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This winter kale pomegranate salad has fresh kale, tart pomegranate seeds, orange segments, walnuts, goat cheese, and a quick pomegranate vinaigrette. It is easy to throw together in under 10 minutes and can also be made ahead. Enjoy it as a healthy colorful side dish that everyone will love!
I love this NEW kale pomegranate salad that is crunchy, bursting with tart juicy pomegranate seeds, and covered in a blanket of pomegranate dressing that just makes it truly incredible! It is one of the best healthy salads I have made yet!
It is no secret that I love kale salads since I have shared this viral kale lemon salad, kale quinoa salad, and kale Caesar salad. But this kale salad with pomegranates is now one of my top favorites.
The base of the salad is thinly chopped massaged and seasoned kale that is mixed with juicy pomegranate seeds, citrusy orange segments, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy walnuts. We whipped up an amazing quick pomegranate vinaigrette to finish it off and it is just DELICIOUS!
Salads can be boring but this pomegranate kale salad recipe is far from boring! It is Crunchy, colorful, and bursting with so much flavor. It’s a must-try salad!
Why You’ll Love This Kale Salad With Pomegranates
- Great for meal prep – kale salads store great for a few days since the kale can hold the dressing and not get soggy, so it stores really well.
- Quick and easy – this kale salad is quick to whip up in under 10 minutes!
- Healthy – thanks to the kale, orange, and pomegranate seeds, it is loaded with fiber and nutrients.
- Delicious – it is bursting with so many amazing tart, sweet, and savoring flavors that are so good together.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Kale Salad With Pomegranates
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Recommended Kitchen Tools
- How To Make This Kale Pomegranate Salad
- Expert Tips For The Best Results
- Kale Pomegranate Salad Recipe Variations
- What To Serve With Kale Salad
- Storage
- FAQs
- More Healthy Kale Salads To Try!
- Winter Kale Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here is a list of what you’ll need to make this amazing winter kale and pomegranate salad.
- Kale – dark Lacinato kale is best in this salad but you can also use curly kale or spinach.
- Pomegranate seeds – you can extract the pomegranate seeds from a fresh pomegranate or buy packaged pomegranate seeds in the produce section at most grocery stores.
- Oranges – we used mandarin orange segments but any type of orange works. Or leave it out if you prefer. Apple slices would also work great!
- Walnuts – we used sweetened walnuts that were sweetened with honey but any type of nut will work. I love the added crunch and sweetness from candied nuts – just make sure they do not contain too much sugar.
- Goat cheese – gives this salad a nice creamy flavor. Any type of goat cheese or feta cheese will work or leave it out to make this recipe fully dairy-free.
- Pomegranate vinaigrette – pomegranate juice, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt. You can also use a balsamic vinaigrette or any dressing of your choice. I think a vinaigrette-type dressing is best in this salad.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
- Salad bowl
- Tongs
- Cutting board + knife
- Mixing bowls
How To Make This Kale Pomegranate Salad
This kale pomegranate salad comes together in minutes and makes the best winter kale salad that goes with pretty much any main dish recipes. Here is a summary of the step-by-step process for making this salad. Get more detailed recipe instructions, ingredients and nutrition in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Add the chopped kale to a large salad bowl, drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt, and massage it with clean hands for 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the rest of the salad ingredients (pomegranate seeds, orange segments, walnuts, and goat cheese).
Step 3: Mix up the pomegranate vinaigrette dressing.
Step 4: Pour the dressing over the salad, toss and serve.
Pro Tip: Let the kale marinate for 5-10 minutes after you season and massage it for the best tender, flavorful kale!
Expert Tips For The Best Results
- Do not skip prepping the kale. This is such an important step in making any kale salad because it softens the kale, removes any bitterness, and makes it so delicious. You can also prep and store the kale in advance to shorten the assembly time.
- Chop the kale into ribbons. Chopping the kale into thinner ribbons (which you can easily do by rolling a few kale leaves and then just running a sharp knife through it to create ribbons). This makes it easier to mix and eat. Plus, it is really pretty, making it even more appetizing.
- Toss the kale salad with the dressing well. You want to evenly pour the dressing to cover the entire salad then toss it to coat everything in the dressing for the best results.
- Finish the salad by topping it. Once you’ve tossed the salad, finish it off with more orange segments, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and goat cheese on the top so everyone can easily see what is in the salad.
Kale Pomegranate Salad Recipe Variations
- Add protein – add some chopped cooked chicken, cooked salmon, or even chickpeas to the salad for some extra protein to make it a complete meal.
- Add some grains – We love to add some cooked quinoa or rice to our salads to bulk them up.
- Make it dairy-free – to make this kale salad dairy-free, use dairy-free crumbled cheese or leave the cheese out completely.
- Add avocado – this salad is great as is but for even more flavor and creaminess, some chopped avocado would be delicious!
What To Serve With Kale Salad
This pomegranate kale salad makes the best side dish or main meal with some additions as noted above. Here are some other dishes to serve with it.
- Salmon – try it with this simple air fryer salmon , salmon patties, or salmon bites.
- Chicken – try it with this air fryer chicken breast, chicken thighs, or breaded chicken breast.
- Chickpeas – This salad would be so delicious with this oven-roasted chickpeas like we did with this kale Caesar salad.
Storage
This salad keeps well for 1-2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. To keep it longer for 3-4 days, store it undressed, then dress and toss it when ready to serve!
FAQs
Any type of kale works great in salads. I love dark Lacinato or Dinosaur kale since it has a milder taste and is more tender. Curly kale and red kale are also great!
Yes, you want to remove the stems since they are harder and have a woodsy flavor.
Yes, this salad is fully gluten-free!
The best way to store kale is to wash and dry it really well, wrap it up in a damp paper towel, and store it in a ziplock bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge for up to 5 days.
More Healthy Kale Salads To Try!
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Did you try this kale pomegranate salad recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
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Winter Kale Pomegranate Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This winter kale salad has fresh kale, juicy pomegranate seeds, creamy goat cheese, crunchy walnuts, and a quick pomegranate vinaigrette. It is so easy to throw together for a delicious side dish everyone will love!
Ingredients
For the kale salad
- 2 bunches of kale – 6-8 cups chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 4 ounces of crumbled goat cheese
- 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1 cup orange segements
- ½ cup walnuts
For the pomegranate vinaigrette
- ¼ cup pomegranate juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt – to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the kale – remove the kale leaves from the stems by running your hand down each stem of kale, and discard the stems. Rinse and dry the kale well ( I like to use a salad spinner). Then roll the kale leaves up and run a sharp knife through the kale leaves to cut them into beautiful kale ribbons. Add the prepared kale to a large bowl. Then drizzle it with the olive oil and add the salt. Massage it using your hands or salad tongs for 1-2 minutes, then let it sit for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Assemble the salad – add the rest of the salad ingredients (pomegranate seeds, oranges,goat cheese, walnuts) to the bowl with the kale.
- Mix up the dressing – add all of the dressing ingredients to a mason jar fitted with a lid and shake it well to fully emulsify.
- Dress, toss, and serve – pour the dressing evenly over the kale salad, toss everything together then top the salad with more pomegranate seeds, orange segments, cheese, and walnuts.
Notes
- Do not skip massaging the kale – it removes the bitterness and makes the kale more tender, flavorful and easier to eat.
- You can prep the kale and dressing a few days in advance. Store the dressing in a mason jar with a tight lid in the fridge. Roll the prepped kale in a damp paper towel in a ziplock bag and keep it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Add protein like cooked chicken or salmon to the salad to make it a complete meal.
- Store leftovers in a container in the fridge for 1-2 days or store the salad undressed in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Quick and Easy Salads
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: American
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