Vegan Spinach Salad with Fruit
This healthy oil-free spinach salad with raspberry dressing is a refreshing and nutrient-packed option, combining tender spinach leaves with vibrant vegetables and a light, flavorful dressing. It’s a delicious way to enjoy a low-calorie, nutrient-dense meal that supports overall health and wellness.
Our delightful blend of crisp greens and sweet, tangy fruit with raspberry dressing is both delicious and healthy. The homemade oil-free raspberry dressing adds a burst of fresh, fruity flavor, making the salad a nutritious and satisfying choice for any meal.
We have other delicious salad dressings on this website that could easily work as substitutes like our orange miso oil-free dressing and this Thai-inspired oil-free salad dressing.
Reasons you will love this salad
- Bursting with Flavor: The combination of juicy oranges and ripe strawberries adds a sweet and tangy burst to the spinach, perfectly complemented by the vibrant, homemade oil-free raspberry dressing.
- Nutrient-Rich and Healthy: This salad is packed with vitamins and antioxidants from fresh spinach, citrus fruits, and crunchy nuts, while the oil-free dressing keeps it light and low-calorie.
- Refreshing and Satisfying: The mix of crisp spinach, zesty oranges, and juicy fruit provides a refreshing, satisfying crunch that makes this salad a delightful and wholesome choice for any meal.
- Easy to Prepare: Quick and simple to assemble, this salad features fresh ingredients and a homemade dressing that can be made in minutes, making it a convenient and healthy option for busy lifestyles.
Ingredients you will need
- Spinach- Baby spinach makes a good salad base because it has a tender, delicate texture and a mild, slightly sweet flavor that complements a wide variety of ingredients. Its nutrient-dense profile, including vitamins A, C, and K, along with iron and antioxidants, makes it a healthy and versatile choice for a base salad.
- Fruit- Adding fruit like mandarin oranges and berries to this salad enhances the dish with natural sweetness, vibrant color, and a burst of juicy flavor.
- Seeds & nuts- We include sunflower seeds and walnuts in our salad because they add a satisfying crunch and a boost of healthy fats, protein, and essential nutrients.
- Dressing- The homemade dressing creates a burst of fruity flavor without the added calories from oils.
How to make a spinach salad
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Begin by making the salad dressing. Add you raspberries to a blender. I have a Vitamix 5200 Series that I love, but any blender will work just fine for this dressing.
STEP #2: Purée the fresh or frozen raspberries. Pour it into a bowl. Whisk in the mustard, vinegar, herbs (if using), maple syrup, salt, and black pepper. Start with 1 tablespoon vinegar and add more after tasting. Adjust flavor with maple syrup, salt, and black pepper.
STEP #3: Dice up the fresh strawberries and toss them together with the baby spinach and other salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve.
The recipe comes from the Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine: Cancer Project Food for Life classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few different options for raspberry vinaigrette dressing that you can buy premade. Walmart sells a fat-free (oil-free) version in their salad dressing aisle by Maple Grove Farms. Grocery stores that carry Panera salad dressings have an oil-free version in their produce section.
Yes, you can prepare the spinach salad and raspberry dressing in advance. Store the salad ingredients and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator; mix them together just before serving to keep the spinach crisp and fresh.
Good add-ins for spinach salad with raspberry dressing include nuts like walnuts or almonds, seeds such as sunflower seeds, and other fruits like sliced strawberries or apples. These additions enhance the texture and flavor, making the salad more satisfying and nutritious.
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Vegan Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1 10 ounce bag fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup berries or grapes or 10 strawberries, sliced
- 1 10 ounce can mandarin or clementine oranges drained, or grapefruit sections
- 1 teaspoon sunflower seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon chopped Brazil nuts (optional)
- 1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette suggestions below
Raspberry Oil-Free Dressing
- 2 cups raspberries fresh or frozen
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs thyme or rosemary, freshly chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Begin by making the salad dressing or choosing your store-bought salad dressing.
- Wash and chop all of the salad ingredients. Toss them together in a bowl and drizzle the salad dressing over the top and serve!
Dressing
- Purée raspberries in a blender.
- Remove and place in a bowl.
- Whisk in mustard, vinegar, herbs (if using), maple syrup, salt, and black pepper. Start with 1 tablespoon vinegar and add more after tasting. Adjust flavor with maple syrup, salt, and black pepper.
- This will be more dressing than needed for this recipe. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. Leftover Raspberry Salad Dressing will keep for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Having some oil in the diet is healthy. e.g. the good fats. The thickener aka emulsifier commonly used in Fat-Free products is used in lab rats to create GI inflammation, for research purposes.