Simple Kale Salad
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If you’re looking to make a kale salad, this recipe is for you. My friends ask me to bring this to every gathering! I’ve crafted the best kale salad that’s a perfect balance of contrasting textures and flavors. Every ingredient plays a role in making this a hearty salad that’s loaded with delicious goodness. Wanna know how it’s done
We love our salads, and this is the best kale salad recipe! It’s fresh and satisfying, loaded with melding flavors and colorful veggies, and dressed with 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 lunches.
Why you’ll love this easy kale salad
Swoon-worthy and salad might not be two words you associate together, but they sure will be after you try this kale salad. Here are five reasons why you’ll LOVE it:
- Fully loaded: The best kale salad is loaded up with all the toppings! Crispy bacon, creamy Boursin cheese, and caramelized onions ensure each bite is perfect.
- Contrast: Salads are all about contrasts: of flavors and textures. This kale salad ticks all the boxes: crunch, creaminess, tang, freshness, and heartiness.
- Customizable: Whether you have goat’s cheese in the fridge instead of Boursin or you want a sprinkle of cranberries, this kale salad is adaptable.
- Quick and easy: Kale salad is easy to prepare and assemble, with a simple dressing, and it takes just a few minutes to put together!
Simple kale salad ingredients
An array of bright, colorful, and refreshing ingredients come together to make the best kale salad – all the different flavors and textures make every mouthful delicious! This is what you need:
- Kale: 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.
Best kale salad recipe 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: 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: 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.
Prepping kale for the best kale salad
The best way to eat kale is lightly dressed so it retains 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.
What to serve with this recipe for 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 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, lamb burgers, or bbq crockpot beef ribs.
How to store leftovers
One of the best things about kale salad is that it stores well. Unlike green salad, which wilts as soon as it’s dressed, kale softens but still retains 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 and adding it fresh to each serving.
Recipe FAQs
Does kale need to be massaged for a salad?
Massaging kale involves drizzling a little oil or salad dressing over it and using your hands to massage it until it softens and becomes slightly more tender. While you can massage kale, we find it’s much easier to toss the salad and let the dressing sit on the kale for 5 minutes before eating. The kale will be just as soft and easy to eat, and you won’t have to massage it.
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 our best kale salad dressing.
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)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- A pinch of sea salt and pepper
The Salad
- ¾ 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, ⅓ 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, ¾ cup toasted pecans
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Nutrition
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More kale salad recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of our salad recipes!
I love this!! Are you a mind reader? It drives me crazy to flip back and forth in recipe between the instructions and the quantities needed!! I love the way you have all information needed at both places. Thank you so much for making this such a wonderful and useful recipe!!
It’s perfectly balanced, filling and DELICIOUS. No modifications needed, in my opinion. Thank you for this gem of a recipe!
This really is one of the most delicious salads I make. It is a staple for my lunches! I sub in pickled onions to make it a little easier and they give a nice bite to the salad.
Just made this salad! A new staple in this house! Absolutely delicious! Keep the recipes coming!
Yay! So great to hear!
I feel like it’s necessary to leave a review after making this salad because it was JUST THAT GOOD – my husband freaked out over it. I also made a flank steak which i put on top and it was amazing with this salad – especially with the boursin!!! Have made this salad again and again since. Just love how full of veggies but also delicious this is. Also great to make even if you don’t have all of the ingredients but some variation of, it’s still delicious and the salad dressing recipe is such a great base for any salad.
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting us know Kathryn!
Yup! This is the Best Kale salad recipe I’ve ever tried! Followed to the tee – YUMMMM! Now one of my go-to fix ups!
That’s so wonderful to hear!
Can you make this ahead of time, mix everything and it still will taste good or is it necessary to mix it all together just before you eat it? Want to take to potluck but don’t want it to go bad before I get to destination. Thanks!
Kale is pretty good at lasting a little while. What I would suggest though is to add all the ingredients to your salad bowl and put the dressing in a mason jar and put that in the bowl, too. When you get to your party, just quickly toss the salad before serving it. 🙂
I just made this for a potluck birthday party that I’m going to later and it looks UH-MAY-ZEEN!! The only thin I did differently was add grated, raw beets for the gorgeous color and another layer of texture… I CANNOT wait to try it! Will report back on what I and everyone else thought.
Good call on the beets!
Today, for the second day in a row, I am making this salad. This is, hands down THE BEST SALAD, KALE OR OTHERWISE, that I’ve ever tasted! The combination of ingredients and textures was amazing! I made it for a dinner with friends last night and the dish was emptied; everyone loved it! Tonight, my husband and I are enjoying it again. Thankful that I can use kale and carrots from my own garden.
Please don’t miss the chance to try this delicious explosion of tastes with kale.
I’m thrilled that you love this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know!
This is hands down my favorite Kale salad of all times!! Thank you!!
Yay! I’m so happy you agree!
Delicious!
Thank you!
This was excellent. We used ACV and feta cheese. A new fave salad that will surely be served often. Thank you!
I’m so happy you love the recipe!!
Loved it. I used feta cheese but I’m sure any other would be just as good.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Absolutely fantastic! I didn’t have the cheese but used parmesan instead. Can’t wait to try it with the cheese in the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I love parmesan in this salad, too. I often shave it thick using a vegetable peeler. It’s so good in salads that way!
The best salad!! Taste delicious!
I’m so happy to hear you agree!
Very good. I probably still slightly prefer a Kale BLT salad, but my wife has a more discreet palate and she said this is the best salad I have ever made. And, our 3 and 5 year old boys each finished a bowl!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!