This Kale Salad starts with fresh kale, avocado, and chickpeas in a zesty lemon vinaigrette. Customize it with nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, cheese, and your favorite proteins. This massaged kale salad recipe turns fresh kale into a devourable meal!
This fresh kale salad is LOADED with fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals. It's quick to prepare and can be eaten as a meal or side salad. Today, I'm answering some kale salad FAQ's. Can you eat raw kale in salads or do you cook it? What's the best way to prepare raw kale for kale salad? How do you make kale taste good...and what goes well with it? I invite you to become kale savvy and get hooked on this easy kale recipe!
Lemony kale salad recipe ingredients
Visit the recipe card below for the FULL printable recipe
- kale (I love green curly kale for this salad!)
- lemon juice
- maple syrup (optional, but recommended)
- Dijon mustard (optional, but recommended)
- fresh garlic
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- chickpeas (canned or cooked from scratch)
- avocado
Can you eat raw kale in salads?
Yes. I recommend raw kale for just about any kale salad, especially if it's prepared properly. By this, I mean you wouldn't just toss kale into a bowl with toppings and dressing and expect people to devour it. Unless, of course, it's baby kale. Then you're all good!
What makes most kale types desirable in raw form is when it's either massaged until the leaves are fully tenderized, or it's thinly sliced and combined with other salad greens.
Do you cook kale for kale salad?
There's really no need to cook kale for most kale salad recipes. In fact, cooking it would make it undesirably mushy for a typical kale salad, unless that's your jam.
However, if you want a warm kale salad or side dish, you could braise it and add any number of ingredients to it.
What's the best way to prepare raw kale for kale salad?
The best way to prepare kale for salad is to massage it with a vinaigrette or plain oil until the leaves are tenderized to your liking. Baby kale is the only type of kale I don't massage for salads because it's naturally tender and delicious.
Another way is to slice it so thin and combine it with other salad greens so the chewy texture is undetectable. I love both methods!
How do you make kale taste good in a salad?
Massaging kale is the first step. After that, your salad ingredients are what makes or breaks a kale lover or hater. Really, the sky is the limit with ingredients, but here's a list to get your ideas rolling.
- fresh vegetables - bell peppers, onions, snap peas, radish, broccoli, cauliflower
- nuts - walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, pine nuts, pecans, almonds
- seeds - pepitas, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds
- fresh fruit - oranges, strawberries, blueberries
- dried fruit - dried cranberries, raisins, apricots, apples
- cheese - shaved parmesan, goat, feta, mozzarella
- non-plant proteins - chicken, shrimp, pork, beef
These are just a few examples of so many! Many of my readers have said this is their favorite kale salad, even in its simplest form with only chickpeas and avocado. Most seem to love the customization options with ingredients they have on hand.
Kale salad recipe steps
Visit the recipe card below for the FULL printable recipe
- Whisk or blend vinaigrette ingredients until creamy.
- Remove cleaned kale from stems, if any, and place in a large bowl.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the kale And MASSAGE with your hands until the kale leaves are tenderized and fully coated with the vinaigrette.
- Add diced avocado, chickpeas, and any other ingredients you like; gently toss together using salad tongs.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 48 hours. (the avocado will turn brown, so be prepared to add more as needed for serving).
How long does dressed kale salad last? When can I dress it?
Fresh kale that isn't dressed can easily last several days in the refrigerator. Lightly dressed kale, without any added ingredients, can stay fresh enough to enjoy for about 48 hours. You would simply toss in the other ingredients when serving.
When ingredients like fresh fruit or avocado are folded into kale salad, it's best to serve it immediately or within a few hours.
This kale salad recipe has so many benefits!
- naturally vegan and gluten-free
- no added sugars
- ready to eat in under 15 minutes
- perfect meal prep salad that holds up nicely
- healthy dinner salad that compliments any entree
- uses everyday ingredients
- loaded with nutritious ingredients
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What to serve with kale salad
- Garlic Butter Grilled Salmon
- Juicy Baked Chicken Thighs
- Broiled Salmon
- Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet
- Chicken Legs
- Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
More healthy salad recipes:
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Asian Slaw Quinoa Salad
- Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad
- Strawberry Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
Lemony Kale Salad
Ingredients
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Maple Syrup, optional, but recommended
- 1 tsp Dijon, optional, but recommended
- 1 clove Garlic, finely grated
- 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For the kale salad:
- 1/2 lb Curly Kale, same as 8 cups
- 1 cup Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 Avocado, pitted and diced
RECIPE VIDEO
Recipe Instructions
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- In a bowl, whisk together LEMON JUICE, MAPLE SYRUP, DIJON, GARLIC, SALT, and PEPPER.
- Slowly drizzle in OLIVE OIL, whisking until creamy. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (see recipes notes)
For the kale salad:
- Pour lemon vinaigrette over KALE and firmly massage until kale begins to soften and all surfaces are coated.
- Gently fold in the CHICKPEAS and AVOCADO; serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
The first time I made this I served it to friends and the 3 of of us loved. I will make this often. I love kale and the lemony dressing was wonderful. I made the recipe just like it was presented. Thank you.
Awesome! So glad you loved it 🙂 This salad is one of my favs! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Tried this last night and it was great! Loved that is was easy to make!
This is the best kale salad I've ever tried. My husband, once a meat and potatoes guy, now requests this salad weekly. I definitely find that massaging the kale with the lemon dressing before adding other ingredients makes the kale a bit softer to chew. I did embellish this salad by adding toasted walnuts, crispy fried thick bacon chunks, crisp persian cucumbers, and Point Reyes Bay Blue Cheese. However, I believe this salad is wonderful without all the extras. Really great taste! Thanks so much for the great recipe Traci!
Awesome Tessa! You totally GET me and I love your add-ins!!! Thanks SO much for letting me know how it's working for you...and that you got the husband hooked ❤️ Day made!
I loved this salad! It was so fresh and flavourful, and easy to make as it calls for ingredients I always have on hand. We will be having this again!
Yay Courtney! So glad you enjoyed it...def a fav over here too! 🙂
This was really great! We’re not big kale eaters in our house and this recipe just might get me purchasing it a bit more often. It’s going to be a new go-to lunch item for me since I can make it before and it holds up, is easy, and I like it. Thanks for sharing.
Hey thanks EP...this really makes my day! I love this salad, but I love it even more when it works so well for someone else's routine. Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
This is so tasty! I made it exactly as the recipe only I added diced grape tomatoes! Great lunch! I am newly vegetarian so your recipe helped me a lot! Thanks for the inspiration. gi
Awesome Gina! I left the recipe super plain just so people could do add-ins, so go crazy with that 😉 and thanks for the feedback!
I'd like to make this in advance for lunches. Do you suggest I wait to put the dressing on? I'd prefer to put it on the night before so I don't have to make a mess massaging the kale at work. Let me know what you think!
Hi Kristen, thanks for asking. You can massage the kale with the dressing the night before..no prob. You might want to wait to cut the avocado on the day you're eating the salad to prevent browning. The dressing does have plenty of lemon though, which should help keep the avocado from browning. Hope that helps, and hope you love the salad like I do 🙂
Perfect recipe, even my 2 year old enjoyed it, thank you!
No way, Sarita...that's so cool! I love it when reader's kids endorse my recipes. Makes my day and thanks for taking the time to let me know. I appreciate it! 🙂
Just made this salad and paired it with baked chicken. Delicious!
Yes! LOVE to hear it! I'm so glad you found the recipe...sounds perfect with baked chicken 🙂 Thanks so much for dropping by!
I do not eat added oils, would it be okay to leave it out? Maybe use the aquafaba from the garbanzos
Hey Heather, that's a pretty interesting idea to use aquafaba in place of the oil. If you try it, please come back and let me know how it turns out 🙂
Nice Post..
Thanks for shring these healthy and delicious recipes cooking Ideas with us.
Of course, Sophie...glad you're enjoying having them 🙂