Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Almonds

A Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Almonds is delicious and so easy to make. Tangy citrus balances with sweet and spicy almonds! Yum😋

What you’ll need for this spinach salad with oranges and almonds:

• Baby spinach
• 2 oranges
• 1 large grapefruit
• Butter
• Sugar
• Slivered almonds
• Dried rosemary
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Dijon mustard
• Juice from the grapefruit and oranges
• Olive oil

What to serve with this spinach salad:

This citrus salad is a delicious addition to any meal and packs extra nutrition with folate-rich spinach, vitamin C-filled oranges and healthy-fat nuts.

You can make it for:

• any holiday meal
• a relaxed Sunday brunch
• for supper on a weeknight – just add some simple baked chicken breast for a complete and delicious meal.

How long does the dressing keep? Can I make more?

You can double the recipe for the salad dressing and it keeps in the fridge for a week in a small, air-tight mason jar.

What can I use leftover spinach for?

This spinach salad recipe uses a lot but if you still have some leftover spinach you want to use up, here are some of my favourite ways to do that:

• Throw a handful in your next smoothie
• Pack a mason jar salad together – put dressing, cooked chicken, sliced veggies (like peppers and cucumbers next) and top with spinach. Screw the lid on the jar and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days till you’re ready to eat it
• Throw some into the next soup you make
• Curry some spinach: heat a little olive oil in a medium, non-stick pan. Add some curry powder and salt and heat for a minute, stirring constantly. Add a few handfuls of spinach and toss to coat in the pan until wilted. Serve warm
• Making scrambled eggs? As the eggs are cooking, throw a couple handfuls of spinach in there too. They cook down beautifully

I hope you love this Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Almonds like we do!

~April

Here are some more gluten-free and healthy recipes to check out:

• Easy Butter Lettuce and Pomegranate Salad
• Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce
• Easy Sweet and Spicy Shrimp
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread
• Simple Haddock Quesadillas
• Sheet Pan Maple Dijon Chicken and Broccoli Bake

This recipe was originally posted on November 25th, 2019. Recipe and pictures were updated on October 17th, 2021.

Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Almonds

April Saunders

A Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Almonds is delicious and so easy to make. Tangy citrus balances with sweet and spicy almonds! Yum😋

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 4 cups baby spinach, fresh
• 2 grapefruits, peeled and cut into bite-sized sections
• 3 Tbsp grapefruit juice
• 2 oranges, peeled and cut into bite-sized sections
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds you could use pecans or walnuts too
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Citrus Dressing

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp fresh grapefruit juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Put the spinach in a large salad bowl and add the cut sections of grapefruit and oranges.
• Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar or bowl. Pour the dressing over the spinach and toss to coat.
• Then make the nuts: over medium heat, in a small, non-stick pan, add the butter and sugar. Stir until the butter is melted.
• Then add almonds (or the nuts you choose) and toss in the butter/sugar mixture. Toast the nuts for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Stir in the rosemary and cayenne and stir just a few seconds to release the smell.
• Remove the nuts from the heat and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Sprinkle the nuts on the salad while still warm and serve.

Notes

I love using the silvered almonds that this recipe calls for but you can choose your favourite nut – walnuts or pecans would work really well too.

Save any leftover dressing for a week in an air-tight container.

Although it's lovely to serve the nuts on the salad warm, if it doesn't happen, that's totally fine.

If you're hosting a dinner, you can make this salad first and let it wait on the table while I do everything else.

Keyword spinach salad