Easy Kale strawberry salad with balsamic dressing is the perfect barbeque quick and easy side dish or served with dinner! Just a few ingredients for a healthy salad with a dash of fruit and homemade dressing.
Ok so we have a love for kale…yes, even my kids. We visited a local farm recently, picked our own kale and strawberries, and had an amazingly easy kale strawberry salad that we just had to try and duplicate when we got home. Let us share this easy kale salad recipe with you! (affiliate links present)
Kale Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Doesn’t this look ahhhhhhmazing??!!! So like I said, we went strawberry picking and you can even pick veggies at a local Southern California farm called Tanaka Farms and just had to recreate the salad they served us.
Kale juice and adding leaves into anything is so good for you. It does have a distinct and somewhat strong flavor though. Sweetening it up a bit with agave nectar is a great way to counteract that. If you’ve never had agave nectar you can use it in so many ways.
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You can use it instead of syrup on pancakes, mix it up as a vinaigrette for salads or use it as is like in this salad recipe or in a fruit salad! Add diced fresh strawberries and sunflower seeds…and BAM. Serve it with or without air fryer croutons. You’ve got yourself a tasty, healthy, pretty, and inexpensive side dish!
Strawberry Kale Salad Ingredients
It is always nice to have a tasty summer salad you can just throw together with a few ingredients when you’re going to a barbeque or over to someone’s house. Use a glass large bowl you can see thru to make it extra pretty and a jar for extra balsamic vinaigrette is nice to serve with it as well.
- 1 bunch fresh kale or use half kale and half another lettuce if you prefer
- 1/2 carton strawberries
- 1 handful sunflower seeds
Kale Salad Dressing Ingredients
This is how to make a balsamic dressing to serve on top of any type of cold salad but one with deep greens like this one is great to tame those flavors.
- 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 c balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- Pinch of basil
- 2 tbsp citrus juiced, orange or lemon juice
Some like crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese on the top too. Another great one to make and serve along side this is this TikTok cucumber salad! Adding some sliced or almond slivers are a nice touch too. Brings some crunch and added texture to the dish.
How to Make Kale Strawberry Almond Salad
Whether you add nuts or dried cranberries to the top the base is the same. You need to prep the main ingredient, that is key to the success of your dish. If you are making Ninja foodi kale chips you would want the leaf a bit larger than you would want here but beyond that the prep is the same.
How to Cut Kale for Salads
- Rinse the leaves thoroughly under cold running water to remove any dirt or debris. You can also fill a large bowl with water and soak the kale for a few minutes, then rinse it again.
- Hold a leaf in one hand and grasp the stem near the base with your other hand. With a gentle pulling motion, strip the leaves away from the stem. Discard the stems.
- Lay them flat on a cutting board, one on top of the other, with the larger leaves on the bottom and the smaller leaves on top. This will make it easier to cut them into uniform pieces.
- Starting from one end, roll the stack of kale leaves into a tight cylinder, like a cigar. This will create a compact shape that makes it easier to slice.
With a sharp knife, slice across the rolled-up leaves to create thin strips. These strips can be as wide or as narrow as you prefer, depending on the recipe you’re making. For salads, you may want thinner strips.
What is the best type of kale to make a salad?
There are many types of kale out there to choose from, some have a more intense flavor while baby kale is tamer. I think it is best to choose a mixture of a few, with some darker and others lighter.
- Baby is harvested at an early stage of growth when the leaves are tender and smaller. It has a milder flavor than mature kale and is often used in salads, sandwiches, or as a topping.
- Curly kale is one of the most recognizable types, known for its ruffled leaves and vibrant green color. It has a slightly bitter and peppery flavor. Curly kale is often used in salads, smoothies, and as a garnish.
- Lacinato has dark blue-green, long, narrow, and textured leaves. It has a sweeter and less bitter flavor compared to curly kale. Lacinato kale is popular in soups, stews, and sautéed dishes.
Types of Kale
Red Russian has flat, fringed leaves with purple stems and veins. It has a mild and slightly sweet flavor, making it a versatile choice for salads and cooked dishes.
- Siberian has large, frilly leaves that are bluish-green in color. It’s a cold-hardy variety and has a more tender texture compared to some other kales. It’s often used in salads or as a cooked green.
- Chinese, also known as Chinese broccoli or Gai Lan, has long stems and dark green leaves. It has a mild, slightly bitter taste and is commonly used in Asian stir-fries and dishes.
- Russian red has purplish-red stems and deep green, curly leaves. It has a mildly peppery taste and is often used in salads or sautéed dishes.
- White Russian is similar to Russian red kale in terms of taste and texture, but it has lighter green leaves and stems.
- Ornamental kale is grown for its colorful and decorative leaves. It is often used in ornamental landscaping and flower arrangements
This kale strawberry salad recipe is a great one to keep on hand! If you love this, try our bacon pasta salad and shredded brussel sprout salad recipe too.
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Kale Strawberry Salad
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale or use half kale and half another lettuce if you prefer
- 1/2 carton strawberries
- 1 handful sunflower seeds
Kale Salad Dressing
- 2/3 c olive oil
- 1/3 c balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- Pinch of basil
- 2 tbsp citrus juiced, orange or lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash kale and cut middle stem off. Dice into small pieces (almost like cole slaw size). If you want to tame the strong flavor you can dice up half kale half butter lettuce and toss together.
- Toss with dressing mixture. (you can use bottled vinaigrette too)
- Use as little or as much as your taste buds prefer, massage into kale. Dice strawberries and add those as well as sunflower seeds into your bowl. Toss gently and serve.