This vibrant and nutritious kale and beet salad with apples is a delicious combination of earthy beets, crisp apple slices, and hearty kale, tossed in a simple maple and cider vinaigrette. The perfect blend of flavors and textures in this simple salad will have you wanting to make it again and again.
I love to use roasted beets for salads. When the beets are roasted, it intensifies their sweetness and makes them a perfect foil for fruits, nuts and leafy greens, even grains. Some of my favorite beet salads are Roasted Beet and Orange Salad, Wild Rice and Roasted Beet Salad, and Grapefruit, Beet, and Blue Cheese Salad. This Kale and Beet Salad might be the best one yet!
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Why you’re going to love it
- Simple: This beet kale salad has just 4 simple ingredients, as does the tangy vinaigrette.
- Nutritious: All of the ingredients in this beet salad recipe are nutritional superstars. This is a salad loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre, and healthy fats.
- Easy: The most time consuming part of making this beet salad recipe is waiting for the beets to roast and cool down.
- Make ahead: Sturdy kale keeps it’s crispness without wilting or becoming mushy. So this roasted beet salad is just as good the next day, and perfect for meal prep.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities and complete instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For the salad
- Kale: I am using regular curly kale, which is the most common type of kale found in the grocery store. You can also use lacinato kale (also called dinosaur kale, or Tuscan kale). Just be sure to use fresh kale. Frozen kale won’t work for this salad.
- Beetroot: Red beets are the most common, but you can also find this root vegetable in yellow, called golden beets. I like the ruby color of red beets for a colorful side dish, but it’s still a delicious salad with golden beets, or a combination of red beets and golden beets.
- Apple: The best apple variety for this recipe is one on the tart side, to balance the sweetness of the beets. I like McIntosh, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith. However, you can use any apple at all!
- Walnuts: If you have a sharp eye, you will see the pecans in the photo, not walnuts. That’s because I had made this salad a few times to get it just right, and didn’t realize I had run out of walnuts when it was time to set up the photos. Pecans are similar and they worked great. However, my preference would be for walnuts, and that’s how I wrote the recipe.
For the dressing
- Maple syrup: A small amount of pure maple syrup adds a hint of sweetness to the dressing.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt: Just a touch of sea salt to further enhance the flavor and add dimension to the sweetness of the beets.
How to make Kale and Beet Salad with Apples
- Roast the beets and walnuts and allow them to cool before slicing the beets into wedges.
- Put the kale in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Massage the oil into the kale for about two minutes, just enough to slightly soften the leaves.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, and the dressing to the massaged kale and toss gently to combine.
Variations and Tips
- Beets: I always prefer using fresh beets for this kale beet salad. However, I have used pre-cooked beets, canned beets, and even a combination of canned and pickled beets. If your beets came with the leafy tops attached, you can even add those to the salad. Or cook them: sautéed beet greens make a delicious side dish.
- Kale: Use any variety of fresh kale. You will need to separate the kale leaves from the ribs and stems and chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Apple: Any variety of apple is great, but one on the tart side is a perfect balance for the earthy flavor of sweet beets in this tasty salad. If you slice the apple ahead of time, toss the slices in some fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Walnuts: As mentioned, pecans work and any other nut will add a nice crunch, too. Other add-ins could include pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds, red onion, feta cheese or creamy goat cheese.
- Kale Massage: The secret to using raw kale in a salad is massaging the leaves. Rubbing the kale leaves with olive oil will make it more tender and less bitter. Just don’t over do it. We still want the kale to retain its crisp texture. If you are using baby kale, which is thinner and more tender, you won’t need to massage it.
- Storage: Store leftover kale and beet salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
Kale and Beet Salad with Apples
This vibrant and nutritious kale and beet salad with apples is a delicious combination of earthy beets, crisp apple slices, and hearty kale, tossed in a simple maple and cider vinaigrette.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 254kcal
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°
With cooking spray, lightly spray a piece of foil large enough to loosely wrap quartered beets.
Place beets on the oiled side of the foil, and loosely wrap to make a sealed package.
Put foil-wrapped beets on a baking sheet in the center of the oven and roast 30-45 minutes until tender.
In the last 5 minutes of roasting time, spread walnuts on the baking sheet alongside the roasting beets to toast.
Remove beets and walnuts from the oven, remove beets from foil, and allow to cool.
When beets are cool, slice the quarters into thinner wedges.
Make the dressing, by whisking lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, vinegar, parsley, and salt together in a bowl.
Put the kale into a large bowl and pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over it.
Use clean hands to massage the oil into the kale for about two minutes, until the leaves are slightly softened.
Add apple slices, beet slices, and walnuts to the bowl and toss with the dressing.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve chilled
Notes
- Beets: I always prefer using fresh beets for this kale beet salad. However, I have used pre-cooked beets, canned beets, and even a combination of canned and pickled beets. If your beets came with the leafy tops attached, you can even add those to the salad. Or cook them: sautéed beet greens make a delicious side dish.
- Kale: Use any variety of fresh kale. You will need to separate the kale leaves from the ribs and stems and chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Apple: Any variety of apple is great, but one on the tart side is a perfect balance for the earthy flavor of sweet beets in this tasty salad. If you slice the apple ahead of time, toss the slices in some fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Walnuts: As mentioned, pecans work and any other nut will add a nice crunch, too. Other add-ins could include pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds, red onion, feta cheese or creamy goat cheese.
- Kale Massage: The secret to using raw kale in a salad is massaging the leaves. Rubbing the kale leaves with olive oil will make it more tender and less bitter. Just don’t over do it. We still want the kale to retain its crisp texture. If you are using baby kale, which is thinner and more tender, you won’t need to massage it.
- Storage: Store leftover kale and beet salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
Nutrition
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 659mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 10086IU | Vitamin C: 99mg | Calcium: 287mg | Iron: 2mg
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Colleen
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