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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Kale Salad with Cranberries

    Dec 14, 2022 · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Kale Salad with Cranberries is a delicious way to get your greens in this winter! This easy to make kale salad is so perfect to serve to family and friends this holiday season. This simple salad is made with leafy kale, baby spinach, a quick homemade pickled red onion, toasted almonds, dried cranberries and a simple homemade kale salad dressing. Yum!

    Kale salad with dried cranberries on a white plate.

    Can I get a capital "K" for KALE!🥬

    This easy to make and delicious kale salad was created for a Christmas party we went to recently. And it was a HIT.

    Kale salad recipes are everywhere are in the Internet but I'm so glad you found this one.

    I think you're gonna love it! With the crunch from the roasted almonds, the slight chew on the dried cranberries and tangy hit from the picked red onions, it's a flavour symphony in your mouth.

    This kale salad with cranberries would go well with really anything else you're making - for supper or as a part of a holiday spread or party.

    Here are a few main dish ideas to serve with kale salad:

    • Salmon on a baking tray with green beans.
      Maple Glazed Salmon with Green Beans (one pan recipe)
    • A small green bowl of Healthy Insta Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup on a off-white placemat
      Chicken Tortilla Soup (no beans)
    • A cooked chicken in a cast iron skillet with green beans.
      Cast Iron Skillet Whole Roasted Chicken
    • A cast iron pan filled with cooked hamburgers.
      The BEST Cast Iron Skillet Burgers (EASY RECIPE)
    Jump to:
    • 📝Ingredients for kale salad with cranberries
    • 🔪Instructions
    • 🔄Substitutions and Add-ins
    • 🥡Storage
    • 🏅Two Top Tips
    • Want more?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments
    Winter Kale Salad with Cranberries and pickled red onions.
    Kale salads are a wonderful way to get some nutrition into you and keep things delicious😋

    📝Ingredients for kale salad with cranberries

    Here's what you'll need to make this kale salad:

    For the pickled red onion:

    • Red onion
    • Sugar
    • Red wine vinegar
    • Salt
    • Water

    For the salad:

    • Kale, large leaves
    • Baby spinach
    • Roasted almonds 
    • Dried cranberries

    For the dressing:

    • Olive oil
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • Liquid honey
    • Dijon mustard
    • Salt
    • Fresh ground pepper

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Kale salad with dried cranberries on a white plate.
    The fresh lemon juice in this kale salad adds a hit of brightness and tang🍋

    🔪Instructions

    Here's how you'll make this kale salad. You can make the pickled red onion up to 2 days in advance!

    Jar of red onions in pickling liquid.

    Thinly slice ½ of a large red onion. In a small mason jar, add apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Stir to combine until the sugar is combined. Add the onion to the mason jar and put the lid on tightly. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days before.

    Kale leaves in a large bowl.

    Massage some olive oil onto washed and torn kale leaves. Let them sit.

    Homemade salad dressing in a silver bowl.

    In a large bowl, make the dressing. Adding the olive oil at the end in a steady stream while you whisk helps it to combine completely.

    Kale salad with dried cranberries on a white plate.

    Add massaged kale, spinach, pickled red onion, dried cranberries and chopped almonds to the same large bowl that you made the dressing in. Toss to combine everything with the dressing.

    Winter Kale Salad with Cranberries and pickled red onions.
    Naturally gluten-free, this salad will please a crowd of hungry friends or family!

    🔄Substitutions and Add-ins

    Here's some swaps if you need them:

    • Instead of red wine vinegar - when you're making that quick pickled red onion, almost any type of vinegar will do the trick. Feel free to use apple cider vinegar as your pickling agent instead of the red wine vinegar
    • No dried cranberries? Almost any other dried fruit can be used in place of the dried cranberries here. Try chopped dried apricots, dried cherries or even dried plums
    • Say CHEESE🧀 - if you want, add in some feta, goat cheese or parmesan cheese to this salad
    • Add apples - want some more crunch in this kale salad? Add in some diced green or red apples🍎
    • Instead of the roasted almonds - the nuts in this recipe give it some great texture but it doesn't have to come from almonds. Try walnuts, cashews or even pistachios. Go for the roasted variety (or roast them yourself to up that awesome crunch factor)
    • Wanna go sweet? If you like kale salad dressing that's a little sweeter, add in some pure maple syrup to the dressing to bump up the sweet factor
    Two plates of kale salad on a white tabletop.
    This kale salad recipe is a real crowd pleaser! Gluten-free and vegan too.

    🥡Storage

    This kale salad will be good for up to 8 hours after you combine everything so eat it up😋

    The pickled red onions are good for much longer - a week or more in the fridge in that mason jar with a lid. Add them to other simple salads, wraps or even eggs in the morning!

    🏅Two Top Tips

    Make ahead: make the pickled red onion the night before (see instructions below.) Once you get everything into the jar, place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Since it's a "quick pickle", you decide how "pickled" you want the onion: the longer the red onion is in the pickling liquid the softer it'll be.

    Save time: buy pre-roasted and / or salted almonds so you don't have to roast them yourself!

    Hope you love this kale salad recipe like we do❣️

    ~April

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    📖 Recipe

    Winter Kale Salad with Cranberries and pickled red onions.

    Kale Salad with Cranberries

    This Kale Salad with Cranberries is a delicious way to get your greens in this winter! This simple salad is made with leafy kale, baby spinach, a quick homemade pickled red onion, toasted almonds, dried cranberries and a simple homemade kale salad dressing. Yum!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: kale salad
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Pickling time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Author: April

    Ingredients

    Pickled Red Onion

    • ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
    • ½ cup warm water
    • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon sugar

    Salad

    • 4 cups kale leaves, washed and torn
    • 4 cups baby spinach
    • ⅓ cup roasted almonds roughly chopped
    • ⅓ cup dried cranberries

    Kale Salad Dressing

    • 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 2 teaspoon honey
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup olive oil

    Instructions

    Make the pickled red onions

    • Thinly slice ½ of a large red onion. In a small mason jar, add ½ cup of warm water, ½ cup apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved. Add the onion to the mason jar and put the lid on tightly. Give it a little shake. Place in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.
    • Wash the large kale leaves and dry them. Rip them into smaller pieces, off the tough stem. Place in a large bowl and drizzle some olive oil over them. Massage the kale leaves with your hands until coated with the olive oil. Let sit for about 10 minutes while you do the rest of the salad.

    Make the salad dressing

    • Combine dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice and salt in a large bowl with a whisk until combined. Then slowly pour the olive in as a steady stream, whisking quickly to combine.
    • Add massaged kale, spinach, pickled red onion, dried cranberries and chopped almonds to the same large bowl that you made the dressing in.
    • Toss everything together to combine well.
    • Serve immediately.

    Notes

    Best if eaten the same day.
    Make ahead tip: make the simple pickled red onion the night before.

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