Vegan Spinach Salad

This vegan spinach salad with sunflower dressing is a classic for a reason. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also filled with lots of nutrients that are hard to get through other means. This is the perfect salad to make when you want to eat healthy in a new way.

The best way I’ve found to have a healthy and balanced diet is to have a good mix of everything. I try to eat as many different fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds as possible every day. It’s very important for young people (like me😉) to have a healthy diet. Although I too care much about taste – I just like the idea of being naturally healthy rather than having to rely on heavy medication later on in life!

Also try Santa Fe Salad, Vegan Italian Pasta Salad. Macaroni Salad, Kachumbari. 

Vegan Spinach Salad

A few things elevate a meal more, like a good salad. Yet, a lot of salads can get boring quickly. There needs to be some way to make it different and exciting.

Sometimes you just need a change. I know I’m always trying to experiment with new recipes and flavors — not because I don’t like my old recipes (well…maybe just a little bit), but because variety is the spice of life!

So, here’s a delicious recipe for spinach salad with sunflower dressing. I know it sounds pretty boring but give it a try, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Spinach Salad with Sunflower Dressing is a healthy vegan recipe that’s colorful, crunchy, and delicious! It is a dish that you should definitely put on your menu. The secret is the sunflower dressing. When you taste it, you will quickly realize that this dressing will be a part of your diet for some time.

I’m a big fan of spinach salads. My kitchen counter usually has lots of varieties of greens, and spinach makes up a large percentage of that number. I often joke that I don’t discriminate when it comes to spinach. However, I also love sunflower seeds – they make me think of summer picnics with friends and family at the park. In this recipe, I have combined my two loves!

The reason for adding sunflower seeds in spinach salad as one of the toppings is not just to make it crunchy but also tasty. By using sunflower seeds in green salads, you can make preparation more enjoyable; don’t forget to throw them into your salads.

The sunflower dressing adds an extra pinch of goodness, while the tomatoes add some tantalizing texture.

This spinach salad combined with rich, creamy salad dressing is an incredibly satisfying lunch or dinner. It is also a side dish to accompany any meal. It uses a single bowl and minimal preparation time to make everything come together quickly. 

This is the simplest salad I’ve ever made, and my husband loves it just as much as I do.

Why You’ll Want To Try This Salad?

There are great reasons that insist on trying this salad, such as:

• Perfect Side Dish For Dinner!

This spinach salad is going to be the perfect side dish for your next dinner or party. Why this salad attracts so many people? Because it’s fantastic. Even people who don’t like spinach and sunflower seeds will beg for more. This dish is very delicious and creamy.

• Easy To Prepare!

This spinach salad with sunflower dressing is also quite easy to prepare. Once all the vegetables are chopped and the dressing is blended, all that remains is tossing and enjoying.

• Tasty And Filling

You’ll love this vegan side dish because it’s so tasty and filling! Vegetables will provide a powerful flavor punch and are quite filling. You will be satisfied after having this salad.

Recipe’s Nutritional Value

Apart from its refreshing and delectable flavor, this spinach salad with sunflower dressing is extremely healthy and nourishing as it is made with healthy ingredients. One of the base ingredients is spinach, which is nutritionally dense. It’s low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, and folic acid, as well as being a good source of calcium, iron, and vitamin B6 & 9.

Spinach is also rich in antioxidants, which protect your cells against free radicals. As a result, it protects from chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and reduces blood pressure.

Another important base ingredient is sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are tiny powerhouses of nutrition. They contain vitamin E, which is an essential antioxidant that helps defend your body from free radicals, and they’re also full of heart-healthy fatty acids. They also contain protein, fiber, B vitamins, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, and more!

Sunflower seeds may assist in the reduction of blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Sunflower seed nutrition also makes them a beneficial addition to your diet if you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight.

The addition of avocado made this salad even more healthy because avocados contain numerous nutrients such as vitamin C, E, K, niacin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, potassium, and pantothenic acid. In addition, they contain beta carotene, omega-3 fatty acids, and lutein. These nutrients provide various health benefits, including improving eye health, fighting against cancer, and maintaining bone health. It also helps in maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol, which are critical for heart health. Read More Sunflower Seed Benefits.

How To Make Vegan Spinach Salad?

This Spinach Salad is quite simple and easy to prepare. It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. So it doesn’t detract you from your routine work in terms of time and effort.

You’ll need the following few listed ingredients and a few simple steps to follow.

Vegan Spinach Salad Ingredients

• Spinach leaves – I used baby spinach leaves, but you can substitute with Romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce. 
• Cherry tomatoes –  cut into halves or wedges, multicolor cherry or grape tomatoes are great. They add a sweet burst of flavor to your salad.
• Avocado –  pitted and chopped, avocado gives a creamy and buttery flavor to your salad. I love Hass variety. 
• Cucumber – I love to use English or Japanese cucumber for their fresh crunchy. 
• Red Onion – you can substitute with sweet onion such as Vidalia for a less spicy flavor. 

Salad Dressing

• Sunflower Seed or Cashew – makes a creamy salad dressing, you can substitute with sunflower seeds for a nut-free version. 
• Garlic – boosts the flavor of the salad dressing
• Nutritional yeast flakes -gives a cheese flavor to the salad dressing but you can leave it out of the recipe. It will taste just as good.
• Water – to process your ingredients, spring water is perfect for this recipe. Start with half a cup of water if you are using a high-speed blender. With a regular blender, you should soak the cashews for a couple of hours or boil in water for 2 minutes to soften.
• Lemon juice – add a fresh tart flavor to the salad dressing, you can use lime juice instead.
• Maple syrup –  a little syrup to balance the flavor of the dressing.
• Sea salt –  or to your taste. 

Directions

1. Wash spinach leaves, dry and tear them into bite-sized pieces, and place them in a bowl. Toss with tomato, avocado, cucumber, and onion.
2. In a blender, combine dressing ingredients and process until creamy.
3. Pour over salad and serve.

Serving Ideas

It’s delicious served warm or cold. This spinach salad is quite satisfying on its own, so it can be served as lunch or dinner. It can also be served as an appetizer or a side dish to complement your main dinner menu. I love to enjoy it alongside vegan curry chicken.

However, it can be served with:

• Air Fryer Frozen Burger
• Tofu Turkey
• Vegan Manicotti
• Tofu Bacon
• Grape Jelly and BBQ Meatballs
• Potato Stacks
• Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Green Bean Casserole
• Vegan Gravy
• Vegan Red Beans And Rice
• Cassava Leaf Soup
•  

Can You  Make This Spinach Salad Ahead?

Yes! Spinach Salad with Sunflower Dressing can be prepared up to three days ahead of time. Then, when you’re ready to serve, reheat it for a minute in the microwave, or you can serve it cold; it all depends on your personal preference.

How Can You Store The Leftovers?

You can store the leftovers in the refrigerator for three to four days. After that, make sure to keep them in an airtight container.

Can You Freeze Spinach Salad?

Although I’m not a big fan of freezing this salad. The reason it is quite simple and easy to prepare. But if you really want, you can freeze it for a couple of weeks. But keep in mind it’ll not be as much tasty as it was when it’s as fresh.

How To Customize Spinach Salad?

This recipe is highly customizable. You can add any other of your favorite ingredients like lentils, quinoa, red beans, chickpeas, berries, beetroot, pomegranate, or kale, which are all excellent options that can be used interchangeably.   Additionally, you can use chard, coriander, or parsley to enhance flavor and color.

For an extra crunch and as a source of healthy fats and protein, you can also sprinkle some almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, or whatever you have on hand on the top. Dry roast them in a nonstick pan before adding them to this salad.

Recipe Notes

• When buying spinach, choose dark green leaves that look fresh and crisp. Avoid spinach with yellowing leaves or slimy stems.
• Store fresh spinach in the refrigerator for up to five days.
• Although you should wash all leafy greens before eating them, you can easily wash spinach by placing it in a colander and running cold water over it until the water runs clear.
• To minimize the intensity, you can soak chopped onion in plain normal water for about 10 min before using them.
• Sunflower seeds can be soaked before mixing to make the process go more smoothly.
• Don’t skip on lemon juice because it’ll brighten up your salad.

Give this a try. It’s incredibly delicious and super easy. I hope it makes your life easier too!

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Vegan Spinach Salad

This vegan spinach salad with sunflower dressing is a classic for a reason. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also filled with lots of nutrients that are hard to get through other means. This is the perfect salad to make when you want to eat healthy in a new way.

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Vegan Spinach Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 89kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 4 cups spinach leaves
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 medium avocado peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1 English cucumber cut into slices
• 1/4 cup red onion diced

Salad Dressing

• 1/2 -3/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds or cashews
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Your Favorite Roasted Nuts or Seeds (sunflower, cashew, walnut, pecans, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds)

Instructions

• Wash spinach leaves, dry and tear them into bite-sized pieces, and place them in a bowl.
• Toss with tomato, avocado, cucumber, and onion.
• In a blender, combine dressing ingredients and process until creamy.
• Pour over salad, sprinkle with roasted nuts or seeds and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 586mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3113IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg