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This Easy Kale Salad recipe is packed full of fresh, hearty kale, tangy, homemade lemon dressing, crunchy nuts and sweet, plump raisins. You can make it ahead and have it ready in less than 10 minutes! This is a quick and easy salad recipe you don’t want to miss!
This kale salad has become such a staple in our family. I make it for almost every family gathering (at the request of my family) as well as those times when we are in a dinner salad rut. It’s a close second to this crispy chickpea kale caesar salad that is also pretty popular.
Even people that claim they do not like kale, absolutely LOVE this salad recipe! It has that heartiness from the dark, leafy kale, crunchiness from the pistachios, sweetness from the raisins, and a beautiful pucker from the tangy, bold lemon dressing.
How to prepare kale for salad
One of the most important things to mention when it comes to prepping raw kale is that you must wash it first and then massage it. Kale can be gritty and full of little bits of dirt, especially curly kale, so it is important to rinse it first.
How to massage kale
Taking the time to massage your kale will help soften those rough leaves and make them easier to eat and digest.
- After you wash the kale place it into a salad bowl, add a drizzle of olive oil or lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
- Use your fingers to massage it for a few minutes. It will turn beautiful and dark green and delicious right before your eyes. It’s magic! This is a great step for the kids to help out with.
This will get it sweet and tender, and make it easier to work with and digest. Massaging your kale helps to break down the fibers, and it gets so dark and merely gorgeous in my opinion.
Easy Kale Salad Recipe Ingredients
How to make the best kale salad with lemon dressing
- Make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a bowl or mason jar and mix or shake well to emulsify.
- Wash and massage the kale. See my comments above on how to do this. It is very easy and so worth the effort.
- Chop the kale. Use a sharp kitchen or vegetable knife to chop the kale into thin strips. To do this just take a good bunch of the kale, roll it up like a cigar and run your knife through it. Then add it back to the salad bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Top the sliced kale with the rest of the salad ingredients: Golden raisins, pistachios or pumpkin seeds, parmesan and lemon zest.
- Dress and toss the salad. Pour the tangy lemon dressing onto the salad and toss well to season all of the ingredients in the incredible lemon dressing and serve.
Get full list of ingredients and recipe instructions in the recipe card below.
It is so unbelievably tasty. The tangy lemon dressing brings this salad to a whole new level.
This is literally the perfect make and prep easy kale salad ever! I love that you can use this as a super quick meal prep recipe and eat it any day of the week.
Easy Kale Salad Tips and Variations
- You want to make sure to wash the kale really well first since it can hold a lot of dirt and become gritty (nobody wants that). Then you want to either add the rinsed kale to a clean kitchen towel, close it up and shake it a little to remove excess moisture or use a salad spinner to do this. This will keep the greens nice and crisp
- Always massage kale for salads. This will allow the kale to break down and become softer, which makes it easier to eat and digest. See the section above on tips for how to massage kale.
- You can prep your kale ahead and have it ready to go for making salads all week long. Check out this post on how to store kale for more tips.
- Not a fan of lemon? Swap the lemon zest and juice with the zest and juice of an orange or switch up the dressing altogether and try this Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette instead.
- Make this kale salad recipe dairy free and just leave out the parmesan cheese or use vegan parmesan cheese.
- Mix up the nuts and use pecans, walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
Serving suggestions
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this healthy salad.
- Serve it with some protein such as Turkey Burgers, Healthy Turkey Meatloaf, Turkey Chili, or this Veggie Chicken Pizza Bake.
- Enjoy it alongside some Chicken Pad Thai, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, or Creamy Cauliflower Gnocchi.
- Pair it with a comforting soup such as Creamy Tomato Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Lentil Soup, or Creamy Asparagus Soup.
More Healthy and Delicious Salad Recipes to try:
If you are looking for more quick and healthy salad recipes, here are some of my favorites that I Make all the time!
- 10 Minute Italian Chopped Salad
- Kale Brussel Sprout Salad With Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette
- Autumn Chopped Kale Salad With Quinoa
- Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash Salad
- Simple Kale and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Easy Salmon Salad
Did you make this recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. You can also tag me on Instagram @pinchmegoodfood so I can see your creation.
Easy Kale Salad With Lemon Dressing
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Description
This is a simple, easy kale salad recipe that is tangy, crunchy, and full of incredible lemon flavor. Easy to make-ahead and ready in less than 10 minutes!
Ingredients
For the Kale Salad
- 2 Bunches dark leafy kale or curly kale (thinly sliced) – about 5-6 cups
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1/2 cup pistachios or pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
For the Lemon Dressing
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about the juice of 2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the sliced kale to a medium-size mixing bowl or salad bowl, drizzle on a little olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper and lightly massage it for 1 minute to help break it down a little.
- Add the 1/2 cup chopped pistachios, 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, and the zest of 1 lemon to the kale and lightly toss everything together.
- Make the dressing: Add the juice from the 2 lemons, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper to a mason jar with a lid and shake it well until it emulsifies. You can also add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until it emulsifies (get’s nice and creamy).
- Pour the dressing on the kale salad and toss well.
- Serve cold and ENJOY!
Notes
- If you are making this ahead, store the salad and the dressing separately in the fridge in airtight containers and when you are ready to eat it, add your dressing to the mixture and enjoy! It should last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can use any kind of kale for this recipe – I like to use dark lacinato kale or curly kale. Bagged, store-bought kale also works as a shortcut but I still recommend massaging it first.
- You want to make sure to wash the kale really well first since it can hold a lot dirt and become gritty (nobody wants that). Then you want to either add the rinsed kale to a clean kitchen towel, close it up and shake it a little to remove excess moisture or use a salad spinner to do this. This will keep the green nice and crisp
- Always massage kale for salads. This will allow the kale to break down and become softer, which makes it easier to eat and digest. See the section above on tips for how to massage kale.
- You can prep your kale ahead and have it ready to go for making salads all week long. Check out this post on how to store kale for more tips.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Healthy Salads
- Method: Assembly
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Update: This recipe was updated with more recipe variations and photos, including an option for those that are too keen on the lemon flavor.
Great salad! I also made it this last time by adding 2 tablespoons of tahini to the dressing and a little red pepper flakes. So yummy!
Awesome! Glad you liked it. Great idea to add your own spin on it. I will definitely try your version. It sounds delicious!
I would never trust any kale recipe which doesn’t have a step to “knead” the kale. It’s the only way to make the kale soft and edible.
Hi Sheldon! I totally agree! I always massage my kale and I note that in all of my other salad recipes except with Lacinto kale I have found that if you thinly slice it there is no need to massage it since it is thinner than curly kale. I will add a note in the recipe. Thank you for your comment!!
Hey Amy,
Just made your kale salad for the fifth or sixth time and it’s still as good as the first time I made it almost two years ago. Tossed in a few pecans instead of the pistachios. Thanks for the recipe, it’s part of our salad routine for life.
Sheldon Smith
Langhorne, PA
★★★★★
Hi Sheldon! Thank you so much!
If I cant find Lacinto kale would it change things too much using the regular kale?
Hi Patti, yes you can use regular kale. You will just want to thinly slice it and massage it with your fingers for a few minutes to break it down before adding the rest of the ingredients. I have made it that way before and it was just as good.
Thanks for the recipe, we loved it!
Hi Daniella, that is so great! So glad you liked it!
If making it ahead for lunches, will it keep for a week as long as you dont combine the dressing with the kale?
Hi Misty! Yes, I as long as you keep the dressing separate from the salad it should last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I make it a lot and store it for the week and it works out great!
Amy’s father-in-law hates kale but he loves this salad. A win in this house!!
Really yummy salad. I too massaged it pretty well and it was tender. I also made it vegan with vegan parm. Thanks so much I will definitely make it again.
Hi Paulette! That sounds so good! Glad you liked it.
I made this tonight and it was so good! I used Craisins instead of the raisins because that’s what I had on hand. Will be making this again. Thanks!!
Awesome! So glad you like it!
Delicious! Made this yesterday and devoured an entire bowl. Offered it to my 7 year old son when he got home from school and he devoured his too! He literally yelled out, “this is the best salad everrrrr!” Lol! Thank you for an awesome recipe! I know all my vegan/veggie friends and family will love this too! Having another bowl with dinner tonight.
Yay! I am so glad you and your son liked it. My kids love it too!
Hi I was wondering how many weight watchers points this would be . Thanks
Hi Maxine, I am not an expert on weight watchers but my mom is. It looks like this would be around 6 to 7 ww points per serving. If you leave out the maple syrup it would be about 5 points per serving. This is based on the current calculator and not the older ww calculators. Hope that helps!!!!
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My Dr told me that eating more kale would be a good idea for me to do. This is the first recipe I tried and glad I did. The only change is that I substituted the raisins for pine nuts. What a great recipe, thank you for sharing.
★★★★
This salad is amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing this!! It is so delicious and easy to make!! My husband loves it too!! Definitely it will be a added to our weekly menu! Can’t wait to try your other recipes!! Keep sharing please!! Thanks!!
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Thank you so much! Glad you liked it!!!
We made this tonight and absolutely loved it! Next time I want to try it with powdered Parmesan in lieu of the shredded. Great staple recipe!
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I don’t know how much two bunches of kale is.ounces or cups would have been helpful
Hi Connie, it’s about 6 cups of kale chopped.
I really enjoyed this salad! It’s rare that I have all the ingredients for a recipe so I figured it was meant for me to try it. I made it vegan by using a vegan shredded cheese. Also, the comment about kneading the kale first was actually really helpful for the type of kale I had. Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Shelly, I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Delightful! Even my husband raised about it! I substituted walnuts. Any chance you can add the oz. and/or cups of kale? It is growing profusely in my yard…but I still think I didn’t use enough.
★★★★★
Hi Laura, so happy you and your husband liked it! It’s about 4-6 cups of chopped kale, about 1 bunch. So jealous you have it growing in your yard!
I can’t believe I saw no comments about using chopped kale that you can buy in bags at Trader Joes & Sprouts. Does bagged kale need to be massaged? Thanks. Can’t wait to try this after reading the great reviews!
Hi Karen, you can of course use bagged kale. I would chop it and massage it as suggested in the post since that will help break it down more which helps with digestion and improves the texture of this salad. I hope you liked it! By the way! I love Trader Joe’s and Sprouts!
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★★★★★
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about the juice of 2 lemons)
I don’t understand how this is true unless your lemons are not ripe? The juice of two whole lemons? Maybe it’s two lemon wedges?
Hi Andrea, Thank you for your comment. It really depends on the size of the lemons, how ripe they are and if they are cold or at room temperature. All of these factors play into how much juice you can get out of one lemon. This is why I include the exact amount of lemon juice (2 tablespoons) and stated “about the juice of 2 lemons”.
I added shrimp and used cashews since thats what I had.instead of oil in the dressing I used a bit of tahini. Only made half the recipe since it’s just me and my husband but I wish I had made the full amount. I could have easily eaten the whole thing. It was THAT GOOD! Loved it and can’t wait to make it again.
★★★★★
Hi Laurel, I am so glad you liked it. It is literally my favorite salad.
This one is sooo good. I don’t come back often to rate recipes, but had to on this one. It’s going to stay in my rotation!
★★★★★
Thank you Natalie! I am happy you liked it and thank you so much for the review!
I need to eat more kale. This looks a salad I should had to my list of things to try.
Hi Ella, It is so good!