Dish up this easy kale avocado salad for dinner tonight. This fresh salad is loaded with fresh kale, white beans, sunflower seeds, avocado, drizzled with a lemon dijon dressing. This salad is a vegan and vegetarian dish that the whole family will enjoy.
Crunchy, savory, and a nice kick of citrus flavor in each bite. Are you looking for more plant based meals? I have some great ones for you to consider. Check out these fall vegan recipes or vegetarian salads that you might want to try.
This Kale Avocado Salad Recipe Is...
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten Free
- Nutrient Rich
- Light and Refreshing
How to Make This Kale Avocado Salad
Full steps on how to make this kale avocado salad recipe are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a quick walk through on how the kale salad is made.
- Start off by adding all the ingredients to a bowl or sealed jar. Whisk well or shake to combine.
- Then you will wash and prep your kale and place in a bowl.
- Drizzle kale with salt and oil.
- Then add in the beans, sunflower seeds and season with salt and pepper.
- Top with avocado and serve.
Helpful Tips for Kale Avocado Salad
Massage The Kale
Massaging the kale with the oil is going to help remove some of the bitterness from the kale. I share how to do it in the recipe card below. But I always massage kale, as it enhances the flavor overall.
Avocado
Making sure your avocado is ripe and fresh is important. You will want to make sure that it is bright in color, free of blemishes, and tender when you gently squeeze the avocado.
Variations To Kale Avocado Salad
Spinach
Swap out the kale with fresh spinach leaves if you would like. You will not need to massage the spinach the way you would kale leaves.
White Beans
There are a variety of white beans for you to use. Chickpeas would be a twist of flavor and texture, or even a different type of white beans will work.
Pumpkin Seeds
Swap out the sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds if you would like. It is delicious and so easy to swap out. This is a great pairing to all the flavors.
Kale Avocado Salad FAQs
Is it better to eat kale raw or cooked?
Raw kale is been shown to be more beneficial nutrient wise than cooking it. You will find that even if you do cook the kale it is still nutrient rich.
How to store leftover salad?
Go right ahead and store the leftover salad in the fridge for 1-2 days. The avocado will spoil first, as it will brown as it sits in the fridge. The lemon juice will help in the browning process.
What's the benefits of avocado?
Avocados are loaded with vitamins and minerals. You will find avocados have magnesium, potassium, vitamins C, K, E, B6 and so much more. This green goddess is incredible to incorporate into your diet.
Kale Avocado Salad (with Lemon Dijon Dressing!)
Ingredients
- 5 cups kale de-stemmed and shredded or thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 15 oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 avocado sliced for serving
For the Dressing
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup can use honey or agave syrup as substitute
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients together in a bowl
- Mix until combined and set aside until ready to serve.
- Wash and dry the kale. Add it to a large bowl.
- Drizzle the kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Take your hands and massage the kale for a couple of minutes. This will release the bitterness that kale can have.
- Make the salad: pour the dressing over the kale, followed by white beans, sunflower seeds, salt, and black pepper. Toss the salad.
- Add sliced avocado on top and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t like kale you can replace it with spinach, romaine, spring mix, and butter lettuce. Any lettuce will work with this recipe.
- Some optional add-ins: tomatoes, radishes, croutons, beets, shredded carrots, bacon crumbles, or nuts.
- This recipe is inspired by the famous kale salad at Erewhon Market in Los Angeles.
- You can make the salad in advance but do not toss in the dressing until ready to serve. Otherwise, the kale can get soggy.
- To make this salad for meal prep: you can prepare the kale, white beans, and dressing in advance. Wash and dry the kale. Massage with olive oil and salt. Add the kale to an airtight container and place it in the fridge or until ready to use.
- Drain and rinse the white beans. Pour the beans into an airtight container and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make the dressing and store that in the fridge for up to 4 days. Do not cut the avocado slices until you’re ready to serve.
- I have tried using stone-ground mustard instead of Dijon in the dressing and it was delicious. This recipe is versatile.
What Do You Think?