I’ll be making this strawberry salad all summer long. It’s beautiful, easy to make, and beyond delicious. What more could we want?
This salad takes a few cues from classic Caprese salad but stars diced strawberries. I opted for crumbled goat cheese instead of mozzarella, and added a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar.
To round it out, I added lots of fresh basil, plus a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. This salad straddles the line between sweet and savory, and it absolutely works.
The final result is a showstopper. Be sure to use red, ripe strawberries and quality ingredients, and you’ll be thrilled with the results. Hooray for easy summer salads!
Strawberry-Basil Salad Tips
Use thick balsamic vinegar.
In other words, use high quality balsamic vinegar or buy/make balsamic reduction. Both options offer intense flavor and look pretty (runny balsamic vinegars will travel straight to the bottom of the plate). See the recipe notes for my suggestions.
Double the recipe for a crowd.
The recipe as written calls for 1 pound strawberries and 1/2 log of goat cheese. To double the recipe, just grab another pound of strawberries and make sure you have plenty of basil.
Serve promptly.
This salad is beautiful and looks best when it’s served promptly. If you’re transporting this salad, you might want to wait and drizzle the olive oil and vinegar on top just before serving.
Change it up.
You can easily substitute sliced fresh peaches for some or all of the strawberries. Another idea? Serve this salad over fresh, leafy greens, with an extra little drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top.
Please let me know how you like this salad in the comments! I hope it’s a big hit at your summer parties.
Looking for more strawberry goodness? Here are a few of my favorite strawberry recipes:
- Colorful Strawberry Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Summertime Fruit Salad
- Strawberry, Basil and Balsamic Pizza
- Strawberry Salsa
- No-Bake Greek Yogurt Tart
Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 side servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
- Diet: Gluten Free
This strawberry salad recipe is simple enough to make on weeknights. It’s also the perfect salad to bring to all of your summer parties! Recipe yields 4 side servings; it is easily doubled.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, diced
- Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, to taste
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese (about ½ cup)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus a few small basil leaves for garnish
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon thick balsamic vinegar*
- ½ teaspoon Maldon flaky sea salt or a scant ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Spread the diced strawberries across a medium serving platter or shallow serving bowl. If the strawberries aren’t sweet enough to your liking, toss them with a bit of honey or maple syrup.
- Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese over the strawberries, followed by the chopped basil. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top.
- Finish off the salad with the salt, a few twists of freshly ground black pepper, and the reserved basil leaves. For the most beautiful presentation, serve the salad promptly. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator, though, for about 3 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: You could potentially omit the goat cheese altogether, or substitute a few dollops of vegan sour cream. For a vegan salad, use maple syrup instead of honey, if using at all.
*Balsamic vinegar note: For a beautiful drizzle, use high-quality, thick balsamic vinegar (I love Napa Valley Naturals’ Grand Reserve Vinegar—it’s about $10 at Natural Grocers or other well-stocked grocery stores—make sure you get the bottle with “25 stars” on it) or store-bought balsamic glaze/reduction (DeLallo and Alessi make them). You can use regular runny balsamic for less beautiful results, or make your own balsamic reduction by following the note below.
How to make balsamic reduction: Bring 1 cup (or more) runny balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small, thick bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, until the vinegar is reduced by half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Allow the reduction to cool, then transfer to an air-tight jar and store in the pantry. Balsamic reduction is great on everything from pizza to ice cream, Caprese and green salads, and more.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Alexia
This is a beautiful salad and will go great at a BBQ, next to a Caprese salad.
Kate
That would be a great combination! Let me know what you think, Alexia.
jane
My family loved it and it was with American strawberries–not even red right through–I can only imagine what it’s like with fresh ripe local Ontario strawberries, which will hopefully be in season soon. Thank you for the tasty memory. This is a keeper.
Cheers
Jane
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your feedback, Jane!
Donna Turner
Sounds wonderful but I just wanted to say Best Wishes to you and Congratulations to the groom.
Kate
Thank you, Donna!
Malinda Evans
Congratulations!!! You looked absolutely lovely, and so does this salad.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you! :)
Nancy
This was a huge hit at my dinner party. Loved the flavor. I never would have thought strawberries for a salad. Main course was steak so this was very light and refreshing salad. Looking forward to more vegetarian recipes
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you were pleasantly surprised! Thanks, Nancy.
Nicole
I loooved this! I had half over greens with a sliced avocado and it was dreamy. I had the other half with some sliced cucumber stirred in. Very yummy.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it! I really like the greens and avocado pairing idea.
Leslie
I made this on Sunday. It was amazing!!!!!
Thank you
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Leslie!
Lilly
I made the strawberry salad dish and it was lovely. I made a few changes and used chopped red onion and smoked balsamic glaze and substitued greek feta cheese for the goats cheese. I used 100% organic strawberries which I cut only in half and I left the basil as whole leaves. I’d post a picture but I do not use instagram.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for taking to time to provide feedback Lilly!
Latoya
This is what summer tastes like on a plate. Simple, easy, yet divine. Plan on making this very often. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
I agree with you! Thank you for your review, Latoya.
Brittany
So fresh, beautiful, delicious, and easy. I LOVE a classic caprese and this was a lovely twist. I’ll keep this in my back pocket all summer. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Brittany!
Laura d.
This was fantastic! Even my 4 year old loved it! I served it with artichokes & avocado toast, which made for an amazing summertime meal. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for your review, Laura!
Teri
This is a fabulous salad! Took it took a potluck and received rave reviews. Used Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze and their goat cheese with honey–yum!
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds great, Teri!
Lee
This recipe is so damn good! Thanks so much. I feel good just thinking about it! I did put in a full 3.5 oz carton of goat cheese and wouldn’t do any less.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Lee!
Connie
Kate, this is delicious!! I served it over greens, but tomorrow I’ll serve it without the greens. Simple, quick, but amazing! Thanks for another keeper recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Connie!
Jean
Loved the strawberry salad. Had a little extra balsamic reduction and added pineapple to the left over this morning. It was still fantastic. Used feta cheese.
Just wondering what isn’t good with feta and balsamic reduction?
Jean
★★★★★
Kate
I have a hard time thinking something isn’t good with it! :)
Alexa Jordan
Oooh, I can’t wait to give this a try! I just got a fresh batch of California Strawberries!
Kate
I hope you love it, Alexa!
Izabela
I’ve never eaten strawberries in a salad before but this looked so pretty that I had to try it. YUM! It was beautiful, fresh and delicious! :) Even my husband, who wasn’t excited at the prospect, ended up loving it.
★★★★★
Kelly Williams
Can I add some kind of lettuce to beef up this salad? What would be good, spinach?
Kate
Hi, Sure you cold try spinach.