This autumnal kale salad with cranberries, sliced apples, sharp white cheddar cheese, and crunchy sunflower seeds is massaged until tender with a maple syrup-sweetened apple cider dressing for a savory and sweet salad everyone at the table will love.
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Sue C. says: “I could not stop eating this salad! During the holidays, I was craving something fresh and lively and this salad hit the right note.”
Even Kale Haters Will Love This Salad, Promise!
This easy kale salad is one you can make up any night of the week, yet it’s pretty enough to add to any holiday dinner table.
But even better, because kale likes to sit and soak in its dressing and still hold its leafy shape, this kale apple cheddar salad is awesome for the buffet table or to take to potlucks, too. In fact, the last photo in this post is from when I pulled it straight from the fridge and into a bowl to eat for lunch 2 days after I made it.
Now that’s a salad that stands the test of time.
Enjoy!
What’s in This Salad?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Kale — You can use any variety you’d like, but I prefer eating more tender Tuscan / lacinato / dinosaur kale in my salads. This leafy green goes by several different names, so keep that in mind when shopping at your local supermarket.
- Apple — Kale is mildly earthy and bitter, so I recommend pairing it with a sweeter apple, like Honey Crisp or Fuji.
- Dried cranberries — Gives the salad some body and a candied fall flavor.
- Sharp white cheddar cheese — Cheese is the magic ingredient that will get pretty much any kale skeptic to cross the bridge over to the goodness side. I used a sharp white cheddar this time, but basically any cheese can be used.
- Shallot — Provides a milder bite than yellow onion. Red onion or green onion also work well.
- Sunflower seeds — Toasted sunflower seeds will provide even more flavor and crunch. You can roast them yourself in a dry pan over medium high heat or in a toaster oven. Just be sure to watch them super carefully because they’ll turn on you in an instant.
- Apple cider vinaigrette — Olive oil and kosher salt are the magic softeners for kale, so keeping with a vinaigrette is a good idea here. I used cider vinegar and grainy mustard for the tang, and maple syrup for sweetening.
Other Mix-Ins to Try
I made this kale salad with apples, cheddar, and cranberries, but you can mix and match ingredients to your heart’s desire. Try subbing in one or more of the following:
- Cooked grains like wild rice, quinoa, or farro
- Roasted butternut squash or sweet potato
- Avocado
- Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, blue cheese, or feta
- Chickpeas or black beans
- Carrots, broccoli, or roasted cauliflower
- Other nuts like toasted almonds, candied pecans, or pine nuts
- Pomegranate seeds or currants
- Radishes
- Shredded chicken, tuna, salmon, or crispy tofu
You can also sub the apple cider vinaigrette for another tangy vinaigrette style dressing, such as this Dijon vinaigrette or this balsamic vinaigrette. Or, keep it super simple with plain old olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon.
How to Make This Kale Apple Salad
- Make the dressing. I like to add the ingredients to a jar, screw on the lid, and shake it up to combine.
- Massage the kale leaves to tenderize them. Remove the woody ribs from the kale leaves and chop into bite size pieces. Add the chopped leaves to a large bowl, sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt, then drizzle with the dressing. Gently massage the leaves with your fingers until they soften and darken a bit.
Heidi’s Tip: You can let the kale sit for a bit if you’d like, or head straight into creating your salad.
- Toss with the mix-ins. The tiny sunflower seeds quickly get lost in the salad, so I prefer adding them after everything else has been tossed with the massaged kale.
Mains to Make This a Meal
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Kale Salad with Apple, Cranberries, and Cheddar Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 cups kale , chopped with stems removed
- 1 cup apple , slivered
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese , diced
- ⅛ cup shallot , thinly slivered
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds , toasted
Apple Cider and Maple Dressing
- 4 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- First, make the dressing. Whisk the vinegar, mustard and maple syrup in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl, whisking constantly to emulsify. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you like it more on the sweeter side, add more maple syrup to taste.
- Add the kale to a large bowl and massage it with a tablespoon of the cider dressing until the leaves begin to tenderize and soften.
- Add the apple, cranberries, cheddar cheese, and shallot to the salad and toss to coat with 2 more tablespoons or so of the dressing, adding more if needed. Top with the toasted sunflower seeds and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Fall Salads You’ll Want to Make Too
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Dale Hamakawa
Love this salad. With the dressing and additions it was tasty. Only thing I’d do different is to dice the cheese as directed. I sliced them thin and then diced. They disappeared. With definitely make this again this week.
Hayley
Thanks for sharing, Dale. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Sue C
I could not stop eating this salad! During the holidays, I was craving something fresh and lively and this salad hit the right note. I added apple, walnuts, dried cherries, and goat cheese to the kale before dressing. I had 3 servings and nearly chewed off my BF’s hand when he tried to take the last bit in the bowl It also inspired my meal planning for the next week to include more veggie forward creative ideas. Thank you. Definitely a keeper.
Alene
I made this tonight for myself while my husband was out, and it was delicious! Just perfect. The only thing I skipped was the cheese, which is not my favorite thing. I generally have kale in my refrigerator, and since he’s not a fan, I often have a bunch left over. I can’t wait to make it again. Thanks!
Larry
Cool and healthy salad! And the most important thing is that there are a lot of useful vitamins and it is very tasty.
Baby Bleu
Never tried the softening technique on kale besides cooking in some way. Good idea!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
It softens the intense flavor making it great for salads!