Kale Avocado Salad

Kale Avocado Salad is packed with flavor—kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, sunflower seeds, croutons, and Parmesan, all tossed in an avocado-lemon dressing.

Kale Avocado Salad

I’ve been buying kale instead of lettuce since it lasts longer and helps stretch time between grocery trips. It’s been great for tossing into salads—like Kale Couscous Salad with leftover veggies or Kale Quinoa Salad.

One night, I wanted a more classic, veggie-loaded salad to go with Stuffed Shells and use up some ripe avocados. That’s how this Kale Avocado Salad came about. I made it almost every night last week—and even my pickiest eater is now a kale fan!

Preparing The Kale

If you don’t love kale—I get it, I didn’t either! But the right toppings, a tasty dressing, and one easy trick can change everything.

The trick? Massage the kale. It might sound weird, but it really works.

Here’s how:

• Cut out the thick stems and slice the kale into thin strips.
• Rinse it in a colander or the base of a salad spinner.
• Sprinkle with a little salt, then rub it in with your hands for about a minute, until the kale turns darker green.
• Rinse again and let it dry all the way—if it’s wet, the dressing won’t stick.

Massaging the leaves makes them softer and takes away the bitter taste. It really makes all the difference!

Dressing

This dressing mixes a few favorite recipes from here and here—it’s tangy, creamy, a little sweet, and goes great with kale. Lemon adds a fresh flavor, Dijon mustard gives it some tang and thickness, and avocado makes it extra creamy.

Just toss everything in a blender and mix until smooth. I like to chill it for at least 20 minutes, but you can make it a few hours ahead.

Because of the avocado, try not to make it more than 6 hours early—it can start to turn brown.

Homemade Croutons

Making your own croutons is super easy—but store-bought works great too (I’ve used and loved both!).

To keep this Kale Avocado Salad simple, I just tear up day-old rolls and toast them—no oil, butter, or seasoning needed. It doesn’t get much easier.

I usually use crusty bread like sourdough or ciabatta, but any bread works. Softer or fresher bread just needs more time in the oven.

Serve This Kale Avocado Salad As A Main Dish

This salad is surprisingly filling and can easily pass as a main dish with a little protein added in. Here are some of our favorite additions:

• Chicken: Any leftover cooked chicken works fine; I’m partial to leftover grilled chicken from this Chicken Marinade recipe.
• Hard-boiled eggs: I use this Deviled Egg Recipe as a guide to cooking hard-boiled eggs; once cooked, chop them up and add them in.
• Grains: Cook up quinoa, barley, farro, or even some lentils and, once cooled, toss them in the salad for a protein boost.

Possible Variations

• Swap out the greens: Even though this is a kale salad, you can swap out the kale for baby spinach or romaine lettuce.
• Try a different dressing: Not a fan of avocado? I’d recommend a Caesar salad-type dressing instead. If you’re looking to grab a store-bought dressing, I do like Marzetti’s® Caesar Salad Dressing (not sponsored).

Kale Avocado Salad Tips

• I recommend using roasted, salted sunflower seeds; the saltiness of these seeds adds the perfect seasoning to this salad.
• Grate Parmesan with a microplane; I like grating the cheese over the salad using a microplane. Finely shredded Parmesan integrates into the salad (and every bite) better.
• Chill kale and dressing; if you have the time, chill the dressing and the washed (and dried) kale for 20-30 minutes before making the rest of the salad.
• Salad storage: Because of the avocado, croutons, and sunflower seeds, this salad doesn’t sit well once dressed (avocado will brown, croutons and seeds will get soggy). This Kale Avocado Salad is best enjoyed the same day it is made, so I’d recommend halving the recipe if you don’t need this much, rather than trying to save the leftovers.

Make Ahead

• The dressing can be blended and kept in the refrigerator up to 6 hours in advance. I like to store it in the blender jar with the lid and then give it one more blitz before pouring it over the salad.
• The kale can be prepared 5 to 6 hours in advance and so can all the veggies; store kale and veggies together, covered in the fridge. I wouldn’t recommend cutting the avocado in advance, since it will brown.
• Grate the cheese, bake the croutons, and measure out the sunflower seeds up to a day in advance; just store these all separately.
• Toss everything together just before eating.

More Healthy Salads

• Quinoa Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
• Pesto Chicken Salad served on croissants
• Apple Salad with an apple cider vinaigrette
• Olive Garden Salad with an Italian-inspired dressing
• Panzanella Salad with a balsamic dressing