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Best Ever Kale Salad

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By: MadelinePosted: 04/30/2019Updated: 04/01/2021

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

This is a recipe for the Best Kale Salad Ever. Chop up your greens, massage them in a creamy cashew dressing and sprinkle on lots of parmesan cheese. I promise your taste buds will be delighted.

Side view of the best kale salad ever in a serving bowl

This post is sponsored by Natures Greens. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

I made the best kale salad ever to convince people to enjoy kale

First it was trendy to hate kale, then it became trendy to eat kale for every single meal, now it seems like people either enjoy kale from time to time or hate it because they were served a lame kale salad during the kale craze that made them turn their back on this delicious green.

I have created the best ever kale salad to hopefully change peoples minds!! There is no disguising it, this is a bowl full of greens, but it is massaged in a rich and delicious dressing and tossed with parmesan cheese making it tasty enough for the staunchest of kale haters.

Side view of creamy cashew dressing pouring onto a bowl of chopped kale

Massage your kale in a flavorful, creamy cashew dressing

The dressing for the best ever kale salad is one I have been playing with for years making one variation or another. The key to making it nice and creamy is using soaked cashews as a base.

You need to allow the cashews to soak long enough that they will become creamy when blended. If you’ve done this before, you know that a blended cashew is a magical thing.

You can use that to make cheese or vegan desserts, but my favorite has to be dressings. As I type this my mind is wandering to a creamy chipotle dressing that I had that I think I will remake with cashews ASAP.

Okay, now back to the kale!

Side view of the best kale salad ever in a bowl with parmesan cheese pouring on it

For the best ever kale salad I picked up a bag of Nature’s Greens Kale Greens at my local BJ’s. The giant bag is perfect for this best ever kale salad because, trust me, you will want to make a lot.

I first go through the bag and pick out all the hard stems. This step can be tedious, but it will make any kale salad much more enjoyable. Once I’ve picked through all of the stems I will take the greens give them a rough chop to make sure all of the kale pieces are bite sized.

Another way to make this salad is to slice the kale into small shredded pieces. This style is even better for the people who generally don’t like the texture of greens because the dressing soaks into each piece.

Above view of the best kale salad ever in a serving bowl

How to serve this kale salad

I paired my best ever kale salad with a cast iron skillet cooked chicken breast and some simple chopped cherry tomatoes. I love how flavorful this kale salad is because it allows you to play around with the pairings.

I could honestly eat this salad alone or with some crispy chickpeas or definitely some roasted salmon. The best ever kale salad comes together in no time at all provided you have prepped your cashews ahead of time.

How to make the best kale salad ever

I like to soak mine overnight in the refrigerator, but if I’m short on time I boil water in my kettle and pour boiling water over the raw cashews and allow them to soak for at least an hour.

From there its simply just placing the ingredients in a blender and letting the flavors come together! Pour the dressing over the kale and massage it in with your hands.

Then pour on a generous amount of parmesan cheese, mix that all up and you’re ready to serve!

You can find the full recipe down below and, as always, if you make this recipe please share your creations with me on Instagram!

Image for pinning best ever kale salad recipe on Pinterest

Best Ever Kale Salad

Yield: 6 servings

 

Author: Madeline Tague
prep time: 5 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 15 M

ingredients:

  • 16 oz kale greens
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup avocado oil or light oil of choice
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

instructions:

How to cook Best Ever Kale Salad

  1. Soak cashews overnight in water in the refrigerator or do a quick soak by pouring boiling water over the cashews and allowing them to soak for an hour
  2. Place soaked cashews, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper in a high speed blender and blend until smooth
  3. With the blender running on low, slowly stream in the oil through the top
  4. Once all of the oil has been incorporated, blend for a while on medium
  5. Place chopped and de-stemmed kale in a large mixing bowl and pour about 1 cup of the dressing over the kale
  6. Massage thoroughly with your hands and pour parmesan cheese over the salad
  7. Toss in the cheese and you are ready to serve!
Created using The Recipes Generator

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About Madeline

Hi, I'm Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let's get cooking!

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  1. kelly says

    Posted on 4/30 at 9:59 pm

    I will make this!

    Reply
  2. Beth says

    Posted on 7/4 at 1:33 pm

    Way too vinegary. I would cut the vinegar on half. Very creamy and thick which I liked.

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 7/5 at 5:50 am

      Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
  3. Kaitlyn says

    Posted on 1/21 at 10:49 am

    This has seriously become my go to salad for all lunches and dinners. It has a fantastic crisp refreshing flavor. My husband, who does not eat greens, eats this salad. It’s our favorite!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 1/23 at 1:14 pm

      thats so amazing to hear! thank you!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let's get cooking!

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