Some people love kale salads, while others aren't as fond, but this crunchy kale salad recipe might just change your mind. Packed with crunchy extras like cashews, wonton strips, and toasted coconut, this salad is sure to leave you craving more. It's simple to prepare and makes for a great quick lunch or dinner side.
Toasted coconut might be one of my favorite foods. There is something about giving large coconut flakes a quick toast in a dry pan that enhances there sweetness, nuttiness, and crunch. It is so easy to do too! Simply heat a pan to medium heat, add some coconut flakes and toss them around for a couple of minutes until golden brown and delicious!
I like to use a really easy greek yogurt based dressing. It has lemon juice, salt, and just a pinch of cayenne pepper. It is perfectly creamy and brings together all of the sweet and crunchy ingredients in this easy kale salad.
This recipe is vegetarian, but you can make it vegan by using cashew milk yogurt or vegan mayo. You can substitute the wonton strips for tortilla strips for a gluten-free version.
If you're looking for other healthy recipes, try this cucumber beetroot salad for a similar sweet and crunchy flavor, or this tahini kale salad with curly kale and a sweet tahini-based dressing.
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
- Lacinato Kale: For this recipe, you'll need lacinato kale, which is smoother and less bitter than curly kale, making it perfect for salads.
- Toasted Coconut Flakes: Toasted coconut flakes add a unique sweetness and nuttiness
- Green Apple: Diced green apple brings a sweet and tart flavor that pairs well with any salad greens.
- Crunchy Stuff: Feel free to customize your salad with your favorite crunchy ingredients, like roasted peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, or shredded cabbage.
Find the complete ingredient list below.
Instructions
- Toasting Coconut:
- Heat a big frying pan on medium heat.
- Put in the coconut flakes and cook them until they're light brown (about 2-3 minutes). Stir often so they don't burn.
- Preparing the Kale:
- In a big bowl, mix together half of the lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, and half of the salt.
- Add the chopped kale and rub the dressing into the leaves. Let it sit for 15 minutes while you do the rest. This makes the kale softer.
- Creamy Dressing:
- In a small bowl, mix Greek yogurt, the rest of the lemon juice and salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper until it's creamy. You can add a little water to make it easier to pour.
- Making the Salad:
- Put chopped apple, cashews, wonton strips, and toasted coconut in the bowl with the kale.
- Gently mix everything together and drizzle the creamy dressing on top before serving.
Substitutions
- If you prefer to use unrefined sugar, you can swap out equally amounts of maple syrup or honey with the white sugar.
- Instead of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar will also work.
- The addition of dried cranberries is also great in the kale crunch salad! They add to the sweet flavors along with the green apple chunks!
Equipment
All you need is a fry pan for toasted the coconut, a large mixing bowl, and a sharp knife.
Storage
Another great thing about kale salads, is that they stay fresh in the fridge for about 2-3 days after dressing. Because the leaves are tougher than most salad greens that get soggy as fast. Although some of crunchy ingredients in this recipe might get soft in the fridge it is still good for a few days after making.
Top Tip
When making any kale salad, massage the dressing into the kale and let sit for 10-15 minutes before throwing the rest of the ingredients in there. This allows the dressing to soak into the kale and helps tenderize the tough leafy greens.
FAQs
The best way to soften kale when using raw in a salad is to massage it with the dressing and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. This helps tenderize the tough leafy greens and infuses more flavor into the kale.
If you find kale too bitter when raw, try lacinato or dino kale is a common variety that is less bitter than standard curly kale. Also using a slightly sweet dressing will also balance out the bitterness in kale, I often add a little more sugar or sweetener to my dressing for kale salad.
Lots of things! For this recipe I like to pair sweet and crunchy elements like green apple, toasted coconut, cashews, and wonton strips.
Similar Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Crunchy Kale Salad with Toasted Coconut
Nutrition
Ingredients
- ½ cup large coconut flakes
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice (divided, from 1 large lemon)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 bunch dino kale (or lacinato kale, cut into bite sized pieces)
- 3 tablespoon greek yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit for no spice)
- 1 green tart apple (such as granny smith, cored and diced)
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup wonton strips
Instructions
Toasted Coconut
- Heat a large fry pan to medium heat. Add the coconut flakes and dry toast until they turn light brown, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning.
Prep the Kale
- In a large bowl, add half of the lemon juice, the olive oil, sugar, and half of the salt. Vigorously stir together with a spoon or whisk.
- Then, add the chopped kale and the massage the dressing into the greens. Let it rest for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad. This helps tenderize the kale.
Creamy Dressing
- In a small bowl combine the greek yogurt, the remaining lemon juice and salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix until creamy. You can add a splash of water to make the dressing easier to pour.
Make the Salad
- Add the chopped apple, cashews, wonton strips, and toasted coconut to the bowl with the kale. Lightly toss and serve with the creamy dressing drizzled on top.
Video
Did you make this crunchy kale salad? Rate the recipe above!
Follow Redwood Kitchen on social media!
If you like this recipe be sure to comment or subscribe below.
Food Safety
- Cook meat to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Leave a Reply