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Kale Crunch Salad With Maple Dijon Dressing

ByLindsey Jenkins
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Kale crunch salad is a delicious side dish the whole family will love. Fresh kale and sliced cabbage are massaged until tender, then tossed with toasted crunchy almonds, and a Dijon maple vinaigrette dressing.  

Looking for more crunchy salad recipes? Try my shaved fennel apple salad with kale, crispy rice salad with fresh herbs, or bell pepper cucumber salad.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

  • Texture – As the name states this cruciferous crunch salad has extra crunch with the fresh vegetables and the toppings.
  • Customizable – This crunchy kale salad recipe makes a great base with various add-ins. Bulk it up with extra vegetables or toppings, or add cooked protein to move it from a simple side salad to the main dish. My air fryer crispy chicken nuggets would be a great addition.
  • Simple ingredients – This delicious salad is made with a handful of wholesome ingredients.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this kale crunch side salad:

  • Curly kale
  • Green cabbage
  • Almonds – I used slivered, you can also use sliced or whole. If using whole almonds, give them a rough chop first.
  • Dried cranberries (optional) – for texture.
  • Maple dijon vinaigrette – extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, dijon mustard, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

How to Make Kale Crunch Salad: Step By Step

Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!

  1. In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk or shake together the dressing ingredients until well emulsified. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Add the chopped kale and sliced cabbage to a large bowl along with two teaspoons of olive oil. Massage for 1 minute to soften the kale and cabbage.
  3. Add the toasted almonds, dried cranberries, (any additional add-ins if desired), and homemade dressing. Toss to combine and enjoy!

Helpful Tips

  • I don’t recommend using pre-chopped kale. It typically doesn’t have the woody stem removed, which isn’t pleasant to bite into.
  • Cut the vegetables into smaller pieces to make them easier to chew.

Quick Tip: Meal prep the dressing and toasted almonds for a quicker salad come meal time.

Storage

Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this kale crunch salad recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

  • No curly kale? – you can also use lacinato kale, also called dino or Tuscan kale.
  • No green cabbage? – use napa cabbage. Purple/red cabbage isn’t quite as crunchy, but it’ll work.
  • Make it nut free – use pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or roasted sesame seeds.
  • Add-ins – dried sour cherries, red or green apple, sweet potatoes, dairy free feta cheese or parmesan cheese, etc.
  • Turn it into a full meal – add crispy air fryer chicken bites, white beans, lentils, BBQ salmon bites, tofu, bacon, crispy baked proscuitto, etc.
  • Switch up the dressing – you could also use creamy Asian salad dressing, spicy honey mustard dressing, or shallot vinaigrette to switch up the flavor profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the copycat kale crunch salad from Chick-Fil-A?

I’ve never been to Chick-Fil-A, so I can’t say this is a copycat salad. However, it looks like it has many of the same ingredients.

More Salad Recipes

I hope you love this Kale Crunch Salad! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!

Kale Crunch Salad

Crunchy kale salad with toasted almonds and dried cranberries with a maple dijon vinaigrette dressing.
Kale crunch salad is a delicious side dish the whole family will love. Fresh kale and sliced cabbage are massaged until tender, then tossed with toasted crunchy almonds, and a Dijon maple vinaigrette dressing.  
Author: Lindsey Jenkins
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
 

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Salad

  • 1 large bunch curly kale hard stems removed and thinly sliced
  • 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ½ cup roasted slivered almonds instructions can be found below
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions

  • In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk or shake together the dressing ingredients until well emulsified. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Add the chopped kale and sliced cabbage to a large bowl along with two teaspoons of olive oil. Massage for 1 minute to soften the kale and cabbage.
  • Add the toasted almonds, dried cranberries, (any additional add-ins if desired, see the notes below for ideas), and homemade dressing. Toss to combine and enjoy!

Roasted Slivered Almonds

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • Add the slivered almonds directly to a rimmed baking sheet (no parchment paper needed). Bake for 4-6 minutes. Stir the almonds and put them back in for more time, checking in 2-minute increments so they don't burn. They're ready when they're lightly golden brown.

Notes

This salad makes 6 if eaten as a side dish.
See the blog post for helpful tips, storage, and recipe FAQs.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

No curly kale? – you can also use lacinato kale, also called dino or Tuscan kale.
No green cabbage? – use napa cabbage. Purple/red cabbage isn’t quite as crunchy, but it’ll work.
Make it nut free – use pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or roasted sesame seeds.
Add-ins – dried sour cherries, red or green apple, sweet potatoes, dairy free feta cheese or parmesan cheese, etc.
Turn it into a full meal – add crispy air fryer chicken bites, white beans, lentils, BBQ salmon bites, tofu, bacon, crispy baked proscuitto, etc.
Switch up the dressing – you could also use creamy Asian salad dressing, spicy honey mustard dressing, or shallot vinaigrette to switch up the flavor profile.

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