The Best Kale Salad You’ll Ever Make

Looking for the best kale salad recipe? Try this crowd-pleasing version with fresh kale, sweet apples, crunchy nuts, and feta cheese.

During a recent girls’ trip to Sedona, we had a fantastic kale salad that we couldn’t stop thinking about. Although the chef wouldn’t share his recipe, I created my own version using fresh kale from the garden. After a few attempts, it’s finally perfect. I think you’ll love it as much as we did!

The Best Kale Salad

The secret to this salad is dicing everything small. This ensures you have a bit of everything in each bite. 

Ingredients:

• Fresh Lacinato kale (2 bunches)
• Fresh curly kale (2 bunches)
• Two large Honeycrisp apples, diced small (toss with lemon juice to preserve color)
• 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped
• Heaping cup of nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds) chopped into small pieces
• 1  cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Sweet Apple Dressing:

Toss ingredients in the blender and pulse until well-blended. Store in an airtight jar. Use within 2 weeks.

• 1 Honeycrisp or other sweet apple, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• One tablespoon honey
• One tablespoon of mustard powder
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• Two tablespoons of apple juice
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• One tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions for Making The Best Kale Salad:

1. Soak the kale leaves to remove garden grit or tiny hitchhikers, then chop them into bite-sized pieces.
2. Mix the kale with the desired amount of dressing in a large bowl. Use your hands to gently rub the dressing into the leaves to massage the kale effectively. 
3. Add apples, onions, nuts, cranberries, and feta to the bowl.
4. Toss salad until ingredients are well-mixed and coated.
5. Serve a heaping portion as a standalone meal, or pair it with your favorite protein for a more filling meal. 
6. Refrigerate leftovers in an air-tight container to keep fresh for up to 4 days.

Storing and Serving The Best Kale Salad

Unlike other salads that peak on day one, this kale salad improves as the flavors mingle. Store it in the fridge (covered), and it will maintain its taste and texture for 3 to 4 days. 

Sunday meal prep just got easier with this make-ahead kale salad, which improves over time and is perfect for next week’s meal plan.

Make it your own

The beauty of this salad lies in its adaptability. You can swap out ingredients to use what you have on hand or change up the flavor profile. No matter what you use, keeping the pieces small ensures you have a bit of everything in each bite. 

• Greens: Combine kale with other greens like Swiss chard or spinach. 
• Fruit: Try pears, peaches, or dried apricots instead of apples. 
• Cheese: Swap out feta with goat cheese or sharp cheddar. 
• Nuts: Use your favorite nuts – from pistachios to hazelnuts.
• Dressing: Experiment with balsamic vinaigrette or try a creamy poppyseed dressing.

Raid your kitchen, farmer’s market, or even your neighbor’s garden (well, maybe not that last one) and whip up a bowl of this delicious kale salad. 

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