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Apples Blueberries Lunch 30 Minutes or Less Vegetarian
4.6 from 10 votes

Kale Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Jump to RecipePrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •12/9/22 10 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Kale Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette is fresh and delicious, loaded with good for you ingredients like kale, blueberries and apples then drizzled with a yummy blueberry vinaigrette!

pouring dressing over a salad with kale, apples, and blueberries
Table of Contents Open
  • The Best Kale Salad Recipe
  • How To Massage Your Kale
  • Ingredients You’ll Need
    • Salad
    • Blueberry vinaigrette
  • How To Make Kale Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette
  • How to Serve
  • What Else Can I Use In This Kale Salad
  • Leftovers
    • Vinaigrette
  • Craving More Salad? Try These Delicious Recipes
  • Kale Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

The Best Kale Salad Recipe

I have great kale salad for you because it’s good for you and as much as I always say I’m not a kale fan, I found a way that I can eat it and enjoy it. My secret is to cut it really small. Simple but believe me it works.

I know we’re all trying to eat a bit healthier now so this salad is perfect for that because it’s nutritious and also delicious. The key is in the homemade vinaigrette, believe me homemade is always better. Loaded with fresh blueberries, crumbled feta, and crisp sweet apples, this salad will redefine the way you think about salads.

To start with, I drizzled a bit of olive oil and lime juice over the finely chopped kale and then tossed it really well, making sure every little piece of kale is going to pop with flavor. Sometimes I’ll even go in there with my hands, clean hands of course, and rub the kale with the oil and lime juice for a few minutes until it almost feels like it’s wilting a bit. This is called massaging the kale and helps break down some of its toughness.

a bowl of chopped kale

How To Massage Your Kale

First you’ll want to rip the kale from its thick stem and cut it up into thin little ribbons. Pour your olive oil and lime juice over top and massage with bare hands similar to how you would knead dough. Massage for ideally 10 minutes to break down how tough and fibrous raw green kale can be.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Salad

  • Veggies – Green kale with the stems removed, finely chopped and massaged. We’re also using sliced avocado.
  • Fruits – Chopped apples and fresh blueberries.
  • Cheese – Crumbled feta, omit if you’d prefer but I really think it makes it.
  • Olive oil – A few glugs of the nice stuff to toss the salad with.
  • Lime juice – Nice and acidic, preferably fresh from approximately 1 fresh lime.
  • Seeds – Sunflower seeds are a great way to add some crunch, protein, and nutrients to the salad.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.

Blueberry vinaigrette

  • Blueberries – Fresh is best, believe me it’ll add some much dimension and freshness to your salad.
  • Lemon juice – Again we want nice and fresh lemon juice, the juice from approximately 1 lemon.
  • Honey – We want to add some sweetness to balance out all the acidity in our vinaigrette.
  • Balsamic – We need something with nice acidic dimension, feel free to use any vinegar you may have hanging around but balsamic is ideal.
  • Water – We want something to thin out our vinaigrette a little bit.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
a kale salad loaded with avocado, apples blueberries, and feta.

How To Make Kale Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

  1. Prep the kale: In a large bowl add the kale, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss really well making sure that all the kale is covered in oil and lime juice. If you’d like to massage your kale now is the time to do it.
  2. Add the rest of the salad ingredients: Add the chopped apples, blueberries, avocado, feta cheese and sunflower seeds.
  3. Make the vinaigrette: In a blender add all the vinaigrette ingredients and blend until smooth.
  4. Finish the salad: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

How to Serve

I mean sometimes I’ll just sit down with a big bowl of this salad and go to town and sometimes I’ll pair it alongside some perfectly delicious and tender entrees. Either way it is a real winner

  • Beer Can Chicken
  • Beef Brisket Gyros
  • Perfect Pulled Pork
  • Instant Pot BBQ Pork Ribs
  • Garlic and Paprika Chicken
  • Lemon Dill Pan Fried Salmon
a bowl full of kale salad with blueberries, apple, sunflower seeds, and feta.

What Else Can I Use In This Kale Salad

Feel free to get creative with this salad! It feature a dressing that is so divine it’ll pair well with anything!

  • Chicken
  • Bacon
  • Goat cheese
  • Pear
  • Pecans
  • Toasted almonds
  • Dried cranberries

Leftovers

Your salad will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Just be sure to leave the vinaigrette off of it till you’re ready to eat otherwise it may cause the kale to wilt. This recipe does not freeze well as it won’t thaw properly.

Vinaigrette

Sealed in an airtight container this dressing will keep for for up to 1 week in the fridge.

kale salad on a large platter with blueberry vinaigrette in the background

Craving More Salad? Try These Delicious Recipes

  • Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
  • Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
  • Creamy Cucumber Salad
  • Mexican Street Corn Slaw
  • Greek Salad
  • Fattoush Salad
  • Mediterranean Couscous Salad
  • Waldorf Salad
  • Ambrosia Salad
  • Chicken Shawarma Tabbouleh Salad

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

side view shot of the blueberry vinaigrette being poured over the kale salad
Print
4.60 from 10 votes

Kale Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 0 minutes
Total 10 minutes
Rate Recipe
This Kale Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette is fresh and delicious, loaded with good for you ingredients like kale, blueberries and apples then drizzled with a yummy blueberry vinaigrette!
6

Ingredients

  • 8 cups kale (stems removed and finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 apple (cored and sliced)
  • 1 cup blueberries (fresh)
  • 1 avocado (peeled, pitted and sliced)
  • ½ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
  • 2 tablespoon sunflower seeds

For Blueberry Vinaigrette

  • ½ cup blueberries (fresh)
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon water
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl add the kale, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss really well making sure that all the kale is covered in oil and lime juice.
  • Add the chopped apples, blueberries, avocado, feta cheese and sunflower seeds. 
  • In a blender add all the vinaigrette ingredients and blend until smooth.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Notes

  1. You can top this salad with your favorite toppings; feel free to get creative. For example, pecans, goat cheese, pears, and the blueberries would also be amazing!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 263kcal (13%)Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 11mg (4%)Sodium: 436mg (19%)Potassium: 576mg (16%)Fiber: 8g (33%)Sugar: 9g (10%)Vitamin A: 9067IU (181%)Vitamin C: 95mg (115%)Calcium: 301mg (30%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

side view shot of the blueberry vinaigrette being poured over the kale salad

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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10 Comments
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Nikki
Nikki
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
I am now making this recipe for the second time. I honestly could not believe how good this salad was. I have never made a salad with kale before because I thought it would be bland but this is a game changer. It’s a new meal prep recipe for me but because avocado goes bad so quickly I am going to try boiled eggs instead. Thank you!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Nikki
Posted: 1 year ago

My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed it!

0
Reply
Rackel
Rackel
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
I made this last night, it was very yummy. I used blue cheese crumbles instead of feta and topped with grilled chicken.

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  Rackel
Posted: 1 year ago

That’s a great substitute. So glad you enjoyed it so much!

0
Reply
Stephanie Eastwood
Stephanie Eastwood
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
Super delicious. Works fine made with made with frozen blueberries too. The blueberry vinaigrette with garnish of cheese, chopped fruit, and nuts is special on any green salad.

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  Stephanie Eastwood
Posted: 1 year ago

That sounds great Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed it!

0
Reply
Stephanie
Stephanie
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
This recipe was delightful! The dressing really was the star of the show. I enjoyed eating the kale much better after “massaging” it. I made some pan seared boneless, skinless chicken thighs marinated in a garlic white wine marinade and seasoned with some lemon pepper and it was FANTASTIC with the salad!

Will DEFINITELY be making this again!

0
Reply
le lenny face
le lenny face
Posted: 5 years ago

5 stars
:The Blueberry Vinaigrette looks so amazing~ The color of kale, blueberry and other ingredients together is so divine. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  le lenny face
Posted: 5 years ago

My pleasure!

0
Reply
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
Posted: 6 years ago

I love this flavor combination!

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
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