When the weather warms up, or simply when you crave something bright and invigorating, a cool, refreshing Citrus Spinach Salad with Avocados, Oranges, and Dried Cranberries is an absolute delight. This vibrant salad isn’t just a treat for your taste buds; it’s a symphony of textures and flavors, expertly complemented by a simple yet zesty Dijon Vinaigrette crafted with fresh orange and lemon juice. This isn’t merely a seasonal salad; its appeal transcends the calendar. With fresh oranges readily available throughout the year, this Spinach Salad Recipe stands as a perfect companion to any meal, at any time, bringing a burst of sunshine to your plate.
Experience the Zest: A Refreshing Citrus Spinach Salad
Why This Citrus Spinach Salad Is a Must-Try
Prepare to fall in love with a salad that effortlessly combines gourmet taste with everyday simplicity. This Citrus Spinach Salad isn’t just another side dish; it’s a culinary experience waiting to happen. Here’s why it deserves a prime spot in your recipe collection:
- Effortless Elegance: This simple spinach salad is incredibly easy to assemble, making it perfect for busy weeknights or impromptu gatherings. Despite its quick preparation, the harmonious blend of flavors and textures will impress even the most discerning palates.
- A Symphony of Textures and Flavors: Every bite offers a delightful contrast. From the crisp, tender greens and the burst of juicy, supremed oranges to the creamy, rich avocados and the chewy, sweet dried cranberries, this salad hits all the right notes. It’s a complete sensory experience that satisfies on multiple levels.
- Year-Round Freshness: While many salads rely on peak summer produce, this recipe shines year-round. When garden-fresh tomatoes or other seasonal ingredients are harder to find, this vibrant salad offers a delicious and healthy alternative, bringing a taste of sunshine to your table no matter the season. It’s especially wonderful as a bright counterpoint to heavier winter meals.
- Nutrient-Packed Powerhouse: Beyond its incredible taste, this salad is packed with essential vitamins and minerals. Spinach is a superfood rich in iron and vitamins, avocados provide healthy fats, and citrus fruits are renowned for their vitamin C content. It’s a deliciously healthy choice for any diet.
- Versatile and Customizable: Whether you’re looking for a light lunch, a vibrant side dish, or the base for a more substantial meal, this salad adapts beautifully. Its mild yet distinct flavors make it a versatile foundation for adding grilled chicken, fish, or even a sprinkle of toasted nuts for extra protein and crunch.
Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Salad
Crafting this exquisite Citrus Spinach Salad begins with selecting the finest ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in creating the perfect balance of taste and texture. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and how to get the best out of each:
- Kitchen Staples: You’ll need pantry essentials like a touch of sugar to balance the dressing, a neutral vegetable oil (canola oil is an excellent choice for its light flavor), salt, and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning. A good quality Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon, is key for the vinaigrette’s characteristic tang and emulsifying properties.
- Salad Greens: For a refreshing base, I recommend using a mix of tender baby spinach and crisp baby romaine. This combination offers a delightful contrast in texture and a boost of vibrant color. However, feel free to use all spinach or your favorite blend of greens, such as spring mix or arugula, to customize the base to your liking.
- Oranges: To achieve those beautiful, juicy segments, you’ll need to peel the oranges, meticulously remove the outer membrane (pith), and then carefully cut out the individual segments. This process, known as “supreming,” ensures a burst of pure, unadulterated citrus flavor without any bitter pith.
- Avocados: Choose ripe but firm avocados. Cut them in half, remove the pit, and dice them into uniform cubes. To minimize oxidation (browning) and keep them looking fresh and vibrant, gently toss the avocado cubes in a small amount of the vinaigrette immediately after cutting, or simply cut them just before serving.
- Dried Cranberries: Also widely known as Craisins, these chewy, sweet-tart berries add a wonderful textural contrast and a burst of concentrated flavor. If you prefer, dried cherries make an excellent alternative, offering a similar sweetness and chewiness.
- Fresh Orange Juice: While bottled juice can be used in a pinch, fresh-squeezed orange juice is highly recommended. It provides a brighter, more vibrant, and authentic citrus flavor that truly elevates the vinaigrette.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: This is a non-negotiable! Avoid the bottled lemon juice found on grocery store shelves. Squeezing your own fresh lemon juice will yield a far brighter, zestier, and more refreshing flavor that is essential for a truly outstanding vinaigrette.
- Champagne Vinegar: My personal favorite for crafting salad dressings, champagne vinegar offers a delicate, subtle acidity that enhances flavors without overpowering them. Its mild profile makes it incredibly versatile and perfect for this light citrus dressing.
Expert Tips for Crafting Your Best Salad Yet
Elevate your Citrus Spinach Salad from delicious to truly unforgettable with these helpful tips and tricks. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a kitchen novice, these insights will ensure your salad is a masterpiece every time:
- Personalize Your Greens: Just like with any great dish, this spinach salad is wonderfully customizable. While baby spinach and baby romaine provide a fantastic base, feel free to incorporate your favorite greens. Arugula can add a peppery bite, while butter lettuce offers a softer texture.
- Boost the Crunch Factor: For an added layer of texture and nutty flavor, sprinkle in some toasted almonds, pecans, or walnuts. Lightly toast them in a dry pan for a few minutes until fragrant to bring out their best flavor.
- Expand Your Citrus Palette: Don’t limit yourself to just oranges! Consider adding ruby red grapefruit segments alongside the orange slices for an extra layer of tangy bitterness and a vibrant splash of color. Mandarin oranges, either fresh or from a well-drained can, also make a sweet and convenient addition.
- The Avocado Pro-Tip: Timing is Key: To ensure your avocados remain beautifully green and creamy, add the cubed avocados right before serving. As a clever trick, gently coating them in a little of the vinaigrette can help. The acids in the dressing (lemon and orange juice, vinegar) act as a natural barrier, significantly minimizing browning.
- Revive Dried Cranberries: If your dried cranberries seem a bit too dry or hard, even if they haven’t expired, a simple trick can bring them back to life. Soak them in a small amount of warm water or, even better, a splash of the vinaigrette for about an hour. They will plump up beautifully, becoming softer and juicier, ready to add a wonderful chewiness to your salad. Drain them before adding to the salad bowl.
- Vary Your Orange Selection: I often use one navel orange for its sweetness and one blood orange for its stunning color and slightly tart flavor. Experiment with different varieties to discover your favorite combination, or use whatever is freshest and most accessible.
- Consider Adding Protein: To transform this delightful side dish into a complete and satisfying meal, consider adding grilled chicken breast, seared salmon, crumbled goat cheese, or even chickpeas for a vegetarian protein boost.
- Dressing Application: For the freshest taste and to prevent soggy greens, it’s best to dress the salad just before serving. You can either toss all the ingredients with the vinaigrette or serve the dressing on the side, allowing guests to add their desired amount.
Your Questions Answered: Citrus Spinach Salad FAQs
Supreming an orange might sound like a chef’s secret, but it’s a simple technique that yields perfect, seedless, and pith-free citrus segments, ideal for salads. Here’s my step-by-step process for this essential skill:
First, place the orange on a cutting board and slice off a small round at both the top and bottom. This creates flat surfaces, making the orange stable.
Next, holding the orange firmly, use a sharp knife to carefully slice off strips of the peel and the white pith from top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit. Try to remove only the peel and pith, preserving as much of the orange flesh as possible.
Rotate the orange and continue this process until the entire fruit is completely peeled and all white pith is removed, revealing the vibrant orange flesh.
Now, holding the peeled orange over a bowl (to catch any precious juice), locate one of the natural membrane lines separating the segments. With your sharp knife, carefully slice along each side of the segment, just inside the membranes, to release a perfect, juicy orange segment. Repeat this for each segment.
Don’t let any of that delicious citrus go to waste! After removing all the segments, squeeze the remaining membranes and core into the bowl to extract any leftover juice. This fresh juice can be a wonderful addition to your salad dressing, enhancing the overall citrus flavor of your dish.
This technique isn’t limited to oranges; it can be applied to any citrus fruit, including grapefruits, lemons, and limes, offering versatile applications in your kitchen.
If you’re a visual learner, a quick search for “How to Supreme an Orange” on platforms like YouTube or Google Images will provide helpful video tutorials that make the procedure crystal clear.
Avocados are notorious for browning quickly due to oxidation when exposed to oxygen. To keep your avocado slices or cubes looking fresh and vibrant, the most effective method is to delay slicing your avocado until just moments before you plan to serve the salad. This significantly reduces the time it has to interact with oxygen.
Another excellent technique is to create a barrier against oxygen. You can achieve this by gently coating your cut avocados with a thin layer of salad dressing, especially one containing acidic ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar. The acid acts as a natural antioxidant, slowing down the browning process. Even a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice directly onto the cut surfaces can work wonders for short-term preservation.
Absolutely! Preparing your salad dressing in advance is a fantastic time-saver and can often allow the flavors to meld and deepen, resulting in an even more delicious vinaigrette. Most vinaigrettes, including this Dijon Vinaigrette, can be made several hours or even a day or two ahead of time.
Once prepared, store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Depending on the ingredients, especially if it contains olive oil, the oil in the dressing may solidify or become cloudy when chilled. This is perfectly normal and easily remedied. Simply allow the dressing to come to room temperature for about 15-30 minutes before you plan to use it. Once it has warmed slightly, give it a vigorous whisk or a good shake to re-emulsify the ingredients and ensure it’s perfectly smooth and well-combined before tossing with your salad.
Yes, this Citrus Spinach Salad is naturally vegan and gluten-free! All the ingredients, from the fresh greens and fruits to the simple Dijon vinaigrette, are plant-based and free of gluten. It’s a fantastic option for those with dietary restrictions or anyone looking for a wholesome, plant-forward meal.
For the best quality and freshness, it’s always recommended to dress salads just before serving. If you have leftovers of an undressed salad, you can store the components (greens, oranges, cranberries) in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The avocado should ideally be consumed immediately after cutting to prevent browning. If the salad has already been dressed, it’s best consumed within a few hours, as the dressing can cause the greens to wilt. For optimal results, enjoy this salad fresh!
Explore More Delicious Salad Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed the vibrant flavors of this Citrus Spinach Salad, you’re in for a treat! Discover more exciting salad creations that cater to every taste and season. Here are some of my top recommendations:
- Indulge in the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and creamy with this irresistible Strawberry Bacon and Brie Salad. It’s an explosion of flavors in every bite!
- Celebrate the bounty of the warmer months with this delightful Summer Vegetable Salad, showcasing the very best of the season’s harvest.
- Need inspiration to make salads a daily habit? Barefeet in the Kitchen shares an insightful tutorial on How to Eat Salad Every Day and Like It. It won’t take much to persuade you to join the salad lovers’ club!
- For a taste of the Mediterranean, try this lovely Cucumber and Chickpea Salad, bursting with fresh herbs and wholesome ingredients.
- Looking for a hearty entree salad perfect for warm weather? I highly recommend this classic California Cobb Salad. It’s packed with flavor and satisfying ingredients. What’s your personal favorite salad recipe to whip up?
- Plus, don’t miss out on my complete collection of Best Salad Recipes, offering a diverse range of options for every occasion.
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Citrus Spinach Salad with Avocados and Oranges
15 minutes
15 minutes
4 servings
An irresistible Citrus Spinach Salad featuring creamy avocados, juicy oranges, and a delightful Dijon vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups fresh salad greens (a mix of baby spinach and baby romaine is recommended)
- 2 oranges, supremed and cut into segments
- 1-2 ripe avocados, cubed (gently toss with some vinaigrette or cut just before serving)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries (or Craisins)
For the Zesty Dijon Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup neutral vegetable oil (such as canola)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by adding your preferred salad greens to a large serving bowl.
- Artfully arrange the orange segments and avocado cubes over the bed of greens. Evenly sprinkle the dried cranberries over the salad. Remember to add the avocado right before serving to maintain its fresh appearance. To prepare the vibrant salad dressing, whisk together the fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, champagne vinegar, sugar, and Dijon mustard in a separate small bowl.
- While continuously whisking, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil until the dressing is well emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
- You can either toss the entire salad with the dressing just before serving, or present the undressed salad with the vinaigrette passed separately, allowing everyone to add their desired amount.
Notes
The delicious vinaigrette can be prepared ahead of time to save you valuable prep time. Simply store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before using, allow it to come to room temperature and give it a good whisk to ensure all ingredients are perfectly combined and emulsified.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk
- OXO Cutting Board
- OXO Salad Dressing Shaker
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 479Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 318mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 17gSugar: 22gProtein: 10g
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