I’m in love. The dressing alone on this Apple Dijon Kale Salad was enough to make me swoon. It’s just a very simple Dijon vinaigrette, but it’s so good that I kept dipping my spoon in for taste after taste. And because kale is so sturdy, it stands up well to being pre-dressed with the vinaigrette, making this salad great for weekly meal prep. In fact, I’m sure that as the juice from the apples begins to mingle with the dressing, it will only make it even better.
I love that this salad combines so many flavors and textures in one bowl. You have the slightly bitter flavor of the curly kale, the sweet and crispy apples, crunchy walnuts, and super sweet raisins. Then, all of that is topped off with a tangy dijon vinaigrette. It just all works.
How to Serve Apple Kale Dijon Salad
Eat this Apple Dijon Kale Salad with a cool glass of crisp white wine, some awesome crusty bread, and maybe some cheddar cheese. That’s what I call the perfect summer dinner.
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Apple Dijon Kale Salad
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil ($0.69)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar ($0.24)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.14)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 10-15 cranks freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1/2 lb chopped kale (about one bunch) ($2.32)
- 1 medium granny smith apple ($0.79)
- 1/4 cup raisins ($0.27)
- 1/2 cup walnut halves ($0.80)
Instructions
- Rinse the kale well in a colander under cool running water. Allow the kale to drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.
- In a blender combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until the garlic is minced and the dressing is smooth.
- Wash the apple and slice it into thin wedges, or dice it into cubes. Roughly chop the walnut halves. Make sure the kale is as dry as possible and then add it to a large bowl along with the apples, walnuts, and raisins. Starting with just half, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Add more dressing as desired (I used the whole batch).
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Nutrition
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How to Make Apple Dijon Kale Salad – Step By Step Photos
Pre-chopped bagged kale is pretty easy to find these days and fairly inexpensive (since it doesn’t wilt quickly), so I usually pay for this convenience. I used roughly 1/2 pound, or about what you’d get from one large bunch of kale.
I like to chop the kale into even smaller pieces for use in fresh salads because it makes the kale easier to chew and eat (if cooking the kale I generally leave it in larger pieces). Place the chopped kale in a colander and rinse well under cool running water. Let the kale drain as you prepare the dressing.
Now it’s time to make the AH-MAZING dressing. Just add 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1.5 Tbsp Dijon mustard, one clove of peeled garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to a blender.
Then blend the dressing until smooth. Taste the dressing and adjust the salt or pepper if you’d like. If you find the dressing too tangy for your liking, you can add a small amount of honey or sugar to help tone it down, but I suggest leaving it really tangy because it creates a nice juxtaposition of flavors in the salad. I love this little $15 Hamilton Beach blender, BTW! (affiliate link)
Now chop the toppings. I sliced the apple into thin wedges, but you could also dice it. Roughly chop 1/2 cup walnuts because smaller pieces mean more in every bite… but pieces that are *too* small means not enough texture. Find the happy medium. The raisins are already the perfect size.
Before you build the salad, make sure that kale is as dry as possible. Shake the water off and if you’re feeling like an over achiever, get in there with a paper towel to absorb some more. Put the kale in a large bowl, add the apples, walnuts, and raisins. Pour the dressing on, starting with just half, then toss to coat. Add more dressing if desired. I desired ALL OF IT. ;D
And now you’re ready to eat this epic Apple Dijon Kale Salad. Seriously, add a glass of some dry riesling or something else crisp. You won’t be sorry. Oohh, this would be great with some grilled meat. I LOVE SUMMER.
I am obsessed with your blog. I’ve already made a couple recipes this past week and have printed a dozen more to make soon. Amazing!! How has no one offered you a cookbook deal yet?
delicious salad! great with goat cheese, too!
I don’t know the calorie and fat counts, but the Weight Watchers point value is 10 pts per serving, which is reasonable if it’s a main dish but a lot for a side salad (for reference, I have 26 daily points plus 49 flex points for the week). Basically all the points are coming from the olive oil and walnuts (though if you’re less worried about calories and fat and more worried about the general healthiness of it, those are both good/heart-healthy sources of fat). So if you want to keep down the calories, I’d suggest not pre-dressing the salad and having the dressing on the side and seeing how little you can have and still get the full flavor. A lot of times you don’t need that much. And it looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Made it tonight–LOVE IT! Thank you for giving me something new to add to our summer rotation!
wow this looks sooo good, I’ve been on a blue cheese obsession, will definitely make this and add some blue cheese, thanks for sharing!
I’ve read recently about kale salads where you “massage” the kale and it’s a lot more edible and not so tough. Have you tried that with any of your kale dishes? Btw, thanks for so many of your recipes. My whole family watches your site for the latest and we use quite a few ideas – the chicken rice bowl is our current fave!
Just found your site and really excited to try some of these and future recipes as I follow your blog! Thanks!
The cider vinegar should help the apples keep from browning, just as lemon juice does.
I’ll update you on how long it stays good in the fridge… I made it just before posting it yesterday :D
The dressing is not low fat or reduced fat, unfortunately. It’s a traditional vinaigrette which are usually about 1/3 – 1/2 oil by volume.
Little Braveries – Thanks for catching my mistake! I always forget to change the value listed at the bottom of the table :P
I made the dressing tonight.. it is very acidic, very mustard-y, very flavorful and very satisfying.
This may be a silly question, but I am trying to diet and watch what I eat. I’m wondering how the dressing in the recipe is? Too much fat like in many other dressings or very low in fat and calories?
Oh, jeez I swear can read. It does sound delicious though!
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You can toss the apples in lemon juice before adding to the salad to prevent browning.
Question: does the apple cider vinegar prevent the cut apples from browning? It looks like an amazing salad, but I’m a little leery of day old cut apples.
Awesome,going to try this soon. Just weary of eating kale raw because it is “sturdy” but will definitely give it a try. Will pass along the recipe to my diabetic father who I’m encouraging to eat more veggies and salads. Wondering how long this will keep in the fridge with the dressing on it. Thank you!