Strawberry Salad With Champagne Vinaigrette
This Strawberry Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette is everything a great summer salad should be. Fresh, bright, and on the table in 15 minutes. Sweet strawberries, crisp leaf lettuce, and red onion, dressed in a homemade vinaigrette made from sparkling wine. It feels special without extra effort.
This strawberry salad recipe was born from a happy accident. The morning after Jackie's birthday celebration, we had a half-full bottle of sparkling wine sitting in the fridge next to a pint of fresh market strawberries. Somewhere between the two, the idea for a homemade champagne vinaigrette clicked. Most recipes call for champagne vinegar, but as a chef I know that real sparkling wine brings a brightness and freshness that vinegar alone just can't replicate.
The result is a dressing with more personality than your average vinaigrette: light, tangy, and just a little unexpected. And if you love a good homemade dressing, our Apple Cider Vinaigrette and Blueberry Vinaigrette are both worth keeping in your rotation all season long.
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What you'll need
- Sparkling wine: this is the star of the dressing. Prosecco, Cava, or any dry sparkling wine works beautifully. Day-old or even flat sparkling wine is perfectly fine. The bubbles fade but the flavor stays.
- White balsamic vinegar: keeps the dressing light and bright in both flavor and color. Regular balsamic will work in a pinch but will darken the dressing.
- Leaf lettuce: Bibb, green leaf, or red leaf all work well here. Look for crisp, fresh leaves with no wilting.
- Strawberries: the riper the better. Peak season berries are sweeter and more flavorful, but a good grocery store pint works any time of the year.
- Red onion: thinly sliced rings add a nice sharpness that balances the sweetness of the strawberries. Soak them in cold water for 10 minutes if you prefer a milder bite.
👉 see recipe card below for exact quantities.
🔪 Top Tip
Day-old or even flat sparkling wine works perfectly here. The bubbles mellow but the flavor deepens. It's the perfect excuse to finish off a bottle from the night before.
How to make it
- Make the vinaigrette: combine sparkling wine, garlic, sugar, mustard, lemon juice, and shallot in a mixing bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. This step is important: allowing the ingredients to meld before adding the oil gives the dressing a much more developed flavor. Add the white balsamic, oregano, salt, and pepper, then whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
- Assemble the salad: add the lettuce, strawberries, and red onion to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Dress it just before serving for best texture.
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Make Ahead & Storage
- Vinaigrette: make the dressing up to 4 days ahead and store it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. Give it a good shake or whisk before serving as it will separate over time.
- Salad: dress the salad just before serving for the best texture. Dressed leftovers wilt quickly and don't keep well.
FAQ
You can, but the flavor will be different. Sparkling wine brings a brightness and freshness that champagne vinegar doesn't quite replicate. That said, if champagne vinegar is what you have on hand, use ¼ cup in place of the sparkling wine.
Any dry sparkling wine works well: Prosecco, Cava, or a basic dry bubbly from the grocery store. Save the good stuff for drinking and use the leftover bottle for the dressing.
The vinaigrette can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. Assemble and dress the salad just before serving for the best texture.
This salad pairs beautifully alongside grilled chicken, fish, or a light pasta. Our Grilled Chicken Breast with Citrus Marinade is a natural match.
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Strawberry Salad recipe
Fresh strawberries, crisp leaf lettuce, and red onion come together with a homemade champagne vinaigrette made from real sparkling wine. Light, bright, and ready in 15 minutes.
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the champagne vinaigrette:
- ½ cup sparkling wine
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground mustard
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
- ½ teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 6 cups leaf lettuce, torn
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Combine sparkling wine, garlic, sugar, mustard, lemon juice, and shallot in a mixing bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the salad.
- Add white balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir to combine.
- While whisking continuously, drizzle in olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the dressing is emulsified.
- Add lettuce, strawberries, and red onion to a large salad bowl.
- Drizzle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Sparkling wine: day-old or flat sparkling wine works perfectly here. The bubbles fade but the flavor stays. Prosecco, Cava, or any dry sparkling wine all work well.
- White balsamic: regular balsamic will work in a pinch but will darken the dressing. White balsamic keeps it light and bright.
- Make ahead: the vinaigrette keeps refrigerated for up to 4 days. Dress the salad just before serving.
- Extra dressing: this recipe makes about 1 pint of vinaigrette - more than you'll need for one salad. Keep the rest for the week and use it on any green salad.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 188
- Sugar: 4.5 g
- Sodium: 424.6 mg
- Fat: 14.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.3 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Strawberries are such a natural salad ingredient. Next time I have a bottle of fizz I'll have to resist the urge not to save any to try this vinaigrette.