A delicious Fall Kale Salad, with Brussels sprouts and broccoli, combined with apple, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.
This Fall Kale Salad is one of the things I always look forward to when the Fall season arrives. It bring a delicious Fall spin to the usual salads of Summer. It’s healthy eating that’s perfect for the lunchbox, as a dinner side salad and is also an easy and pretty choice for a Thanksgiving table.
There is a whole lot of goodness going on in this salad, from greens to fruit to seeds, but it also manages to be seriously delicious at the same time. Win. Win!
My salad features Honeycrisp apples, dried cranberries and roasted sunflower seeds, combined with kale, finely chopped Brussels sprouts and broccoli. It’s all topped off with a quick and easy homemade creamy poppy seed dressing. Oh … and I threw in a bit of chopped, cooked bacon, as well, because I had some in the fridge. That’s totally optional though, if you’d prefer to keep your salad vegetarian.
Cook’s Notes for Fall Kale Super Salad
Feel free to substitute honey for the sugar in the dressing or Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise in the same measurements.
This recipe will make one really large, two average sized or four side salads. For feeding a crowd, double or triple the recipe.
You can prepare the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate. The greens can also be chopped and refrigerated ahead. Dress and add the apple, cranberries and sunflower seeds just before serving.
If starting with a bunch of kale, be sure to give your kale a good massage (see below) before adding to the salad. It makes all the difference when using fresh kale in a salad! To make this salad more quickly, start with baby kale (which doesn’t need a massage) or pre-chopped kale.
How and why to massage kale for your salad
Kale is a delicious, healthy green, but can be tough and bitter, especially when it comes to salads. To transform your kale in to salad-ready goodness, simply give it a massage.
To massage kale, simply tear off the leaves, discarding the stem/rib portions and scatter on a cutting board. Add a sprinkling of salt and start rubbing the kale leaves against the cutting board. You’ll notice your kale will shrink and become a darker green and you massage it. You are also releasing the natural sugars in the kale, so to know when you have massaged long enough, just do a quick taste taste shows to test if the bitterness has disappeared.
Fall Kale and Apple Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale chopped and massaged, as needed
- 6-8 Brussels sprouts finely chopped
- 3-4 florets broccoli finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds/pepitas)
- 1 medium apple cored and diced
- 1 slice bacon cooked and chopped (optional)
Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing:
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar or honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- Pinch salt/pepper
Instructions
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Make poppy seed dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Whisk or shake vigorously until combined and creamy. Refrigerate if not using right away.
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For the salad: Prepare greens. For the kale, remove leaves from stem. Discard stem (it's very bitter!). Chop kale leaves in to bite-sized pieces and scatter on a cutting board. Sprinkle with a little salt and rub/massage the kale for a minute or so, until it softens and darkens. Add kale to large bowl. For the Brussels sprouts, remove bottom 1/3 of sprout. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice sprout, turning it on to the flat side after a few slices and continuing to slice until it's all sliced. Add to the bowl with the kale. For the broccoli, remove several florets and finely chop both the flower ends and the stalk. Add to the bowl.
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Add the dried cranberries and roasted sunflower seeds to the bowl. Dice apple (I don't peeand add to the bowl. Drizzle some of the salad dressing over the salad and toss. Add more dressing as needed.
Adding to my fall salad list for sure Jennifer! Such a great combination of ingredients!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
This is a win-win!! Love the colors, crunch and flavors! Pinned!
Thanks Annie :)
Beautiful salad! I’ve got a kale and apple salad, but my dressing is more of a vinaigrette than a creamy one – have to try yours next time ;) Love all the goodness packed in here, especially the addition of bacon :) Perfect for lunch today!
Thanks Dawn!
I love hearty, healthy fall salads like this! What’s not to love!?
Thanks Chris :)
I bet there’s some terrific textures going on in this salad! Seeds and fruit and all that lovely kale. It works perfectly for the holiday table! I know you must be looking forward to Thanksgiving – hope you enjoy some special time with family.
Thanks so much, Tricia :)
I love the tip on massaging the kale! This salad looks fabulous and will make an excellent side to so many Fall roasts!
Thanks Milena!
Great salad and the vegetable pairings complimented each other. I used fresh baby kale and it did not need the additional prep as it was tender and not bitter. Substituted pomegranate seeds for the cranberries and added a nice texture as you had the pop of the berries that added a little tartness.
So glad you enjoyed it, Cathy! The pomegranate would be lovely in this salad :)
This is gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Jennifer :)
That salad looks so perfectly crunchy, fresh and delicious, and another way to eat kale, just fabulous!
Thanks so much, Anna :)
Are you using regular kale or tuscan kale, or does it matter? This seems to be a great dish for our warm falls in Tucson.
Hi Vicki, I don’t think it matters. I like tuscan or sometimes I use the baby kale. I think as long as you give it a good massage to soften it up, it will be great.
just stumbled onto your blog today for the first time . . and it’s lovely! I can’t seem to leave. . gorgeous gorgeous salad. . and yes, massage that kale! :) I think homemade salads are the best.
Thanks so much, Alice :)
Jennifer, this is absolutely everything I crave during fall in one gorgeous salad! It is also especially appealing after a weekend of indulgence :) What a bowl of awesome!
Thanks so much, Amy. This is a salad that manages to marry good and good for you!
This fall salad is perfect! Pinned :)
Thanks so much, Marla and thanks for pinning!
Oh yum! I only recently had my very first massaged kale salad, and it was so good! It was nice to have kale in a form other than kale chips or sauteed greens. I’m glad I came across this salad, since I was looking for all kinds of massaged / raw kale recipes.
You’ll love this one then, Kate. Lots of great flavours and textures!
WOW! This salad is gorgeous! I love all the ingredients and flavor combos, definitely going to have to try this one out!
Thanks Phi. Really delicious. You’d love this one!
What an amazing salad, all my favorite greens in one dish!
Thanks Cheri. A delicious way to eat greens :)
You totally had me at brussels sprouts and bacon! This definitely sounds like a super salad to me, and very well timed…I’ve been trying to get more into kale. Beautiful photos too! :-)
Thanks so much, Karen. Truth be told, I’m not really a huge cooked brussels sprouts fan, but I love them raw!
This salad made my stomach growl! So perfect for that summer/fall transition
Thanks Jessica. And yes, it’s perfect for the still warmish days of early Fall.
What a beautiful salad! Never thought of adding brussels sprouts, but it sounds great. Can’t wait to try this.
Thanks Carrie. Raw brussels sprouts taste just like cabbage really (to me, anyway), so it adds a nice flavour to the salad. And I don’t have a huge cabbage kicking around my fridge for weeks ;)
Definitely my kind of salad! So much goodness in here!
Thanks Katrina!
Gorgeous fall salad! I’m all about texture when it comes to salads and you have plenty of that here! :)
Thanks Laura. Yes, this one has a wealth of textures and flavours, for sure!
How amazing is this salad! Loving all the fresh flavours and vibrant colours. I definitely will be recreating the recipe and adding the bacon. Pinned!
Thanks Thalia. You’ll love this salad. It’s a bit addicting (had to make more for lunch today ;) Thanks for pinning!
I love kale salads and this looks fantastic Jennifer! Love the addition of crunchy apples!
Thanks so much, Millie. Apples are so nice this time of year. Couldn’t resist adding some :)
This salad is so beautiful Jennifer! It’s a work of art. Your pictures are fabulous! And it’s everything that I’m craving right now. Can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks Liz :) I loved this salad. There’s something magical about food that tastes so good AND is pretty good for you, too!