 2023

    Beautiful! And I love seeing the creamy dressing on this salad. And thanks for not adding 1 cup of sugar to the dressing.

    Reply

Hi, I’m Erin!

Can I pour you a glass of wine? Let’s have some fun in the kitchen! Maybe some pasta? A juicy steak? I’ve got loads of yummy, easy recipes for you! Because cooking should feel as comfy as your favorite yoga pants. ♥

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