This Blueberry Spinach Salad is the perfect side salad, with vibrant blueberries, spinach, soft cheese and a poppy seed vinaigrette.
» You might try this Mediterranean Cucumber Salad and Keto Grilled Radishes with Garlic & Dill Butter.
Fresh blueberries are the simple star of the show in this salad. When blueberries are in season, and at their ultimate sweetness, that’s when this salad should appear on your dining table at least once a week.
You can use any type of crumbly soft cheese you like in this salad. I go between blue cheese and feta. If you’re partial to one, go with that! Both add a great pop of flavor.
Finally, the poppy seed dressing is really great on this salad. You can make your own with our recipe below, or buy it in a jar at the store. It’s fairly low in carbs and sugar, so it’s good for a low-carb diet.
How Many Carbs Are in Blueberries?
Blueberries contain approximately 14 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. This includes around 2.4 grams of dietary fiber and 10 grams of sugars, mainly fructose and glucose. This recipe uses 1/2 a cup of blueberries, which is roughly 95 grams in weight.
The exact amount can vary slightly depending on the variety and ripeness of the blueberries, but this figure gives a general idea.
That leaves you with 2.9 net grams of carbs from the blueberries in each salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This salad is full of fresh ingredients, the combination is unforgettable. Make up the dressing and keep it in the refrigerator, and this salad will come together quickly.
- Spinach – Fresh, crispy spinach leaves. I use baby spinach, because it’s so bite sized and delicate. Regular spinach works too, but be sure to tear it up into smaller pieces.
- Blueberries – Use the freshest, best tasting blueberries you can find. The vibrancy of the blueberry really adds to the salad.
- Soft cheese – I use blue cheese or feta, crumbled, in this salad, but you can also use any soft cheese you like that can crumble easily into the salad.
- Toasted walnuts – It’s very simple to toast raw walnuts on the stove top just before serving that this takes away the bitterness of the walnuts.
- Dressing ingredients – Lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, sugar substitute like allulose or Erythritol, salt and pepper, poppy seeds.
I use allulose as a sugar substitute. You can use Swerve, monkfruit, Erythritol or Xylitol. It’s really up to you. The reason I use allulose is because it’s a no calorie no carb sweetener like erythritol, but it doesn’t have the cooling effect. I get allulose directly through Wholesome Yum. I think you’ll really like it, especially if you also don’t like the cooling effect.
Learn more about low-carb sweeteners and conversion here.
How to Make a Blueberry Spinach Salad
Start with fresh, crisp spinach leaves. I use baby spinach, because it’s so bite sized and delicate. Regular spinach works too, but be sure to tear it up into smaller pieces. You’ll know why if you’ve ever tried to fit a whole leaf in your mouth in one bite. It’s not pretty.
If you have raw walnuts, you’ll want to toast them lightly on the stovetop before adding them to the salad. To do this, heat a pan over medium heat, add a small amount of oil to the pan. Pour in the walnuts. Push them around the pan regularly until they are lightly toasted. You don’t want to leave the stove while they’re toasting, as this is a pretty fast process and they can easily burn if you turn your back for too long.
Add the blueberries, crumbled cheese, and walnuts to the salad. Toss lightly to mix it up.
Add all dressing ingredients to a container or jar with a lid. Shake well.
Pour over the salad and toss to coat.
Don’t toss the salad with the dressing until you’re ready to serve it. The leaves become wilted quickly and you want this to be as crisp as possible when served.
Additions
This salad is great with just spinach, blueberries, cheese, and walnuts, but if you’re wanting to turn it into a lunch salad instead of a side salad, there are a few great accompaniments to add.
Try one or more of these additions:
- Grilled chicken
- Avocado
- Sliced red bell peppers
- Shelled edamame
- Other berries, like strawberries or raspberries
Additional Helpful Info
- You can prepare this blueberry spinach salad ahead of time, but it’s best to keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to eat. Store the salad ingredients in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and the dressing in a separate container. When you’re ready to enjoy the salad, simply toss the ingredients with the dressing. This way, the spinach stays fresh and crisp, and the blueberries retain their juicy texture.
- It’s best not to dress the salad until you are ready to eat it, and even then to only add dressing to the portion you know you’ll be eating right away. Doing this will allow you to save any leftover salad for later. If prepared and stored properly, the salad can last for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many carbs are in blueberry spinach salad?
A 1-cup serving of blueberry spinach salad contains 8 grams of total carbs, 5 grams of fiber and 3 net carbs.
I don’t like spinach, what else can I use?
If you don’t like spinach try using arugula or romaine as an alternative. Iceberg lettuce will work too, or try mixing multiple types of lettuce for a different taste and texture. It really comes down to your taste and preference.
Why is my salad soggy?
You may have mixed the salad dressing into the salad too early. Try mixing up the salad dressing and leaving it in the refrigerator until right before you eat. The longer the dressing sits on the salad the soggier and limper the spinach will get.
What to Serve This With
This salad is a great side dish, especially for a light summer dish, like salmon or white fish. It also goes really well with this buffalo stuffed chicken or a versatile pulled pork shoulder.
Here are a few of our favorites:
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Blueberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups (120 g) fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup (75 g) crumbled blue or feta cheese
- 1/2 cup (74 g) fresh ripe blueberries
- 1/3 cup (39 g) toasted walnuts
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) high-quality olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) agave syrup or sugar-free sweetener
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon (5 g) poppy seeds
Instructions
- Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a container or jar with a lid. Shake well.
- Pour over the salad and toss to coat.
Notes
- Don’t put the dressing on the salad until you are ready to eat it or it will get soggy!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Other Side Dish Recipes To Try
- One-Pot Garlic Mushrooms and Cauliflower
- Easy Keto Greek Salad Recipe
- Pan-Fried Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Click for Even More Side Dish Recipes
Laura is dedicated to a low-carb lifestyle after losing 52 pounds on the keto diet. As many of us do, she struggles with her weight and has found that one of the only diet lifestyles that allows her to maintain a healthy weight is a low-carb diet. She shares her favorite low-carb recipes here that are both easy to make and full of flavor, so you don’t even miss the carbs.