Last Updated on March 12, 2024
Are you tired of thinking about how to make the best dressing for kale salad? If your answer is yes, then this kale salad dressing recipe is your best friend.
It’s made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, lime juice, mustard, and more simple ingredients. This gives it a delightful sweet, tangy, and savory flavor.
it’s an easy-to-make salad dressing that can be used for any salad recipe for any occasion.
You can shake it, you can whisk it, you can keep it in a mason jar, and you can drizzle it on your favorite salad.
Let this recipe guide you into making a hip dressing that’s sure to brighten your lunch or dinner.
Kale Salad Dressing Recipe – Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a tasty dressing that you can make all the time. This easy recipe only takes a few minutes.
- You can quickly find ingredient substitutes for this recipe if some of these aren’t available to you.
- Since you can make it in a jar, it’s easy to store in the fridge.
- You can make a healthy dressing for your side dishes too, without any preservatives.
Ingredients You Will Need
This is an easy and versatile dressing to make. You can literally make this in a few minutes without the hassle.
It has a silky mouthfeel from the extra-virgin olive oil, tanginess from the lime, sourness from the vinegar, and more. This dressing will make any salad bright and vibrant.
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar – This adds a sour element to our dressing. It has a fruity sourness to it that blends well with the other ingredients.
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil – This is the base for our dressing. It will give this recipe a velvety smooth texture. and will add richness to our recipe.
- 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard – for some tartness we use yellow mustard. it has a tangy-spicy taste that will clear any blocked sinuses around.
- 1 tbsp maple syrup – for a sweet note. It has a signature woody caramel taste. It also adds a level of richness to our dressing.
- 1 pc freshly squeezed lime juice – for a fruity-tangy flavor. It just brightens up this recipe because of its citrusy taste.
- 1 pc zest of lime – This gives it a fruity aroma. It also helps intensify the citrus taste of the juice.
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic – This will give our dressing a bold, savory, and pungent taste.
- 1/2 tsp salt – to bring out the flavors for our recipe and to add a salty element. This is our basic seasoning and a little goes a long way.
- 1/8 tsp black pepper – also our basic seasoning. It gives off a great piney scent and flavor to our dressing.
How To Make Kale Salad Dressing
- Place the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, zest, mustard, and maple syrup in a jar. A mason jar would be ideal for the lid.
- Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Shake the jar vigorously to emulsify or until it is well combined.
- Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the flavors blend together. Shake again before serving.
Or if you want you can use a bowl and whisk. Just make sure you can stir it until it is well combined.
Best Kale Salad Recipe
If you want to pair this with anything try our best kale salad recipe. It has a clean bitter taste from chopped kale and radicchio.
It also has strawberry slices for sweetness and earthy flavors from snowpea sprouts. It’s a great meal not only for our vegan friends but for everybody!
Or you can add kale, carrots, roasted sunflower seeds, cooked chickpeas, and creamy goat cheese in a bowl and mix them with this salad dressing. It’s simple and quick.
Olive Oil Versus Sunflower Oil
There are a ton of varieties of oil out there. It affects the flavor and nutritional content of your dish. We’ve broken down the 2 types you can use for this recipe.
✅ Olive oil – Extra-virgin olive oil is the most famous oil to use for salads. It provides a sophisticated rich taste that we all know and love.
It also provides antioxidants, good fat, and antibacterial properties. This helps to fight strokes and coronary heart diseases.
✅ Sunflower oil – has a slightly buttery nutty taste which adds a new depth to any recipe. It also contains a high amount of vitamins A and E which are good for maintaining healthy skin.
Whichever type of oil you want to use, make sure to choose one that has good flavor and high nutritional value.
Tips, Variations, And Substitutions
🥗 Lemon juice – squeezed from fresh lemons can take the slot for lime. It will add the same fruity tanginess we all love.
🥗 Agave syrup – I think this is a great substitute for maple syrup. It has a sweet earthy taste but is milder than maple syrup. I’d rather use this before using regular table sugar. Plus it’s healthier too.
🥗 Sunflower oil – If this is more affordable or available to you, use this instead of olive oil. It has a nutty flavor and will be an amazing base for our dressing.
🥗 Dijon mustard – you can change yellow mustard for this. It has a similar spicy-tangy taste albeit Dijon’s flavor is more pronounced. You won’t know the difference.
🥗 Balsamic vinegar – This has the same fruity sourness as apple cider vinegar. But this variation has a sweet taste with hints of prunes, figs, molasses, or cherries.
If you want to lessen the bitterness of the kale just massage them for 2 to 3 minutes and run them under cold running water.
Storage Tips
If you making this in a mason jar just pop the lid on and store it in the fridge. This will keep for about 3 to 7 days.
If you made this recipe in a bowl, transfer the dressing into a container with a tight lid and keep it in the fridge. This will also keep for 3 to 7 days.
Keeping your kale salad dressing in a covered container prevents the odors, flavors, and bacteria that may be lingering around from affecting the quality of this recipe. It will also keep the dressing fresh longer.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Some popular kale salad dressing recipes include lemon dressing, tahini dressing, apple cider vinegar dressing, and creamy avocado dressing. These recipes add a burst of flavor to your kale salad.
To make the best dressing for kale salad, you can try a combination of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, yellow or Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. This tangy and flavorful dressing pairs well with the bitterness of kale.
Massaging kale for salad involves squeezing and kneading the kale leaves with your hands to break down their fibrous structure.
This helps to soften the kale and reduce its bitterness, making it more enjoyable in a salad.
Yes, you can make kale salad dressing without oil by using alternative ingredients such as tahini, avocado, or cashew cream as a base.
These ingredients provide creaminess and flavor to the dressing without the need for oil.
Best Kale Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp yellow mustard or dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 pc lime juice freshly squeezed
- 1 pc zest of lime
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, zest, mustard, and maple syrup in a jar. A mason jar would be ideal for the lid.
- Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Shake the jar vigorously to emulsify or until it is well combined.
- Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the flavors blend together. Shake again before serving.