This kale salad with cranberries recipe is quick, easy and satisfying with amazing texture from the crunchy pecans and crisp apples, and the delicious lemon vinaigrette to keep it light and fresh. Serve as a side dish or on its own as a light meal.
This kale salad with cranberries and apples is full of bright flavors and it can be a real savior during the fall and winter months. We can't let the falling temperatures and waning light make us forget about how much we need healthy, hearty salads – green things, fresh things, raw things.
As the base of our salad recipe, kale can hang out with all kinds of additional ingredients, but let's keep it fall and include all those tasty fall things like pecans, apples and dried cranberries! Enjoy those seasonal flavors and feel absolutely zero guilt about what you're eating!
If you love kale salad recipes as much as I do, try my simple Massaged Kale Salad, or how about some Kale Pesto to pack extra vegetables into a favorite sauce!
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Kale salad with cranberries ingredients
This kale cranberry salad recipe is full of pantry staples and common ingredients like pecans, cheese, lemons and apples that you probably keep on hand anyway, and kale lasts a long time in the refrigerator so you can keep some at the ready.
- Kale: I like the old-fashioned curly version for a raw kale salad recipe, but you can also use Tuscan kale. We're going to tone down the texture when we massage the salad dressing into it.
- Dried cranberries: Nothing says fall like cranberries. Of course we'll be using the dried ones for this recipe and once you buy a package of them, they can be used is so many ways, I like to add them to my bircher muesli!
- Pecans: Did you know that pecans in the grocery store can be up to two years old? Instead of risking that scenario, I order them from Millican Pecan, a family farm in Texas, because they are only selling the freshest pecans from the most recent harvest. They are harvested every fall and you can absolutely taste the difference!
- Parmesan cheese: You really must use the real parmesan, that's parmigiano reggiano cheese for this recipe. The sharp, salty, crystal-y texture makes this salad sing! Whatever you do, just DON'T use that stuff in the shaker!
- Apples: Try a sweet red apple, I love to cook and bake with Pink Lady apples because they're so pretty!
- Lemon juice and zest: The lemon and the salt in the vinaigrette will soften the texture of the kale leaves.
- Extra virgin olive oil and salt: To round out the ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette.
How to make kale salad with cranberries
Step 1: Make the lemon vinaigrette
Use a Microplane grater to zest the lemon, then juice it. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil to a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Step 2: Prep and chop the kale
Separate kale leaves from the rib. You can use the rib in vegetable stock, or slice and cook it for a side dish.
Prep tip
To remove kale leaves from the stem (rib), grasp the leaves and fold them inward with one hand, and grasp the stem with the other hand. Pull hands away from each other at the same time to easily separate the kale leaves from their stems.
To slice the kale thinly, stack a few of the leaves together and roll them up. Slice very thinly down the roll with a good chef's knife, being very careful to protect your fingers. The kale will slice into nice, thin ribbons.
Step 3: Massage kale and salad dressing
Place the kale in a large bowl, add the lemon vinaigrette. Use your hands and rub the kale as if you're trying to press the dressing into it. Do this for a couple of minutes, then set the massaged kale aside to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Pro tip
Don't skip this step! Massaging kale with something acidic like lemon juice softens it and breaks it down a bit, giving it a much nicer texture.
Step 4: Toast and chop the pecans
Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans. You're not really looking for color here. You just want to leave them long enough so that the oils start releasing. You'll know that when your kitchen starts smelling very pecan-y.
Once the pecans have cooled, chop them roughly. I like to use my mezzaluna for chopping nuts. You can just go back and forth so easily, it gets the job done in half the time.
Step 5: Grate the parmesan and slice the apples
Grate your parmigiano reggiano until you have about 2 ounces. Kitchen scales are handy for more than just baking! If you don't have a scale, use about ยฝ to ยพ cup.
Slice the apples nice and thin using a good chef's knife or a kitchen mandoline.
Step 6: Add cranberries and remaining ingredients to the kale salad
Add the parmigiano to the massaged kale and mix well.
Add apples, pecans, and cranberries to the kale and combine to finish the salad.
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Serve a cranberry kale salad immediately. It is hearty, so it will last on a holiday buffet better than most salads that have been dressed.
Expert tips
- Grate the parmesan yourself: The texture and taste is much better. Pre-grated cheese can get dried out. Since there are so few ingredients here, make sure each one tastes the best that it can!
- Toast pecans lightly: When toasting the pecans, you're not really looking for color. You just want to leave them long enough so that the oils start releasing. You'll know that when your kitchen starts smelling very pecan-y.
- Be sure to zest the lemon before squeezing the juice! It's almost impossible to zest a lemon once it's been juiced.
- The easiest way to slice the kale: Stack the leaves, then roll them up, and use a good chef's knife to slice into thin ribbons. Be sure to protect your fingers!
- Slice the apples last: Wait until you are ready to toss the salad before you slice the apples so they don't turn brown! Do this as your last step!
Variations and substitutions
Kale, cranberries, apples and pecans all love each other in this salad recipe, but you can mix it up to keep things interesting!
- Switch up the kale variety: You can make this salad with curly kale as I have done, or try Tuscan kale, also called dinosaur kale.
- Swap the dried fruit: Kale and cranberries are beautiful in a salad, but other fruits like dried cherries and apricots also work well.
- Change up the nuts or add seeds: Pecans are a classic, but walnuts or almonds are also a great choice. Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds would also add crunch.
- Try apple cider vinegar in the dressing: No lemons on hand? No worries! Just use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Use a different fresh fruit: Try pears in the salad instead of apples.
- Substitute a different cheese: Try pecorino romano, goat cheese or sharp cheddar.
Make ahead and storage
You can slice the kale, grate the cheese, and make the salad dressing up to 3 days ahead of time. Store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Once dressed, the salad doesn't keep well, so only make as much as you need.
When to serve a kale salad with cranberries
Truthfully, you can eat a kale salad with cranberries year-round, but we tend to think of it as a fall and winter recipe. Try these serving suggestion ideas!
- It's perfect as a light fall lunch.
- It makes an excellent Thanksgiving or Christmas kale salad!
- Serve alongside roast chicken or slow roasted salmon.
- All of the fruit and nuts make this a great dish to serve at brunch!
More salad recipes
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad is a crowd pleaser and perfect for potlucks!
- This Apple Fennel Salad also has a light, lemony vinaigrette and is great during fall and winter months.
- A Roasted Butternut Squash Salad is vegan, and gets crunch from roasting the squash seeds.
Kale salad with cranberries is quick, easy and satisfying!
- It's full of pantry staples.
- Great for meal prep! You can portion and prep ahead most of the ingredients in this kale salad with cranberries for a quick lunch.
- You only need 8 ingredients, including the ones in dressing!
- Ready in 15 minutes. Just a little chopping and whisking, so it's very easy.
- It's gluten free and vegetarian with simple vegan swaps!
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Recipe
Kale Salad with Cranberries, Apples, and Pecans
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Ingredients
Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- zest of one lemon
- pinch kosher salt
Kale Salad
- 2 bunches curly kale
- ¾ cup toasted chopped pecans
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 oz freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese about ยฝ to ยพ cup
- 1 sweet red apple such as pink lady or fuji
Instructions
Lemon Vinaigrette
- Zest the lemon and add to mixing bowl.
- Squeeze ยผ cup fresh lemon juice - from 1 - 2 lemons depending upon size - and add to bowl.
- Add 3 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Whisk until combined and set aside.
Kale Salad
- Remove kale leaves from stems. Lay them flat, stack them and roll them up. Slice into thin ribbons.
- Pour dressing over chopped kale and massage it into the kale leaves for a couple of minutes. Allow kale to stand for at least 5 minutes so the leaves continue to soften.
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans. Allow them to cool slightly, then chop roughly.
- Grate the parmigiano reggiano on a box grater and set aside.
- Slice the apple into thin wedge slices.
- Add the cheese to the massaged kale and mix well.
- Add all other ingredients and serve!
Notes
- When toasting the pecans, you're not really looking for color. You just want to leave them long enough so that the oils start releasing. You'll know that when your kitchen starts smelling very pecan-y.
- Did you know that pecans on the grocery store shelf can be up to two years old? Yuck! I order mine from Millican Pecan* because they are only selling fresh pecans from the most recent harvest. The taste is overwhelmingly better. Try them*, they will blow your mind!
- Use REAL parmigiano reggiano and grate it yourself! You won't be disappointed. The flavor makes all the difference.
- Be sure to zest the lemon before squeezing the juice! I use my handy Microplane grater for this task.
- To slice the kale, stack the leaves, then roll them up, and use a good chef's knife to slice into thin ribbons. Be sure to protect your fingers! My Global G-2 knife is lightweight and I love the rounded, stainless steel handle because it's not bulky and works for my small hands as well as my husband's man hands!
- Kitchen scales are useful for many things. I've used my Escali Primo digital kitchen scale for weighing loads of things from grated cheese to red potatoes.
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