Sweet and Spicy Sautéed Kale Stems
If you've ever wondered what to do with leftover kale stems, this recipe is for you! In under 15 minutes, kale stems are transformed into a delicious sweet and spicy side dish. Using a handful of pantry ingredients, the stems become not just edible but enjoyable.
If you love kale, also check out the best kale salad, wheat berry salad with squash, kale, currants, and walnuts, and sage pumpkin pasta bake with kale and buttered pecans.
This recipe was originally published in 2012. We've updated the post with some new photos and more information, but we've left the delicious recipe exactly the same.
Eating kale stems
Kale stems have a reputation for being fibrous and tough, so it's no surprise that they quickly end up being discarded. They're actually completely edible and can be delicious if done right. From juicing to pickling, roasting, adding to soups, a stir-fry, and pesto, there are endless ways to use kale stems and save them from the compost bin. They're also chock full of nutrients and fiber making them a healthy addition to any meal or side dish.
Tip for saving kale stems: if you're making a recipe with kale leaves and you're not using the stems right away, trim off the ends of the stems and place them in a jar or tall cup with water in the fridge to keep them fresh until you're ready to use them.
Tips for de-stemming kale
When cooking with kale, generally the first step will be to separate the leaf from the stem. Most recipes will use only the leaf, but the stems take center stage in this recipe. There are a few ways you can easily remove the stems from the kale leaves:
- Use your hands – hold the stem firmly with your dominant hand while using your other hand to gather the leaves and pull them back and away along the stem. This trick also works for herbs with tough stems like rosemary or thyme.
- Use a large sharp knife – fold the leaves of the kale together and hold them with your non-cutting hand against the cutting board. Use the knife to chop the leaves from the stem as closely as possible.
How to make sweet and spicy sautéed kale stems
On busy weeknights, it's helpful to have quick recipes like this one that use just a handful of pantry staples. This one comes together in 3 simple steps:
- Prepare the vegetables. Remove the kale leaves from the stems, chop them into 1″ pieces, and mince the onion.
- Cook to soften. Saute the kale stems and onion in olive oil to soften while leaving some crunch.
- Bring it all together. Add the seasonings, taste and add extra salt if you'd like, then enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions: Sauteed Kale Stems
You can use any kind of kale except baby kale. Some of the more popular varieties that work well are curly, lacinato, and red russian kale.
It will depend on your hot sauce but good substitutions are sambal oelek (an Indonesian hot sauce), chili garlic sauce, or gochujang (a spicy Korean fermented hot sauce.) Because heat levels will vary with different sauces, adjust the amount to taste.
This recipe is best if eaten right away but any leftovers can be stored in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
What to serve with sweet and spicy sautéed kale stems
This would make a great side to just about any main, especially the Spanish chicken bake (which uses the kale leaves), pork chops with caramel apples, or slow-bake Asian salmon.
Popular sautéed side dish recipes
- Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic
- Sautéed Asparagus with Garlic and Parmesan
- Sweet Sautéed Radishes
- Sautéed Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic
Sweet and Spicy Sautéed Kale Stems
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Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 10-12 kale stems, picked clean of the leaves and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce, can use reduced sodium
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
- 1 pinch chili flakes
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the kale stems and onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until the kale stems have softened but still have a little crunch.2 teaspoons olive oil, 10-12 kale stems, 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
- Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, soy sauce, sriracha, chili flakes, and season to taste with sea salt.½ teaspoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, ½ teaspoon sriracha, 1 pinch chili flakes, 1 pinch sea salt
Hey! Just letting you know that when you click on the link to the sauteed green beans, it takes you to a different recipe.
Thank you so much for letting us know! It’s fixed now. 🙂
This recipe is a very nice way to use kale stems. I substituted a chopped Granny Smith apple for the sugar. That turned out very nicely in flavour and appearance I really liked it. My stems were quite large and thick Since they were stems of the Portuguese variety that I had let grow quite large. So after sautéing for 10 minutes, covered them adding 2 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes. It was perfect still a softer but still a little crunchy Because my garden is organic and sometimes have aggressive cabbage moths making leaves unusable, at least I can use the stems for vegetables
Did a search and read that the kale stems have the same important ingredients that stall
macular degeneration in our eyes as the leaves do. So I have just been trying to cook those
tough stems, and just found this recipe ! Thanks !!!
Pete
I didn’t have Sriracha on hand, so I used Tapatio. It turned out a bit more liquidy, of course, but it was still really good. My husband in particular LOVED it! I actually used broccoli leaf stems, rather than kale stems, and I had extra onions thrown in. Oh, and we poured the extra sauce on some brussel spouts. Basically, this sauce was good and could be used with any veggies haha. Thanks.
I wasn’t thrilled with thrilled with the soy sauce taste of it so I made another batch and changed it up a bit. I used grey poupon mustard and lemon with all your other ingredients. Yum. Thanks for using up the whole plant!
It is what it is. But if you enjoy veg this is an awesome way to add texture and flavor
Looks really good! But does it freeze well?
I’ve never tried it but I’m always leary about freezing veggies as they’re never quite as good when frozen.
Awesome recipe! I was getting tired of throwing away perfectly good stems. Who knew fried kale is delicious?
I felt the same way!
well i stir-fry my kale with it stems just chopped up (little oil in the frying pan)
with some onion & garlic
added some red pepper flakes , italian seasoning, white pepper and black pepper
give it a try 🙂
Italian seasoning sounds like a great addition!
This is a great recipe. I’ll be making it for the second time today.
I find kale gets bitter in my fridge so I take it off the stem in great big pieces and freeze it In a zip lock bag. Then after my piece of bacon is cooked I grab a hand full and fry over a low heat till crispy, like kake chips. Once that is out of the pan I then cook my 2 eggs. Yum!
What a great idea to freeze kale! I always take it off the stem right away too, but more out of convenience for me to quickly grab some during the week. I’m going to try putting it in the freezer if I don’t think I’ll be able to eat it before it goes yellow. Thank you so much for the tip!
Would this work with collard green stems, too?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Definitely worth a try though. If it turns out with collard greens let me know, I’d love to hear!
Made this with collard green stems and it came out awesome! So delicious. Going to try the glaze on brussel sprouts. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe. Great idea to try it on Brussels!
This is *brilliant*! I’m forever throwing those away and now I can enjoy them!
Genius! I eat a lot of kale and toss the stems in the compost. I need to try this with my next bunch.
Wow, this is brilliant! I’ve just been throwing them in the bin and feeling wasteful. This’ll be a great way to use up my stems and save on buying other green sides!
Love this. I always just compost my stems, but it’s nice to be able to consume them especially since I get so much of it in my winter csa. Thanks!