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Break out of your salad routine with this irresistible Kale Dijon Salad! Even if you’re not a kale lover, this hearty salad will win you over with its perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. Packed with fresh kale, juicy strawberries, dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, and creamy feta, it offers a delightful mix of textures in every bite. Plus, it’s versatile and comes together in just 10 minutes!
If you’re looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet or just want to break free from a boring salad routine, this Kale Dijon Salad is a must-try! Tossed in a bold, tangy Dijon dressing, it’s hearty enough to enjoy as a meal on its own. With just six simple ingredients, you can have a fresh, vibrant salad ready in minutes.
The combination of crunchy pecans, sweet strawberries, and creamy feta makes every bite irresistible! If you love flavorful, wholesome salads, be sure to check out my Roasted Chickpea Avocado Salad for a protein-packed option, my Fattoush Salad for a zesty, crispy twist, or my Easy Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad! Whether meal prepping or making a quick side, these salads will keep your meals exciting and delicious!
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview
Cuisine: Modern American / Healthy
Cooking Method: Raw, Massaging
Skill Required: Easy
Signature Taste: Tangy, Savory, Slightly Bitter
Diet Info: Vegetarian, Can be Vegan, Gluten-Free
Why You’ll Love This Salad
This salad is perfect as a side dish for dinner or a hearty base for your favorite toppings. Want to make it a full meal? Add some grilled chicken or shrimp for extra flavor and protein! If you prefer a plant-based option, top it with quinoa or chickpeas for a satisfying bite.
The dressing couldn’t be easier—just a handful of simple ingredients: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. Give it a good shake, and it’s ready to go! Bright, tangy, and versatile, this dressing pairs beautifully with all kinds of salads.
Kale Dijon Salad Ingredients
Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
- Cider vinegar/white wine vinegar: Either option works well to add a tangy kick to the dressing. Apple cider vinegar gives a slightly fruity note, while white wine vinegar has a milder acidity.
- Dijon mustard: Adds depth of flavor and helps emulsify the dressing, giving it a smooth consistency.
- Honey: A touch of natural sweetness balances the vinegar’s acidity and the mustard’s sharpness.
- Salt and Pepper: Essential for seasoning, enhancing all the flavors in the dressing.
Kale Salad
- Fresh kale: The star of this salad! Choose tender kale leaves and massage them with a bit of dressing to soften their texture.
- Strawberries (sliced): Adds juicy sweetness and a burst of freshness that complements the kale’s earthiness.
- Dried cranberries: They provide a chewy texture and tart flavor that pairs beautifully with the vinaigrette.
- Pecans (toasted): Toasting enhances their nutty aroma and adds a satisfying crunch to every bite.
- Feta cheese (optional): Creamy, tangy feta adds richness and balances the salad’s sweet and savory elements.
Who Said Salads Were Only for Vegetables?
Use fruit as a way to instantly kick your salad up a notch and add another dimension of color! Fruits usually provide a sweet counterpart to the sometimes bitter greens.
Do not be afraid to add fruit to your salad to make it a little more exciting. In my Kale Salad, I added some fresh strawberries and dried cranberries to form a marriage of sweet and tangy with the balsamic vinaigrette.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Make the dressing.
Who says making homemade salad dressing is difficult? Just mix all the ingredients in a small jar, shake it up, and set it aside. It’s that easy!
2. Prepare the greens.
Rinse the kale under cold water, then let it dry. Next, cut it up, and don’t forget to remove and discard the thick, fibrous ribs.
3. Massage the kale.
Toss the leaves in a clean mixing bowl. Then add a tablespoon of olive oil over the chopped greens and toss to coat evenly. Massage the oil into the greens for a few seconds. Massaging the kale before making the salad will soften the hard fibers, making them easier to chew and digest.
4. Add the other ingredients.
Put the greens in a salad bowl and garnish with the other ingredients: strawberries, dried cranberries, pecans, and feta cheese. You can line up the ingredients on top for a prettier presentation. Drizzle the dressing, mix, and enjoy!
Pro Tip
The secret to a great kale salad is massaging the leaves. At first, I didn’t enjoy kale salads and couldn’t figure out why. Then I realized—massaging softens the leaves, reduces bitterness, and makes them much easier to eat!
How to Massage Kale?
Debone the kale with a knife or your hands by removing the ribs from the leafy part of the kale. Discard the ribs and put the leafy part of the kale aside.
Once you have removed all ribs, cut the leaves into small pieces and place into a large salad bowl.
Drizzle olive oil and salt over the kale and scrunch, release, scrunch, release. Repeat until the kale is fragrant and dark green. This step should take 1-2 minutes.
Tips For a Delicious Kale Dijon Salad
You can add or substitute any of the fruits in this salad. Mangoes and avocadoes pair well with kale.
When looking for the perfect kale, make sure the leaves have a firm dark green color. You can tell that the kale has expired or is about to expire when it loses its dark color, softens, and turns yellow.
Wash and massage kale days in advance—it’s so hard that it rarely wilts. You can stem, slice the leaves, wash them, massage them, and store them, wrapped in a paper towel in a zip-top plastic bag, for up to 4 days.
Do not over-massage the kale. Over-massaged kale loses that texture we love so much.
Wanna make this salad fancy? This salad is versatile. You can add some grilled chicken, salmon, raw fish, or roasted chickpeas for a richer taste.
Don’t throw away the ribs of the kale if you remove them to make the salad. You can boil or roast them and turn them into a dip. Or you can juice them for a healthy green drink!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Kale is an important green and is considered a superfood. One cup of kale contains almost 3 grams of protein, which is amazing for a green. It’s rich in antioxidants, packs 200% of your daily vitamin C, carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and much more!
There are numerous ways to eat kale. It all depends on how you like it! You can throw kale in a smoothie, in a salad, as kale chips, and more.
We usually use curly kale for most of our kale salads. It is cheaper and more widely available. However, you can use any kale you want for your kale salad. Usually, you do not need to massage baby kale because it is already so tender that it does not need to be chopped.
Feta cheese is the ultimate kale salad topper! If you’re more of a goat cheese fan, that works too. Parmesan cheese is also a good choice.
Of course you can. Just replace honey with maple syrup in the dressing, and use vegan feta instead of feta cheese.
Other Salads You Must Try:
Kale Dijon Salad
Ingredients
Dijon Dressing
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Honey or maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Kale Salad
- 8 ounces Bunch of kale (average bunch is 7-8 oz.)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil, to massage kale
- ½ cup Strawberries, sliced
- 2 tablespoons Dried cranberry
- ¼ cup Pecans
- ½ cup Feta cheese, optional
Instructions
Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix! Drizzle over your kale salad and enjoy! Any leftover dressing can be stored in an airtight container for at least 4 weeks.
Salad
- Rinse the kale under cold water, then let it dry. Next, cut it up, and don’t forget to remove and discard the thick, fibrous ribs.
- Toss the leaves in a clean mixing bowl. Then add a tablespoon of olive oil over the chopped greens and toss to coat evenly. Massage the oil into the greens for a few seconds. Massaging the kale before making the salad will soften the hard fibers, making them easier to chew and digest.
- Put the greens in a salad bowl and garnish with the other ingredients: strawberries, dried cranberries, pecans, and feta cheese. You can line up the ingredients on top for a prettier presentation. Drizzle the dressing, mix, and enjoy!
A wonderful recipe! The vinaigrette dressing is divine and all the flavors and textures come together beautifully.
I served the salad as a side dish with smoked salmon.A highly praised dinner by everybody !
This is my FAVORITE salad!! The kale stayed crisp, and the combo of all the flavors was delish! You have to try this salad! Thanks for sharing 😍
This salad is a winning dish! It was the first time to try kale, but definitely won’t be the last! The addition of strawberries took this salad to a whole new level
I am a huge kale lover but i have picky eaters at home. I made this salad with my fingers crossed and it was a huge hit! The cranberries and strawberries added a delicious sweet component that blended so well with the crunchy kale…best of all it is super healthy! SO GOOD!
Hi Nicole! I love reading reviews and really enjoyed reading yours! Makes me so happy :). Thank you for taking the time to leave me a review!
Hands down my FAVORITE, go-to fall or winter salad. I crave it all the time! The kale stays crisp and the combo of all the flavors is absolutely delicious! I highly recommend that you try it
OMG this was AMAZZZZZZZING!!! IT was the first time i eat kale and definitely won’t be the last!
This was the first time I eat kale and I was surprised by the taste. So yummy and full of flavor. Will def. add this salad to our rotation