Fall Kale Salad with Shallot Dressing and Candied Walnuts
This hearty kale salad is the perfect mix of crisp greens, sweet cranberries, tangy dressing, and crunchy candied walnuts. It’s a fall favorite that works beautifully as a holiday side dish or a make-ahead salad for the week.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 2 Medium Bowls
- 1 Small Bowl or Jar
- 1 Large Bowl
Ingredients
Candied Walnuts
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- 2 cups walnut halves
- 2 tablespoons maple sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Shallot Dressing
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey more as desired after tasting
- Pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Kale Salad
- 8 cups chopped kale stems removed
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil for massaging
- 1 teaspoon salt for massaging
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar for massaging
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 cup candied walnuts recipe below
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries more as desired
- 1 cup grated or shaved Parmesan
- 1 diced avocado optional
- 1 cup cooked quinoa Optional
Instructions
Make the Candied Walnuts
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until frothy.
- In a separate bowl, combine maple sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Toss walnuts first in the egg white mixture, then coat in the sugar-spice mixture.
- Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping every 10–15 minutes. Let cool completely before using.
Make the Dressing
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together vinegar, shallot, Dijon, honey, salt and pepper.
- Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking until emulsified.
- Whisk until combined. Taste and adjust more vinegar, honey, or salt as desired.
Prepare the Salad
- Destem kale. Place kale in a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Massage with clean hands for 1–2 minutes until softened. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add red onion, cranberries, Parmesan, and candied walnuts.
- Pour over the shallot dressing and toss until well coated. Taste and add more dressing/salt as needed!
Notes
Storage: Leftovers will keep fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Stir to redistribute the ingredients before serving.
Possible Variations:
- Kale: Not a fan of kale? Use any other fresh greens, such as peppery arugula, spinach, or Romaine lettuce instead. Skip massaging the greens if not using kale.
- Cheese: Swap the Parmesan with goat cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella, or blue cheese crumbles. You can use plant-based cheese, or omit it completely to keep the salad dairy-free.
- Grains: Make this fall salad even heartier by adding quinoa or farro.
- Nuts: Swap the walnuts with almonds, pecans, pistachios, pepitas, or pumpkin seeds if preferred.
- Sweets: Swap the cranberries for apples, pomegranate arils (pomegranate seeds), pears, or halved grapes!
- Produce: Add roasted sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, delicata squash, roasted cauliflower, broccoli, or air fryer Brussels sprouts for extra texture and flavor.
- Protein: Turn this salad into a main course by adding air fryer chicken breast, shrimp, air fryer salmon, steak, even crispy chickpeas.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 658mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2250IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 2mg