Kale Salad with Cranberries

This healthy Kale Salad with Cranberries is full of nutrients and so tasty! Simple and versatile with homemade citrusy, creamy dressing!

Why you will LOVE This Recipe

I LOVE coming up with healthy recipes for Mr. FFF and I, and what’s healthier than a big, tasty salad? Since we eat A LOT of salad around here, I am always racking my brain for new, innovative and tasty recipe ideas to make salad FUN again. We certainly have mixed things up with our balsamic grilled vegetable salad as well as our mediterranean chickpea pasta salad, and today we are doing it once again by adding a kale with cranberry salad recipe to the blog! This salad combines the superfood kale with some tangy, chewy dried cranberries and brings everything together with some savory and rich goat cheese– what’s not to love?! It’s healthy, it’s got lots of variations of texture, AND it’s super simple to whip up for your next meal as a side dish.

How to cut Kale for a Salad

To prepare your head of kale to make this kale salad with cranberries, I recommend starting by cutting off the end of the kale completely. Next, roll up the leaves together, removing the rib, and slice them into thin slices or bite sized pieces. Now, you’re all set to mix up your salad and devour it!

a plate of Kale Salad with Cranberries on a table

Top Tips for making Kale Salad with Cranberries

Massage the Dressing in: Once you’ve chopped your kale and whisked up your dressing, it’s important that you not only toss the dressing into the kale, but massage it a bit! I suggest using gloves when mixing up your salad to really integrate the dressing into the kale.
Cut the Kale finely: This salad is most enjoyable when the kale is cut quite finely, so that the pieces aren’t too big and difficult to eat.
Remove the rib: I like to discard the rib of the kale and not use it when chopping up the kale leaves. It makes for better texture and flavor to leave the rib out!

a large plate of Kale Salad with Cranberries

Recipe Variations

I am a HUGE advocate for having fun with my recipes and mixing things up to suit your family’s dietary needs and preferences. This salad recipe can easily be tweaked so that your whole family can enjoy it! For a vegan kale salad with cranberries, simply leave out the goat cheese and it will still be SO tasty. To make it quicker and easier, use your favorite store bought dressing on the salad. You are also welcome to whisk up some apple cider vinegar dressing or whole30 salad dressing to compliment this kale salad as either would be delicious!

How long does Kale Salad last in the fridge?

Now that you’ve tossed up your salad and enjoyed it as a dinner side dish with the family, it’s time to store the leftovers for an easy lunch or dinner another time! This salad will last, if stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 3 days. It’s the PERFECT salad for meal prep- mix up a bowl on a Sunday for easy office lunches!

Kale Salad with Cranberries in a large bowl with serving spoons

more healthy salad recipes

Kale Salad with Cranberries

This healthy Kale Salad with Cranberries is full of nutrients and so tasty! Simple and versatile with homemade citrus-y, creamy dressing!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings People, as a side

Calories 252kcal

Author Taylor Kiser

Ingredients

For the salad

1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds
6 Cups Kale, torn into bite sized pieces
1/3 Cup Dried cranberries
1 Cup Apple, diced
1/4 Cup Goat cheese, crumbled
Pinch of salt

For the dressing:

1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Orange juice
1/2 Tbsp Maple syrup
1 tsp Tahini
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Orange zest
2 Tbsp Olive oil
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and spread the almonds on a small baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together all the salad ingredients, including a pinch of salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients except the oil.
While constantly whisking, stream in the oil until well mixed.
Pour the dressing over the salad and stir well.
DEVOUR! *