Get ready for the absolute best kale salad recipe! Every bite is full of fresh and robust flavor from the fresh kale, oranges, and sliced almonds. When you drizzle on the vinaigrette dressing, the tangy sweet flavors perfectly highlight every ingredient. It’s easy to make and loaded with crunch. Simple yet delicious, this is one of my all-time favorite kale salad recipes!

đź›’ Ingredients You’ll Need

It’s really simple to make this recipe. For the salad ingredients, all you need is kale, oranges, and sliced almonds. The citrus vinaigrette has an olive oil base and consists of stone ground mustard, minced garlic, finely chopped shallot, white wine vinegar, and salt, and pepper.
Is kale healthy? Yes! Kale is a superfood. It’s packed with protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and fiber. It has a subtly sweet flavor with a hint of bitter similar to broccoli and cabbage. You’ll often hear about people massaging the kale when making a kale salad. Massaging it helps break up the cellulose structure which means you’ll get a slightly sweeter, much silkier kale. Eating raw kale as a salad is beyond delicious. To make it even easier to chew, remove the leaves from the rib (stalk) and cut it into thin slices. Or, you can tear or cut the leaves into small bite-sized pieces.

đź“‹ Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

Start by making the citrus vinaigrette dressing so it has time to slightly chill in the refrigerator before drizzling it onto the orange kale salad. Start by finely dicing the shallot and then mincing the garlic clove. Add the shallot, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh squeezed orange juice, stone ground mustard, salt, and pepper to a medium size bowl. Using a whisk, stir well to combine, about 30 seconds. Place a lid on the container and place in the refrigerator until ready for use. To make your salad “pop” with even more flavor, remove the pith from the orange. The pith is that spongy substance you see when peeling an orange. With the pith gone, you’ll get that perfect bite of salad mixed with a taste of fresh orange and nut from the sliced almonds. We’re talking amazing flavor! To assemble the salad, start by adding the chopped kale, orange slices, and sliced almonds in a large bowl and toss to combine. Then, add half of the citrus vinaigrette dressing (or desired amount) and toss until all ingredients are well coated. Taste for seasoning, adding more dressing and oranges, if needed. Serve immediately. This fresh and healthy kale salad recipe is easy to make, packed with colorful fruits and vegetables, and is the perfect healthy side dish or lunch! It’s one of the easiest salad recipes you’ll ever make!

🙋🏼 Frequently Asked Questions

đź’­ Expert Tips

Regardless of what you are making with kale, remove the leaves from the rib. The ribs can be used in making a bone both recipe or in smoothies. Rinse the kale to remove any excess dirt and then use a salad spinner to remove any excess water.Make sure you slice the kale thinly for more uniformity with the other ingredients. When blood oranges are in season, they taste amazing in this recipe! If you don’t want to deal with removing the pith from the naval orange, use clementines. Add cooked chicken or quinoa for added protein.While the salad is delicious as is, I sometimes add feta or goat cheese. You can also add chunks of granny smith apple, dried cranberries, raw beets, and pomegranate seeds.

🥬 More Kale Recipe Ideas!

If you love kale, then make sure you check out my easy-to-make kale and leek soup. Creamy and easy to make, this one is full of amazing flavors. And these hearty kale patties are not only the perfect lunch but pair amazingly well with this orange kale salad! And this nutritious and delicious Greek kale quinoa salad is another salad recipe that delivers big flavor! It’s perfect for any lunch or dinner! Update Notes: This post was originally published in August 2016, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in March 2022.

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