Creamy, fresh, sweet, and tangy, this Vegan Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Pecans has it all! Super fresh, easy, and fast, this entree salad comes together in under 30 minutes and is sure to impress your family and your guests.
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Hey Internet, I’m ready for the eyerolls. I know, I know… another salad?!
BUT HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE! Or… read me out. You know what I mean.
This one is just utterly insane. Insanely good.
I MADE VEGAN GOAT CHEESE! Sorry for the yelling.
Then I added it to this salad with fresh greens, some yummy sweet strawberries, and a delicious vegan strawberry tahini dressing I just invented. SO FREAKING GOOD.
OK I’m done yelling. Sorry, I just got really excited.
Yes, over salad.
It’s just the best combination of flavors. Sweet, tangy, nutty, crunchy, and fresh. It’s like summer in a bowl.
Alright, let’s get on with the recipe for this delicious salad!
What You’ll Need
So the first and foremost thing is you’ll need a batch of my vegan goat cheese. Luckily it only takes 10 minutes to make!
I think there are store-bought vegan goat cheeses, but mine is so much cheaper and easy to find. And more delicious, not that I’m biased. ;)
Also mentioned above, this salad features fresh strawberries and pecans (chopped or halves, whatever floats your boat).
If you can’t have nuts, the salad will still be delicious without them. Maybe you can substitute it with seeds or crispy roasted chickpeas!
You can use whatever type of greens you would like in this salad, but I used this tasty herb mix from Trader Joe’s. I recommend some kind of softer greens, like butter lettuce, baby greens, or spring mix.
I also tried this recipe with just baby spinach and it was super delicious. Strawberries and spinach seem to go so well together, and it really lets the other ingredients shine.
I also threw in some chopped cucumbers, because I wanted something else fresh and crunchy.
That’s it for the veggies. Usually I pack a lot more veggies into my salad, but I wanted to keep things simple for this one to really let the vegan goat cheese and strawberries be the stars of the show.
Finally, I topped it all off with my vegan strawberry tahini salad dressing. I HIGHLY recommend this sweet, tangy, and creamy dressing, but you could use any other dressing you like.
How To Make Vegan Goat Cheese Salad
First make your batch of vegan goat cheese. Crumble up your pressed tofu and mix it with the ingredients I mention in that recipe.
After you’ve mixed everything up, set it aside for the flavors to meld and let’s work on the salad.
It’s very important to wash your greens. I love using a salad spinner for this.
Add your greens to a large bowl. It can be helpful to use kitchen shears to give a good snip to all the greens. Cut them into smaller pieces--this will make them easier to eat.
Cut your strawberries in quarters or cubes and sprinkle them over the greens.
Repeat this process with your sliced or diced cucumbers and your chopped or whole pecans. You can chop pecan halves roughly if you’d like, or leave them as is.
Finally, add in your vegan goat cheese crumbles and drizzle on some of that delicious dressing and enjoy!
Store dressing and salad separately. If you used delicate greens like I did, your salad may wilt after a day or two in the fridge.
You can prolong its life slightly by packing a paper towel in with the salad, but if you think you’re going to have leftovers, you might want to start by making only half the recipe.
The goat cheese itself and the dressing will each last up to 5 days in the fridge. It’s the greens and the cut berries that won’t last. If you keep all the ingredients separate and just mix as much salad as you’d like that day, you can enjoy it for many days.
Vegan Goat Cheese Salad Tips
Use the reddest, ripest strawberries you can find.
You may want to consider using organic berries. Berries are one of the most pesticide-sprayed crops (they are always high on the dirty dozen list) as they are often attacked by pests.
Locally grown strawberries are also usually sweeter, riper, and fresher, as they haven’t had to travel as far as most store-bought berries.
Double the recipe for a gathering or crowd.
The recipe calls for 1 batch of goat cheese and just 2 cups of strawberries. You could very easily double or even triple the recipe with minimal effort (just a little extra chopping.
The vegan strawberry tahini dressing makes about 2 cups, so you’ll have more than enough dressing if you decide to increase the amount of salad.
Serve immediately for best flavor.
Unfortunately greens and sliced berries don’t last forever, so serve this dressing immediately after making. If transporting it somewhere, wait to add the dressing until you’re ready to serve it.
Customize it!
Use any other berry like blueberries or blackberries--or even another fruit like peaches or pineapple for a fun twist! Any of these fruits will go GREAT with the vegan goat cheese. I’m just obsessed with that salty sweet combination.
Does Fruit Go Well in Salad?
I used to think it was really weird to put fruit in a salad. Why would you want sweet fruit in with your savory salad?
But when I tried it, I was totally convinced. That little touch of sweetness is absolutely divine in a salad, and even more so when the salad has a lot of fruit in it.
I just love the combo of fruit and vegan cheese. I really like this watermelon feta salad (that utilizes my homemade feta cheese), too. Sweet and salty just go so well together.
I especially love a salad with grapes in it, because you get that great burst of sweetness in your mouth when you pop a grape. Try my vegan waldorf salad for a great grape salad.
What fruits are good in a salad?
Well, any, in my opinion. But especially apples, grapes, berries, citrus, pineapple, or even stone fruit like peaches and nectarines are delish in salad.
Other Salad Recipes You May Enjoy
I seem to be amassing quite a few salad recipes on this blog. I really do love salad!
That joke you see on the internet: girl laughing alone with salad? It’s funny, but eating all these fresh fruits and veggies does make me happy!
Here’s some more delicious vegan salads. If you have a suggestion for my next one, please reach out to me or direct message me via Instagram or Facebook.
Waldorf Salad with Apples and Grapes
Vegan Caesar Salad with Chickpea Croutons
Warm Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
Thanksgiving Salad with Pomegranate and Orange
Creamy Chicken Cucumber Salad (vegan)
Anything Else?
As always, I hope you love this recipe–I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too.
This vegan goat cheese salad is:
- Sweet
- Tangy
- Crunchy
- Refreshing
- Light
- Satisfying
- And great for a meal, side, or dish to bring to a barbecue or party!
Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!
<3 Liz
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Follow my blog with BloglovinVegan Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Pecans
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Creamy, fresh, sweet, and tangy, this Vegan Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Pecans has it all! This entree salad comes together in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 5 oz greens (see note 1)
- 1 batch vegan goat cheese
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered or diced
- 1 cup cucumber, sliced or diced
- ¼ cup pecans, optional
- Vegan Strawberry Tahini Dressing, as needed
Instructions
- First make your batch of vegan goat cheese. Crumble up your pressed tofu and mix it with the ingredients I mention in that recipe.
- After you’ve mixed everything up, set it aside for the flavors to meld and let’s work on the salad.
- Add washed and spun or dried greens to a large bowl. Cut them into smaller pieces with kitchen shears if you wish.
- Add chopped strawberries, cucumbers, and pecans to the salad.
- Finally, add in your vegan goat cheese crumbles and drizzle on some of that delicious dressing and enjoy!
- Store dressing and salad separately. If you used delicate greens like I did, your salad may wilt after a day or two in the fridge. The goat cheese itself and the dressing will each last up to 5 days in the fridge. It’s the greens and the cut berries that won’t last. If you keep all the ingredients separate and just mix as much salad as you’d like that day, you can enjoy it for many days.
Notes
- Note 1: You can use whatever type of greens you would like in this salad, but I used this tasty herb mix from Trader Joe’s. I recommend some kind of softer greens, like butter lettuce, baby greens, or spring mix. I also tried this recipe with just baby spinach and it was super delicious. Strawberries and spinach seem to go so well together, and it really lets the other ingredients shine.
- Note 2: Customize it! Use any other berry like blueberries or blackberries--or even another fruit like peaches or pineapple for a fun twist! Any of these fruits will go GREAT with the vegan goat cheese. I’m just obsessed with that salty sweet combination.
- Note 3: You can freeze this vegan goat cheese if you’d like, but I’ve noticed that thawed tofu seems to get a bit chewier (making it great for cooking as a meat replacement), so it may not be as soft if you decide to freeze it.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Vegan Goat Cheese Salad
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