Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Salad, perfect for springtime! Fresh blueberries, cucumbers and your favorite greens all topped with a creamy lemon poppy seed dressing made with non dairy yogurt instead of oil for a satisfying, healthy salad.
Blueberries are nearly in season here in Florida and we love them so naturally we're thinking about all the delicious ways to use them. We will certainly make muffins, waffles and pancakes, probably these bars too and now this Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Salad. So delicious!
what's in this salad?
This salad starts with a blend of lettuce and spinach. You can use a butter lettuce like bibb, romaine or leaf lettuce. I don't generally care for iceberg lettuce so it's not a go to for me, but I suppose you could use it if you like. Having a blend of your preferred lettuce and spinach makes the salad more interesting with different colors, textures and flavors.
Of course, this salad has a healthy amount of blueberries too. On a side note: nothing beats heading to a u-pick farm for fresh blueberries kissed by the Florida sun. It's a great way to spend time as a family and it's something we like to do as often as we can during the season. If you have the opportunity to pick fresh berries where you are I highly recommend it. Full disclosure the berries pictured above are store picked 🙂
Cucumbers also make an appearance in this salad for extra crunch, texture and flavor. I use mini cucumbers because they are seedless and have a thinner skin so no peeling is required.
Finally, the salad is topped with nuts or seeds, in this case I used pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of a delicious, slightly tangy lemon poppyseed dressing.
how to make lemon poppy seed dressing
To make this dressing I started with one of my most favorite fridge staples, non dairy yogurt. I love using yogurt to make dressings for salads. It adds creaminess without the need for cashews, vegan mayo or oil. Just a light, tangy base for flavoring with herbs and such.
For this version, we're adding lemon juice and zest for brightness, a touch of maple syrup for sweetness and poppy seeds for nuttiness and a bit of crunch. Whisk everything together in a bowl and set aside to give the flavors time to meld while you prepare the salad.
Once the salad ingredients are tossed together drizzle with dressing and get ready to dig in!
The family really loved this salad. My youngest was a bit puzzling though. She said "it smells yummy, but tastes yucky" and then proceeded to eat all of it and ask for seconds so I'm pretty sure she likes it. Kids are funny like that.
If you make a recipe, I would love to know how it turns out! You can leave a comment and rating below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!
Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Salad
Ingredients
lemon poppy seed dressing
- 1 5.3 oz non dairy yogurt, plain and unsweetened. I use So Delicious Coconut.
- 1-2 lemons, juice and zest
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
salad
- 8 cups greens ex. butter lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, etc.
- 1-2 mini cucumbers, sliced thinly
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- ¼-1/2 cup nuts or seeds
Instructions
lemon poppyseed dressing
- In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, juice of 1 lemon, zest, poppy seeds, syrup, salt and pepper. Taste and add additional lemon juice and zest if desired. Set aside.
salad
- In a large bowl, combine greens, cucumber slices, blueberries and seeds and toss to evenly distribute the fruit and seeds.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to coat.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!