Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Whether you serve it for a holiday party or a weekday lunch, this kale pomegranate salad is a stunner. It’s also delicious, with tart pomegranate, bright citrus, crunchy pecans, and briny feta.
How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl
Servings: 6
Winter’s Prettiest Salad
If you think kale salads are boring, this one will change your mind. It’s bright, juicy, and full of texture – everything a winter salad should be.
I love serving this for holiday gatherings because it looks so festive (in fact, some folks call it a Christmas salad!), but it’s just as good for a random Tuesday lunch when you want to feel like you have your life together.
What makes it special:
- The perfect salad for fall and winter. Not only does it feature winter fruit (hat tip to those ruby red pomegranate arils and oranges), but kale just feels like the best salad green for cold weather since it’s a little bit heartier and more satisfying.
- An all-day, any-day kind of salad. Have it for lunch or dinner. Brunch? It’ll work well with a slice of roasted broccoli quiche too! Scale it up for a holiday celebration or scale it down for a weeknight.
- Perfect texture combo: Juicy, crunchy, creamy, and crisp – all in one bite.
“Best salad!!! Hands down this is my secret weapon that I bring to any occasion and it’s always gone.”
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below.
- Curly kale: You could use another type of kale, but I think curly kale looks especially festive in this recipe and it’s often more readily available than other kale varieties. Lacinato kale also works well.
- Oranges: You’ll need the orange segments for the salad and the juice to make the dressing.
- Red onion: Slice this very thinly; this will give you the pungent flavor without quite as much bite.
- Pomegranate arils: My guide on how to cut a pomegranate makes it easy! For a shortcut (which I often take), buy the arils in the refrigerated section of the produce area.
- Feta cheese: The crumbled cheese will break down slightly in the dressing, adding a bit of creaminess to your salad.
- Salted roasted pecans: Sunflower seeds or pepitas are good nut-free options.
- Dressing: The tangy vinaigrette dressing is made with orange juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon, and honey, along with salt and pepper.
How to Make Kale Pomegranate Salad
Prep the kale. Strip the kale leaves from the stem. Rinse the kale in a sink or bowl of cold water, and dry it well (I use my salad spinner). Tear or cut the kale into bite-sized pieces.
Prep the oranges. Slice off the orange peeling and outer membrane. Cut the oranges into segments using a small very sharp knife. Do this over a large bowl (big enough to hold the kale) so it catches the juice for the dressing. Put the segments into another small bowl. Squeeze any remaining juice from the membranes into the large bowl.
Make the dressing. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients to the salad bowl and whisk until it’s emulsified.
Massage the kale. Add the kale to the dressing. Use your hands to rub the kale with the dressing until the fibrous leaves start to break down. The kale should feel smooth and silky.
Assemble. Stir the onion into the kale, then divide this mixture onto plates. Top each salad with pomegranate arils, feta cheese, and pecans. Serve immediately.
Recipe Variations
- Try a different cheese. Not a fan of feta? Blue cheese, goat cheese, or Parmesan shavings would work too.
- Roast the kale. For a different take on this recipe, you can roast the kale, not long enough to make kale chips, but long enough to tenderize the leaves and crisp up the edges. Spread the leaves on a sheet pan, spray with an oil mister, and bake at 350ºF for 5 to 10 minutes. After this, drizzle with the dressing and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Serving Suggestions
- Holiday favorites. Serve kale pomegranate salad with crockpot ham with maple dijon sauce, oven roasted sweet potatoes, and apple stuffing. The kale salad goes well with herb roasted turkey breast or a roasted chicken, too.
- Cozy soups. Crockpot pumpkin soup would pair beautifully with this kale pomegranate salad, as would lentil soup.
- Main dishes. My honey garlic pork chops would be fantastic, or make my perfect air fryer chicken breasts for an easy weeknight dinner. If you happen to have a lot of oranges, serve the kale salad with orange chicken or orange glazed salmon.
Make ahead: Store the dressed kale with the onions in one bowl and the rest of the prepped ingredients in another. When you’re ready to serve the salad, simply add the toppings. The dressed kale and onions will last for a few hours in the fridge.
Leftovers: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. As with most salads, this kale pomegranate salad won’t be as good leftover once it’s all mixed together, but it’s still delicious!
More Winter Salad Recipes
Kale Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
For Salad
- 1 bunch curly kale
- 2 large oranges
- ¼ cup very thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup salted roasted pecans
For Dressing
- ¼ cup reserved juice from the oranges
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Strip the kale from the tough stems. Wash the kale well and spin dry, removing as much water as possible. Tear or cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces. You should have about 8 cups of loosely packed kale.1 bunch curly kale
- Cut the peels away from both oranges. Using a sharp knife, cut the segments out of the oranges over a large serving bowl to catch the juice. Place the segments into a small bowl as you cut them out. Once you have the segments cut out, squeeze the remaining juice out of the membranes into the large bowl to use for the dressing. You should have about ¼ cup of juice.2 large oranges
- To the bowl containing the orange juice, add olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk dressing ingredients until well combined.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, ¼ cup reserved juice from the oranges
- Put the torn kale into the bowl with the dressing. Using your hands, massage the kale with the dressing for 1 to 2 minutes to soften the kale (see note 1).
- Once the kale is softened, stir in the red onion. Divide the kale onto 6 serving plates or shallow bowls.¼ cup very thinly sliced red onion
- Arrange the orange segments, pomegranate arils, feta cheese, and pecans on top of the dressed kale (see note 2). Serve immediately.½ cup pomegranate arils, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, ½ cup salted roasted pecans
Notes
- Massaging the kale: If you’ve never tried massaging kale for a salad, I highly recommend it. Massaged kale can make converts out of professed kale-haters. However, if you want more of a crisp texture and slight bitterness in the kale leaves, you could skip that step.
- Make ahead: If you don’t plan on serving the salad right away, store the dressed kale with the onions separately in a covered bowl. It will keep for a few hours. Add the remaining ingredients immediately before serving.
- Variations: Instead of pecans, try toasted walnuts or slivered almonds. Toasted sunflower seeds or pepitas are good nut-free choices. If you’re not a fan of feta cheese, try goat cheese, shaved Parmesan, blue cheese, or gorgonzola.
Video
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!
Best salad!!!Hands down this my secret weapon that I bring to any occasion and it’s always gone.
Delicious kale marinates in the citrus and makes it soft not bitter. The toasted pine nuts add a perfect crunch along with the pomegranate. I drain and use canned mandarin oranges in a pinch.
So glad you like it! Thank you for leaving a review!
Such a good idea ! Me and my fiance were talking the other day about how good a recipe would be but this would be much easier to make !!
Great looking salad! I love the use of kale in contrast to the orange dressing.
yummy!
Beautiful! Looks so festive and perfect for a Christmas side dish!