Name: Strawberry poppy seed salad dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup strawberries, halved (about 5 ounces); 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white wine or champagne vinegar); 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 Tbsp honey (optional, if berries aren't very sweet); 1 Tbsp poppy seeds; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper

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This strawberry poppy seed dressing is easy to make and only takes 5 minutes. Simply blend fresh strawberries, your favorite vinegar, olive oil, honey (optional), salt, pepper, and poppy seeds together. Pour over a salad right away or store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

The more flavorful your strawberries, the more prominent the flavor will be. However, a salad dressing is a perfect way to use up bland strawberries. The honey (or sugar) sweetens them up while vinegar adds to their tart flavor.

Recipe

Strawberry salad dressing with poppy seeds on a table

Strawberry poppy seed salad dressing

Veronica T

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Prep Time5

Total Time5

Calories52

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, halved about 5 ounces
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine or champagne vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey optional, if berries aren't very sweet
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend until fully combined.
Transfer to a jar and use right away or keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Vinegar substitutions: I like apple cider vinegar in this vinaigrette, but white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, red or white balsamic also work out great.

Honey substitutions: you can use maple syrup or white sugar instead.

Nutrition

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Fresh strawberries

Fresh, in-season strawberries from the farmers market have the best chance of being flavorful. When you find really flavorful ones, it feels wrong to use them for anything other than a fresh, whole snack.

But sometimes we don't eat them fast enough, and this dressing is a great way to prolong their life before they go bad. I've also made this dressing when my garden is overrun with strawberries - a good problem to have!

A strawberry poppy seed dressing can also help save bland strawberries from the compost pile. Honey adds to their lacking sweetness, vinegar adds tartness back in, and poppy seeds can distract you from the lacking strawberry flavor.

Poppy seeds

Fresh, flavorful poppy seeds are essential for any poppy seed dressing. They add that distinct sweet, nutty flavor which can really make or break a basic green salad.

Poppy seeds have a shorter shelf life than other flavors in your spice drawer. As a seed, their are full of heathly oils. Those oils can go rancid, giving the poppy seeds a bitter, off flavor.

When properly stored, poppy seeds last about a year. However, they can lose flavor over time. Store them away from light and heat sources - keep them away from ovens and don't store them in the cabinet over a stovetop. You can also store them in the freezer.

Substitutions

One thing I love about homemade salad dressings is their flexibility to accommodate changes. I have a few other options for you to try:

Sweetener: leave out entirely, or use white sugar or maple syrup
Vinegar: you can also try a good syrupy red or white balsamic vinegar, white wine or champagne vinegar, or even a fruity one that pairs well with strawberries.
Olive oil: a high quality flavorless oil, like avocado, could work well, as could a walnut (or other nut) based oil. Be sure to check the nut oil for freshness (they can go rancid over time).

Salads

You might already have a salad in mind for this dressing. If not, I recommend using this strawberry poppy seed dressing on a pretty simple salad to let the dressing shine, like this strawberry spinach salad.

Strawberry spinach salad with feta & fried rosemary

A quick & easy spring or summer salad that highlights the best strawberries you can find.

Strawberry spinach salad recipe

Alternatively, use the sweetness in the dressing to balance a saltier salad, like this summer Cobb salad. The recipe calls for a homemade blueberry balsamic dressing, but this strawberry poppy seed dressing would work out perfectly as well.

Summer Cobb salad with corn & blueberries

Use seasonal vegetables in this protein-packed salad that is an entire meal.

Summer Cobb salad recipe

Mix arugula and spinach together, topped with a creamy cheese and candied nuts. I like using a fun flavored goat cheese, like honey jalapeno. An herbal or pepper based feta is another great option.

Plain walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, or pistachios make for a pretty good topping. I'm a fan of salt & pepper pistachios on a salad to pair with this fruity dressing. Candied pecans or walnuts add a perfect sweet crunch factor.

Top the salad with grilled chicken or fish for extra protein. When in-season, you could also add some grilled or roasted asparagus. Other than that, I like keeping the salad pretty simple so that the strawberry poppy seed dressing is the featured flavor.

Other strawberry dressings to try

I've come across a bunch of different strawberry salad dressings that are all great for a spring or summer salad. Here are a few to try:

Strawberry poppy seed salad dressing with orange juice and red onions blended in. Recipe at Simple Joy.
Strawberry basil balsamic vinaigrette by Walder Wellness
Strawberry salad dressing with yogurt to make it creamy - recipe by Clean Eating Kitchen
Strawberry poppy seed dressing with rosemary from Meatified.

A strawberry spinach salad with feta on a plate, with fresh strawberries on a table nearby

More recipes & resources

If you're looking for more strawberry recipes, look no further. My strawberry recipe collection has over 75 recipes from various food bloggers. It includes 8 different strawberry shortcake variations, pairings with rhubarb, chocolate, and even flowers.