This strawberry fields salad is everything I want in a spring and summer side - fresh, a little sweet, and on the table in minutes. Thin-sliced strawberries, crumbled feta, and homemade candied pecans all piled on top of butter lettuce with hints of basil. Then everything is tossed in a savory balsamic vinaigrette. It's vegetarian, naturally gluten-free, and the candied pecans are the only thing that touches a stove. Make it for a cookout, a porch lunch, or alongside anything off the grill.

A wooden bowl filled with fresh salad featuring leafy greens, sliced strawberries, red onions, nuts, and chunks of cheese, tossed together with a wooden serving spoon.

Candied pecans 🤝 salad

I know they look like the optional step you'd skip but don't? They're SO easy to make at home with some coconut sugar, a splash of water, a skillet, done. And they honestly take this salad to a whole new level. Most strawberry salads get their sweetness from a sugary dressing. This one gets it from the pecans instead, so the sweet shows up as little caramelized pops you bite into, not a sticky coating on every leaf.

A woman with long red hair, wearing a brown sweater and jeans, smiles while standing in a modern kitchen beside a counter with fresh lettuce and hibachi steak bowls. Marble backsplash and gold kitchen accents are visible in the background.

A lot of strawberry salads lean on a poppyseed dressing, and for a fruit salad like this, it's just too sweet. I went with balsamic instead so there's a sharp note of vinegar cutting through. The candied pecans bring the sweetness; the dressing brings the edge. (If you love the creamy, poppyseed route, that's exactly what my strawberry salad with goat cheese is - lemon poppyseed dressing and avocado. Same fruit, totally different mood.)

A person sits cross-legged in a meditation pose with their hands resting on their knees, peacefully imagining delicious hibachi steak bowls. The simple black outline contrasts against a white background.

If this is your kind of fresh, fruity salad, you'll want my watermelon salad with feta and mint for high summer and my mandarin orange salad when berries are out of season. And to turn this side into dinner, it's great next to my Greek chicken sheet pan dinner.

How it comes together

This is an overview of the recipe. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

A close-up of glazed pecan halves in a pan, coated with a shiny, caramelized syrup. A rubber spatula is partially visible on the right side of the image. — **Step 1** : Melt the coconut sugar and water and toss pecans.

A close-up of a white bowl filled with candied pecans, showing their glossy, caramelized coating and textured surfaces, sitting on a wooden surface. — **Step 2** : The pecans will harden after a few minutes off the heat.

Chopped roasted pecans on a wooden cutting board with a large knife beside them. — **Step 3** : Chop the candied pecans loosely.

A glass cup filled with a brown, oily liquid containing herbs and seasonings, with a metal spoon resting inside. The cup sits on a rustic wooden surface. — **Step 4** : Make the balsamic dressing.

A wooden bowl filled with sliced strawberries, chopped red onions, crumbled feta cheese, leafy greens, and chopped pecans, ready to be mixed into a salad. — **Step 5** : Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl.

A wooden bowl filled with a fresh salad of mixed greens, sliced strawberries, red onions, nuts, and crumbled cheese, with a wooden spoon partially visible. — **Step 6** : Toss well with dressing.

Tips

Wait to toss it with the dressing until you're ready to serve. Dressed greens wilt fast, and the candied pecans soften if they sit in vinaigrette. Toss right before it hits the table and it stays crisp, bright, and exactly right.

Check out these recipes for more summer vibes

PS : If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star review and comment below! Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on all tasty recipes here at The Fit Peach!

Recipe