Simple and so tasty, this kale salad has feta cheese, dried cranberries, and sliced almonds all tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette. It's our go-to recipe because of the simplicity and perfect blend of salty, sweet, soft and crunchy.
Kale is a very polarizing ingredient: you either love it, or you hate it. We are clearly on team Love It! From kale barley salad to kale caesar salad, I love how versatile and nutrient-packed kale is.
This staple kale salad is a great 'all purpose' salad that really goes with everything. It's super simple to prep, but you are rewarded with a delicious blend of flavors and textures: from salty to sweet, soft to crunchy.
Serve it up with herb crusted broiled salmon and parmesan mashed cauliflower for a deliciously elegant dinner.
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- has only 4 ingredients plus the dressing
- comes together in 15 minutes
- can be prepped ahead and assembled at the last minute for easy dinners
Recipe video
See exactly how to make our staple kale salad by watching the video below! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Ingredient notes
- kale- you can use any type of kale in this salad, from curly kale and lacinato kale to baby kale. To remove the bitter taste from kale, it's important that you massage it; more details are below.
- cranberries- add a delicious sweetness to the salad; swap for dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or fresh fruit (apples, pears and blueberries are all great!)
- almonds- add crunch and a subtle nutty flavor to the salad; swap for pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts or seeds
- feta cheese- adds a bright pop of salty flavor, and a creamy texture to the salad; swap for goat cheese or shaved parmesan
Other great add-ins for kale salad:
- fresh berries
- pear slices
- apple slices
- peach slices
- bacon
- goat cheese
- smoked gouda
- parmesan crisps
- sunflower seeds
- pecans
- balsamic reduction
- raspberry basil vinaigrette
Prepping the kale
If you've had bitter, chewy kale before, it's likely that it wasn't prepared properly. Kale should have a mild and slightly sweet flavor, and should be soft, not chewy. Here are the important steps to take to avoid bad kale:
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Remove it from the stem
This kale salad recipe works with pretty much any variety of kale including common curly kale, lacinato kale, and baby kale. Since kale has a tough, woody stem, it's important to remove the leaves from the stem. I do this using a paring knife, carefully cutting the leaves off working down from the thickest part of the stem. You can also simply tear it off with your hands.
Next, tear the kale up into bite sized pieces.
Wash & dry
To wash the kale, I recommend filling a large bowl with cold water. I actually do this in my salad spinner, placing the basket into the outer bowl of the salad spinner. Press the kale down into the water, moving it around to knock any dirt or debris from the kale.
Drain the kale well; if you use the salad spinner, it's as simple as removing the basket from the outer bowl. I do recommend spinning the kale dry in a salad spinner. Having wet kale leaves makes it more difficult for the vinaigrette to stick to and flavor the leaves.
Alternatively, you can arrange the kale leaves on a clean kitchen towel, then roll it up tightly to help absorb moisture from the leaves.
Massage the kale
Do not skip this part! Massaging the kale for 2-3 minutes before adding to the salad is important for two reasons:
1) it helps remove the tough texture that raw kale can tend to have
2) it helps remove the natural bitterness that kale can hold
To massage the kale, take clean, washed kale, and massage in your hands for 2-3 minutes, until kale becomes soft and bright green
Prep ahead + storage
Kale salad is best served immediately after dressing; after dressing it's *ok* for about 24 hours. With that being said, you can prepare the components ahead, and assemble just before serving-- this saves a ton of time!
- prepare you kale up to a week ahead (tear, wash, spin to dry and store in a produce saver or a large storage container; wait to massage it)
- prepare the dressing 2-3 weeks ahead and store in the fridge
- crumble feta cheese up to 7 days ahead
More great salads
- Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad
- 21 Make Ahead Salads Perfect for Meal Prep
- Cobb Salad Recipe
- Apple Bacon Spinach Salad
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Our Staple Kale Salad (with cranberries + feta!)
Ingredients
- 8 cups kale loosely packed; washed & torn into bite-sized pieces; see note 1
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon dijon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Tear kale into bite-sized pieces (making sure to remove the thick part of the stem). Wash, then spin dry.
- In a large bowl, massage the kale with clean hands for 1-2 minutes, until soft and bright green.
- Add the feta, cranberries and almonds.
- Shake together vinaigrette ingredients. Add to salad and toss. Serve immediately.
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Tips:
- prepare you kale up to a week ahead (tear, wash, spin to dry and store in a produce saver or a large storage container)
- prepare the dressing 2-3 weeks ahead and store in the fridge
- crumble feta cheese up to 7 days ahead
- cranberries- swap for dried cherries, fresh berries, pear slices, apple slices, peach slices
- feta cheese- swap for bacon, goat cheese, smoked gouda, parmesan crisps
- almonds- swap for sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans
- vinaigrette- swap for balsamic vinaigrette, balsamic reduction, raspberry basil vinaigrette
Video
Nutrition Information
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Hope Sparks says
The best kale salad. It always gets raving reviews when I take to gatherings. Thanks for sharing.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Hope, awe so glad to hear that you (and your friends!) enjoyed it! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back to leave a rating and review! 🙂
marian briscoe says
I am baffled by What is a cup size ! All my cups are not the same size. could you use the Metric system ?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Marian! In North America, our measurements are in cups. One cup is 250 mL, and for kale, I loosely pack it. Really, it's more of an estimation. Unfortunately I don't have weights for this recipe, but for my baking recipes I always include weights in grams.
Darah Allan says
Hi Denise,
I always love new ways to eat kale. I know kale gets a bad rap, but the way this salad made, even the biggest kale haters swooning over. Can’t wait to make this 🙂
Denise says
I hope you enjoy!