Kale Salad
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This is the BEST kale salad recipe: it's loaded with contrasting flavors and textures. Crispy, salty bacon, toasted pecans for crunch, juicy sweet tomatoes, creamy avocado, perfectly caramelized onions, and tangy delicious Boursin cheese are tied together with a bright, irresistible dressing. It's perfect for lunch, for a lighter dinner, or as a nutritious side dish (that might steal the spotlight!)
If you love kale salads as much as we do, try our kale apple salad or kale caesar salad!
We love our salads, and this has to be the best kale salad recipe! It's fresh and satisfying, loaded with tons of melding flavors and colorful veggies, and dressed in a zippy homemade dressing. The avocado coats everything in an almost cheese-like creaminess. And then there are the sweet, delicious caramelized onions. And the crispy, salty bacon. It's the perfect addition to your potlucks, dinner spreads, or for meal-prepping healthy lunches.
Ingredients needed
An array of bright, colorful, and refreshing ingredients come together to make the best kale salad ā all the different flavors and textures make every mouthful delicious! This is what you need:
- Kale:Ā We use curly kale, but other varieties such like dinosaur kale or lacinato kale work well, too. Make sure to wash the kale leaves well and remove the hard inner stem.
- Boursin cheese: Goat cheese makes a nice substitute.
- Other ingredients: Onion, bacon, pecans, carrots, avocado, and cherry tomatoes.
- The dressing: white balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), honey, dijon mustard, shallot, garlic clove, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
How to make kale salad
Assembling this easy kale salad recipe is as simple as whisking the dressing together, cooking the bacon and onions, then tossing everything together. Here is how it's done:
- Dressing: Whisk all the dressing ingredients together, adding the oil slowly so it emulsifies and becomes creamy.
- Cook: Cook the bacon in a pan until it's nice and crispy. Then, set it aside and crumble it when it is cool to the touch. Keep the pan to sautƩ the onions in some of the bacon fat until they are golden and caramelized.
- Assemble: Now put it all together! Tear or cut the kale into bite-sized pieces. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl, pour the dressing over the top, and mix it up. We like it best after it sits for about 5 minutes as the kale softens just a little.
Making the dressing
Making this zesty kale salad dressing is easy. The best way to make it is to whisk the vinegar, honey, mustard, shallot, and garlic in a bowl. Then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. This will emulsify the dressing and make it a little creamy.
If that sounds like too much work (and sometimes it is!), you can simply add the dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and give it a good shake. It won't be quite as creamy, but it will taste just as good.
Variations
This kale salad recipe is versatile, so you can throw in your favorite ingredients or use up whatever is left in the fridge or pantry! Here are a few ways that you can make it your own:
- Dried fruit: Add some dried fruit. Dried cranberries taste especially good.
- Fresh fruit:Ā Add some sweetness with apple or pear slices, or try mandarin segments.
- Crunch: The pecans are great, but other nuts work well too. Use toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, toasted walnuts. Or splurge and use candied hazelnuts!
- Cheese: Add some grated parmesan cheese for a sharper note, or swap out the Boursin for another creamy cheese. Feta cheese or blue cheese work well, or some grated sharp cheddar.
- Sweetness:Ā Use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing for an autumn flair.
- Citrus: Try adding a splash of fresh lemon juice for an extra bright dressing.
- Extra veg: Some red peppers sitting in your produce drawer? Half a cucumber waiting to get eaten? Cut up whatever is left in the fridge and throw it in!
- Croutons: Grab some store-bought or make some simple and delicious homemade croutons.
- Protein: Add a protein source, such as tofu, shrimp, roasted chickpeas, sliced steak, or bite-sized pieces of baked chicken breast.
How to prepare kale
The best way to eat kale is when it's lightly dressed but maintains its bite. Kale is one of our favorite greens as it's hearty enough to prep ahead so it's always ready to go. Here's how to do it:
- Remove the leaves from the tough inner stem. Save the kale stems to try our sauteed kale stems recipe!
- Put the kale in a bowl and cover it with cold water. Swish it around a few times and then drain the water. You may need to do this a few times depending on how much dirt is hiding in the kale.
- Once the kale is clean, spin it dry using a salad spinner.
Storing leftover kale salad
One of the best things about kale salad is that it stores well. Unlike green salad which starts to wilt as soon as it's dressed, kale softens but still holds its structure. It's a great salad to make for meal prep!
If you have any leftover kale salad, store it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to three days. If you're meal prepping, we suggest keeping the avocado separate, adding it in fresh with each serving.
What to serve with kale salad
Enjoy your kale salad as a lighter meal on its own, or serve it up as a side dish. While kale salad is delicious, it's also packed with nutrition, making it a perfect addition to your table to round out heartier mains! It's one of those dishes that just goes with anything!
Serve it beside roasted meats, like lemon butter roasted chicken or salmon with lemon dill sauce. It works as a textural contrast to a bowl of steaming soup, like this curried pumpkin soup. Throw it on the table next to a butternut squash pizza,Ā lamb burgers, or bbq crockpot beef ribs.
Recipe FAQs
Can you eat kale raw in a salad?
Yes! Raw kale salad is healthy and delicious!
Does kale need to be massaged for a salad?
Massaging kale involves pouring a little oil or salad dressing over the kale and using your hands to massage the kale so that it softens and gets a little bit more tender. While you can massage kale, we find it's much easier to simply toss the salad and let the dressing sit on the kale for 5 minutes before eating it. The kale will be just as soft and easy to eat and you don't have to mess around with massaging kale.
How do you get the bitterness out of kale salad?
Kale is naturally slightly bitter. That's why we find that the best kale salad dressings always have an element of sweetness as it mellows out the bitterness. Another great dressing to try is what we call our bestĀ kale salad dressing.
Why is kale healthy for you?
Kale is sometimes referred to as a superfood as it's so nutrient-dense. It's particularly rich in vitamins C, A, and K and antioxidants like beta-carotene and lutein. It's also high in potassium, fiber, iron, and calcium. This kale salad makes consuming all this goodness so delicious!
Can I make this kale salad gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan?
Yes ā it already is gluten-free! To make it dairy-free, use your favorite cheese alternative. For vegans, sub the honey for maple syrup, too.
Best Kale Salad Recipe
Ingredients
The Dressing
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or sub apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small shallot (very finely minced)
- 1 small garlic clove (very finely minced)
- ā cup extra virgin olive oil
- A pinch of sea salt and pepper
The Salad
- Ā¾ cup toasted pecans
- 4 strips of bacon
- 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
- 4 packed cups curly kale (washed and torn into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 tablespoons Boursin cheese (can sub goat cheese)
- 1 medium carrot (grated)
- 1 ripe avocado (chopped)
- 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk the vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, shallot, and garlic. Whisk in the oil in a slow and steady stream. Whisking the oil in slowly will help it to emulsify and become creamy. Season the dressing lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper.3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 small shallot, 1 small garlic clove, ā cup extra virgin olive oil, A pinch of sea salt and pepper
- Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and place them in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bacon for 7-8 minutes, or until it is crispy but not burnt. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan.4 strips of bacon
- Add the thinly sliced onions to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes, or until they are quite soft and light brown.1 large onion
- Add the kale, Boursin cheese, pecans, crispy bacon, caramelized onions, carrot, avocado, and cherry tomatoes to a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately.4 packed cups curly kale, 2 tablespoons Boursin cheese, 1 medium carrot, 1 ripe avocado, 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, Ā¾ cup toasted pecans
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Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our salad recipes!