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Kale Apple Slaw Recipe

This kale apple slaw is a delicious fall side or main salad. It’s a gorgeous mixture of lacinato kale, crunchy apples, pecans, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing. This kale and apple slaw is ready in just 10 minutes and can easily be made-ahead, thanks to sturdy kale. Make my kale apple salad recipe with just 8 basic ingredients, you probably already have most of them.

I blame my time in Los Angeles for my love of kale salads and if you’re anything like me, you love them too! Be sure to try my lemon kale salad or kale pomegranate salad next. They are both perfect for holiday flavors or weekday meals.

Kale and apple slaw tossed with salad tongs

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

What Is Kale Apple Slaw?

This kale salad with apples and pecans is a delicious and nutritious salad that is made with crisp kale, crunchy apples, pecans, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing.

Serve it alongside dinner for a simple side, or serve it as a main salad by adding some protein in the form of chicken, tofu or tempeh, garbanzo beans, or air fryer tilapia.

What You’ll Love About Kale Apple Slaw

  • Sweet, savory, and crunchy flavors
  • A delicious side for any meal
  • Made with nutritious ingredients
  • Looks gorgeous with deep green colors
  • Made with 8 basic ingredients you can find at any grocery store
  • Easy to prep-ahead

Kale Apple Salad Recipe Ingredients

This recipe for kale salad with apples is made with just 8 basic ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • Apple cider vinegar – This gives the apple kale salad dressing another layer of zippy apple flavor, but you could also use white balsamic vinegar.
  • Maple syrup – You can also use honey to sweeten the dressing.
  • Shallots – A staple in my homemade dressings, it adds such great flavor.
  • Dijon mustard
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • Lacinato kale – See below for more details on the kale.
  • Apple – Use a sweet apple like honey crisp, a tart variety like a granny smith apple, Fuji apples, or your favorite variety.
  • Pecans – You can also use chopped almonds or chopped walnuts for a apple walnut kale salad.
Ingredients to make kale apple salad recipe

How to Make Kale and Apple Slaw

This salad takes just a few simple steps to make:

  • Mix apple kale salad dressing. Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, shallots, Dijon mustard, and sea salt and black pepper in a jar and shake until emulsified. Alternatively, you can whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Salad dressing for kale apple slaw
  • Prep salad ingredients. Rinse kale and remove kale stems (rib) and thinly slice with a sharp knife. Finely chop apples.
  • Assemble kale apple salad. In a large bowl, toss sliced kale and apples with dressing. Top with pecans and season with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is lacinato kale?

Lacinato kale has a LOT of names. Tuscan kale, Italian kale, dinosaur kale, palm tree kale, etc… It’s a variety of kale that is deep green-blue color and is traditional in Italian cuisine, especially, Tuscany.

It’s known has the “slightly sweeter and more delicate” * version of curly kale. It is sometimes called dinosaur or dino kale because it’s leaves are bumpy.

Is kale slaw good for you?

Yes, this kale slaw is made up of nutritious (and delicious!) ingredients like kale, apple, apple cider vinegar, and pecans. It’s a great source of nutrition with high-quality carbohydrates, fiber, and plenty of vitamins and minerals.

Is kale and apple salad gluten-free?

Yes, this kale and apple salad recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Is this kale apple salad recipe vegan?

Yes, this kale apple salad is also naturally vegan.

Can you add cheese to this kale apple salad recipe?

Yes, while it has plenty of flavor without it, this Wisconsin girl will never turn down cheese. Try grated parmesan cheese, diced cheddar cheese, or goat cheese crumbles.

Kale and apple slaw on a small white plate

Storage Instructions

Store the kale salad with apple cider vinegar in a glass storage container in the refrigerator for up to one day. It’s just as good the next day.

I recommend reserving a little bit of the dressing to drizzle over the leftovers before serving it again.

Can you make the kale and apple salad ahead?

Yes, because kale is so sturdy and hearty, it’s a green that won’t get soggy from the dressing. You can dress the salad ahead if you like, otherwise prep the ingredients and salad dressing and then toss together 30 minutes before serving.

The apples won’t get brown if the salad is dressed, so keep that in mind if you wait to toss everything together.

Kale apple slaw with pecans being poured in

How to Serve Kale Apple Slaw to the Whole Family

I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Before you start telling me your kids won’t eat kale…hear me out! It’s still worth serving it to them. It still counts as an exposure and it can take 20+ exposures before a food is accepted.

Here’s how to serve it. One tiny shred of kale with one little matchstick of apple. Yup, start there (smaller amounts are less overwhelming to young kids and will result in less waste if they don’t eat it) and they can have more if they eat it!

All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.

What to Serve with Kale Apple Salad Recipe

This apple dijon kale salad is a great side dish, here are a few dinner recipes to serve with the salad:

More Easy Salad Recipes

If you like this kale apple salad recipe, you might also like some of these other easy salad recipes:

Menu Plans by My Everyday Table can help you out.

The plan addresses three major issues when it comes to weeknight dinners: having a plan, time, and one family meal

You’ll save time, save money, waste less food, and feel calm when 5pm hits because your dinner is already planned.

Helpful Tools to Make Kale Apple Slaw

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Kale apple slaw on a plate wtih fork

Kale Apple Slaw Recipe

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Description

This kale apple slaw is a flavorful blend of nutritious kale, crunchy apples, + a homemade dressing. Make this kale and apple slaw in 10 min!


Ingredients

Scale

For the dressing

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. minced shallots
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

For the salad:

  • 2 bunch lacinato kale (about 6 cups sliced)
  • 1 medium apple
  • 2 oz. chopped walnuts


Instructions

  1. Make dressing. Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, shallots, sea salt, and black pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Wash and dry kale. Remove stems and thinly slice. (Into really thin ribbons.)
  3. Cut apple into matchstick size pieces.
  4. Toss dressing (reserving a little of the dressing!) with kale and toss together until kale is coated. Let sit for at least 15 minutes if possible.
  5. Toss in apples and nuts over salad and serve. Drizzle with extra dressing if necessary.


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