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!
Kale Salad FAQ’s
Fresh kale is LOADED with fiber, along with essential vitamins and minerals. 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
- 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
- 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).
* See full recipe below
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
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Broiled Salmon
- 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
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
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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 🙂
I tried this today and added tomatoes and feta cheese. I used half of a 12 oz bag of Kale and that was plenty. I was Delicious!
Awesome Heidi! Yes, tomatoes and feta sound great! I kept this recipe super basic so people could add in their favorite ingredients. So glad you like it and thanks for stopping by!
Love the recipe and pics. I make a massaged kale salad, but let the flavors meld together for a few hours before eating. I find the kale is easier to chew. I pinned this and will be trying it your way down the road.
Thanks Nancy! I’m on board with waiting a few hours…although, it’s hard to wait b/c I usually grab a fork and dig right in 😉
This recipe looks awesome. Does the avacadobturn brown or can you refrigerate it for a couple days?
Hi Joanne, thanks for asking. It’s very possible it may turn brown, but there is a lot of lemon in it, which should slow it down. I’m not quite sure if that prevents it entirely…esp over a couple days. Looks like some testing is in order. I’ll have to include that in the recipe notes next time I make it 🙂
I love every ingredient in this, but I did not love the salad. I’m not sure why, but the kale was very tough. I did remove the tough stems and did massage in the dressing. I even left in the refrigerator for a few hours hoping it would wilt a little. If anyone has any suggestions I will happily try it again.
Well darn JM…not sure what could have gone south for you. It might be that you didn’t massage it enough. You have to really beat it up with your hands to get it to soften…like, to the point of it feeling unnatural LOL. It might also be that kale, even when softened, isn’t your preferred texture for salad greens. Hope this helps…let me know if you have more questions or decide to try it again 🙂
I have only ever made this with dino kale and we really like it. I actually crave it at times. That being said I am not the biggest kale fan so the discovery of the dino kale was revolutionary to me as it seems less bitter. When I first found this recipe here it called for 2 cups of sliced dino kale. I see it has been adjusted a little, but I have never tried the way it is listed now.
Thanks for weighing in, DK 🙂 I’m with you on the dino kale…it’s just so much easier to get used to when you’re starting out. You’re right that the recipe has been adjusted. It’s mostly because, once massaged, the kale shrinks down so much that it felt more like an avocado salad with a few strands of kale LOL, so I adjusted it. Always up to the person making it though 🙂
I made this tonight as a side salad with lamb chops. It’s great, tasty, fresh, easy. I added chopped egg! Thank you for this recipe!
Yay! So glad you liked it Jenny…and thanks for stopping by to let me know. Day made! 🙂
Loving how simple yet delicious this looks 🙂
Thanks Katie…love hearing that! It is super simple…and delish! 🙂
Oh I adore a kale salad and lemon is a nice way to soften up the kale.
Thanks so much, Dannii! Lovvvvve hearing that 🙂
Lemon is my favorite ingredient to add to kale. I just love it and think the salad would be fabulous!
Thanks so much Valentina! I absolutely love lemon and kale together too! They were made for each other, I think 🙂
Your Kale salad looks wonderful…bonus points for using lemon and chickpeas. 2 if my favorites!
Thanks so much, Heidy! I’ll take those bonus points…gladly 🙂
Gotta love an easy, healthy and nourishing salad like this. It’s one of those salads you could easily make every week!
Haha thanks Lisa, in fact I have made this salad many weeks 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind words…love hearing it! 🙂
Loved the fact that how green is this recipe. Raw+VeganNd glutenfree as well! The best part is that the Dressing is so easy and not fancy! 👏👏
Thanks Sonal! I definitely tried to keep this dish pretty simple so that people could customize the ingredients. Loving your feedback! 🙂
Simple to make, wonderful flavors, and so hearty! Love the simplicity of this and that it’s packed with plenty of protein!
Thanks Jessica! Yep, I kept it super simple so people could feel free to add any ingredients. I love adding walnuts or pistachios to mine…or just eat it plain 🙂
Oooh this looks really delicious, and super healthy too! I’ll be trying this for sure, I bet it makes a great side salad for a large dinner 🙂
You are so right, Mairi…it’s the perfect side salad. And no fuss, just a few simple ingredients. Hope you love it…thanks so much!
Traci, this looks SO good! I love all of these ingredients individually, but together?? I cannot wait to try this, maybe as a side to our next pizza night. 🙂 I want to add pine nuts!
Yay Monica! So glad to hear it! Yes, I kept the recipe very basic and left the nuts out so people could add in their favorite. Thanks and hope you love it 🙂
I love this so much, and great video. The creamy avocado and the citrus and kale…so good …and EASY. Can’t wait to try this out.
Thanks Teri…so glad to hear it! Hope you love it 🙂
Perfect pairing – Kale with Garbanzo beans. Trying this for sure looks so amazingly delicious!
Yay thanks so much Ruchi! Hope you do get a chance to try it and I hope you love it!
I have made this salad many times. It is my favorite salad ever. I think I could live on it. Sometimes we add walnuts. My girls love this salad also. This is a perfect salad. All things we love. I am so grateful for the recipe. Thank you or sharing.
You are so very welcome 🙂 Thank YOU for taking the time to tell me how much you love it…that makes my week! I love putting walnuts in mine too, but sometimes, as is. Thanks again for commenting!
Hi! If I am going to make one salad at a time, what would be the measurements for oil and lemon juice?
Hi Shannon, to make 1 serving, I’d whisk together 1 Tbsp Olive Oil and 1-2 teaspoons Lemon Juice and of course only use a pinch of fresh garlic, salt, and pepper. You can even use less oil if you prefer, these are just suggested amounts. Hope that helps…enjoy!
I love this salad. Love it!!! I always use more kale than called for…….the dressing really goes a long way. Since I use more kale, I also use more avocados and top it off with goat cheese. Yum😊😊
Laurie…I LOVE it that you love this salad! You just made my week…thank you for that. Goat cheese…I have to try that. Yum!
making this for lunch this week – can’t wait to try it!
Lauren, so glad to hear it! This one has gotten some rave reviews on Pinterest…and it’s easily one of my favs. Hope it become yours too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
This salad is AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Serita, you’re most welcome…it’s a fav of mine too! 🙂 Thanks for dropping me a line…much appreciated!
I’ve made this twice since Friday and it will now be part of my regular meal planning. Fantastic, delicious, easy peasy recipe.
Natalie, you have absolutely made my month with this comment! I’m so glad you love it…and even happier that you took the time to let me know. <3 Yay! xo
Tried this salad last night….it was to die for! I added a teensy bit of feta and upped it on the garlic. Man was it good. Curious if you have the nutrition facts on this? Want to add this to my FitBit tracker 🙂
Eva…yes!!! So happy to hear you love it like it do! Feta (YUM!) would be killer in this! And I’ve added walnuts too. As for nutrition, I haven’t found my favorite source to post on the site, but lately I’m checking out https://happyforks.com/analyzer. Just copy and paste the ingredients into their form field and it generates info. I use it as general reference, but would consult the pros if I had very specific goals. Hope that helps 🙂 Thanks so much for your feedback!
Just wanted to let you know that I have made this salad countless times and it is so delicious, I usually add more kale than is called for, but I love this salad–It was my go to meal when I first started out as a vegan.
Hiya Kimberly, I’m so happy to hear this. Funny enough, I made the recipe a few weeks ago and ended up adding several cups of kale to it…because kale LOL. So, don’t be surprised when I edit the recipe here on the site. Also, makes my month to know this salad got you through the transition to vegan. SO cool! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious!!! I cannot wait to try it! I think my kids and husband will love it too. I’ve been looking for salads exactly like this that are nutritious and delicious for our lunches. This will fit the bill perfectly- thank you!
Thanks SO much for taking the time to comment…you’ve just made my day! I can’t wait for you to love it like I do 🙂 And it does make the perfect lunch…I can’t get enough!
Great recipe! Sunflower seeds also work in place of the pistachios. I’ve considered adding sun dried tomatoes, but haven’t tried it yet. What do you think of that idea?
Hey Margo, yeah sunflower seeds…great addition! Pistachios get a little spendy, so that’s a great substitution. As for sundried tomatoes (one of my fav ingredients)…I’m a little biased. I think yeah, and I think fresh tomatoes might even be better, but only during tomato season 🙂 Hey, thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Love to hear you again anytime!
I just made this for the 2nd time in 2 days and it is A-MAY-ZING!!!! I added leftover quinoa and used toasted pine nuts because I did not have pistachios. OMG!!!! So good, it’s all gone now and I can’t stop thinking about it. So easy to make and so delicious, even my three year old had a bowl!
Omgosh Ali…you just made my week!…my month! Your enthusiasm is so contagious 🙂 I do hope you’re signed up to receive my recipe updates, because I don’t want you to miss any opportunities to be this happy. Thank you sooooo much for taking the time to leave this best-ever comment. Cheers!
Because pistachios are so expensive, I plan on using walnuts. They are sold in bulk very cheaply at a local store. Can’t want to try it!!!
Nicole, thanks for the comment! Yep, I always have walnuts on hand and I think they’d be perfect in this recipe. In fact, I’ll make a note on the recipe. Cheers! 🙂
My grandson’s doctor recently told my son not to allow him to have processed foods because it is flaring up his alleregies. I am looking for healty recipes that we can all enjoy as a family.
Hello Violet, I sure hope his doctor was very specific about what foods are considered processed and which ones to avoid. I also hope you can find recipes in my collection to match your family’s needs. Let me know if you ever have any questions 🙂
I made this last night. Only deviation was that I completely brain farted & forgot to add the pistachios. It was DELICIOUS!!!! Loved it! Already sharing with friends. Thanks!
Hey there Sonia! Thanks for taking the time to show your love…made my day. Funny you forgot the stachies because I originally wrote the recipe w/o them. You must have known 😉
Happy Sunday to you…and thanks again!