Winter Kale Salad
This Winter Kale Salad with homemade apple cider dressing is a flavorful salad that’s packed with hearty veggies. It’s made with massaged curly green kale, quinoa, broccoli florets, diced apple, red onions, dried cranberries, sliced celery, roasted pepitas, and feta cheese.
My husband and I are obsessed with this Winte Kale Salad. It’s an easy vegetarian lunch idea or can be served as a side with grilled chicken, tofu, or salmon for dinner.
We love chopped salads like this one because it can be eaten with a spoon. No need to use a fork to stab or awkwardly fit leafy greens into your mouth. The veggies are cut small, so you’ll get a little bit of everything in each bite.
Kale and broccoli are both cold-hardy vegetables. I like to pair them with apple and dried cranberries for a little sweetness and crumbled feta cheese for a salty kick.
Winter Kale Salad Ingredients
Kale: I use curly green kale to make this salad. It’s affordable and easy to find at most grocery stores.
Quinoa: I use white quinoa for this recipe, which is the most common one and has a mild flavor. Quinoa is a gluten-free alternative to grains.
It’s a great source of protein, fiber, and essential amino acids. It takes only 15 minutes to cook, which makes it ideal for an easy meal.
Broccoli: I use raw broccoli florets for this salad. If you don’t like the taste of raw broccoli, you can use roasted broccoli instead.
Apple: I like adding an apple to this salad because it gives it a sweet and tart flavor. My favorite apple to use is Granny Smith, Gala or Honeycrisp.
Red onion: This adds a fresh and sharp taste.
Celery: This adds a nice crunch in the salad.
Dried cranberries: I love adding dried cranberries to salads because it also gives it a sweet and tart flavor. You can substitute with raisins or chopped dates if you prefer.
Roasted salted pepitas: Green pumpkin seeds have a nutty and slightly sweet flavor. You can substitute with sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, or pecans if desired.
Feta cheese: This adds a salty and tangy taste to the salad. You can use goat cheese or freshly grated parmesan cheese if you prefer.
Apple cider dressing: My homemade apple cider vinaigrette is made with extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, honey (or maple syrup), and Dijon mustard.
How to massage kale
To get started, you’ll need to remove the tough stems and chop the kale leaves into small, bite-sized pieces.
You can remove the tough stem by folding kale leaves so the stem is on one side, then use a chef’s knife to slice the stem away from the leaves.
Or you can fold the kale leaves over one another so that the stem is on one side and the leaves are on the other side, then use your fingers to gently rip the kale leaves away from the stem.
Add the chopped kale to a large mixing bowl and add an acidic ingredient (lemon juice) or a healthy fat (olive oil), and a pinch of salt. I recommend using 3 tablespoons of my homemade apple cider dressing to massage the kale.
Using clean hands, reach into the bowl and firmly rub, scrunch, and knead the kale between your palms and fingers. Continue to do this for 2 minutes. You’ll notice that the kale will turn a vibrant green color and reduce significantly in volume.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can make the salad and dressing up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
The salad will absorb the dressing as it sits in the fridge but still taste delicious. You can add a splash of lemon juice or drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over leftover salad if you want to freshen it up.
More favorite salad recipes
If you like this Winter Kale Salad recipe, try one of these other delicious salads:
- Kale salad with apples and walnuts
- Kale crunch salad (Chick-Fil-A Copycat Recipe)
- Blueberry arugula salad
- Arugula lemon salad
- Arugula pear salad
Please let me know how you like this Winter Kale Salad recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this salad as much as I do.
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Winter Kale Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Winter Kale Salad with homemade apple cider dressing is a flavorful salad that’s packed with hearty veggies. It’s made with massaged curly green kale, quinoa, broccoli florets, diced apple, red onions, dried cranberries, sliced celery, roasted pepitas, and feta cheese.
Ingredients
- 6 cups packed chopped kale, ribs removed, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup dry quinoa
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
- 2 apples, cored and diced
- 1/2 cup minced red onions
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced celery (about 1 celery rib)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup roasted salted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or goat cheese)
- Apple cider dressing (recipe below)
Apple Cider Dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa. Combine the dry quinoa and water in a medium pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid has evaporated (about 15 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
- Make the dressing. In a jar with a fitted lid, add the extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, honey (or maple syrup if using), Dijon mustard, and a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Seal the jar and give it a good shake until the dressing is well combined and emulsified. Don’t have a jar? Whisk everything together in a bowl until well combined.
- Massage the kale. Add the kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle 3 tablespoons of the prepared dressing over the kale. Use your hand to massage the dressing into the kale for 2 minutes. This helps remove the bitterness of the kale and makes it easier to eat.
- Assemble the salad. Add the cooked and cooled quinoa, chopped broccoli florets, diced apples, minced red onions, dried cranberries, thinly sliced celery, roasted pepitas, crumbled feta, and the remaining salad dressing. Toss until everything is combined.
- Chill before serving. Cover the salad and store in the fridge at least 1 hour before serving. Leftover salad will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Notes
- How to massage kale: Add the kale to a large bowl and drizzle 3 tablespoons of the Apple Cider Dressing on the kale. Using clean hands, reach into the bowl and firmly rub, scrunch, and knead the kale between your palms and fingers. Continue to do this for 2 minutes. You’ll notice that the kale will turn a vibrant green color and reduce significantly in volume.
- Make it vegan: Use diced avocado instead of feta cheese and maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey.
- Apple: I use Gala, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples. You can substitute with 2 ripe pears if you prefer.
- Broccoli: I use raw broccoli florets. You can use roasted broccoli if you prefer.
- Red onions: You can substitute with 2 to 3 thinly sliced scallions (green onions) if you prefer.
- Dried cranberries: You can subsistute with chopped pitted dates if you prefer.
- Roasted salted pepitas: You can substitute with roasted salted sunflower seeds or toasted sliced almonds if you prefer.
- Feta cheese: You can substitute with crumbled goat cheese or freshly grated parmesan if you prefer.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate based on 6 servings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 193g
- Calories: 317
- Sugar: 13.2g
- Sodium: 159mg
- Fat: 19.2g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30.9g
- Fiber: 4.4g
- Protein: 7.8g
- Cholesterol: 11mg
