Lemon Kale Salad

This Lemon Kale Salad recipe is a healthy mix of curly kale, Romaine lettuce, carrot, cucumber, walnuts and avocado all tossed in a creamy lemon dressing and then dusted generously with grated Parmesan cheese.

If you’re looking for an easy salad to toss together, this one checks all the boxes. This kale lemon parmesan salad is perfect to serve as a side with chicken, fish, pasta or soup.

For this lemony kale salad recipe,  I like to start by whisking together the ingredients for the creamy lemon salad dressing.  Then all that’s left is to chop a few veggies and toss the whole thing in your favorite salad bowl and serve.  It has a really great combination of textures and flavors and a lot of crunch in every bite.

Best Lemon Kale Salad Recipe

• Kale. We use curly kale for this recipe rather than Lacinato kale (dinosaur kale). 
• Romaine Lettuce. When I make kale salads, I like to use a mix of 1/2 kale and 1/2 Romaine lettuce because I like the texture better of the mix rather than all curly kale. If you prefer, use all curly kale for this salad.
• Cucumber. We use English cucumber for this recipe. The skin is thin and the seeds are mild tasting so you don’t need to peel them or remove the seeds.
• Tomatoes. We use cherry tomatoes, but you could use Roma instead (chopped or cut into wedges).
• Carrot. We add grated carrot to the mix.
• Nuts. I like to add raw walnuts (for the good fat) but you could use Marcona almonds, almond slices, pistachios, pepitas or sunflower seeds if you like. 
• Avocado. Avocado adds a creaminess (and good fat) to this salad. 
• Salad Dressing. I like to toss this salad with our Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing. It’s one of my favorite dressings to make.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Dried Fruit. Toss in raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries or dates (chopped).
• Onion. Add slices of red onion or green onion to the mix.
• Salad Dressing. You could also toss this Lemon Kale Salad with this Honey Lemon Vinaigrette, Lemon Olive Oil Dressing or this Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette.

Prepping Kale For Salad

1. Clean Kale Leaves. Fill a large bowl with cold water, then submerge the kale leaves in the bowl to loosen any dirt and debris from inside the folds of the leaves, then rinse each leaf under cold water. 
2. Dry Leaves. Transfer leaves to a plate lined with paper towels and pat them dry. 
3. Pull Leaves From Stems. Hold the base of each kale stem with one hand while pulling the stems downward with the other hand to remove the leaves from the stems. 
4. Cut Leaves From Stems. Place each curly kale leaf (one at a time) on a cutting board and fold it along the stem. Using a sharp knife slice the leaves from the stem and discard the stems.

How To Make Lemon Kale Salad

This kale lemon parmesan salad comes together in about 15 minutes start-to-finish.

• Make Vinaigrette. Whisk together the ingredients or add them to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
• Prep Ingredients. Rinse and chop lettuce and kale, slice tomatoes and cucumber and avocado, and grate carrots.
• Assemble Salad. Toss ingredients together in a salad bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette and gently toss again. 
• Parmesan Cheese. Give the salad a generous dusting of Parmesan cheese and toss again.

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing

To make this dressing, measure the ingredients into a medium size bowl and whisk together using a wire whisk. You can also toss everything in a blender and blend for 30 seconds until its nice a creamy. Pour dressing  into a mason jar, seal the lid tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to an hour before serving giving the flavors time to blend together before serving. If properly stored, the dressing will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

• Lemon Juice. Fresh is best for this recipe. It adds freshness and flavor. Don’t use the bottled stuff. 
• Olive Oil. We use light olive oil for this dressing, but you can use extra-virgin or avocado oil if you prefer.
• Garlic. Garlic always adds flavor to dressings.
• Mayonnaise. Adding a little mayonnaise to this dressing gives it a nice creamy consistency.
• Water. I sometimes like to add a tablespoon or two of water to mellow lemon tang in a dressing (if needed).
• Cheese. We add Parmesan cheese to this dressing which adds a delicious taste to the mix.
• Seasoning. We season this dressing with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Tips For Making This Salad

• The ribs in all kale varieties are tough, so either slice or tear the leaves away from the ribs before you chop them.
• You’ll want to chop the kale leaves into smaller pieces so it’s easier to eat.
• Be sure to toss the salad well so all of the ingredients are coated evenly. 
• Store the salad and dressing separately in air tight containers in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. 
• The salad keeps in the refrigerator best for up to 5 days if it has not been tossed with dressing.  If you toss the salad with dressing, leftovers stored in the refrigerator will only be appetizing for about 1 day.

Serving Suggestions

This lemony kale salad makes a great side salad to serve with your favorite chicken or fish meals, pasta, sandwiches or a big pot of soup.  I like to serve it with this One Pan Italian Chicken, Lemon Chicken Piccata, Chicken Shawarma, Hearty Lentil Stew, Tuscan White Bean Soup and Italian Lentil Soup.

Looking For More Tasty Salad Recipes?

• Spring Mix Salad
• Chopped Kale Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Crunchy Detox Salad
• Kale Salad with Cranberries
• Celery Salad
• BLT Salad
• Everyday Tossed Salad
• My Favorite House Salad
• Superfood Salad
• Broccoli Detox Salad
• Best Salad for Weight Loss

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Yield: 8 servings

Lemon Kale Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

This Lemon Kale Salad recipe is a healthy mix of curly kale, Romaine lettuce, carrot, cucumber, walnuts, avocado all tossed in a creamy lemon dressing and then dusted generously with grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 cups curly kale, chopped
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 cups English cucumber, sliced or diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup carrot, grated
• 2/3 cup raw walnuts
• 1 avocado, diced
• 3/4 cup Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Whisk together the ingredients or add them to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Rinse and spin lettuce and kale, slice tomatoes and cucumber and avocado, and grate carrots.
3. Toss ingredients together in a salad bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette and gently toss again. 
4. Give the salad a generous dusting of Parmesan cheese and toss again.

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing

1. Using a wire whisk, whisk the ingredients together in a medium size bowl. You can also toss everything in a blender and blend for 30 seconds until its nice a creamy.
2. Pour dressing  into a mason jar, seal the lid tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to an hour before serving giving the flavors time to blend together before serving

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 363Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 205mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 5g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.