Apple, Sweet Potato & Kale Quinoa Salad

If you’re craving a cozy, harvest-inspired meal, this kale quinoa salad with sweet potato and apple delivers on all the fall feels in one large bowl. With massaged kale, nutty quinoa, crisp apples, cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes, crunchy pistachios, and the perfect maple-balsamic dressing — this is a salad you’ll want to make again and again this fall.

It does have a few separate cooking components (quinoa, cinnamon roasted sweet potato, and homemade dressing), but every component is worth the effort. Trust me — the payoff is worth it. This is a fantastic option for lunch, dinner, or even a showstopping Thanksgiving side. Your family or guests will be raving about this gluten-free, vegetarian, and dairy-free side dish.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

Confession: this salad was inspired by the Sweet Greens Harvest Salad, and while that was part of the inspiration, we elevated this salad to the best version of itself. This kale quinoa salad is honestly even better than imagined, because the dressing is truly incredible, and the salad is so customizable! It’s perfect to all fall long – prep it now adn enjoy it for dinner or lunch. I love using kale here because you can dress it in advance better than most salad options, and it’ll be delicious hours (or a day or two) later.

Why This Kale Quinoa Salad Works So Well

Ingredients Needed

• Chopped Kale: I like using dinosaur kale! I remove the ribs/stems and chop them finely. Don’t forget to massage your kale (more on that in the notes)! Dinosaur kale, also known as lacinato kale or Tuscan kale, is less tough, in my opinion! For the best type of kale, it’s always my first choice. You can also use curly kale; however, it is a bit tougher.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: For massaging your kale!
• Lemon Juice: Just a squeeze if you have it. Also for massaging your kale. See more on this below!
• Sea Salt: Want restaurant-quality salads? Salt your greens, always!
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes: My go-to recipe, which I make weekly to keep in the fridge, is my Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Cinnamon and sweet potatoes are the ultimate combination, and they are undoubtedly worthy of this salad!
• Cooked Quinoa: A protein powerhouse, quinoa is really delicious in a salad! Did you know I have a whole guide with all the best ways to cook quinoa? I like to prep it ahead of time, so it’s cooled down for this salad! More on this below!
• Apple: Any variety you like will work great here! Pears would be delicious, too.
• Pistachios: You can buy them raw and shelled, and they are incredibly delicious. They add a great crunch! They’re also fiber-packed and protein-packed, and are a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids. Of course, you can substitute a different nut, such as sliced or slivered almonds, toasted pecans, or walnuts.

The BEST Maple Balsamic Dressing: It’s truly the best, creamy, and easy dressing you’ll make this season! Made up quickly with avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt.

How to Customize Your Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

Customize it with other add-ins/toppings:

• Add creamy texture: avocado
• Boost protein: black beans, chickpeas, or your favorite protein option
• Sweet & tart contrast: dried cranberries or cherries
• Swap or add nuts/seeds: pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
• Optional cheese (omit for vegan): feta, goat cheese, shredded sharp cheddar, shaved Parmesan
• If kale’s not your jam, spinach or mixed greens would work nicely, though they won’t hold as long – so don’t dress much in advance.

How to Assemble:

• Cook quinoa and let it cool.
• Roast cubed sweet potatoes (25–30 minutes at 400°F; toss halfway).
• Massage kale with olive oil, lemon, and salt.
• Blend all dressing ingredients until silky smooth.
• Toss kale, quinoa, sweet potatoes, apple, and pistachios. Drizzle with dressing (add according to taste). Serve immediately.

Why You Should Massage Kale:

Here’s the deal: Massaging kale helps break down the rigid, fibrous cell structure and gives raw kale a gentler flavor — and a way softer texture. Aside from making it more tender, it’s also easier to digest! Massaging kale is a must in my opinion! It just requires a little olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice if you have it!

How to Cook Quinoa on the Stove:

This is probably the most common way of cooking quinoa! Bring the quinoa up to a boil and then simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed. Finally, let it sit for a few minutes, and fluff with a fork. It takes about 20-25 minutes.

Prepping Salad Ahead For Meal:

You can completely prep the components of this quinoa salad hours in advance, or even the day before. Just make sure everything is prepped, and then dress just before serving.

Kale: Massaging kale gives it a much softer texture. Aside from making it more tender, it’s also easier to digest! It just requires a little olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice if you have it! You can definitely complete this step a few hours in advance and let it sit, but I try to do it as close to serving as possible.

Quinoa: Our guide on how to cook quinoa is my go-to! I like to prep it ahead of time, so it’s cooled down for this salad! If you are making this all day, you can add it in a bit warm, or to speed up the cooling process, simply spread your cooked quinoa onto a baking sheet and let it cool in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potatoes: Our Cinnamon-Roasted Sweet Potatoes last for multiple days in the refrigerator! You can definitely prep this ahead of time.

Dressing: You can make this a day or two ahead and store it in the refrigerator. Dress the salad just before serving.

This salad is great to make for meal prep, with a few modifications.  If you prefer to eat this salad with a protein like chicken, go ahead and meal prep this salad to have a separate container for the salad components and another for the chicken; that way, the meat can be heated up on its own. And, of course, with most salads, you’ll want to keep the dressing separate and add it right before serving.

Just be careful about what salad components you choose. Obviously, something like sliced avocado will not keep well, so avoid using ingredients that won’t keep well if you intend to make this for meal prep.

Keeping all of this in mind, this salad will keep best for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

If you love this salad recipe, try some of our other popular salads:

• My Favorite Chopped Greek Salad
• Mediterranean Turkey Salad
• Easy BBQ Chicken Salad
• Cheeseburger Salad with Mustard Dressing

Watch the video:

Apple, Sweet Potato and Kale Quinoa Salad

5 from 10 votes

This Kale Quinoa Salad is the ultimate Fall salad! Packed with massaged kale, cooked quinoa, diced apples, roasted sweet potatoes, pistachios, and the perfect maple balsamic dressing; it's an Autumn salad everyone will love!

Servings 3

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups shredded kale see note
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 1/3 cup pistachios raw and de-shelled
• 1 apple diced

Maple Balsamic Dressing:

• 1/3 cup avocado oil or olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• Pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

• Make quinoa as directed on package, and set aside to cool.
• Make a batch of cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes and set aside:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position oven rack to the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place sweet potatoes on parchment paper and drizzle with oil, cinnamon, and sea salt. Toss to make sure all sweet potatoes are evenly coated. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, giving them a quick flip halfway through, until sweet potatoes are fully cooked, fork tender, and have a rich color!
• Massage kale for 1-2 minutes with olive oil,  lemon juice and salt.
• Add all your dressing ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Don't over blend! Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
• Assemble the salad: Add massaged kale, sweet potatoes, quinoa, apples, pistachios to your bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of dressing over salad, adding more as desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

•  
• Customize it with other add-ins/toppings:
• Avocado
• Black Beans
• Dried Cranberries or Dried Cherries
• Pumpkin or Sunflower Seeds
• Other Nuts of Choice (toasted or not): Slivered Almonds, Sliced Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, you name it!

Add cheese: A cheese would work so well as a salty component to this kale quinoa salad. Leave cheese out to keep this kale quinoa salad vegan and dairy-free.

• Feta Cheese
• Goat Cheese
• Sharp Cheddar
• Gorgonzola Cheese
• Shaved Parmesan
• Manchego Cheese

Add a protein:

• Steak
• Chicken: Shredded Chicken (or Rotisserie Chicken) or a Spatchcock Chicken
• Grilled Chicken
• Shrimp
• Salmon

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 recipe3Calories: 600kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 9gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 700mgFiber: 8gSugar: 19g

Keyword: Kale Quinoa Salad

Course: Salad

Author: Lexi

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