Strawberry Spinach Salad with Warm Brown Butter Dressing

This is a strawberry spinach salad like you’ve never had before! It starts simply with baby spinach, sliced strawberries, toasted nuts and feta cheese, but the warm brown butter balsamic dressing is a delightful surprise. And it makes this salad so special and delicious!

You’ve seen brown butter in just about every kind of recipe, especially desserts, but have you ever tried brown butter in a salad dressing? Because it’s amazing and kind of mind-blowing.

The brown butter adds richness, unique flavor, and a velvety texture that you don’t get with olive oil in a traditional vinaigrette. And it’s the perfect topping for a salad filled with fresh spinach, sweet strawberries, pecans, and creamy feta cheese. It’s both sweet and savory, and very fresh.

Serve this strawberry salad all spring and summer long, as a side dish for parties, potlucks, and all kinds of gatherings. It’s also great for Easter, other holidays, baby showers, brunches and more! You can even add a protein like chicken or salmon and enjoy it as a main dish too.

Table of Contents

How does a warm salad dressing work?

Since salads are typically made with refrigerated or room temperature ingredients, it may sound odd to add a warm topping. Wouldn’t the butter in the dressing just solidify when combined? Does the dressing wilt the spinach? And the answer is no! The warm dressing works so great here.

The dressing will need to be used right away, or rewarmed if made in advance (which is so quick and easy to do!). And once you toss the salad, it should be enjoyed right away too, like most salads. 

So, let’s walk through this spinach strawberry salad, shall we?

Ingredients you’ll need

• Butter— you can use salted or unsalted, we’ll brown it till it’s nutty and caramelized
• Balsamic vinegar— the acid balances out the sweetness in the dressing, and its flavor pairs really well with the other ingredients
• Honey— for sweetness
• Fresh rosemary— it adds a nice herbal savory flavor
• Salt
• Baby spinach— you can also use a 50/50 spring greens and spinach mix
• Fresh strawberries— get them when they’re sweet and in-season!
• Pecans— we’re going to toast them for optimal flavor, but candied pecans work too if you like 
• Feta cheese— more cheese options listed below 

How to make this strawberry spinach salad recipe

1. Brown the butter. Add cubed butter to a saucepan and melt over medium low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until butter foams and then turns golden brown. Remove from heat immediately.
2. Make the dressing. Pour the butter into a small jar or container and add balsamic vinegar, honey, rosemary and salt. Cover with a lid and shake to combine, or whisk until it comes together. Let it cool slightly while you prep the other ingredients.
3. Toast the pecans. (Optional, but recommended!) Bake in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or cook over medium heat in a dry saucepan until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool.
4. Combine the salad. Toss the baby spinach, strawberries, nuts, feta cheese, and warm dressing in a large bowl.
5. Enjoy right away. Like most salads, this strawberry spinach salad is best enjoyed immediately!

Make-ahead options

Variations for this salad

• Try other greens like arugula, baby kale, spring mix, or a mix of a few.
• Add or substitute other fresh berries like raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Sliced apples and/or pears would turn this into a lovely fall salad!
• Use other nuts like walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts.
• Any sharp crumbly cheese would be great— like goat cheese, blue cheese, gorgonzola, and even cotija.
• Add more mix-ins like red onion or avocado.
• Make it a main dish by adding grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp.

More salad recipes

Here’s the recipe!

This recipe was originally published in 2018. In 2025 additional tips and information have been added, but the recipe and instructions remain the same.