Strawberry Burrata Salad

This strawberry burrata salad combines juicy ripe strawberries, creamy burrata cheese, and peppery arugula, all tossed with a sweet and spicy hot honey vinaigrette. Finished with toasted pine nuts and fresh basil, it makes a perfect summer appetizer or light meal. Serve alongside crispy crostini for added texture and flavor.

If preferred, substitute the pine nuts with pistachios or crushed macadamia nuts for a delicious variation. You can also swap the hot honey for regular honey to create a sweeter, milder dressing. For an extra-special touch, use the crostini to scoop up the creamy burrata and top it with the strawberry salad.

Why We Love This Strawberry Burrata Salad Recipe 

• Ready in under 15 minutes — no oven, no real cooking beyond toasting a handful of nuts

• Looks like a dinner-party centerpiece with almost no effort

• Sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy all in one bite

• Easy to scale up for a crowd or down for two

• Endlessly adaptable — swap the nuts, the honey, even the berries depending on what’s in season

Ingredients Notes

For the Dressing

• Olive oil – use a decent extra-virgin oil here since it’s doing a lot of the flavor work
• Fresh lemon juice – bottled juice works in a pinch, but fresh brightens everything up
• White balsamic vinegar – milder and less sweet than regular balsamic, and won’t muddy the color of the dressing
• Hot honey – brings the sweet-heat balance that makes this dressing memorable; Mike’s Hot Honey is a popular pick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper – season to taste, and don’t be shy

For the Salad

• Pine nuts – toasting brings out their natural richness; watch them closely, they burn fast
• Baby arugula – its peppery bite is the perfect counter to the sweet strawberries and rich cheese
• Strawberries, sliced – go for the ripest ones you can find; this is a salad where the fruit quality really shows
• Burrata cheese – the creamy, oozy center is the whole point, so don’t substitute fresh mozzarella if you can help it
• Fresh basil, torn – tearing instead of cutting keeps the leaves from bruising and turning dark
• Crostini – store-bought or homemade, just make sure they’re sturdy enough to scoop

Step-By-Step Direction

Step 1: Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, white balsamic, and hot honey in a small bowl or jar. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

Step 2: Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant — about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour onto a plate to cool; they’ll keep cooking in the pan if you leave them in.

Step 3: Layer the arugula across a large platter. Scatter the sliced strawberries, torn basil, and toasted pine nuts on top. Nestle the burrata in the center and slice a small opening in each ball so the creamy inside spills out a little. Finish the burrata with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Step 4: Drizzle the dressing generously over the salad and the burrata. Tuck the crostini around the edge of the platter and serve right away.

Tips for the Best Results

Let the burrata sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving — cold burrata doesn’t ooze the way you want it to

Slice strawberries just before assembling so they don’t weep and water down the salad

Toast the pine nuts in a single layer and keep them moving so they don’t scorch

Dress the salad right before serving — arugula wilts fast once the vinaigrette hits it

Pat strawberries dry after washing for the best texture

Storage

This salad is best enjoyed fresh, since the arugula and strawberries don’t hold up well once dressed. If you have leftovers, store the components separately: keep dressing in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week, and store any undressed salad ingredients in an airtight container for a day. Once assembled and dressed, it’s really a same-day dish.

Shop This Post

Product	Amazon Links
White balsamic vinegar	Buy On Amazon
Hot honey	Buy On Amazon
Wood serving platter	Buy On Amazon
Pine nuts	Buy On Amazon