This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad is an absolute Masterpiece! It features fresh berries, spinach, glazed pecans and bacon tossed in a homemade honey dijon dressing. Then, it's topped with warm fried goat cheese that just melts in your mouth!
If you're looking for a quick and low effort salad, this is not that. However, if you want to create a salad that you can't stop thinking about..I've got the recipe!
The flavors in this Fried Goat Cheese and Strawberry Salad are over the top, and I can promise you that it's worth the extra effort.
If you love flavor packed salad recipes, you'll love this Bacon Chicken Caesar Salad, Southwest Chicken Salad and Roasted Pear and Goat Cheese Salad too!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Salad:
- Flavor Packed. Just wait until you bite into the crisp panko exterior of the goat cheese with creamy center. The honey dijon dressing is amazing too!
- Impressive. If you're hosting a brunch, this will be a recipe that your guests will beg you to make again.
- A Spring Favorite. This Salad is my jam when fresh berries are in season. It's so colorful for the Spring and Summer months.
Ingredients:
Not Pictured: Vegetable Oil for Frying Goat Cheese.
Glazed Pecans: These can be store bought or you find my recipe below in recipe faqs for a homemade version. I like making them because I'll have a few leftover cups of pecans for salads or snacking.
Goat Cheese and Bacon: Look for the original or traditional version to keep it simple.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions & Variations:
- The spinach and spring mix can be substituted with a full version of either, or you could use baby arugula, massaged kale, etc.
- This homemade honey dijon dressing can be substituted with another dressing option, like my Creamy Balsamic Dressing.
- Leave the bacon off to make this a vegetarian friendly salad.
Big on Goat Cheese Recipes? Make this Onion and Goat Cheese Tart and Goat Cheese Crostini.
Shortcut Options:
While I love this salad as is, if you're short on time here are some options:
- Buy the pre-washed greens. I used a 50/50 mix of spring mix and spinach. You can even buy pre-washed and sliced berries.
- Grab a store-bought honey dijon dressing instead of making your own.
- Not into frying goat cheese? Crumble it over the top of the salad.
- Sprinkle on bacon bits instead on making bacon.
- The glazed pecans can be store-bought or homemade (see Recipe faqs below if you want to make them homemade).
How to Make Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad:
Step 1: Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces.
Step 2: In a skillet, cook the bacon on medium heat on the stovetop until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
Step 3: Make the honey dijon dressing by combining mayonnaise, dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Whisk until smooth, then store in the fridge until assembling the salad.
Step 4: Wash the berries. Remove the stems from the strawberries and slice each strawberry into about 4 pieces.
Step 5: Slice the goat cheese into thick circles (about 1 ounce each).
Step 6: Prepare 3 small bowls for dredging the goat cheese. In bowl 1: Combine flour with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. In bowl 2: Whisk 1 egg. In bowl 3: Pour in Panko Breadcrumbs. Dunk each goat cheese piece in flour, egg, then panko bread crumbs. Repeat with all of the goat cheese. Note: We fry the goat cheese after assembling the salad so they are warm still when eating.
Step 7: Into a serving bowl, add in the mixed greens and spinach, pecans, berries, and bacon. Pour over half the dressing and toss the ingredients to combine. Pour over remaining dressing on top.
Step 8: Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. To test the oil temperature, add in a piece of panko breadcrumb and watch for a big sizzle. Add the goat cheese into the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown, but not oozing out any cheese from the center.
Step 9: Top the salad with the goat cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Make sure to slice the goat cheese in about 1 ounce pieces or it will fall apart when dredging.
- The oil needs to be really hot before adding the goat cheese. To test it, take a piece of panko crumb and throw it into the oil and look for a big sizzle. Then, add in the goat cheese and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, but only until golden. If you start seeing cheese about to ooze out, take it out of the pan.
Recipe FAQs:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Combine the egg white only from one egg with 1 tablespoon water and whisk until foamy. Add 3 cups of pecans to a bowl (I like to make a big batch) and pour over the egg and water. Toss to coat each pecan. In a separate bowl combine ½ cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Pour over the pecans and toss. Spread out onto a cookie sheet in a flat layer. Bake for 35 minutes tossing and flipping half way through. Enjoy!
It's best to eat this salad fresh, but if you want to store it in the fridge, wrap the goat cheese in foil separately and store.
More Salad Recipes You'll Want to Try:
If you tried this Goat Cheese Strawberry Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
Description
This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad is an absolute Masterpiece when it comes to salad creation. It features fresh berries, spinach, glazed pecans and bacon tossed in a homemade honey dijon dressing. Then, it's topped with warm fried goat cheese that just melts in your mouth!
Ingredients
Honey Dijon Dressing
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt + ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Strawberry Salad:
- 5 ounces 50 mix of baby spinach + spring mix
- 4 slices original bacon
- 2 cups strawberries, rinsed
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup glazed pecans, roughly chopped
- 6 ounce plain goat cheese
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt + ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ½ cup vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces.
- In a skillet, cook the bacon on medium heat on the stovetop until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Make the honey dijon dressing by combining mayonnaise, dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Whisk until smooth, then store in the fridge until assembling the salad.
- Wash the berries. Remove the stems from the strawberries and slice into about 4 pieces.
- Slice the goat cheese into thick circles (about 1 ounce each).
- Prepare 3 small bowls for dredging the goat cheese. In bowl 1: Combine flour with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. In bowl 2: Whisk 1 egg. In bowl 3: Pour in Panko Breadcrumbs. Dunk each goat cheese piece in flour, egg, then panko bread crumbs. Sit on a plate and repeat with all of the goat cheese.
- Into a serving bowl, add in the mixed greens and spinach, pecans, berries, and bacon. Pour over half the dressing and toss the ingredients to combine. Pour over remaining dressing on top.
- I like to fry the goat cheese right before serving to make sure they are warm on top of the salad. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. To test the oil temperature, add in a piece of panko breadcrumb and watch for a big sizzle. Add the goat cheese into the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown, but not oozing out any cheese from the center.
- Top the salad with the goat cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to slice the goat cheese in about 1 ounce pieces or it will fall apart when dredging.
- The oil needs to be really hot before adding the goat cheese. To test it, take a piece of panko crumb and throw it into the oil and look for a big sizzle. Then, add in the goat cheese and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, but only until golden. If you start seeing cheese about to ooze out, take it out of the pan.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: salad
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Payton says
Fried goat cheese takes this salad to another level. Yum!
Tara Smithson says
Totally agree! I want fried goat cheese on every salad, haha!