The Best Kale Salad

  5.0 – 17 reviews  • Kale Salad Recipes

Thumbprint cookies with chocolate frosting. With these newborns, you must drink a large glass of milk.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Additional Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  1. 1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs discarded and leaves cut into thin strips
  2. 1 teaspoon olive oil
  3. 2 pinches salt
  4. ¼ cup olive oil
  5. 1 lemon, juiced
  6. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  7. 1 teaspoon maple syrup, or more to taste
  8. ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  9. 1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste
  10. 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  11. salt and ground black pepper to taste
  12. 2 carrots, grated
  13. ½ cup frozen roasted corn (such as Trader Joe’s), thawed
  14. ¼ cup crushed tortilla chips
  15. ¼ cup dry-roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
  16. 2 tablespoons grated smoked white cheese (such as Beecher’s Smoked Flagship)
  17. 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Instructions

  1. Place kale in a large serving bowl; add 1 teaspoon olive oil and 2 pinches salt. Gently massage oil and salt into kale. Set aside to allow kale to soften, about 10 minutes.
  2. Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper for vinaigrette in a plastic or glass container with a lid. Cover the container and vigorously shake until dressing is light yellow and evenly combined.
  3. Layer carrots, roasted corn, tortilla chips, almonds, and smoked cheese on top of kale.
  4. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad; mix with tongs until evenly distributed. Gently stir chopped eggs into salad.
  5. Depending on the size of the lemons, maple syrup may need to be increased if the dressing is too tangy.
  6. I always taste-test the dressing before adding it to the salad. So I recommend tasting and adjusting the maple syrup, salt, pepper, and/or Dijon mustard.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 338 kcal
Carbohydrate 24 g
Cholesterol 110 mg
Dietary Fiber 5 g
Protein 11 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Sodium 378 mg
Sugars 4 g
Fat 24 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Laurie Hamilton
Delicious dressing!
April Hamilton
We really loved this recipe. I wasn’t sure about the dressing; but, put it all together it’s yummy!
Sara Clark
Very tasty! I made with 2 ears fresh grilled corn instead of canned and omitted eggs but they would’ve been good. You could definitely also add bacon, green onion, fresh mushroom… be sure to thin-slice the kale, or shred and mix with a softer lettuce. Don’t skip the massage technique!
Jennifer Gray
My new favorite salad!
Glen Green
This is a really good Kale salad. YUM!
Darlene Walker
Fantastic recipe! I served it as a main course with a side of Italian bread and cheese. My grocery store didn’t have shredded smoked cheese so I cut up a small block of habanero smoked white cheese and it was dandy. Everything else was exactly as listed. My husband and I both went back for seconds and will be finishing it up for lunch tomorrow. The recipe is definitely a keeper.
Kevin Hood
Delicious! Prior to this dish, I had only had kale baked in a strata or as a chip and had avoided it raw. Boy, was that a mistake! It’s very hearty and satisfying. I thought the vinaigrette was delicious and the corn gave it a great burst of sweetness. I didn’t add the eggs, only because I served this as a side to chicken but I’m sure if I did I could be satisfied eating this as a full entree. Thanks for the great recipe!
Nicholas House
This is the best kale salad! Can mix up the flavor a bit by using different cheeses, otherwise follow directions as they are written and it is delicious!
Robert Lopez
The kale was on its last legs and I had to find a recipe asap. I tried this one and it was so fantastic, even tho I substituted some of the ingredients. I’m gonna enjoy making different variations of this salad! Thanks very much for sharing.
James Hester
I have tried this salad a few times when somehow kale wound up in my shopping. I didn’t want to throw it out and didn’t know how to prepare it. I got on my favorite food app and found this recipe. The dressing is amazing and I wasn’t intimidated by kale any more! as I buy it on purpose now and use whatever veggies I have on hand! Thanks for sharing…
Todd Miller
I used hickory smoked almonds, smoked Gouda, and blue corn tortillas chips. Yum!
William Brown
Loved this salad! I added jicama just because I like it and had it on hand. This is a keeper.
Nathaniel Rivera
delicious! I left out the corn and tortilla strips. still fantastic!
James Morales
Sooo good! I was tired of my usual kale salad recipe with cranberries and sunflower seeds. This was a very welcome change. I have been sharing it with all my family.
Nathan Scott
Had to buy more kale after I tried this recipe. I shift it up adding cranberries, grated zukes. Awesome!
John Brown
The dressing for this salad is incredible. I’ve been making variants of this salad over and over again for months because it’s so good and easy. I usually don’t have all the other non-dressing ingredients but I’ve done it with pomegranate seeds, parmesan, chicken, and pine nuts and it’s sooo good. Thank you!
Alison Roth
This was a great recipe! We left out the eggs and it was still great! Even my kids loved it!

 

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