Kale Salad Recipe

Go all out on National Eat Your Vegetables Day (June 17) with a vibrant, vegetarian dish. Packed with colorful vegetables, crispy almonds, and plump berries, this kale salad recipe is easy to make and takes only 15 minutes from start to finish.

With minimal effort, you’ll have a tasty, snappy and rich salad ready in the blink of an eye. Enjoying this hearty kale salad will also help prevent overindulging on unhealthy snacks throughout the day.

Is Kale Salad Healthy?

Yes, it surely is.

Kale, also known as leaf cabbage, is a cruciferous vegetable that is available all year round, especially in the winter.

Kale is mainly grown for its edible green leaves. It comes in two most popular varieties — dinosaur kale with narrow, wrinkly, dark green leaves and curly kale with bright green, ruffled leaves.

Kale is an essential plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acid. It has been a main staple of many internet food trends because of its high nutritional value and ability to be easily incorporated into a variety of dishes.

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Containing about 6% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A in one cup, kale is also packed with a generous amount of other nutrients. Those include fiber, folate, vitamins C and K, iron, calcium, potassium, and antioxidants.

Here are just a few more of kale’s nutritional benefits. Kale can:

• Improve eye and bone health and boost the immune system.
• Aid in colds and prevent chronic disease.
• Lower cholesterol, prevent blood clotting, and help lower blood pressure.
• Support brain development.
• Protect against macular degeneration and cataracts.
• Aid in digestion and weight loss.

How to Prepare Kale for a Salad

When choosing kale for salads, it’s best to opt for the stalks with dense and sturdy leaves. They shouldn’t look withered or poky.

1. How to Wash and Chop the Kale

Raw kale can sometimes be gritty and covered with dirt, especially the curly variety. It’s best to wash it properly before taking any other steps.

First, remove the tough and chewy ribs from the leaves by peeling them out with your hands or slicing out the stem with a knife.

Next, place the kale leaves into a strainer and rinse under running water while swishing them back and forth. Drain well to release extra moisture from the kale so it can stay fresh and crisp for longer.

Finally, roughly tear or chop the kale into bite-sized pieces or thin strips, whichever you prefer.

You may not want to add kale ribs to your salad, but don’t throw them away. You can make the best use of them by chopping them small and adding them to sautéeing dishes.

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2. How to Massage the Kale

Massaging kale is meant to soften its raw, sturdy leaves, making them easier to digest as well as to work with. After the massage, the kale will turn a darker green and become slightly sweeter in taste.

After you’ve chopped the kale leaves, add them to a large mixing bowl. Start by grabbing handfuls of these leaves. Gently work your way through the length of them, repeating a squeeze-release motion until they reach your desired level of tenderness.

Massaging the kale should only take 30 seconds or one minute max, or else the leaves will get overly mushy. Sometimes, a pinch of salt or a single drop of olive oil can be added to the massage to tenderize the kale faster and give it more fragrance.

Main Ingredients

Besides kale, this 15-minute salad is loaded with other tasty and crunchy mix-ins, such as carrots, red apples, oranges, feta cheese, almonds, and dried cranberries.

If you have a messy drawer of nuts, seeds, and other miscellaneous dry fruits, feel free to swap them in for any ingredients in this recipe. Check out the list below for substitution ideas:

• Carrots: Roasted chickpeas, white beans, tempeh, tofu, lentils, artichoke, roasted bell peppers, or any sliced vegetable of choice.
• Red apples and oranges: Creamy avocado or grapes.
• Feta cheese: Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, goat cheese, or crumbled blue cheese for a salty and tangy kick. Or leave the cheese out to make the salad vegan!
• Almonds: Toasted whole grains or any of your favorite toasted, slivered nuts/seeds, such as pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds. These can be an added source of protein and crunch
• Dried cranberries: Raisins can make an excellent replacement.

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What to Do With Leftover Kale

If you’ve happened to chop more kale than the serving plates require, don’t worry. Prep-ahead kale can keep well in the fridge and stay fresh for up to 7 days — as long as it hasn’t been tossed with dressing.

Besides salads, fresh chopped kale can be mixed into sauces and dips, or stirred into soups and pasta dishes.

To enjoy kale salad for the whole week, simply whip up the dressing in advance. Store the dressing in a mason jar with a lid separated from the kale and other veggies. Put all the ingredients in the fridge so they’ll be ready to toss together anytime the craving strikes.

Kale is the go-to choice for many prep-ahead dishes as you can see in these healthy recipe with kale that we made. This is due to its ability to hold in shape marvelously and stay fresh longer than other leafy greens.

How Long Does It Last?

Kale doesn’t get soggy and mushy as easily as its other leafy green counterparts, (romaine lettuce, for example). With its sturdy leaves, kale can remain crisp in the fridge for up to 2 days — even after being dressed.

Overall, if stored properly in airtight containers and refrigerated, leftover kale salad can stay fresh for up to a week — of course, with a less-tempting texture.

But, like almost any other green salad, freezing this kale salad is an absolute no-no. Both the flavor and texture will be yucky after thawing.

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What to Eat With This Salad

No matter how you’ve been planning your meals, there is always room to get creative with kale salad. For example, you can have it:

• Topped on pizza.
• Mixed into a frittata or made into chips.
• Stuffed in burgers or meatloaf.
• Added to pasta dishes or mac and cheese.
• Stirred into a variety of soup, such as potato soup, summer-squash veggies soup, or lentil soup.
• Served alongside a protein main, such as grilled chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, or salmon.

If you are looking for more salad options, don’t hesitate to check out our top 44+ healthy salad recipes and give them a try at the next cook-out.

Kale Salad Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Packed with colorful vegetables, crispy almonds, and plump berries, this kale salad recipe includes just 4 simple steps and takes 15 minutes from start to finish!

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• prep TIME 15 mins
• total TIME 15 mins

• COURSE Side Dish
• CUISINE American
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 207 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 4 oz kale
• 8 oz orange (cut into wedges)
• 4 oz red apples (diced)
• 2 oz carrots (julienned)
• 1 oz almonds (sliced)
• 0.5 oz feta cheese (crumbled)
• 1 oz dried cranberries
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp traditional Dijon mustard

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp honey, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, and 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.

2

Assemble the vegetables and fruits on the serving plates in a random order: 4 oz kale, 2 oz carrots, 4 oz red apples, 8 oz orange, 0.5 oz feta cheese, 1 oz almond slices, and 1 oz dried cranberries.

3

Drizzle the dressing all over. Toss if desired.

4

Enjoy.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Kale Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 207Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g

18%

Saturated Fat 2g

13%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Cholesterol 1mg

0%

Sodium 256mg

11%

Potassium 374mg

11%

Carbohydrate 24g

8%

Fiber 4g

17%

Sugar 15g

17%

Protein 4g

8%

Vitamin A 5344IU

107%

Vitamin C 67mg

81%

Calcium 109mg

11%

Iron 1mg

6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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