Strawberry Salad Dressing
Drizzle your salad with a delicious Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing for a burst of sweet and tangy flavor. Made with juicy strawberries and the zing of fresh lime juice, this easy homemade salad dressing recipe takes just seconds to make in your blender.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
After a trip to the strawberry patch or when you see the store shelves and farmers’ market overflowing with fresh berries, it’s easy to end up with an abundance. After you’ve made Strawberry Crumble and Gluten Free Strawberries and Cream Cake and Strawberry Shortcake, you might still have some more to use up.
So why not think about some savory strawberry recipes instead? One of my favorites is this strawberry poppyseed dressing! It adds fresh and summery flavor to so many different types of salads. I love to make it any time I have some extra berries in the fridge.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing Recipe
- So quick and easy. All you have to do is toss everything in a blender, puree, and then stir the poppyseed into the strawberry salad dressing.
- Perfect consistency. Blending this dressing not only breaks down the strawberries into a puree, but also emulsifies the oil and vinegar to keep it from separating. This gives you a vinaigrette that is actually smooth and somewhat creamy, even without any dairy ingredients like yogurt.
- Great flavor. The sweet, fruity dressing is balanced by the zing of fresh lime juice to really brighten it up. It adds deliciously sweet and tangy flavor to your salads, from a simple side salad of arugula or spinach and goat cheese to a heartier salad topped with chicken or shrimp that you can enjoy as a meal.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a list of the ingredients in this strawberry poppyseed dressing, along with some information that might be helpful to you. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full amounts and instructions.
- Fresh strawberries. Remove the hull, then coarsely chop them so you can fit them into your blender or mini food processor.
- Lime juice. Fresh is best, as bottled can have a bitter flavor.
- Olive oil.
- Honey. You can substitute maple syrup or agave nectar for vegan.
- Salt and pepper.
- Poppy seeds. You can skip these to just make a plain strawberry salad dressing, but they add a nice texture, a slightly nutty flavor, and look gorgeous.
🍴 In the Cupcakes & Kale Chips Kitchen…
- Strawberry Huller – This simple tool makes quick and clean work of all those berries.
- Citrus Squeezer – I’m a big fan of a simple handheld juicer to get the most juice out of your limes.
How to Make Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing
It really couldn’t be any easier. I’ll go over it here, but it’s also in the recipe card along with the ingredient amounts further down.
- Blend the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients except poppy seeds in a blender or mini food processor, and puree till smooth and emulsified.
- Add the poppy seeds. Transfer the salad dressing to a jar or bowl and stir in poppy seeds. Then enjoy it on your favorite salads!
Recipe Variations
This strawberry poppyseed dressing recipe is so versatile that you can easily change it up with whatever flavors you love or ingredients you have on hand. Here are some ideas:
- Switch the berries. You can make a delicious and gorgeous dressing with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination.
- Try a different citrus. Pair it with lemon or orange juice for a different zippy flavor.
- Add some herbs. Try a bit of fresh mint or basil.
- Swap the sweetener. Maple syrup or agave makes it vegan-friendly and adds a slightly different flavor.
- Infuse some superfoods. Try using chia seeds instead of the poppy seeds.
- Make it creamy. While it does emulsify well, you can stir in some plain Greek yogurt if you want a richer texture.
Proper Storage
You can store this strawberry poppy seed dressing in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. While it won’t completely separate, you might want to give it a quick stir or shake before serving to make sure it is homogeneous.
Make it a Meal
This vinaigrette is perfect to blend together and pair with so many light, summery salads. Try these salads with strawberry dressing:
- Go classic. A traditional pairing with poppyseed dressing is spinach, like this Strawberry Spinach Salad, but you can also go with more crunch like Strawberry Wedge Salad.
- Showcase summer fruit. This Summer Grilled Shrimp Salad makes a great meal and Blackberry Mango Salad with Goat Cheese is a lovely light side dish.
- Serve with dinner. This strawberry salad dressing complements Strawberry Balsamic Salmon whether you serve it over salad or rice, and it would be good on a side salad paired with some Black and Blue Steaks.
More Salad Dressing Recipes
Just like this Strawberry Salad Dressing, these easy dressing recipes are also made in the blender.
- Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing has more fresh berry flavor with the tang of balsamic vinegar.
- Avocado Ranch Dressing is rich and creamy, and adds a little something special to the usual Ranch dressing.
- Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is thick and sweet and adds amazing flavor to a steak salad.
- Lemon Blueberry Chia Seed Dressing squeezes plenty of zing.
- Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Dressing from Rachel Cooks is so bright and fresh.
Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine 1/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tablespoon honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a blender or mini food processor, and blend till pureed and emulsified. Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Transfer to a jar or bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon poppyseeds. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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This dressing is delicious! It also tastes a little different every time I make it…depending on how ripe the strawberries are. It’s so good!!!
This sounds yummy. Just want to clarify one thing. There isnt any vinegar listed in the ingredients, but you mentioned vinegar in your blog.
Oh, I’m sorry I saw that and must have copied and pasted from a similar recipe. It’s just the lime juice.
Delicious! Just made it! Added it to a salad with berries, mandarin oranges pecans , red onion. Avocado And gardien ck’n strips. Sooo good!
That sounds like my kind of salad! Yum!
This dressing is SO GOOD!!! I made a salad with Spinach, Strawberries, Swiss Cheese and candied pecans and this dressing is the PERFECT addition! Love it!!
I’m so happy to hear that you love the dressing recipe, Bonna! Thank you for your comment and recipe rating. 🙂
Will this be enough dressing for a large salad that would feed about 6 people, or should I double it?
Addie, the recipe makes about 3/4 cup of dressing, so you might want to consider doubling it to assure that there is enough for 6 people. Any excess dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week.
This looks delicious! And I must be strange as well. Because I to would try and sneak the amoxicillin when I had ear infections. Lol. I always thought I was the only one! I will be making this. Strawberry picking is right around the corner.