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You are here: Home / Salads and Dips / Apple Cranberry Kale Salad (Vegan, GF, & Paleo)

Apple Cranberry Kale Salad (Vegan, GF, & Paleo)

November 8, 2018 by Stephanie 5 Comments

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This Kale Salad is full of all the classic flavors of Fall. Kale topped with cranberries, apples & pecans. Then lightly dressed with lemon & maple. An easy salad perfect for the holidays or anytime. Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo.

Apple Kale Cranberry Salad in a bowl.

 

And since the holidays are sneaking up rather quickly, then it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share this Fallish Kale Salad….

Especially since it would be a nice colorful addition to the Holiday menu!

Massaged Kale topped with only a few ingredients making it an easy healthy side you can add to the table quickly.

Or even great served as a light tasty dinner or lunch.

This Kale Salad is a super easy salad made with massaged kale, apples, cranberries & pecans. Lightly dressed with a lemon maple dressing. Perfect for a Holiday side or anytime you want a healthy light lunch or dinner. Gluten Free, Vegan, & Paleo.

Kale salads are always some of my favorites since they store well and can easily be made ahead.

Why Massage Kale?

Raw Kale can be a little tough or even bitter depending on the variety….

Massaging the kale just makes it tender, more flavorful, and easier to chew & digest.

How to Massage Kale:

  1. First give it a thorough rinse in cold water and remove the hard stems.
  2. Then make sure to dry it completely.
  3. Sprinkle it with a little salt, & olive oil and just start rubbing it together with your fingers.
  4. Kind of like you’d massage anything… only now with kale leaves 😉

 

Apple Cranberry Kale Salad in wooden salad b.owl with serving spoons

 

Now that we’ve got that covered with can talk about the ingredients….

What you’ll need for this Apple Cranberry Kale Salad:

Apples- you can use any variety but I prefer Fuji for its crisp texture and overall sweetness

Fresh Cranberries- not the dried or frozen ones

Radishes

Pecans

Kale of course 😆

And for the dressing – lemons, olive oil, and maple syrup

So you see there really isn’t a whole lot to this salad but the combination of these ingredients are perfect for the flavors & textures.

And here are a few more of my favorite Kale recipes….

Protein Packed Kale Quinoa Salad

Four Ingredient Parmesan Kale Crisps

 

Plus don’t forget if you make this recipe to please leave a comment below ⬇ and with a star ⭐ rating!

 

Apple Cranberry Kale Salad in a bowl

 

 

Apple Cranberry Kale Salad in a bowl and on a fork with bowl of cranberries in background.

 

 

Apple Cranberry Kale Salad in a bowl with fork and cranberries and lemon

Enjoy!

 

Until Next time- xoxo

 

 

Stephanie

 

 

 

 

Apple Kale Cranberry Salad in a bowl.
Print Pin
5 from 5 votes

Apple Cranberry Kale Salad

This Kale Salad is super easy to prepare and is topped with apples, radishes, cranberries and pecans. Then lightly dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and maple syrup. Great for a Holiday side or an easy light lunch or dinner.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Salads, Sides
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Author Stephanie

Ingredients

  • 5-6 cups chopped kale
  • 1 medium apple- I used Fuji
  • 2/3 cup fresh cranberries
  • 2-3 medium radishes
  • handful of pecan halves
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil- divided
  • 2 tsp. pure maple syrup
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Rinse Kale and remove hard outer stems and dry thoroughly.
  • Place in large salad bowl along with 2 tbsp. olive oil and salt to taste.
  • Massage kale with hands until starting to soften and combined.
  • Meanwhile rinse fresh cranberries, chop apple into bite sized pieces and thinly slice radishes.
  • Top on massaged kale.
  • Pour juice of lemon, remaining olive oil and maple syrup on salad and stir till combined.
  • Taste for salt.
  • Add pecans when ready to serve.

Notes

Can easily be made ahead and add pecans right before serving.
Tried this recipe?Mention @applesforcjblog or tag #applesforcj

 

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Comments

  1. Tisha says

    November 9, 2018 at 5:13 am

    This salad is perfect with fall flavors!

    Reply
  2. Jillian says

    November 9, 2018 at 4:13 am

    Perfect salad for the holidays!

    Reply
  3. Andrea Metlika says

    November 9, 2018 at 2:49 am

    This looks great and refreshing! Fresh Cranberries and pecans are a great idea for a salad in the fall.

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    November 9, 2018 at 1:25 am

    This sounds perfect for the holidays! I’ll definitely have to put this on the menu. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Amy | The Cook Report says

    November 8, 2018 at 10:52 pm

    I love kale salad and this looks like the perfect autumn version

    Reply

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I'm Stephanie, the Recipe developer and writer behind APPLES FOR CJ. Welcome to my Happy Place! Here you'll find a collection of my Best Gluten Free & Vegetarian recipes, along with some healthy lifestyle tips. Hope you'll stay awhile! Read More…

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