20 Best Kale Salads (+ Easy Recipes)

Step up your lunch game with these incredible kale salads!

Is there anything more Instagram-worthy than a luscious green salad? I’m not really a salad person, but I always make an exception for kale.

I love kale so much I massage it with the dressing for the optimal texture. That’s dedication!

Why throw all your greens in a smoothie when it’s this delicious?

It’s jam-packed with nutrients and creates a robust salad that makes it a perfect main entree or hearty lunch. 

Kale has gotten so popular that people actually bake the leaf till it’s crispy and snack on them like chips.

Whether you’re someone who eats kale chips or a sane person just trying to get more healthy meals in, you’ll want to bookmark these kale salads.

20 Influencer Worthy Kale Salad Recipes

1. Lemon Parmesan Kale Salad  

Lemon, garlic, cheese. Need I say more? Consider this salad your therapy session for the week.

What makes this dish truly shine is how the kale is finely cut.

Throw on your favorite playlist and take your time chopping. This recipe requires some finesse but is well worth the time.

Topped with a crumbly crouton that coats the kale perfectly, this dish won’t even make it to tomorrow’s leftovers.

2. Kale Salad Recipe with Honey Lemon Dressing 

This the perfect salad for lunch out in your fall fedora and plaid top!

This warm salad is decorated with cranberries, apples, pears, and pecans and is tossed in a honey-lemon dressing.

Pair it with a pumpkin or squash soup to fill you up on a chilly autumn afternoon.

Not complete without the meat? Grilled chicken is a perfect addition to this flavor profile.

3. 10-Minute Ginger Carrot & Kale Salad 

Let’s say you haven’t picked up groceries in a while, but you still want to make do with what you have. This ginger, carrot, and kale salad fits the bill.

With a few simple ingredients that generally keep well for longer periods than others, this salad is both convenient and satisfying.

4. Deb’s Kale Salad with Apple, Cranberries, and Pecans 

Anything with goat cheese in it is automatically a cosmopolitan experience. Where’s the lie?

This sophisticated salad has the typical favorites like apples and pecans but also has the crisp and fresh crunch of radishes for a culinary experience you’ll love.

5. Greek Kale Salad with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing 

This is a great take on classic Greek salad! It has all the staples, such as olives, feta, cucumber, red onion, and tomato, just on a bed of leafy greens.

Complete with a lemon olive oil dressing, eat this dish with your favorite pita bread to soak up every drop left in the bowl.

6. Massaged Kale Salad  

Reasons why this salad is a showstopper: roasted chickpeas and a tahini-based dressing.

Forget Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. I put tahini on everything!

Much like kale chips, chickpeas are incredibly adaptable.

Feel free to play with different flavor profiles when baking them to get the ideal crunch component in your meal.

7. Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Almond Vinaigrette 

Cashews are too bland, walnuts are too chunky, but almonds are just right in this salad!

Enjoy them thinly sliced and rolling in gently massaged kale, and also in the dressing itself.

This is the kind of meal I’ll make for lunch while working from home.

8. Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa, and Avocado Sauce

This is a vegetarian’s dream salad. No need to lean on the greens for energy in this dish.

It’s filled with nutrient overachievers like sweet potato, quinoa, and black beans.

Did I mention there’s feta and avocado dressing? So good.

9. Kale Caesar Crunch Salad

Let’s be honest, no one orders a Caesar salad for the health benefits. It’s all about the creamy, rich dressing with extra croutons.

But this kale salad is semi-healthy and so delicious!

10. Broccoli Kale Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing 

I never understood why broccoli was always the vegetable that children hate. It’s so good.

Double your greens with this broccoli kale salad with a funky lemon poppy seed dressing.

11. Avocado Massaged Kale Salad with Parmesan 

Not a big fan of having to make a dressing from scratch every time you look up a salad recipe?

This skips the measuring and blending all together.

Taking avocado and massaging it right into the kale, all you’ll need is a splash of olive oil and lemon to create a quick and scrumptious salad.

12. Kale Blueberry Salad with Quinoa 

If this dish hasn’t gone viral because Gwyneth Paltrow eats it, it will soon because it has star quality.

With the rich green of the kale, the blueberries, and the bright purple hue of spiralized beets, this salad is almost too pretty to eat.

Coupled with quinoa, this entree is gorgeous and book smart!

13. Chopped Kale Salad with Prosciutto and Figs

Brimming with mascarpone cheese, Tuscan kale, dried figs, and wedged gorgonzola, this five-star bowl of greens couldn’t be any more perfect.

You’ll want to make it over and over again!

14. Triple Berry Kale Salad 

I’m ready to enjoy this salad by the pool with an alpine spritz in hand. It’s light, nutritious, and oh-so-good!

Practically a fruit salad with a dash of kale, it’s a sweet treat that will hit the spot without the bloat.

15. Kale Salad with Apples and Chicken

This is your chicken salad without the calories from the mayo.

It has all the goods, like shredded chicken, diced fruit, and the contrasting bite of red onion.

But it’s in a bowl and drenched in an apple cider vinaigrette instead. Same thing, right?

Okay, it’s not exactly as gratifying as a chunky salad on a bulky roll, but don’t be afraid to add a nice slice of garlic bread on the side to keep you happy.

16. Tuscan Kale Salad

 Creamy, lemon-flavored, and filling? Pinch me; I’m in heaven. This Tuscan kale salad is what dreams are made of.

If you want to transport yourself to Napa Valley for an afternoon of lunch and samples of wine, this is like a virtual experience.

17. Summer Kale Salad with Peaches and Candied Pecans

You know the trail mix that feels like a cheat meal because of all the M&Ms in it?

Well, this recipe understood the assignment.

Dressed in chevrè, ripe sliced peaches, and handcrafted candied pecans, this is a meal that will fill your belly and delight your sweet tooth.

18. Garlicky Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas 

Tahini is a goddess in her own right, but add in tons of roasted garlic, and she’s on a whole other level.

This lusciously dressed kale is topped with tandoori masala spiced chickpeas baked in the oven for that balance of creamy and crunchy.

19. Kale Orange Salad 

This is the type of salad that I will order as a large, with a side of french fries.

Filled with toasted almonds, green onions, goat’s cheese, and a blend of blood orange and mandarin slices, it’s truly a citrus cornucopia.

It’s refreshing, celebratory, and so healthy, you can splurge on some fires with it.

20. Raw Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Tahini-Maple Dressing

Have you ever noticed that Brussels sprouts are just tiny cabbages?

Blending them with kale gives the unique experience of having coleslaw and a salad all in one!

This recipe calls for curly kale and fine sliced Brussels, and the tahini maple dressing coats the salad thoroughly instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Add in toppings like almonds and shaved parmesan to complete the masterpiece!