Spring Salad
The flavors of spring mingle in this beautiful Spring Salad with Mixed Berries, Candied Almonds, and Honey Citrus Vinaigrette for delicious salad with vibrant flavors and varied textures!
Happy first day of spring, y'all!
It's amazing how a little extra effort can take a salad from blah to amazing. From run of the mill to something special. From bribe-your-kids-to-eat-it to make-them-beg-for-more.
That, my friends, is the story of this salad. You start with your typical ol' greens, but you add some juicy, sweet-tart berries. Then you bake up a pan of addictive candied almonds (be sure to make extra!) for an element of crunch. And finally, you shake up a few simple ingredients in a mason jar for a citrus-y, honeyed dressing (speckled with cute little poppy seeds) to top everything off.
This salad screams spring. It also spoke to my husband, who declared it "the best salad ever." I naturally loved it, seeing as how I have a thing for salads that combine lettuce, fruit, and nuts. While this particular combo definitely leans on the sweeter side of salads, that's not necessarily a bad thing when it means your kids eagerly ingest vitamin-rich greens, antioxidant-laden berries, and protein-packed almonds. You can even toss some baked or grilled chicken breast slices onto this colorful canvas to make a meal of it!
I adapted these Candied Almonds from a recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Candied Pecans that I like to make as a gift-in-a-jar around the holidays. I left out the cinnamon, because I was worried that it might clash with the flavors of the salad dressing, and I reduced the recipe, because I didn't figure so many nuts would be required for a salad.
Well let me just tell you...the almonds not used in the actual salad will disappear soon enough! My family may or may not have obsessively snacked on the leftovers until they were gone (in no time). So follow this recipe the first time you make it...but I predict you might just double it each time after that. 😉
And to top off all of tasty details, how gorgeous is this salad? My smallest kitchen assistant is renowned for interrupting my photo shoots when they involve candy or chocolate chips, but on this particular day (as seen in the below Instagram pic), she just couldn't resist those plump, fuschia raspberries. I mean, could you? 
So what better way to celebrate the first day of spring than with a salad that displays nature's finest seasonal bounty? This salad encompasses everything that is glorious about springtime. It's vibrant, it's fresh, it's sweet and delicious...and I don't know about you, but after a winter that seemed to go on for far too long, it sounds like just the remedy we've been needing around here. 😉
More Favorite Salads
- Brain Healthy Salad
- Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
- Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salad
- Classic Caesar Salad {Egg-Free}
Spring Salad
Ingredients
FOR CANDIED ALMONDS:
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 egg white, preferably at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon water
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces whole almonds, about 3 cups
FOR HONEY CITRUS VINAIGRETTE:
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
FOR THE SALAD:
- Mixed greens, I used baby red and green romaine
- Fresh raspberries, washed & dried
- Fresh blueberries, washed & dried
- Candied Almonds
- Honey Citrus Vinaigrette
Instructions
For Candied Almonds:
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a 13- by 18-inch sheet pan (that has sides) with heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour on melted butter and spread out so that pan is evenly coated.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg white and water until stiff peaks just start to form. Blend in sugar and salt. Fold in almonds and spread mixture in a single layer onto prepared pan.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes total, stirring and flipping almonds every 10 to 15 minutes. Watch nuts very closely during the last 10 minutes of cooking time, removing them from oven sooner if they are getting too dark. Nuts are done when they are mostly dry and golden brown.
- Allow almonds to cool on pan until they are completely dry and crunchy, stirring occasionally to break them up. Store in an airtight container for two to three weeks.
For Honey Citrus Vinaigrette:
- Add all ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until mixture is well-blended. Alternatively, you may mix in a blender, food processor, or by hand in a bowl with a whisk.
For each salad:
- Place your desired amount of mixed greens on a plate. Arrange berries and candied almonds over the top. Drizzle with vinaigrette, to taste.
Notes
- The almond and egg white mixture will be very wet and goopy at first. Just do your best to flip the almonds and spread them back out into a single layer the first couple of times that you stir them. I find it helpful to clean my spatula between flipping them.
- To make a large bowl of salad for approximately 8 to 10 servings, use about 10 ounces of mixed greens, a 6-ounce carton of raspberries, a 6-ounce carton of blueberries, a cup of nuts, and dressing to taste (tweak amounts as desired).
I love red berries so much but always eat them plain, or mixed with yogurt. How amazing is this salad, I don't dare to test such mixes at home but will give this mixed salad a try.
Hope you enjoy it, Sylvie! It will take like a restaurant salad made in your very own kitchen... 😉
This is such a beautiful and delicious sounding salad, Samantha! I love all the colors and fresh ingredients...one of my favorites of the week!
You are too sweet, Cathy...thank you! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great week!
What an absolutely gorgeous and delicious salad! I am loving all those bright berries...and candies almonds? Yes, please!
Thank you, Jocelyn! The candied almonds just might have been my favorite part. Glad I made extras... 😉 Have a great weekend!
Suzanne of Simply Suzannes at Home
Gorgeous photos . . . and looks delicious!
Thanks for sharing with us,
Suzanne
You're very welcome, Suzanne, and I appreciate your kind words! Hope you're having a great week. 🙂
Thanks for sharing - pinned this!
You're so welcome, Courtney...thanks for the pin! 🙂
THis is a beautiful salad. I need to try this.
Thank you! The best part is it tastes as good as it looks! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
What a gorgeous salad! I love fresh berries and almonds in my salad and your homemade dressing sounds so delicious and refreshing! Pinning! 🙂
Thank you for the sweet words, Ashlyn! This salad is definitely a new favorite at our house for all of the reasons that you mentioned. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment, and I really appreciate the pin. Have a great week!
That dressing sounds one that I used to buy from a woman at our local farmer's market. She no longer comes and I used to love that dressing. I am so glad that I found your site and that recipe, Thank you.
You're welcome, Patricia! I hope this dressing ends up being similar to the one you used to buy, or if not, I hope you enjoy it just as much! 🙂
I think I am in love with your site. Salads, salads. everywhere, how do I choose which one to eat? I love the fact that you get candied nuts with your healthy greens and fresh fruit. It's the perfect combination of naughty and nice.
Ha, Patti! I like that...naughty and nice. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this one if you have a chance to try it. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I love salads with fruit and nuts too. I am adding your vinaigrette recipe to my stash. You can never have too many homemade dressing recipes 😉 This salad looks like Spring in a bowl!
I totally agree, Jamie...I love having favorite homemade salad dressings to fall back on when I'm needing a change from my current flavor. Hope you enjoy this vinaigrette! 🙂
I love a good salad! def. going to have to pin for later, thanks! 🙂
Thanks, Angela...I appreciate the comment and the pin! Hope you're having a nice weekend. 🙂
What a beautiful salad, Samantha! I found you at the Best of the Weekend link party! I hope you'll stop by ItsYummi.com and check out my grilled chicken panini sandwich! 🙂
Thanks so much, Becca! Heading over now to drool over your sandwich... 😉
I am in love with this salad. My winter blues disappeared! Cannot wait to visit the store and make it. Thank you for sharing it!! I will definitely pin this.
Thanks so much, Tammi, for the sweet comment and the pin! I hope you enjoy this salad when you have a chance to try it. And hopefully your winter blues will be gone for good soon, with or without a pretty spring salad! 😉
Roll on Spring and all the bright beautiful tasty things that come out of a garden. Gorgeous salad.
Pinning and will be making this for a sunny Spring day out on my deck with friends.
Cheers!
Stephanie
I hope that you and your friends enjoy it, Stephanie! Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment and the pin. 🙂 Happy Friday!
Samantha, I think I just fell in love with this salad! It has so many amazing flavors and I especially love those candied almonds. It looks like spring in a bowl!
Thanks so much, Amy! That's kind of what I was going for...spring in a bowl. 🙂 I'm celebrating the end of winter in every way that I can! Hope you have a great weekend...I appreciate you stopping by!