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 made this for dinner last night along with the herb roasted pork loin. It was sooo good. This was the first time I had kale in a salad and I loved how crunchy it was. I just finished off a second serving for lunch and it stored really well overnight. I’ll definitely be making this salad often!
Oh oh so yummy!!!!! Even notoriously picky son did not verbally complain about it. :-)
LOVE this salad, it is so addicting! I use dried canberries and grainy-dijon mustard. A bit pricier but worth it :)
Delicious! Made this last night with grapes instead of raisins (I’m not a huge fan of raisins) and I will definitely be keeping this on my list of go-to recipes. I’m not a huge fan of kale but my boyfriend loves it, so I was happy to find that the dressing really helps mask the bitterness of the kale.
This salad rocks! I made it last night and it was tasty for dinner, but what was really great was today I took it for lunch and I added about a half a cup of cooked (cold) quinoa. It was even better with the quinoa once the salad had time to absorb all the flavors. I also added a few tablespoons of flax seed oil.
This is one of my favorites!! We have added all kinds of stuff to it and it still rocks. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
im going to do this tonight!!!
Wow. Tasty salad, full of flavor and excellent for you! I made the dressing and salad to a T except I’m not a fan of raisins, so I roughly chopped some pitted dates I had on hand. The flavor was out of this world!
Thank you for your wonderful recipes- with my husband job searching right now, we are closely watching out budget (especially food since that’s where I go crazy! ;) ). Your site is perfect for us.
Also, keep the vegetarian dishes coming! I don’t eat meat and was thrilled to find so many healthy meatless meals! :)
I doubled up on the apples and tore up a Babybel edam wheel for each salad. Turned out nicely. I still think I’d use a bit less dressing next time, personally. I did use a combination of white balsamic and red wine vinegar instead of the apple cider vinegar though, which may have given it a bit more bite.
Still, love it. great recipe.
I had tried kale only a few times before, and was not a huge fan – so I was entirely skeptical on trying it raw. But you were so right – with this intense dressing, there is no dreaded ‘kale’ taste! I have an allergy to garlic so I made the switch for some shallots instead, which worked out well in this case. I also dislike washing my blender (too many parts!) so I used a microplaner, which actually made a nice frothy shallot puree, and whisked the dressing until it emulsified. Paired with some avocado-quinoa and a bit of protein, this salad was a great post-workout meal!
My first time using kale in a salad, loved the kale! Great and filling. However, as sad as I am to say it, the dressing was too much vinegar for me. And if you know me, you know that I have a slight, almost obsession with vinegar anything. Next time I’ll use 1/2 as much vinegar and add more as needed. But, all around it was a great salad. Oh, and we added chicken, great!
This salad looks delicious! I will definitely have to make this. Have you heard of turnip chips they are a great alternative to potato chips and pretty tasty. Eating smaller potions is definitely key to losing weight and getting healthy. It is important to plan out your diet and fitness routine because it helps you stay focused. Choose some healthy meals and snacks there are so many options like the turnip chips or baked sweat potato fries. I have recently started eating healthy and for the first time I appreciate food and eat very little junk food.
Love kale salad but never used apple before – great idea. Can’t wait to eat this!
I made this yesterday for lunch and it was awesome! Thanks for another great recipe. :)
I made this tonight and really enjoyed it. I still have a lot of kale left because my bundle of kale was massive. I used Red Wine Vinegar because that’s what I had on hand, and the dressing still tastes fine. I will definitely make this salad again. Thanks!