Oats Free Spinach Mandarin Almond Salad
Bright, refreshing, and packed with color, this spinach salad is the kind of dish that looks like it came from a restaurant but comes together in minutes with zero cooking required. Sweet mandarin oranges play beautifully against the peppery baby spinach, while dry-roasted almonds add a satisfying crunch in every bite. The homemade citrus dressing — built from olive oil, fresh orange juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, and a hint of ginger and turmeric — is light yet bold, and you know exactly what's in it because you made it yourself. That matters more than people realize, since many bottled dressings and store-bought salad kits sneak in unexpected grain-based thickeners or additives that can be a problem for those avoiding oats. Here, every single ingredient is naturally clean and straightforward. A handful of torn fresh mint scattered over the top takes the whole thing somewhere a little unexpected and genuinely special. Toss it right before serving and it's an instant crowd-pleaser for lunch, a dinner side, or anything in between.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges, drained
- ½ cup dry-roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- ¼ red onion, very thinly sliced
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, grated ginger, turmeric, salt, and black pepper until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.
- 2
Add the baby spinach, drained mandarin oranges, chopped almonds, and sliced red onion to a large salad bowl.
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