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

This Kale Salad recipe 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.

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.

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.

Kale salad massaged 

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 😉

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

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

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 salad recipes….

Protein Packed Kale Quinoa Salad

Kale Butternut Squash Salad

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

Enjoy!

Until Next time- xoxo

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