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–+ servings

Kale Crunch Salad

5 from 1 vote
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.