My kale salad with apples is hearty, refreshing, and packed with fall flavor! Massaged kale, sweet apple slices, creamy avocado, and maple-cinnamon walnuts all come together with a tangy apple cider vinaigrette to create the perfect side or light main dish.
I don't usually eat kale raw, but I do love a good cooked kale recipe, like my Tuscan kale soup, kale curry, and kale burgers. Why would I want to eat raw kale when I can have it all soft and tender? At first glance, those big firm leaves of kale at the grocery store might not look all that appetizing.
Well, what if I told you you could have raw kale that's tender enough to eat in a salad, but still has just the right amount of texture to make your salad extra hearty? You can! This is the kind of salad you might actually consider fall comfort food. Massaging kale is the magic step, and we'll be doing it to make this scrumptious kale salad with apples.
Jump to:
Massaging kale breaks down its internal fibers, making it tender enough to enjoy raw. It wilts just enough, but doesn’t turn mushy like cooked kale.
Since kale is a tad on the bitter side (which, hey, I LOVE), we're going to elevate our salad with some sweetness, by adding juicy sliced apples and crunchy maple cinnamon walnuts. The apple cider vinaigrette also has some sweetness, along with tart notes. We've also got pungent red onion and creamy avocado, giving us a perfect blend of textures and flavors for a salad that you're going to want to make again and again this fall!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Walnut halves. Pecans also work in this recipe. Can't have nuts? Try pepitas!
- Maple syrup.
- Spices. You'll need ground cinnamon for the walnuts, and nutmeg for the dressing.
- Salt & pepper.
- Olive oil.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Shallot. You can use some extra red onion in the dressing if you don't have a shallot on hand.
- Garlic.
- Kale. The recipe calls for lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale. This is the variety with dark green, bumpy looking leaves, and I love using it in a salad. If you can't find lacinato kale, curly kale, which is much more common, will work just fine.
- Red onion.
- Apple. I like using an apple with some tartness in this salad, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Feel free to use your favorite, though.
- Avocado.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Get ready. Start by preheating your oven to 400°F. You'll be briefly roasting the walnuts.
Step 2: Make the maple cinnamon walnuts. Stir the walnuts together with some maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Arrange them on a baking sheet, then bake for about five minutes. Let them cool on a rack when they're done.
Step 3: Make the dressing. Place your olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, finely chopped shallot, minced garlic, salt, and nutmeg into a small jar or container. Close it tightly and shake it up.
Step 4: Prepare the kale. Wash and dry your leaves, then cut out the stems. I like to fold the leaves in half along the stem, then remove it with one long cut. Chop the rest into bite-sized pieces.
Step 5: Massage the kale. Place the chopped leaves into a large bowl with a tiny bit of olive oil and salt. Rub them together with your hands for a few minutes, until they darken and wilt.
Tip: Optional step! If you often find the flavor of raw onion overly pungent, soak it. Cover the slices with water and let them sit for a few minutes. Drain and rinse before adding them to the salad.
Step 6: Assemble the salad. Place all of your salad ingredients into a large bowl: kale, apple slices, onion slices, avocado slices, and maple cinnamon walnuts (make sure they're cool!). Drizzle with as much dressing as you like, toss, then season with salt and pepper.
Step 7: Serve. Your kale apple salad is ready to enjoy!
Variations
- Kale pear salad. Swap out the apple with your favorite variety of fresh pear.
- Delicious additions. Add flavor and texture with additional ingredients like sliced radishes, shredded carrots, chopped broccoli or cauliflower, or dried cranberries.
- Make it a meal. Add some plant-based protein. I love topping this salad with my lemon herb baked tofu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! There are no gluten-containing ingredients in this recipe.
Leftover kale apple salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days. If you have leftover unused dressing, it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks.
Nope! Only peel the apple if that's your preference.
This salad works great as a side dish with fall dinners like my vegan butternut squash stuffed shells, pumpkin chili, or Brussels sprout fried rice. If you'd like to enjoy this salad as a main, try pairing it up with vegan cornbread, vegan biscuits, or hasselback sweet potatoes.
More Salad Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Kale Salad with Apples and Maple Cinnamon Walnuts
Ingredients
For the Maple Cinnamon Walnuts
- ½ cup walnut halves
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Dressing
- â…“ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Salad
- 1 large bunch lacinato kale (about 1 pound)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Pinch salt, plus more for finishing the salad
- ¼ medium red onion, sliced (Note 1)
- 1 medium apple, sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- To make the maple cinnamon walnuts, stir the walnut halves, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl. Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet (use parchment paper if you're concerned about sticking), and bake them for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and lightly toasted. Place the baking sheet onto a cooling rack and let the nuts cool.
- Place all of the dressing ingredients into a jar or small container with a sealable lid. Close and seal the container, then shake until the ingredients are well combined.
- Wash the kale leaves, then blot them dry. Remove the stems and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- Place the kale into a large bowl and add the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale for 3 to 5 minutes, until the leaves are tender and wilted.
- Add the red onion, apple, avocado, and walnuts (once cooled) to the bowl. Drizzle the salad with dressing, using just as much as you like (Note 2), then toss. Season with additional salt to taste, along with some black pepper.
- Serve.
Notes
- If you normally find the flavor of raw onion to be too intense, soak your onion before using it. Simply place the slices into a small bowl and cover them with cold water. Let them soak for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain, rinse, and blot dry before adding it to your salad. This will mellow the flavor a bit.
- This recipe makes a generous batch of dressing, and it may be more than you need. Leftover dressing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
- This recipe makes 6 medium-sized servings as a side or starter. You could get as many as 8 small side servings, or about 3 servings as a main dish.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Comments
No Comments