This kale crunch salad is so easy and satisfying. You’ll feel like you’re at Chick-fil-A eating this simple crunchy salad!

This easy salad is inspired by the Kale Crunch Salad at Chick-fil-A.

It’s simple and fresh yet tasty and satisfying. I recommend pairing it with perfectly moist grilled chicken and a glass of homemade lemonade for the full experience. 😍

We love stopping at Chick-fil-A on road trips. It’s so consistent and quick. And everyone loves it. I like getting a side of kale salad with a sandwich to sneak in veggies while on the road. 

The combination of massaged kale, crunchy cabbage, and crispy roasted almonds is so good and simple that I started making my own version at home.

Why You’ll Love It

Making salads at home means you get to control the ingredients and use real food and extra virgin olive oil. 

You can make this any time of year, but you’ll love serving it in fall and winter when kale and cabbage are abundant and delicate greens are scarce. 

It’s a great source of those fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, and K). And it has good fats from the extra virgin olive oil and dry roasted almonds to help your body absorb them. It also includes a few grams of fiber and protein!

Ingredients

• Get a bunch of fresh kale. Wash, de-rib, and chop it. Use extra virgin olive oil to massage the kale. Don’t skip this step! It makes the kale tender and delicious.
• Thinly sliced cabbage adds another element of crunch to this salad and pairs well with the kale. You can use a knife or mandoline to slice it, shred it in a food processor, or buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage.
• Dry roasted almonds add a delightful crunch to this salad. I like to use Blue Diamond’s dry-roasted, lightly salted almonds. You’ll need to roughly chop them before adding them to the salad.
• Make an easy homemade dressing to toss it in. Combine extra virgin olive oil, fresh pressed apple cider, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and salt.

Substitutions

• If you don’t have maple syrup, use honey or agave syrup.
• You can use 100% pure apple juice instead of apple cider.

How to Make it

Go ahead and make the salad dressing. Mix the fresh pressed apple cider, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and salt in a small jar. Then, slowly whisk in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until combined. Set it aside.

Put the chopped kale and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Then, massage it with your hands until it’s tender.

Add the cabbage and the dressing to the bowl and toss it to combine.

Top it with the chopped almonds and serve. Yum!

Make Ahead

This is a great make-ahead salad. You can make a batch of this salad for meal prep at the beginning of the week, and it will last for several days. Chop the almonds, but don’t add them to the salad until you are ready to serve it. Store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh.

Serve a Crowd

You can double or triple this recipe to serve a crowd. Make sure you use a big enough jar to fit the dressing and a big enough bowl to massage the kale and toss the salad. 

Once the salad is dressed, leave it in a large salad bowl and top with almonds or arrange it on a large platter. Or, go ahead and plate it on individual plates and divide the almonds among the plates.

Serving Tips

• This simple kale salad works as a light lunch or a side dish and goes with just about anything. You can also double the serving size and add protein to make a dinner salad.
• Pretend you’re at Chick-fil-A and serve this crunchy kale salad with a fried chicken sandwich and a glass of homemade lemonade. 
• Go the light and fit route and serve it with perfect grilled chicken or chicken souvlaki kebabs.
• Keep it vegan and top it with roasted chickpeas or grilled tempeh.

More Easy Salads

• Harvest Apple Salad
• Lemony Arugula Salad
• Kale Tahini Salad

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