One Bowl Crunchy Kale Salad with Cranberries

This crunchy massaged kale salad with cranberries is a perfect side dish or healthy lunch. It’s easy to make and perfect for meal prep, saving you time in the kitchen.

Be sure to add this delicious broccoli salad to the rotation, too!

I was introduced to this kale salad recipe many years ago. I don’t love kale, so for me to say that it’s absolutely delicious is notable. Seriously, if you’re one of those “Ew, kale!” people, this is a great recipe to change your taste buds’ mind.

Massaged Kale Salad with Cranberries

Why massage the kale? If you grow kale, you know how stiff it can be, straight out of the garden. It may be counterintuitive, but massaging the sturdy kale leaves makes them more palatable. Massaged kale salad has still got a nice crunch to it — it’s just a little bit more…relaxed.

Ingredients

Raw kale — There are a number of varieties of kale available at the market or grocery store. Really, any type will work, but I tend to use the curly varieties, like lacinato kale or common curly kale.

Olive oil — Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. The recipe doesn’t call for much, but the flavor of the oil will shine through.

Lemon juice — Freshly squeezed lemon juice is ideal, but if you’ve got bottled juice, that’s just fine. This ingredient offers a little tang to the salad. If you like a sweeter dressing, feel free to substitute orange juice. If you have neither of these on hand, apple cider vinegar can work.

Liquid aminos — This is an ingredient that not every household has on hand. I use Bragg’s liquid aminos, but if you don’t have that on hand, you can substitute soy sauce. (If you’re gluten free, use coconut aminos.)

Avocado — Choose a very ripe avocado for this recipe. You’ll be incorporating the soft avocado as a part of the dressing ingredients, rather than adding it in the form of chunks, creating a creamy dressing for the kale leaves.

Cranberries — Dried sweet cranberries are a must for this recipe, offering a little sweetness to counter the tang of the dressing.

Add-ins — This is where this delicious kale salad allows you to get creative. It’s never the same salad in my household, as we add something different every time depending on what’s in the cupboard or fridge. Crunchy almonds (chopped or slivered), crisp apples, pumpkin seeds, sliced red onion, feta cheese or  creamy goat cheese are all fair game. (Skip the cheese for a vegan kale salad.)

Making the Salad

Start by thoroughly washing the kale. I like to soak mine in a large bowl of water before rinsing well. Remove excess water by setting leaves on a dry kitchen towel or in a salad spinner. 

Roughly chop the kale leaves and transfer to a salad bowl. 

The salad dressing for this recipe isn’t made in a separate container. Instead, you’ll add the dressing ingredients to the kale and massage them in. Start by adding the olive oil, lemon juice, and amino acids, then the avocado. Use your hands to squish the avocado until it no longer resembles avocado, and the kale leaves are coated. 

Once the leaves are well-coated, add the cranberries and your choice of nuts, seeds, cheese, or other “extras” and toss. 

Measuring Optional for an Extra Easy Salad

If you cook by feel, I totally recommend that you just eyeball the amount of ingredients. This is not a finicky recipe at all.

The finished salad has a lovely earthy flavor and I find that I crave it. If I have it made in the fridge I keep going back for “just a bit more.” But there’s nothing wrong with snacking on kale all day, right? Especially if it’s straight from the garden!

Storage

Kale tends to hold up better over time than lettuce, so this is a great salad to make ahead. Transfer the finished kale cranberry salad to an airtight container in the fridge and you’ll be all set for a light lunch that’s healthy and easy to grab. It’s just as delicious the next day!

★ Did you make this massaged cranberry kale salad? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

Originally published April 2013; this post has been updated.

Click to save or share!