Berry salad tossed with a lemon poppy seed dressing for a healthy, nutritious, and refreshing side that you can make in just 15 minutes for your summer party or barbecue gathering. It is gluten-free, low-carb, and vegetarian (and can be dairy-free and vegan)!
It's summer!
You can put this recipe together in up to 15 minutes and serve it to children and adults. They will enjoy it so much that will come for seconds.
You may even serve it on the 4th of July without putting much effort into it! 😉
Berry Salad recipe
If you love summer, you'll go crazy for this berry salad. It's loaded with berries and also watermelon, some of the most popular summer fruits.
Moreover, It is super easy to make and customize according to your diet -- and quite refreshing!
This summer dish requires minimum prep such as washing and drying the berries and cutting the watermelon into cubes.
Then you only have to quickly prepare the dressing and toss it with the salad. Voila!
If you are in a hurry or forgot to make the dressing no worries! Just toss the salad with some honey and lemon juice.
It is so good that you can serve it as a healthy dessert (just like this watermelon pizza) on a hot summer day -- or as a side for your barbecue.
Why Making this Summer Berry Salad
- It's healthy: It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients!
- Quick and easy to prepare: You can make it in just 15 minutes!
- It requires no cooking!
- Flavorful: The sweet and tart honey-lemon poppy seed dressing brings out the natural sweetness of berries and watermelon.
- Versatile: It makes the perfect side dish or healthy dessert for your summer gathering.
- Easily customizable: You can skip or replace some of the fruits to fit your dietary needs. You can even add some leafy veggies such as a spring mix or fresh baby spinach to make a spinach berry salad (variation) or add some sliced cucumbers.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the Mixed Berry Salad:
- Fresh Berries: We used mixed berries such as fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. But you can use one or two types of berries if you prefer, or add some fresh cherries.
- Watermelon: This is one of the most popular summer fruits, especially here in Texas. But if you are on a keto diet, skip it. Watermelon contains a lot of water but also fructose which makes it not keto-friendly. However, if you are on a low-carb diet (not strictly keto), you may eat a small amount. You may even replace it with some chopped or sliced avocado.
- Fresh mint leaves: It will make this berry salad even more refreshing and tasty!
- Zest of 1 lemon: You may replace it with lime zest if you prefer.
- Goat cheese (OPTIONAL): We used crumbled goat cheese, but you may replace it with crumbled feta cheese or skip the cheese for making a dairy-free or vegan berry salad. You can add chopped nuts or candied walnuts instead (and even sliced chicken breasts for protein)!
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing:
You don't have to toss our summer berry salad with a dressing. You may replace it with a drizzle of honey (or maple syrup) and a good squeeze of lemon/lime. To add some kick to it, mix a splash of tequila into the dressing for a tequila berry salad that many adults will love.
- Light olive oil: You may replace it with avocado oil!
- Lemon: Both the zest and juice. You may replace it with lime zest and juice. If you prefer, use red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar to replace the lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of dried mustard powder instead of lemon zest. But add lemon zest to the dressing only if you love tangy dressings!
- Honey: You can replace it with pure maple syrup for a vegan salad. If you are on a keto diet, use sugar-free maple syrup or some Confectioner's Erythritol or Allulose.
- Seasonings: We used salt and pepper, but you are welcome to add red pepper flakes if you enjoy spicy food.
- Poppy seeds
How to Make Berry Salad
FOR THE LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING:
- In a large glass measuring cup, or in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds.
- Whisk or shake until well combined. Let it sit at room temperature while preparing the salad in order to allow the flavors to blend.
FOR THE BERRY FRUIT SALAD:
- To make our berry salad recipe, start by washing your berries under cold water and then laying them out on a clean towel or paper towel.
- Pat them dry gently to remove excess water (or they will become too soft). Hulled and quarter them! Place the watermelon cubes into a large salad ball and top with the berries.
- Sprinkle the mint and lemon zest over. Spoon over 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing and gently toss to combine. Top with the crumbled goat cheese!
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving (in up to 30-60 minutes). If it'll take more than one hour to serve the salad, only mix the salad with the dressing right before serving. You may store both the salad and dressing separately in the fridge to avoid sogginess.
How to Keep it Fresh
Any fruit salad is best served the day it is made, including this berry salad. Leftovers keep well for one day, covered, in the fridge.
To make it ahead, wash and dry the berries and cut the watermelon up to 12 hours in advance. Store them in the fridge and toss them with the dressing right before serving.
If you are making customizing our berry salad using different fruits that can brown easily such as pears, avocados, bananas, or apples, wait to slice and add those fruits to the berry salad right before serving.
Do not freeze it!
More Salad Recipes to Enjoy:
- Healthy Potato Salad (No Mayo)
- Brazilian Potato Salad (with Mayonnaise)
- Beet Goat Cheese Salad for a Healthy Meal
- Vegan Raw Salad
- Zucchini Salad
- Heart of Palm Salad Skewers
- Kale Pasta Salad
- Brazilian Fruit Salad
- Apple Jicama Slaw
PIN & ENJOY!
Berry Salad (with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing)
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 knife
- 1 large serving bowl
- 1 Mason jar
Ingredients
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing (OPTIONAL):
- ½ cup light olive oil (or avocado oil)
- Zest of a lemon )optional, add it to the dressing only if you love tangy dressings!)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (or lime juice or red wine vinegar)
- ¼ cup honey (or pure maple syrup). If on a keto diet, use sugar-free maple syrup or a sugar substitute!
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A dash of ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
For the Berry Salad:
- 6 ounces blueberries
- 6 ounces blackberries
- 6 ounces raspberries
- 16 ounces strawberries ,hulled and quartered
- 16 ounces watermelon ,peeled and cut into cubes (Replace with more berries if you are on a keto diet)
- 12 fresh mint leaves (or finely chopped)
- Zest of 1 lemon (or ½ to 1 tsp)
- ¼ cup goat cheese , crumbled (or feta cheese) -- OPTIONAL
Instructions
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing:
- In a large glass measuring cup, or in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds.
- Whisk or shake until well combined. Let it sit at room temperature while preparing the salad in order to allow the flavors to blend.
For the Berry Salad:
- To make our berry salad recipe, start by washing your berries under cold water and then laying them out on a clean towel or paper towel.
- Pat them dry gently to remove excess water (or they will become too soft). Hulled and quarter them! Place the watermelon cubes into a large salad bowl and top with the berries.
- Sprinkle the mint and lemon zest over. Spoon over 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing and gently toss to combine. Top with the crumbled goat cheese!
- Cover with a plastic wrap and chill until serving (in up to 30-60 minutes). If it'll take more than one hour to serve the salad, only mix the salad with the dressing right before serving. You may store both the salad and dressing separately in the fridge to avoid sogginess.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
Thanks for the berry salad recipe.