This delicious kale salad with zesty lemon dressing is an easy salad that can be enjoyed as a side dish or a light meal for lunch and dinner when combined with these protein-packed Air Fryer Chickpeas!
Healthy eating couldn't be easier when including hearty kale and other fresh produce in this type of side salad. Top this delicious salad with nuts and seeds, dried fruit, and cheese!
⭐ Looking for more hearty salad recipes? Try our Cobb Salad, Avocado Chickpea Salad, or Mediterranean Salmon Salad.
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Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
Kale Salad
- Kale - Wash and rinse the kale to remove any remaining dirt from the leaves. I’ve used curly kale, but you could also use another type of kale, such as Lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan kale and Dinosaur kale).
- Olive oil - good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon - or lime juice, or orange.
- Salt and black pepper
- Lemon juice - Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Carrot - Julienned (sliced into thin strips).
- Bell pepper - I’ve used thinly sliced red bell pepper. You could also use green or yellow bell pepper in this salad.
- Crispy chickpeas - Check out my Easy Air Fryer Chickpeas recipe to learn how to make delicious crispy chickpeas.
Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Tahini - You can buy Tahini paste or make it from home yourself.
- Honey - Maple syrup is a good alternative.
- Mustard - I’ve used dijon mustard for this dressing.
- Lemon juice - Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Olive oil - I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil.
- Pinch of salt
- Black Pepper - I’ve used lemon pepper
For Serving
- Dried cranberries - Consider adding other fruit (dried or fresh). Honeycrisp apples provide sweetness to this delicious
- Hemp seeds - You can also use sunflower seeds.
- Crushed pecans
- Salty parmesan cheese shavings - Goat cheese is another get cheese topping for this Tuscan kale salad.
Instructions
Make my recipe for air fryer chickpeas. You’ll need half of the recipe.
In a large bowl combine kale, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoon olive oil.
Massage the kale for 5 minutes. Arrange the kale in serving bowl. Set aside.
Combine tahini dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until creamy. Let flavors marinate for 10 minutes in the fridge.
Transfer kale to serving bowl/platter and add carrots, bell peppers, chickpeas.
Drizzle with tahini dressing and top with pecans, cranberries, hemp seeds, parmesan.
You can leave it as is or toss the kale in tahini dressing before serving. Enjoy!
Recommended Equipment
- Salad dressing whisk and small bowls or jars
- Julienne slicer or Mandoline - for carrots
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight Food containers
- Mixing Bowls
- Air Fryer Cosori - mine is 5.8 quart
- Air Fryer Basket Liner
Tips
- Always choose fresh kale with firm and crispy leaves. Kale with wilted or yellow leaves should be avoided; otherwise, the overall taste and texture of the salad will be negatively affected.
- I’ve air fried my chickpeas for a crispy exterior. You can also roast the chickpeas by coating them in oil and seasoning and then spreading them on a baking sheet to bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- Additional topping options include creamy avocado, crispy bacon, black beans, fresh fruit, and crumbled feta cheese.
- Allowing the salad to sit for a few minutes is a great way to allow all the flavors to blend.
- Other salad ingredients for this raw kale salad could include red cabbage, Granny Smith sweet apple, and red onion.
📋 JULIA'S TIP Kale is naturally tough and bitter. You could massage the leaves gently to break down the fibers and soften the leaves.
Is raw kale good for salads?
Absolutely! Raw kale is considered a superfood with many health benefits. Kale provides various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. While kale is naturally bitter in taste and tough in texture, those attributes can be “softened” by massaging the leaves with olive oil or lemon juice before adding it to the rest of the salad ingredients.
Storing Instructions
This salad will taste fresh and juicy once made. I don't recommend storing in for later.
FAQs
Tahini dressing is made from tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds, lemon juice, seasoning, oil, aromatics such as garlic, and other ingredients that will enhance the flavor of the dressing, such as honey and mustard.
This easy kale salad can be made less bitter by gently massing the kale leaves, removing the kale stems from the leaves, and combining the kale with ingredients such as olive oil, garlic, and salt. The lemon tahini dressing in this recipe also includes honey which adds sweetness to offset the potential bitterness from the kale.
This type of salad can last in the fridge for 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container. Just like most green salads, this kale salad includes ingredients that can start to wilt or become soggy the longer the salad is stored.
Easy Kale Recipes
For more sides hop on to our Salad recipe archives.
💗I hope you'll enjoy this easy kale salad recipe, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations! 💗
Happy Cooking,
Love,
Julia
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Recipe
Chickpea Kale Salad Recipe With Lemon Tahini Dressing
INGREDIENTS
Kale Salad
- 6 oz curly kale (about 5-6 cups, washed, rinsed )
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ½ cup carrot ( julienned)
- ¼ cup red bell pepper (sliced thin)
- 1 ½ cup crispy chickpeas
Lemon Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- salt
- black pepper (I used lemon pepper)
For Serving
- 1 ½ tablespoon dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoon crushed pecans
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shavings (or nutritional yeast, optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make my recipe for air fryer chickpeas. You’ll need half of the recipe.
- In a large bowl combine kale, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoon olive oil. Massage the kale for 5 minutes. Arrange the kale in serving bowl. Set aside.
- Combine tahini dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until creamy. Let flavors marinate for 10 minutes in the fridge.
- Transfer kale to serving bowl/platter and add carrots, bell peppers, chickpeas.
- Drizzle with tahini dressing and top with pecans, cranberries, hemp seeds, parmesan.
- You can leave it as is or toss the kale in tahini dressing before serving. Enjoy!
NOTES
- Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
- Always choose fresh kale with firm and crispy leaves. Kale with wilted or yellow leaves should be avoided; otherwise, the overall taste and texture of the salad will be negatively affected.
- Kale is naturally tough and bitter. You could massage the leaves gently to break down the fibers and soften the leaves.
- How do you make kale salad less bitter? This easy kale salad can be made less bitter by gently massing the kale leaves, removing the kale stems from the leaves, and combining the kale with ingredients such as olive oil, garlic, and salt.
- The lemon tahini dressing in this recipe also includes honey which adds sweetness to offset the potential bitterness from the kale.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Enjoy a delicious crunchy salad with fresh kale, roasted chickpeas, nuts and cranberries.