Spring Salad |

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

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

Spring Salad

The flavors of spring mingle in this beautiful and tantalizing mixed greens salad, studded with plump blueberries, juicy raspberries, crunchy candied almonds, and a sweet, poppy seed-infused Honey Citrus Vinaigrette. By Samantha Skaggs Course: SaladCuisine: American Prep Time: 20 Cook Time: 40 Total Time: 1 Servings: servings Calories: 1124kcal Print Pin Rate

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).

Nutrition

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p7XVnp%2BemaKptbC5xGeaqKVfqL2ztc2gZKyZnJaxbsPIrZ9mpZmtsqV5wZ6pq6GVqHqkrc2doJ6cXZa5rrvNnapmoJ%2Bjsrp5wqKrq62jYsOqusCinqudpKmycA%3D%3D

Spring Salad

More Favorite Salads

Spring Salad

Ingredients

FOR CANDIED ALMONDS:

FOR HONEY CITRUS VINAIGRETTE:

FOR THE SALAD:

Instructions

For Candied Almonds:

For Honey Citrus Vinaigrette:

For each salad:

Notes

Nutrition

CATALOG

FEATURED TAGS