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
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 don’t know why but I always felt like salads were best left to the professionals. My at-home salads just could never compare to the thoughtful salads I can find at local restaurants. It’s wild, I know. But this salad has totally changed that. Tonight is my second time in a week and it is just… so delightful. Wouldn’t change a thing.
That’s awesome you found your at home equivalent Sierra!
This recipe seemed a bit out of my comfort zone (raisins and raw kale… ) but it turned out amazing! I loved it.
I didn’t feel like having to clean a blender so I just mixed the dressing ingredients with a spoon. And I used normal mustard instead of Dijon. Still tasted amazing!
This is sooo delicious and easy to make ! Thank you for this awesome recipe, Beth!
I added some shredded rotisserie chicken and a hard boiled egg to each of mine. Delicious! I’ll definitely be adding this to the rotation.
I’m not a huge salad person but man this was good! Next time I’m going to add goat cheese and consider using cranberries. I feel like I was really missing out with the walnuts, would’ve added nice taste (I presume) and texture but I’m highly allergic and had to skip them. Ended up buying some chopped kale at Aldi’s in a massive bag which made a ton more servings. I doubled the dressing and it dressed well.
This turned out great! I made it using cranberries instead of raisins because that’s what I had on hand, along with some goat cheese on top. The recipe made enough for 3 small-ish portions and kept well in the fridge overnight. This would be lovely with grilled chicken, crispy tofu, or toasted spiced chickpeas on top too.
I noticed that you didn’t massage the kale. I don’t often use kale, but have always heard it is better if you massage it! Don’t know what that does or how to do it. Any thoughts???
I personally don’t find it worth it. I find that if the kale is coated in the dressing it softens after just sitting there for a bit.
This dressing is SO GOOD!
I used craisins and pecans instead of raisins and walnuts (already had them), fuji instead of granny smith (way cheaper where I am), and added some feta to the top. I served with some broiled chicken tenders. Pro tip: if you buy a larger bag of walnuts/pecans, freeze them! The oils spoil less quickly. I put mine straight from the freezer onto a sheet pan in the oven for about 7-8 minutes to toast them for this salad.
Massaging the kale breaks it down and gives it amore tenderness to the taste. I subbed out the vinegar for lemon juice.
Made this with cranberries, goat cheese, and trader Joe’s candied pecans. IT WAS DELICIOUS (In my Oprah voice) and I know I have made this totally unhealthy
Delicious! When I first tasted the dressing plain out of the blender I was worried it was too tart, but once it blended with the salad it was just right. I used candied walnuts so that also added a bit of sweetness
I made this as part of Christmas dinner and it was delicious! (I used dried cranberries to make it more “Christmasy.”) I had some left over, so I brought it to work for lunch the next day. Even with it fully dressed, the kale was hearty enough not to wilt and the vinaigrette kept the apples from turning brown. This is my new favorite salad!
I made this for lunch today and it was seriously one of the best kale salads I’ve ever had. I left out the raisins because I don’t like them. Thanks for the awesome recipe. Yum.
Made this tonight and it was great. Just added some feta cheese. Thanks for the recipe!
This is so good! I’m not usually a big fan of raw kale, but the dressing made it one of the best salads I’ve had, kale or not. And thanks for the tip on cutting up kale; I’m not very experienced with food prep, and those kinds of details have made the recipes on your site so much easier for me!