You'll fall in love with this Strawberry and Cucumber Salad, topped with hot honey halloumi and a balsamic dressing. The perfect summer salad!
As a dietitian, recipe developer and foodie, I think adding fruit to salads is extremely underrated. Especially during berry season, I love adding strawberries and blueberries to my salad, because they're so sweet and super nutritious.
I make this strawberry and cucumber salad every year as soon as strawberries are back in season, and it's one of my family's favourite summer recipes. Paired with tangy balsamic, the strawberries are ultra juicy and sweet. I've also fallen into the trap of hot honey everything, so adding hot honey halloumi to this recipe just seals the deal.
You're going to be eating this strawberry and cucumber salad all summer long!
Why This Recipe Is Dietitian Approved
- Fresh and nutritious. There's so many beautiful colours in this recipe, which is a sign you're getting a variety of nutrients. A diverse diet can help support gut health, so I always do my best to "eat the rainbow".
- Take advantage of seasonal produce. In Ontario, seasonal produce is usually fresher, higher quality and more affordable. I used cucumber, strawberries, kale and basil in this recipe.
- Plant-based protein. We're sneaking in some vegetarian protein sources with halloumi, which actually contains 7g of protein per serving.
Ingredients
Strawberries. Look for the freshest strawberries you can for optimal flavour. This means bright red, firm berries. If the seeds are starting to pop out, that's a sign they're too ripe.
Cucumber. I like using English cucumbers as I find them the easiest to dice but you can also use smaller cucumbers such as persian cucumber, as long as they are seedless. You can also leave the skin on for added fiber.
Basil. I recommend fresh basil for the best flavour.
Halloumi. Known as the "squeaky cheese", I love that halloumi has some vegetarian protein and some salt to compliment the sweetness of the berries.
Kale. It's packed with folate, vitamin A, c and fibre. Kale is a great option for the base of this salad as it won’t get soggy.
Feta cheese. Crumbled feta cheese is a great way to add a salty taste to help round out the flavours in this salad. Look for feta cheese stored in brine for the freshest option.
Dressing. All you need for the simple vinaigrette is balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil salt and black pepper. A store-bought balsamic vinaigrette will also do the trick.
Hot honey. This is what we cook the halloumi in for a little bit of spice! This one is my favourite.
Avocado. I love finishing salads with diced avocado for creaminess in each bite.
Walnuts. Optional! This adds some crunch to the salads, plus healthy fats.
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
In a fry pan on a medium heat, heat ½ of the olive oil (1 tbsp) and the honey. Add several pieces of the halloumi to the pan and fry for 2 - 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat this step until you have cooked all of the halloumi. Place in the fridge to cool.
To a large bowl, add chopped kale and the remaining olive oil ( 1 tbsp). USe your hands to gently massage the oil into the kale. This will help soften the leaves and reduce the bitterness.
Remove the halloumi from the fridge and chop into bite sized pieces. Top kale with strawberries, cucumber, basil, red onion, feta cheese and halloumi.
Make your dressing by whisking together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and seasoning with salt and black pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Top with additional strawberry and cucumber slices and avocado and walnuts if desired.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
To make dairy-free: you can easily use a dairy-free feta option such as this one and replace the halloumi with chickpeas for additional protein.
To make nut-free: this recipe is naturally nut-free if you skip the walnuts as a topping. Try crispy onions, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead.
Switching up this recipe? Try this:
- Basil: swap for another fresh herb like mint
- Kale: any soft leafy green like spinach or arugula would be a good fit
- Added fibre: add chickpeas
- Added protein: add chickpeas, grilled tofu or chicken
- Added colour: add sliced apples or fresh blueberries
Equipment
Storage
This strawberry and cucumber salad can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
As cucumbers and strawberries do contain a high level of moisture, the salad may begin to get a little soggy the longer it is stored. We aren't anything that will wilt, so this shouldn’t affect the taste or texture at all.
Top Tips for Success
I do not recommend skipping massaging your kale with oil. This is critical to ensuring you have a tender green that isn't bitter.
The key to any good salad in my opinion is chopping up everything as small as possible so you get a bit of everything in every bite. My favourite tool to help speed up this process is my produce chopper.
To make your salad more visually appealing, I recommend saving some sliced strawberries, cucumber and fresh feta crumbles to top the salad with after tossing in the dressing This just helps everything look fresher.
Frequently Asked Questions
Strawberries are the easiest to dice, but blueberries and blackberries would be great additions.
Yes! One of my favourite things about this salad is that it’s “scoopable”. Since everything is finely chopped and in such small bite sized pieces, it makes it so easy to scoop with a tortilla chip or cracker.
It has lots of fibre, colour and some protein, but I try to aim for 25-30g of protein per meal. If you're looking to make this into a full meal, I would add another protein source (listed above) and a carb like quinoa or pita chips.
More Salad Recipes
If you like this strawberry and cucumber salad, try these next:
- Carrot and Cucumber Salad
- Chickpea Feta Cucumber Quinoa Salad
- Viral Cucumber Bell Pepper Salad
- Easy Burrata Caprese Salad
See you in the kitchen!
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this strawberry and cucumber salad, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry and Cucumber Salad with Hot Honey Halloumi
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 250 g halloumi cheese sliced into ½” thick slices
- 1 tablespoon hot honey
- 3 cups kale finely diced
- 2.5 cups strawberries diced (about 2x 340g pints)
- 1 english cucumber diced
- ⅓ cup fresh basil chopped
- ½ cup red onion diced (about 1.2 large red onion)
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
Optional:
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ cup walnuts crumbled
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a fry pan on a medium heat, heat ½ of the olive oil (1 tbsp) and the honey. Add several pieces of the halloumi to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat this step until you have cooked all of the halloumi. Place in the fridge to cool.
- To a large bowl, add chopped kale and the remaining olive oil (1 tbsp). USe your hands to gently massage the oil into the kale. This will help soften the leaves and reduce the bitterness.
- Remove the halloumi from the fridge and chop into bite sized pieces. Top kale with strawberries, cucumber, basil, red onion, feta cheese and halloumi.
- Make your dressing by whisking together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and seasoning with salt and black pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
- Top with additional strawberry and cucumber slices and avocado and walnuts if desired.
Tkdes says
We added quinoa and chicken and it was absolutely delicious.
Melissa says
This is by far the best salad I have made. This will be a summer staple.
Annette Smith says
What a perfect salad for a hot summer evening- and healthy on top of it. Win win!
Nicole Addison says
I'll be eating this salad all summer long, I hope you love it as much as I do!!