Salad with Rhubarb Dressing

Last Updated on June 7, 2026

This Salad with Rhubarb Dressing is a wonderful refreshingly light salad that can be enjoyed anytime of year.

Though you might want to wait until the rhubarb is fresh in late spring to make this unique dressing.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this salad throughout the summer, you can use frozen rhubarb in this dressing and get the same great flavor.

This rhubarb dressing is creamy, sweet, and has just the right amount of tartness.

And for the salad, just add all your favorite leafy greens.

The strawberries are not always easily available, so try different berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or any berry you prefer.

Another addition I like to add to my salads are nuts.

The nuts that compliment the rhubarb dressing are cashews, sunflower seeds, or sliced almonds.

Dried fruits such as blueberries, cranberries, or currents make another great addition to this salad.

What can you do with the left over rhubarb dressing?

Use the dressing as a dip for fries, vegetables, fruit, or spread on a sandwich.

There is endless possibilities on how to use this unique rhubarb dressing.

Ingredients for the salad

• Greens – Blend together your favorite fresh leafy greens, I added lettuce with a little spinach.
• Fennel – I added a fresh fennel bulb for more texture, to my salad. Fennel has a mild flavor of anise, but is not noticeable with the sweetness of the salad dressing.
• Strawberries – I added fresh strawberries to this salad which pairs well with the rhubarb dressing. Any berry will work well in the salad.

Ingredients for the dressing

• Oil – I added olive to this dressing. Use your favorite oil.
• Rhubarb – Fresh rhubarb is the best for the dressing. If you are not able to find fresh rhubarb, frozen rhubarb can be used as well.
• Balsamic Vinegar – I love balsamic vinegar with it’s perfect pairing of sweet and tart, making it a perfect compliment to rhubarb.
• Pure Maple Syrup – Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice. You can substitute with fresh local honey if you prefer.
• Onion – Onion is optional. Add onion powder or fresh onion such as green onions or shallots to the dressing.
• Salt – To taste.

Toppings-Optional

• Dried Fruits – Add dried blueberries, cranberries, or currents.
• Nuts – Cashews, sunflower seeds, or sliced almonds.
• Chives – Add the purple flowers of the chives for presentation. Note that the flowers of chives are edible but have a very strong onion flavor.

How to make the Salad with Rhubarb Dressing

Preparing the salad

Add the freshly cleaned leafy greens and spinach to your bowls.

Finely Slice the fennel bulb and add to the leafy greens.

After cleaning the hulled strawberries, slice each berry and place on top of the each salad, place into the refrigerator until the dressing has cooled.

Making the dressing

Slice and dice the fresh rhubarb and onion (optional).

In a medium skillet over medium heat, add oil, the rhubarb, and the (optional) onion.

Saute everything until the rhubarb is tender.

Remove from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and salt.

Let the rhubarb mix cool for about 10 minutes before adding to a high speed blender or food processor.

Pulse until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the mixture into a canning jar, cover, and place into the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until cool.

Once the dressing is cool, drizzle the dressing over the salads.

Top your salad with dried fruit or nuts and serve.

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