Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing (Inspired by CAVA)
This Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing is sweet, tangy, creamy, and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. Made with wholesome ingredients in just 5 minutes, it’s the perfect homemade dressing for spring and summer salads, grain bowls, and more.
Homemade Strawberry Dressing
If you know me well, then you already know that spring and summer are my favorite seasons. I love the vibrant colors, the fresh produce, and, most importantly, the abundance of fresh fruits to enjoy and use in recipes. Strawberries are definitely one of my favorites, and this fresh strawberry salad dressing has been on repeat in my kitchen all season long.
I almost feel bad sharing this recipe a bit late. But I also know that once you make it, you’ll want to make it every time! And you will want to drizzle it on every salad, trust me! It has become a family favorite around here. Even those who aren’t usually excited about salads happily reach for seconds when this dressing is involved. This makes the perfect salad dressing for my Salmon Strawberry Quinoa Arugula Salad!
If you’ve ever enjoyed the strawberry dressing from CAVA, you’ll appreciate this homemade version. While it’s inspired by the flavors of CAVA’s dressing, I’ve adjusted it to suit my family’s taste. This homemade strawberry salad dressing is sweet, tangy, creamy, and incredibly fresh. Made with real strawberries, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and monk fruit for a naturally balanced flavor. It’s the perfect dressing for spring and summer salads. Best of all, it comes together in less than five minutes and tastes so much fresher than anything you’ll find in a bottle. Make sure to check out my Pomegranate Salad Dressing and Citrus Salad Dressing!
Once you make this homemade strawberry dressing yourself, you may never go back to store-bought again.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Ready in 5 minutes
- Naturally sweetened
- Fresh strawberries
- No preservatives
- Perfect for summer salads, especially for classy but healthy Mediterranean Salmon Salads!
- Great for meal prep
- The spring and summer salad dressing you have been waiting for! 🙂
Ingredients for Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing
- 2–3 cups fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
How to Make Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing (from Scratch)
This homemade fresh strawberry salad dressing is sweet, tangy, and ready in 5 minutes. Perfect for green salads, grain bowls, and summer recipes.
- Prepare the Strawberries
Wash the strawberries thoroughly, remove the green tops (hull them), and cut them into halves or quarters if they’re large.
- Blend the Ingredients
Add the strawberries, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, monk fruit, honey, salt, and black pepper to a blender.
- Blend Until Smooth
Blend on high until the dressing is smooth, creamy, and well combined. Scrape down the sides of the blender if needed and blend again.
- Taste and Adjust
Taste the dressing and adjust the sweetness, acidity, or seasoning to your preference. Add a little more honey for sweetness or apple cider vinegar for extra tang.
- Serve or Store
Serve immediately over your favorite salad, or transfer the dressing to an airtight jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before each use. This is ideal spring and summer strawberry vinaigrette recipe. Perfect for dips & dressings. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips for Making homemade salad dressing
- Use ripe, sweet strawberries for the best flavor. The sweeter the strawberries, the better your dressing will taste.
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking. Depending on how sweet or tart your strawberries are, you may want to add a little more honey or monk fruit.
- Blend until completely smooth for a creamy, restaurant-quality dressing. Scrape down the sides of the blender if needed.
- Refrigerate before serving if you have time. Chilling the dressing for 15–30 minutes allows the flavors to meld together beautifully.
- Shake or stir before using. Since this dressing contains olive oil and fresh fruit, some natural separation may occur during storage.
- Store in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For the freshest flavor, enjoy it within the first 2–3 days.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free and made with wholesome ingredients, making it a healthier alternative to many store-bought salad dressings.
Ways to Use Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing:
Salads
Drizzle this homemade strawberry salad dressing over your favorite salads for a fresh burst of sweet and tangy flavor. It’s especially delicious on my Salmon Strawberry Quinoa Arugula Salad, as well as spring mix salads, kale salads, spinach salads, and beetroot salads. If you are looking for a tasty + colorful homemade salad dressing, this is it!
Chicken
This dressing also doubles as a delicious dipping sauce or finishing drizzle for chicken. Try it with grilled or air-fried chicken, chicken wings, drumsticks, or chicken thighs for a fresh, flavorful twist.
Grain Bowls
Your grain bowls will never be the same! This strawberry dressing pairs wonderfully with quinoa bowls, brown rice bowls, and farro. Use it on other whole grains, adding brightness and flavor to every bite.
Vegetables
Use it as a dressing for roasted vegetables or as a dip for fresh veggie platters. It pairs especially well with cucumbers, carrots, roasted beets, asparagus, and broccoli. This is that perfect spring salad dressing that goes with all your fav vegetables.
Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing FAQs
Store in an airtight jar for 4–5 days in the refrigerator.
Not exactly. This recipe is inspired by the fresh strawberry dressing served at CAVA, but it’s my own homemade version. I use simple ingredients like fresh strawberries, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and monk fruit to create a sweet, tangy dressing that’s perfect for salads.
Fresh strawberry dressing is best enjoyed fresh, but it can be frozen for up to one month. Personally, I have never frozen it before.
Yes. Increase the monk fruit or use maple syrup instead.
Fresh strawberries provide the best flavor, but thawed frozen strawberries also work. I never tried this recipe with frozen strawberries. You may get a slightly different result with frozen strawberries.
Yes. It’s made with real fruit, heart-healthy olive oil, and naturally sweetened with monk fruit and a small amount of honey.
recipe card:
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Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing (Inspired by CAVA)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner, Entree
- Method: Blender, Blending
- Cuisine: American/Universal, Mediterranean
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Description
This Fresh Strawberry Salad Dressing is sweet, tangy, and creamy, made with real strawberries, extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and monk fruit. Inspired by the flavors of CAVA, this easy homemade dressing comes together in just 5 minutes and is perfect for green salads, salmon salads, quinoa bowls, and fresh summer recipes. Once you try this healthy strawberry dressing, you’ll never want bottled dressing again!
Ingredients
- 2–3 cups fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Strawberries. Wash the strawberries thoroughly, remove the green tops (hull them), and cut them into halves or quarters if they’re large.
- Blend the Ingredients. Add the strawberries, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, monk fruit, honey, salt, and black pepper to a blender.
- Blend Until Smooth. Blend on high until the dressing is smooth, creamy, and well combined. Scrape down the sides of the blender if needed and blend again.
- Taste and Adjust. Taste the dressing and adjust the sweetness, acidity, or seasoning to your preference. Add a little more honey for sweetness or apple cider vinegar for extra tang.
- Serve or Store. Serve immediately over your favorite salad, or transfer the dressing to an airtight jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before each use. This is an ideal spring and summer strawberry vinaigrette recipe. Perfect for dips & dressings. Enjoy!
Notes
Use ripe, sweet strawberries for the best flavor. The sweeter the strawberries, the better your dressing will taste.
Adjust the sweetness to your liking. Depending on how sweet or tart your strawberries are, you may want to add a little more honey or monk fruit.
Blend until completely smooth for a creamy, restaurant-quality dressing. Scrape down the sides of the blender if needed.
Refrigerate before serving if you have time. Chilling the dressing for 15–30 minutes allows the flavors to meld together beautifully.
Shake or stir before using. Since this dressing contains olive oil and fresh fruit, some natural separation may occur during storage.
Store in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For the freshest flavor, enjoy it within the first 2–3 days.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and made with wholesome ingredients, making it a healthier alternative to many store-bought salad dressings.
More Salad Dressing to Check Out:
- Easy citrus salad dressing recipe
- Homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette Recipe
- Homemade Balsamic Reduction/balsamic glaze
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THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! Stay well, safe and keep living your life to the fullest!
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