This vegan Lemony Kale Salad recipe has avocado, chickpeas, and a zesty lemon vinaigrette. It’s super simple so you can customize it with nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and other proteins. There’s a reason this scrumptious salad has been shared on Pinterest almost 250K times and loved by so many!
Lemony Kale Salad with Chickpeas & Avocado
Kale is LOADED with fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals, making it a smart choice for any meal of the day.
This scrumptious salad is a perfect way to use up that big bunch of kale you picked up from the farmers market.
The whole salad only has a few ingredients and is dressed in a versatile lemon vinaigrette. You can personalize it with endless combinations.
First, let’s talk about the elephant in the room…
Do I have to massage the kale for this salad?
The short answer is…maybe. It really depends on the type of kale.
The reason we massage kale is to make it softer, more palatable, and therefore more enjoyable.
Certain kale leaves are less tender and simply aren’t pleasant to chew without tenderizing. Others are naturally tender and don’t require it.
Here’s my general rule:
Curly kale: Chewy, rough texture on the edges; always massage before adding other ingredients to a curly kale salad. Curly kale is what I used in this Lemony Kale Salad recipe.
Dino kale: May or may not be more tender than curly. It depends on the age and size of the leaf. I usually massage it or dress-ahead to give it time to soften.
Baby kale: No need to massage. It’s naturally tender and mild…even the stems!
Lemony Kale salad recipe steps
Step 1: Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a large bowl until creamy; set aside.
Step 2: Wash the kale by holding it under cold water and agitating it with your hands to remove dust and debris. Dry it by shaking it, blotting it with a clean towel or paper towels, or air dry it.
Step 3: Remove the fibrous stems from the kale. You can store them in the freezer for smoothies. Chop the kale leaves or tear into bite-sized pieces.
Step 4: Dice the avocado and rinse/drain the chickpeas. Spritz the avocado with lemon juice if you’re not dressing the salad immediately.
Step 5: To serve, pour vinaigrette over the kale leaves and massage thoroughly by squeezing it firmly with your hands to tenderize it. Do this from 1-3 minutes, or until it’s to your liking.
Step 6: Fold in chickpeas, avocado, and any other ingredients. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 48 hours.
What can I add to this kale salad?
fresh vegetables – bell peppers, onions, snap peas, radish, broccoli, cauliflower
nuts – walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, pecans, almonds
seeds – pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds
fresh fruit – oranges, strawberries, blueberries
dried fruit – dried cranberries, raisins
non-plant proteins – chicken, shrimp
cheese – goat, feta, mozzarella
These are just a few examples of so many!
So many of my readers have said this is their favorite kale salad. They say that, on its own, it’s crazy healthy, and lends itself to so many ingredient customizations.
A salad with 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
How long does kale salad last in the fridge?
A prepared kale salad that IS NOT dressed (and with uncut fruit) can easily last up to 3 days in the refrigerator with proper storage.
Dressed kale leaves, by themselves, may last with optimal freshness up to 3 days in the refrigerator if stored properly.
However, added ingredients like cut, fresh fruit on a dressed kale salad will likely shorten the window of optimal freshness to 48 hours.
The fact that this Lemony Kale Salad recipe uses a lemon vinaigrette helps minimize overnight browning of the avocado pieces.
The same would apply to apples and pears, but these fruits simply won’t be quite as pretty after day 2 and day 3. Their perishability can also affect the texture and appearance of the kale after the first 48 hours.
Lemony kale salad recipe ingredients
- curly kale (or dino kale)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- fresh garlic
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- canned chickpeas (reduced sodium preferred)
- ripe avocado
Here are the tools you’ll need for this recipe:
More healthy kale recipes:
Turmeric Chickpea Buddha Bowl Recipe
More healthy salad recipes:
Strawberry Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
Lemony Kale Salad with Chickpeas & Avocado
Ingredients
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice about 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Maple Syrup (optional)
For the kale salad:
- 10 oz Fresh Kale (your choice) about 8 cups
- 1 15 oz can Chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 Avocado pitted and diced
Instructions
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- In a bowl, whisk together LEMON JUICE, GARLIC, SALT, and PEPPER.
- Slowly drizzle in OLIVE OIL, whisking until creamy. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- **NOTE: If the vinaigrette is too lemony for your liking, add small amounts of MAPLE SYRUP to adjust the flavor.
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
Traci Antonovich
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