This apple and kale slaw is a tasty way to enjoy all the fall produce that’s delicious right now. Serve this salad with that creamy honey mustard dressing for a fall lunch or dinner. Learn how to whip it up…
Why this kale apple slaw recipe is so good…
- So easy!
- Fast to make.
- It’s a gorgeous salad recipe for the holiday season.
- Super healthy – packed with kale and fresh apples.
- My kale and apple slaw recipe has a tangy, easy creamy dressing recipe (or just use store bought).
- Pile leftover kale slaw on turkey avocado sandwiches (yum) or into tacos.
- If you’re new to making salads with kale, see my video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
Ingredients
This super easy kale slaw made fresh diced apples, feta, carrots, walnuts and dried cranberries has a simple, creamy dressing that ties it all together.
For the sweet honey mustard dressing
- Sour cream (substitute mayo or olive oil)
- Honey
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice (fresh)
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
For the kale apple slaw
- Kale, red leaf, curly (about 1 bunch / 4 cups, stems removed, and rough chopped, massage it with your hands 1 minute)
- Apple, diced (red preferred, skin on or off)
- Carrot ribbons (made with a peeler)
- Parsley (or any fresh herb)
- Feta cheese
- Cranberries, dried
- Pepper, fresh cracked
How to make kale apple slaw
Now I’ll walk you through it…
- Whisk together all the honey mustard dressing ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Taste to make sure you like it, and adjust if needed. If you like lighter dressed salads, transfer half the salad dressing to a small bowl, and add it in later as desired.
- Add chopped kale, apple, and carrot ribbons to the salad dressing bowl. Toss ingredients with tongs and / or a spatula to coat completely with dressing (it’s a restaurant trick to add the ingredients to the dressing already in the bowl this way, to evenly coat them).
- Transfer kale apple slaw to a side dish serving platter or individual salad dishes. Top with parsley, feta cheese, cranberries, and a crack of fresh pepper.
This might sound totally weird, but a tropical smoothie or tropical cocktail would be a great match for this salad.
Kale slaw with grapes version
In this particular version, I used the same creamy kale salad dressing, but substituted grapes for apples…
FAQs
I’m a fan of crisp, sweet apples like Gala apples (which are red). For a more tart flavor, try Granny Smith Apples.
Sometimes people will suggest softening up the kale a bit by soaking it in acidic lemon juice before using it. But I don’t find it necessary to add lemon juice to the kale before making this recipe. Using red leaf kale (the curly kale) and massaging the chopped raw kale for 1 minute produces a delicious salad for me, every time. Plus, there is some fresh squeezed lemon juice mixed in with dijon mustard in the dressing recipe.
Yes, I find kale to be a very hearty green, more so than romaine lettuce or butter lettuce. It holds up great in the refrigerator. So you can definitely make this kale salad in the morning and then add the other toppings when you’re ready to serve it.
Side dish ideas
- Air fryer chicken wings
- Potato recipes
- Stuffed shells
- Sautéed onions and peppers
- White sauce
- Baked chicken wings
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Spinach pesto pasta
- Make ahead Mexican salad
- Best Caprese salad
- Creamy pesto pasta salad
- Roasted cherry tomatoes
- Focaccia bread
- Sausage stuffing
- See all side dishes
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about making this tasty kale salad recipe. I think you’re going to love this as a healthy lunch idea, but also as a beautiful veggie side dish for holiday meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas. There are great flavors in every bite and it’s packed with tons of nutrition, too.
Serve it with something like this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup or smoked turkey breast.
If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Kale Apple Slaw Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Equipment
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
Sweet honey mustard dressing
- 3 tbsp sour cream substitute mayo or olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon fresh squeezed juice
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Kale apple slaw
- 10 leaves kale red leaf, curly (about 1 bunch / 4 cups, stems removed, and rough chopped, massage it with your hands 1 minute)
- 1 apple diced (red preferred, skin on or off)
- 1 medium carrot ribbons (made with a peeler)
- 1 tbsp parsley fresh, flat leaf (or any fresh herb)
- 2 tbsp feta cheese
- 2 tbsp cranberries dried
- ⅛ tsp pepper fresh cracked
Instructions
- Whisk together all the honey mustard dressing ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Taste to make sure you like it, and adjust if needed. If you like lighter dressed salads, transfer half the salad dressing to a small bowl, and add it in later as desired.
- Add chopped kale, apple, and carrot ribbons to the salad dressing bowl. Toss ingredients with tongs and / or a spatula to coat completely with dressing (it’s a restaurant trick to add the ingredients to the dressing already in the bowl this way, to evenly coat them).
- Transfer kale apple slaw to a side dish serving platter or individual salad dishes. Top with parsley, feta cheese, cranberries, and a crack of fresh pepper.
Video
Notes
- Any green apples like granny smith, or red apples like gala apples go well in kale slaw.
- You don’t need to use lemon juice to soften the raw kale, instead there is a little lemon in the salad dressing and you’ll massage the kale for a minute before adding the dressing, so it shouldn’t be too stiff to eat.
- Kale is a very hearty green, more so than romaine lettuce or butter lettuce. It holds up great in the refrigerator. So you can definitely make this kale salad in the morning and then add the other toppings when you’re ready to serve it.
Ann says
This is a really awesome salad -so easy. What I loved most was the yummy and fast-to-make dressing. Had most of ingredients on hand, including a container of pre-made kale slaw from the local coop. Added all of ingredients listed: apple, dried cranberries, feta, etc, plus some pumpkin seeds for some added crunch. So good!
Bonus tip: Loved learning about the restaurant trick of adding the ingredients to the dressing already in the bowl. Will def do that going forward – plus it’s so easy.
This is an excellent side for so many other dishes but tonight we had it with roasted chicken and veggies. Def gave dinner a bit of a tasty zing that otherwise could have been pretty ho-hum. And it’s pretty to look at as well. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Jenna Passaro says
So happy you enjoyed it, Ann. I’m craving it right now just hearing you describe it again! Cheers, Jenna