This kale salad with apple is made with a few simple ingredients in about 10 minutes. There’s hearty kale, crisp apple, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, shaved parmesan and onion all tossed in a buckwheat honey vinaigrette. So good!
You may remember me telling you about all the kale growing in my parent’s garden.
Hubby and I have yet to grow kale, but maybe next year.
Why would I when I can nab some of my parent’s, lol??
Because they were overflowing with the stuff and super insistent that I take some (don’t have to tell me twice), I’ve been using kale in all the ways.
Today I’m bringing you this simple raw kale salad with apple (the apple comes from hubby and my garden or, er, tree).
Tips for Making this Kale Salad with Apple
- Cut the kale into bite-sized pieces or ribbons. Nobody want a huge piece of kale.
- Then, massage the vinaigrette into the chopped kale and allow it to sit in the fridge, covered, for a bit to allow it to break down slightly when mixed with the vinaigrette.
- If you want to make this kale salad vegan, simply replace the honey with maple syrup and omit the cheese.
- Granola as a garnish is highly recommended (I have to thank hubby for this idea).
- I used buckwheat honey for this honey lemon vinaigrette because it has such a rich ‘molasses-like’ flavour, but feel free to use whatever honey you have on hand, or even maple syrup.
- If you are making this salad ahead of time, toss the apples with a little lemon juice to minimize oxidation.
- Use whatever apple variety you like or have on hand.
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Other Easy Salad Recipes you May Enjoy
Hope you love this kale salad with apple as much as we do!
If you make this raw kale salad with apple, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed! Thank you!
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Kale Salad with Apple
Ingredients
- 6 cups kale , leaves removed from stems and cut into bite-sized pieces
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup red onion , peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1 apple , sliced (variety of your choice)
Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons buckwheat honey (or your favourite variety)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients for vinaigrette in a small mason jar, cover, and shake to combine.
- Place kale in a bowl and drizzle vinaigrette over top. Using your hands, rub in the vinaigrette (massage the kale leaves for a minute or so).
- Toss kale with remainder of salad ingredients. Best covered and placed in the fridge for a couple hours (though, you can enjoy it right away).
Notes
- Cut the kale into bite-sized pieces or ribbons. Nobody want a huge piece of kale.
- Massage the vinaigrette into the chopped kale and allow it to sit in the fridge, covered, for a bit to allow it to break down slightly when mixed with the vinaigrette.
- If you want to make this kale salad vegan, simply replace the honey with maple syrup and omit the cheese.
- Granola as a garnish is highly recommended (I have to thank hubby for this idea).
- I used buckwheat honey for this honey lemon vinaigrette because it has such a rich ‘molasses-like’ flavour, but feel free to use whatever honey you have on hand, or even maple syrup.
- If you are making this salad ahead of time, toss the apples with a little lemon juice to minimize oxidation.
- Use whatever apple variety you like or have on hand.
Nutrition (estimate only)
Love that you kept this simple Dawn! And with fresh, local ingredients, no need to make it complicated! Apple and kale are a great pair, and that dressing sounds delicious! And I like your hubby’s idea for granola as a topping! Brilliant! Hope you had a great weekend!
Thanks Leanne 🙂 Sometimes simple is best! Hope you had a great weekend too!
This is beautiful. Love everything about it!
Thanks Mimi 🙂 Happy to hear that!
Thanks so much Mimi 🙂 Happy to hear that!
How lovely to grow your own apples! And it’s so beautiful! This salad is just bursting with flavor – so delicious! I love salads like this with that perfect combination of textures and flavors 🙂
Thanks Kelly! It really is pretty awesome grabbing an apple from our very own tree 🙂
Thank you Kelly! So fun picking apples from our own tree 🙂
I love adding fruit to salads. They add a whole different level of texture and taste. This salad looks absolutely delicious – and healthy! That’s a win, win!!!! 🙂
Totally! Thanks so much, Kathy!
It’s the best when parents offload their garden produce, haha! My in-laws gave us a bunch of kale this summer from their garden that I would have loved to use in this salad! I love the granola idea – I never would have thought of that. Cheers, chicka!
Right?! Yes, the granola is so good in here. Thanks Katherine 🙂
I am not the world’s biggest raw kale fan, much prefer it cooked…but….looking at this salad..You may have changed my mind. Like the massage tip:) And the vinaigrette rocks! I am a fan of buckwheat honey. Great job on growing those apples!
I sure hope so 😉 Thanks Milena!
Apples make an excellent addition to fall salads, and I often use them either fresh or slightly caramelized in honey/maple syrup. This combo of kale, cranberry, pumpkin seeds, apples, and granola (great idea indeed!) is just perfect. I would have probably added just a bit of crispy bacon too. Very well done!
Mmmmm…bacon added sounds lovely too! Thanks so much Ben 🙂
A crisp and crunchy salad with flavors of fall that will be a must try. From prep to table in just minutes, even better!
Thanks Kevin! Gotta love easy and tasty recipes 😉
Those are beautiful apples! This seems to be the year I learn about different varieties of honey, they seem to be everywhere, and that’s a good thing :). The granola is a cool idea, kudos to him.
Thanks Bill! Yes, the granola really adds something special 🙂
I love all the crisp fall ingredients in this salad Dawn! And the dressing if nice and light, just the way I like it. I’ll be adding this one to my fall salad lineup!
Thanks Mary Ann! Enjoy 🙂
This looks WONDERFUL! I love kale salads because, even if I load them with ALL the toppings, I feel like I’m being healthy. This vinaigrette sounds soooo good–I’ve never tried buckwheat honey but the molasses flavor intrigues me so I’m going to have to find some. And then make this salad :). Love it! Have a great weekend, Dawn!
Such a perfect Fall salad and even better with home grown goodness 🙂 Love the vinaigrette, too!
I’m so impressed with the apples you grew, Dawn! Seriously. We have 2 apple trees, and they’re getting big enough (finally) to produce a handful of apples. But the apples just look janky and misshapen…nothing like your perfect apple in that photo! I probably need to go read about how to take care of the trees in the summer growing season so that our apples look better in the Fall. In the meantime, though, this salad. You’ve been killing it with some fun Fall recipes lately! I need to put this one on the menu….and kudos to your husband for the granola idea, too!
The first word that comes to mind as I look at this salad is crisp! And that’s really what I want from my fall salad – all the flavor with that wonderful crispy crunch of the apple and seeds. Your dressing’s a winner too! Thanks for sharing, Dawn! Have a great weekend, my friend! XOXO