Kale and Broccoli Salad

At a Glance

This Kale Broccoli Salad uses chopped kale, broccoli florets, grated carrot, minced red onion, sliced apple, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, and feta cheese. It is at its best when made ahead of time, to allow the dressing to soften the kale and broccoli. It can be dressed with your choice of dressing, with citrus-forward or sweeter dressings the preferred choices.

 

Kale and Broccoli Salad

Wholesome and nutritious, this Kale and Broccoli Salad is perfect for everything from weeknight meals to holiday dinners. Dressed simply with Farm Boy™ Apple Cider Vinaigrette, it can be customized with your choice of mix-ins, crunchy additions, cheeses, and more.

 

Tips to Make the Best Broccoli Kale Salad

Massage kale: Kale is a tough, cruciferous veggie that can require a lot of chewing if you don’t prepare it properly. For this salad recipe, you’ll need to massage your kale to soften it up. To do this, first wash your kale and remove the rib/stem. Tear or chop your kale into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil and, using your hands, massage the kale until it begins to tenderize.

Make it in advance: This kale broccoli salad recipe is a great one for meal prep, because it actually tastes better after it’s sat in the fridge. The dressing works to help soften and tenderize the kale, making for a better bite without getting mushy. You can prepare this salad in its entirety and then keep in an airtight container for up to four or five days and it’ll taste better each time you try it! It’s also a great way to get your greens in without unnecessary prep every day.

Cut into bite-sized pieces: No one likes spearing up a piece of salad only to find an entire leaf hanging off the end of the fork. Chop all your veggies into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Not only does this make for easier enjoyment, but it allows you to taste a little bit of everything with every forkful. Bite-sized kale pieces—either chopped or torn—plus broccoli florets makes for a hearty, inviting salad you don’t have to unhinge your jaw to enjoy.

Soak the apple: To prevent your apple slices from browning, simply soak your slices in cold water with a squirt of lemon juice for about 10 minutes. Then, add the apple slices to your salad and mix gently.

 

Substitutions and Additions

Change the nuts: This kale broccoli salad uses toasted sliced almonds, but you can swap out the almonds for something else. Pine nuts, walnuts, and pistachios would also be delicious in this recipe. If you’re allergic to nuts (or just don’t like them in your salads), you can opt for sunflower seeds or increase the amount of Farm Boy™ Roasted Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds. That way, you still get that necessary crunch and bonus of healthy fats.

Add some protein: To make this salad a complete meal, add some protein to it. Roasted chickpeas, shredded chicken, crispy tofu, and hard boiled eggs can all be added to this recipe. Be sure to prepare them ahead of time and have them cooling so as not to make the rest of your salad warm.

Swap the cheese: For this kale broccoli salad, we used our Canadian Made Crumbled Feta Cheese. Tangy and creamy, it adds a wonderful pop of texture and flavour. However, if feta isn’t your favourite, you can swap it for something you like better. Goat cheese—like our Original Goat’s Milk Cheese—is another delicious choice that pairs well with the dried cranberries and fresh apple slices in this salad. You could also add a complex savoury note by using freshly grated Parmesan.

Use different fruit: We’ve used dried cranberries and apple slices in this recipe for a burst of sweetness and tartness. However, you can choose whatever fruit you like. Pear slices would also be delicious, as well as golden raisins or chopped dried apricots. Of course, if you want to keep this salad recipe low-sugar, you can omit the fruit entirely.

Make it vegan: This salad can easily be made entirely plant-based with a few swaps. Instead of the feta cheese, try our Vegan Feta-Style Cheese Alternative. While many of our salad dressings use honey as a natural sweetener (which is not allowed in most vegan diets), our beloved Lemon Garlic Dressing is totally vegan. Bright, zingy, and fresh, it’s a workhorse of a dressing that would be excellent in this salad.

Add more veggies: This kale broccoli salad is already chock full of veggies, but we’ll never say you can’t add more! At Farm Boy, we strive to get you closer to the farm by bringing you’re the freshest produce available. For this recipe, you could add red peppers, cucumbers, shredded beets, radishes, and more.

 

Best Farm Boy Dressings for Kale Broccoli Salad

There are lots of delicious ways to dress this kale and broccoli salad. At Farm Boy, you’ll discover salad dressings and vinaigrettes made locally in Ontario with simple, wholesome ingredients. Some of our favourites to use in this salad recipe are below.

 

Farm Boy™ Apple Cider Vinaigrette

This is the salad dressing we’ve used in this recipe. Simple and punchy, it’s made with sunflower oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onion, sea salt, and pepper. Light and fresh, it puts a slightly autumnal spin on this kale broccoli salad.

 

Farm Boy™ Lemon Garlic with Honey Dressing

Our Lemon Garlic Dressing is a fan favourite. Bright, citrus-forward, and tangy, it’s a versatile addition to any pantry. This version keeps all the goodness of the original while adding a dash of sweetness from honey. The honey in this salad dressing complements the tartness of the dried cranberries and apple slices without veering into cloying territory.

 

Farm Boy™ Honey Dijon Dressing

Looking to add a little zest to this kale broccoli salad? A drizzle of our Honey Dijon Dressing should do the trick! Made with sunflower oil, Dijon mustard, honey, cane sugar, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dill, and turmeric, it’s an assertive dressing that pairs well with hearty kale and broccoli.

 

Farm Boy™ Zero Fat Mango Ginger Dressing

How’s this for thinking outside the box? If you prefer a sweeter flavour profile for your salads, you’ll want to try our Zero Fat Mango Ginger Dressing. Crafted with real mango purée, white wine vinegar, honey, cane sugar, pineapple juice, sea salt, ginger, and turmeric, it’s sweeter than the standard dressing with a subtle kick from the ginger. Go ahead, make salad your sweet treat.

 

Farm Boy™ Red Pepper Dressing

Perhaps spice is more your style? For a little kick of heat that cozies up to the feta cheese in this recipe, try our Red Pepper Dressing. Prepared with apple cider vinegar, red pepper, honey, jalapeño pepper, sea salt, garlic, black pepper, paprika, and basil, it keeps this kale broccoli salad interesting and little spicier than your standard bowl of mixed greens.

 

More Recipes with Kale from Farm Boy

Looking for more recipes featuring kale? Check out any of the dishes below!

Warm Kale, Apple, and Butternut Squash Salad

Hearty Chicken Soup with Pearl Barley and Kale

Mediterranean Bean, Kale, and Quinoa Salad

Tuscan White Bean Stew

Roasted Acorn Squash and Kale Salad

Vegan Parmezzalad

Spring Pea and Kale Pesto

Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Kale

 

More Broccoli Recipes from Farm Boy

Looking for more recipes featuring broccoli? Check out any of the dishes below!

Vegan Grilled Broccoli Caesar Salad

Plant Based Beef and Broccoli

 

More Salad Recipes from Farm Boy

Looking for more wholesome salad recipes? Check out any of the dishes below!

Mediterranean Barley and Chickpea Salad

Persimmon, Beet, and Radicchio Salad

Three Melon, Bocconcini, and Prosciutto Salad

Warm Quinoa, Asparagus, and Green Bean Salad

Crunchy Rainbow Salad with Peanut Dressing

Fresh Herb Salad