The Ultimate Kale Salad with Creamy-Lemon Tahini Dressing is one of the best kale salads I’ve ever had – it’s loaded to the brim with toasted quinoa, dried cranberries, shaved parmesan cheese, sliced almonds, and tossed in a creamy tahini-lemon-garlic dressing, that will knock your socks off. This is one salad that’s pretty addicting, and perfect to enjoy for lunch or dinner, all year round.
So, @kalejunkie is finally sharing a kale recipe? What’s up with that!?!
I get this question all the time. People want to know why my Instagram handle / blog is named KALEJUNKIE, when there’s hardly any kale. Instead, my blog is filled with mostly sweet treats and a few savory dishes, none of which have kale in them. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to tell you why!
I started my Instagram account over 5 years ago, while I was on maternity leave. I was healing from a 15 + year eating disorder that I successfully hid from everyone. At the time, I felt stuck in my career as an Employment Defense Lawyer. I was miserable in so many areas of my life—and my definition of “healthy” was a diet consisting solely of kale salads, green juice, foods with few carbs, and to be honest, that’s pretty much it—and so, the name KALEJUNKIE was born, and I was actually pretty proud of it.
But over time, my relationship with food began to shift. I learned to stop restricting food, and instead gave myself permission to enjoy all food, including yummy desserts. I then very quickly found myself spending hours upon hours in the kitchen, teaching myself how to develop simple, easy recipes. These days, I still love a loaded kale salad (like this one!) and green juice; it’s just that my definition of “healthy” has expanded to encompass more than that – so much more.
People often ask me why I haven’t rebranded and ditched the KALEJUNKIE name. The reason I won’t rebrand is because I always want to remember my journey. I think that too often we run from our past as we propel ourselves forward. For me, my struggle is my strength, and the name KALEJUNKIE serves as a powerful reminder of that.
But back to this delicious kale salad, because I know that’s really why you are here!
What you need to make the Ultimate Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini-Lemon Dressing
To make this salad, you need the following:
- Kale: You can use any kale variety you like, but I always recommend Dino (Lacinato) kale for this recipe. Curly kale will also work nicely. I always tear the kale leaves away from the stem, because the stem is bitter and I don’t use it in the salad. But if you enjoy it, by all means, feel free to include it. I also recommend chopping the kale thin; this will help the kale get nice and soft.
- Quinoa: In this recipe, we will be toasting the quinoa in the pot before cooking it. The reason for this, is because it gives the quinoa a nice, toasty flavor. However, if you are in a hurry, feel free to skip this step and move on.
- Dried cranberries: I think the dried cranberries really make this recipe so special, and that’s because the salad is full of savory ingredients, but adding the tanginess of dried cranberries takes this to another level. I always make sure that my dried cranberries don’t contain any added sugars; but fruit-juiced sweetened is okay! Here’s a great brand!
- Shaved parmesan cheese: If you are dairy-free, you can leave out the cheese. But if you aren’t, I think it’s worth hitting up the grocery store and purchasing a fresh block of parmesan, just for this recipe. You will thank me later.
- Sliced almonds: Sliced almonds are super easy to find at the grocery store. If you want to omit them, you can, and if you prefer to use whole or crushed almonds, feel free to play around. The one thing I do suggest, is to toast the almonds! I have added this step in the Notes section of the recipe card. This just gives the almonds extra flavor, which in turn will make the salad even better. But if you are short on time, skip it!
- Lemon juice: I recommend using a lemon, vs lemon from concentrate. It just tastes better!
- Olive oil: This is one of those recipes, where you can taste the quality of the olive oil that you use. So if you have a nice bottle, bust it out and use it in this recipe. Your dressing will be out of this world. But again, just use what you have, it will still be amazing.
- Tahini: By now, everyone that follows me knows that I have a mild obsession with tahini. It’s the star ingredient in my most popular recipe, my Life Changing Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, which, if you haven’t made them yet, you are missing out on life. But anyway, you can find tahini at any grocery store these days, but this is the brand that I love most and recommend.
- Honey: Honey adds a nice sweetness to go along with the tanginess of the lemon and red wine vinegar.
- Red wine vinegar: I love the flavor of red wine vinegar, so if you have it on hand, make sure to use it!
- Garlic: I love to use fresh garlic and mash it. It’s much more flavorful than using garlic powder, but if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, then use 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Salt & Pepper: Because obviously, you need salt and pepper!
How to make this ultimate kale salad
This salad is really easy to make; it just entails a few steps! The first thing you need to do is toast the quinoa in a sauce pan, before cooking the quinoa. This really helps enhance the flavor of the quinoa, giving it a rich nuttiness. I always rinse and dry the quinoa completely before doing this, but if you are short on time and don’t feel like toasting the quinoa, you can just skip that step. Instead, prepare the quinoa on the stove like you normally would. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the salad dressing. All you have to do is add the dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend/process until the dressing is nice and creamy. Taste the dressing and adjust any seasonings as needed. If it’s too thick, add a touch of water.
The next step is to chop the kale. I suggest ripping the kale off and leaving the stem behind. The stem is super bitter. Once you have the kale pulled off, fold it together tightly like a cigar, and slice it thin. This is just an easy way to chop kale! Then transfer it to a large bowl, add some sea salt, and use your hands to massage the kale. Like really massage the kale good. This will help soften the leaves and make it easier to digest.
The last step, before you assemble the salad, is to toast the sliced almonds. This is an optional step, but again, a step that takes like 5 minutes, and will really bring out the flavors in the almonds. Short on time? Skip it.
Last, assemble the salad! Add the dressing, cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, shaved parmesan and toasted almonds, and toss to coat well. Then you dig in and enjoy!
Pro tip for making this salad
The best tip I can give you for making this salad the best kale salad of your life, it to really massage that kale. Get your hands in there and rub it with the salt, and once the dressing is on there, get those hands back in there and coat all the pieces with the dressing. You will thank me!
And if you’re looking for more kale salad recipes to try, especially now that you know how to make the best kale EVER 😉 then you have to try my Copycat Hillstone Emerald Kale Salad or my Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing. They are some of my favorite kale salad recipes – aside from this one, of course!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And, since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations so I can repost on my IG stories!
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 bunches of the Dino kale
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed, drained, and dried
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese
- ½ cup sliced almonds, plus extra for topping
Dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, mashed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa. In a medium pot, add the rinsed and dried quinoa. Mix it around until it gets nice and toasted, which is about 6 minutes or so. You might hear some popping noise and it smells good.
- Next, add the water. Give everything a stir.
- Cover, reduce heat to low, and set timer for 18 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, carefully remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
- Next, it’s time to prepare the salad dressing. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend/process everything together until creamy.
- After you make the dressing, prepare the kale.
- The best way to do this, is to remove the kale from the stems (the stems are bitter, so throw that away). Then fold up the kale tightly, and chop it pretty thin, about ¼-½ inch pieces.
- Add the kale to a large bowl. Then add a pinch of salt and use your hands to massage the kale VERY WELL, until the leaves begin to wilt; this will help the kale soften.
- Last, add the dressing, the cooked quinoa, cranberries, and toasted almond slices. Toss everything well and plate!
- Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and extra toasted almonds!
Recipe In Action
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What others are saying
This recipe sounds amazing! I love kale salads and the addition of toasted quinoa, dried cranberries, parmesan cheese, and almonds sounds like the perfect combination. I also appreciate the personal story shared in the post about the evolution of your relationship with food and the inspiration behind your Instagram handle/blog name. I will definitely be trying this recipe out soon and can’t wait to taste the delicious tahini-lemon-garlic dressing. Thanks for sharing!
Rodney, I am so thrilled that you loved this recipe, and this post! Thank you so much for your support, and for leaving such a kind review!
This recipe is perfection! I can’t stop eating it. I subbed sunflower seeds instead of almonds because of a nut allergy.
Yum! Sunflower seeds sounds like a great substitution in this recipe, Katherine! Thank you so much for making this recipe, and for leaving such a kind review!
I made the dressing with a distilled white vinegar sub. – missed the blender/food processor step. I mixed it just with a fork, so it did not get that creaminess. To make this recipe more idiot-proof, I’ll include ‘Dressing (in blender/food processor):’ as the heading rather than ‘Dressing:’. Of course, most read instructions!!! 🙂 Mine was a bit too salty and could have used a bit more tahini; not sure if blending would impact these features. I expect the tahini will be more present once blended and the garlic will be more evenly distributed. Fortunately I can blend the rest of mine, since I set it in a jar in the fridge. I’ll use it with some spinach too. If using this dressing with dried cranberries and unseasoned quinoa, that may indeed balance the salt.
I’d rate this recipe even higher if it instructed users to set aside (conserve rather than trash) kale ribs for other use (good food: add into soup/stew/chili/curry/stir-fry) or to chop fine and include raw in this dish or even cook in the quinoa.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Monika ☻ I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I love kale salads, and this was very tasty, except that my dressing came out more like a mayonnaise… It was very thick and not pourable. What do you think I did wrong? The tahini I use is a pourable tahini so I don’t think it was that.
Hi Kim, oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that! Did you follow the dressing recipe exactly?
I have made this recipe at least a dozen times!! It is a go to! I typically substitute fresh golden berries for the craisins but both ways are delicious.
For the users who say the dressing gets very thick, just thin it down with water. That is caused by blending on high speeds. Tahini thickens quickly when blended
That is a wonderful tip, Renee! Thank you so much for sharing, and for making this recipe!
I made this for the first time in a while tonight, and I forgot how amazing this salad is. That dressing is just magical. Definitely bringing this back to the regular rotation. I’ve been making your recipes for years, and they never disappoint!
YAY! Colleen, thank you so much for all of your support over the years. It truly means so much to me and I am so grateful to have you as part of our community!
My dressing also came out thick . I did use EVOO instead ? Could that have made a difference
Hi Diane! It was likely your tahini. Try using a little less tahini if yours is on the thicker side (I usually use a more liquid-y tahini) ☻
I know my kale. I know how to do great things with kale and I love kale every which way. But this! This was hands-down the best kale salad I ever had at any time, in any restaurant, even better than my own and that’s hard to admit! 🙂 Even more phenomenal is your beautiful way of telling people to substitute or leave out or add in anything desired. WONDERFUL! I didn’t have time to make and cool quinoa, so I used brown rice that was already in the fridge. I didn’t have time to toast almonds, didn’t have sliced almonds, took some whole almonds and chopped them with my sharp knife on a cutting board. Didn’t have Dino kale, just half Russian kale and half green curly. Left out the parm, on purpose. Added chickpeas for protein and texture. I made the dressing in my Viitamix, didn’t mash the garlic, just threw it in and it was EXCELLENT. Omigosh, I had to share it with two other people who I love dearly but I’m making it again just for myself TODAY. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Stacy, this review totally made my day! Thank you so much for leaving such a detailed review, it’s so valuable to me and really helps other people find this recipe too! I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe so much. ☻
The salad is good. The dressing is where it’s really at. First few times I made this, I started quadrupling the recipe because I ate it so fast. That was too much fiber for my body, and I thought, how can I still enjoy this salad?
So I made the dressing on its own. It is good on everything, from salads to sandwiches to eggs to pineapple and watermelon (so I’m told). I now quadruple the dressing recipe, throw everything in a blender, and have normal dressing-sized bottles of this sauce to use every day. I’ve shared 12-oz bottles of the dressing with friends and shared the recipe with practically everyone I know.
Tiny changes to the dressing recipe make a difference, and the tahini makes or breaks it. I sun maple syrup for honey, and otherwise follow the recipe as written.
Thank you for sharing this!
Autumn, this is an amazing review and I am so grateful! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for taking the time to write such a thorough review!
OBSESSED. Someone brought this to a “Friendsgiving” a couple weeks ago and I have already made it twice since then. Why is this kale salad so good?? I have been telling my brother to try it, but make it just like the recipe says, tahini and all. Yummmmm!
I never make kale salad because I am too lazy to massage kale. But one trick I got from the “Friendsgiving” was to punch the salad instead. Which to me equates to putting it in a mixing bowl and beating it up with a pestle for a few minutes. This hack is helping me eat so much more kale salad!
Wow, Sadiya I am so thrilled to hear that! What a cool way to discover a new recipe. Thank you so much for making it and for leaving such a kind review!
Love this salad <3. The dressing is a go-to during the winter months.
I’m so happy to hear that, Sarah! Thank you so much for your review!
Hi! This is my go to salad for a lot of dishes, especially with company. I’m going to make it tonight for 7 people and wanted to know how many kales u recommend using . Thanks!!
Hi Mariana, I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe.