We're taking the season's freshest strawberries and blitzing them into a sweet, tangy dressing for all your favorite summer salads!
There are many things that far exceed expectations when made at home as opposed to being store bought. Coming in at the top of that list is salad dressing.
Whether you prefer vinaigrettes or creamy dressings- from Caesar to Ranch, you cannot deny the superiority of flavor that fresh ingredients bring to the table.
Let's take for instance, strawberry dressing. Whenever I find strawberry dressing in a bottle, it's watery and rust colored. They throw some seeds in to make it look all-natural, but we all know it isn't. Now, when you compare that to the one we've made today, with simple, minimal- and most importantly, truly all-natural ingredients- you get a creamy vinaigrette boasting of a soft pink hue.
It takes only minutes to make and will last you through a week's worth of salads. Now, why would you ever buy again?
I don't like to call myself a picky eater because I'll try anything at least once...but when it comes to salads, I'm still hard to please.
There is something however about summer, that just invites a cool, refreshing plate of greens. I barely even recognized myself- the girl who could and would happily indulge in a burger or steak every night if she could, suddenly had a craving for salad greens and cool, creamy dressing.
So, let's break down this salad and the dressing:
I may consider salads a summer food, but there are salads for every season and I find that really interesting. What you won't necessarily find in this salad are winter fruits like pears or dried cranberries, I've swapped toasted nuts for seasoned croutons, and fancied it up with a sophisticated but simple Strawberry Vinaigrette.
There are only a handful of ingredients in today's recipe, and I combined them all in a single serve blender. After a few pulses, I was left with a dressing that reminded me more of strawberry milkshake (and no in case you were curious, this is completely dairy free).
The dressing itself is super versatile and because it's creamy you can even serve it as a dip for your favorite veggies. I suggest chilling it in the refrigerator until ready to use. It tastes even better slightly chilled.
Reserve some strawberries for your salad, toss in cucumbers for an extra burst of hydration, and sweet cherry tomatoes. It's crisp, it's refreshing, and so, so satisfying.
Give your summer salads an added touch of elegance with this homemade vinaigrette.
PrintFresh Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2-3 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until creamy and incorporated. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking.
Store the dressing in the refrigerator. Best when served cool. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
DAVID J MYERS says
Catherine, Although straight up balsamic vinaigrette is still my favorite, as I've gotten older, I find that I do like the sweeter strawberry and raspberry versions almost as well... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
angiesrecipes says
I probably could drink that vinaigrette! So good for any spring salad.
Melanie Varey says
I don’t think that I have ever tried a strawberry dressing but I am now intrigued! A recipe on my must try list.
Jupiter Hadley says
This sounds really simple and so delicious! Perfect for a summertime salad.
Cristina Petrini says
A different vinaigrette than usual and therefore even more inviting. I'll try!
Cynthia Nicoletti says
Love strawberries so delicious and makes great recipes.
Crickette, The Things I Have to Say says
I've never had strawberry vinaigrette, but now I think I will have some. This looks delicious. I love vinaigrette because it's light and I really don't like heavy salad dressing.
Lisa says
I’ve never thought about making a strawberry vinaigrette before, but you’ve convinced me to try it out!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN says
Strawberries are yummy. I'm sure they would be really delicious in a drizzle for a salad.
Yeah Lifestyle says
This looks like such a satisfiying bowl of salad, I have added strawberries to my salad but never made a vinaigrette with them before
Paula Richie says
Sounds as though this strawberry dressing would be a great test for summer salads when we tend to crave lighter foods.
Anjali says
This is such a creative vinaigrette idea and is perfect for summer! We made this recipe this weekend and tossed it with some salad greens and it was the perfect side dish for our dinner!
Elizabeth says
Oh man this is good! I can't believe I've never thought to add fruit to vinaigrette, but this dressing is fabulous!
Jacque Hastert says
I can't wait to whip this together for all my summer lunch salads! I love when I can skip the store and make something at home instead. Thank you for sharing!
Angela says
This dressing is so easy to make and the flavor is amazing. Homemade dressing for the win!!
Wanda says
I can't wait to try making this with all the excess strawberries we get every year! Can I use other berries in place of strawberries?
Marta says
There is something special about a berry vinaigrette and how it brightens up a salad. Your recipe was delicious and did not disappoint.
veenaazmanov says
Something to really check on. I m drooling with the combinations. Cant wait to stock my fridge soon and try amazing salad combination with this delicious Strawberry Vinaigrette.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for this strawberry vinaigrette recipe! It's my new favorite it taste really amazing!
Leslie says
There's definitely no need to buy a store-bought dressing again with this recipe! It's perfect, easy to make, and fresh!
Natalia says
I have to try this strawberry vinaigrette, it looks so summery, fresh and easy to make! I love lemon vinaigrette but I just fall in love with this strawberry vinaigrette recipe. I will de finitely give it a try!
Loreto and Nicoletta says
I was just saying to Nicoletta that I have not made her a strawberry vinaigrette! Funny how that works, then emmediatly here is your pist. Lovely dressing and strawberries 🍓 are appearing in our organic markets so only one thing to do! Make it!
Thanks for sharing thus dressing!
Marisa F Stewart says
We have a salad with our dinner every single night. The same toss salad has gotten old and when I saw your fresh strawberry vinaigrette I was inspired to make a spinach salad. Oh! Boy! Did it ever taste good. Frankly, I didn't even care if I ate the grilled chicken that went along with it. I'll be making this salad more often.
Marisa F Stewart says
We have a salad with our dinner every single night. The same toss salad has gotten old and when I saw your fresh strawberry vinaigrette I was inspired to make a spinach salad. Oh! Boy! Did it ever taste good. Frankly, I didn't even care if I ate the grilled chicken that went along with it. I'll be making this salad more often.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I am in love with this recipe and have already made it twice with my garden strawberries. So refreshing and love the fruity flavor that it adds to the salad.
Moop Brown says
It's easy to tell that this tasty looking dressing easily adds a sense of summer spirit and tangy flavor to any salad. Thanks for sharing!
Aditi Bahl says
Made the salad with this vinaigrette yesterday. It was great. Came out lovely. Everyone loved it. The flavors were so refreshing. Will surely make it again.