Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Kale salad with apples and raisins is tangy, tart, sweet, and full of flavorful nutrition. This kale salad is sturdy enough to store in the refrigerator for a few days, making it an ideal choice for lunches.
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, measuring cup
Servings: 6
Kale salad with apples and raisins is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, crispy, and chewy. It’s a great fall salad when apples are at their peak. Kale is a cold weather crop so you’ll see beautiful bunches of kale in the fall, too.
Try this kale salad today (especially if you’re craving chocolate chip cookies). You’ll be happy you did. It’s filling and satisfying! Pair it with grilled chicken breast for a healthy meal.
Kale Salad With Apples
An easy salad to make. Wash and dry the kale; chop it into bite sized strips. Cut up an apple (no need to peel it). Red cabbage is easy to cut (use the remaining cabbage to make German red cabbage, if you want). The dressing is easy to stir up, too.
Sturdy and keeps well. One of the reasons I love this salad is you can make it ahead. It’s actually a bit better if the kale has a chance to soften and absorb the dressing. If you’re having guests, you can make the salad an hour or two ahead and refrigerate it, which makes it very convenient. You can keep the salad a few days for easy lunches.
Nutritious. Kale is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat (Healthline). Apples and raisins are good for you, containing fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. The dressing is made with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise so it’s lowfat and adds nutrition as well.
What Is Lacinato Kale?
There are several different varieties of kale but they can be divided into two basic groups: curly and flat leaf. Flat leaf kale has long textured bluish green leaves. It has several names: lacinato kale, Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, Italian kale, and more. Flat leaf kale is easier to chop and usually is more tender than curly kale.Easy Recipe Variations
- Add nuts. This kale salad is really fabulous topped with toasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds. These spicy candied bourbon pecans are perfect for a special meal. Try my savory granola topping for a unique nut-free alternative.
- Add cheese. Crumbled gorgonzola, goat cheese, feta or blue cheese are wonderful on this salad. Tiny cubes of smoked gouda, aged provolone, or another sharp cheese are great, too.
- Use different fruit. We love the combination of crisp tart apples with golden raisins which lend a surprising amount of sweetness. However, lots of other fruit combinations will work too.
This kale salad with apples keeps well in the refrigerator for up to three days. Store it in an airtight container and stir well before serving.
More Salad Recipes
Kale Salad with Apples and Golden Raisins
Ingredients
For salad:
- 6 cups chopped lacinato kale (1 bunch, cut into thin strips)
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage (or green cabbage, if you prefer)
- 1 large apple, chopped (Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Gala)
- ¾ cup golden raisins (regular raisins are fine, too)
For dressing:
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix kale, red cabbage, chopped apple, raisins.6 cups chopped lacinato kale, 2 cups shredded red cabbage, 1 large apple, chopped , ¾ cup golden raisins
- Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup until combined. Taste and add more honey if desired to make it sweeter, or more lime juice if you like it more tangy.¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice, ½ teaspoon celery seed, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour dressing over salad and mix well to combine, until the kale is well-coated with the dressing.
- The salad is best if you make it one or two hours ahead and refrigerate it, but it can be served immediately, too.
Notes
- Kale: Lacinato kale is a flat leaf kale with long textured bluish green leaves. Other names are Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, Italian kale, and more. Flat leaf kale is usually more tender than curly kale.
- Yogurt: You can use any type of plain yogurt that you prefer. The nutrition information is calculated using nonfat Greek yogurt. If you’re not a fan of yogurt, mayonnaise can be substituted.
- Variations/add-ins: If desired, add toasted nuts to the salad, or try my savory granola topping for a nut-free alternative. Crumbled gorgonzola, goat cheese, feta or blue cheese are wonderful on this salad. Tiny cubes of smoked gouda, aged provolone, or another sharp cheese are great, too. You can also substitute different fruit and dried fruit. This salad is quite versatile.
- Storage: Kale salad will keep for at least 3 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I want to try all of the recipes on this page! Since I’m recently retired, I think I will!
I will leave a rating later.Thank you so much!
LindaB
Yay! Thanks Linda! I’m excited for you to try my recipes.
Looking forward to trying this
I hope you love it!
How can you make the dressing if you are diabetic and you want less sugar. what about applesauce in place of the honey any suggestions
Applesauce could work but it may lead to a grainy texture. The dressing may be fine without any sweetener at all if you like things on the tangy side. Otherwise I’d maybe try any sugar substitute that you’d normally use.
This salad looks like absolute perfection! I’m loving all the flavors and textures..apple + kale is one of my go-tos! Definitely the perfect post-cookie dish. Sorry to hear about the grumpy kidlet…probably just a phase that everyone will get through.
This is exactly what I should be eating for lunch every day, though NO judgement on the cookie/cookie dough combo. If E won’t chat, you know who you can call ;-)