This autumn kale and shaved Brussel sprout salad is tossed in a sweet apple cider vinaigrette. It's packed full of my favorite fall flavors including apples, pears, pomegranate, and more!
I love the heartiness of this kale apple salad and all of the delicious seasonal foods it is made with.
Though it can be enjoyed all year long, this makes for a perfect autumn harvest salad and fall salad dressing. It's also a great recipe for cold weather holidays.
The homemade apple cider vinaigrette dressing is easy to make and has a great balance of sweet and salty.
Ingredients
Kale: Fresh organic kale is one of my favorite salad bases. In my opinion, it can be kind of gross if not prepared correctly. I always like to massage the kale for at least 20 seconds with whatever salad dressing I'm going to use to dress the salad. This softens it nicely and adds a bunch of flavor.
Brussels Sprouts: I used raw shaved Brussels sprouts in this recipe. I prefer to buy whole Brussels sprouts and shave them using my food processor, but you can usually find pre-shaved sprouts in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
Apples: I like using a combination of apples in this salad for a variety of flavor. If you're only going to use one type of apple, pick your favorite!
Here is an article I found that discusses the different types of apples.
Pears: The pear adds so much delicious softness and sweetness to this salad. Try not to omit the pear if possible. If you must, sub for extra apple.
Nuts: Pecans and walnuts made an appearance in this recipe, but you can omit the nuts or replace them with your favorite nuts. Shaved almonds would be a great substitute.
Pumpkin Seeds: I used pepitas but you can swap sunflower seeds if you prefer.
Pomegranate: They added so much good flavor and texture to this salad, yum! You can either buy an entire pomegranate, or can find extracted pomegranate seeds.
See recipe card below for full ingredient list and quantities.
Instructions
You'll always want to start off by washing all of your produce.
Next, mix together all ingredients for the apple cider vinegar dressing. You'll want to give it as much time as possible to allow the flavors to meld. Once the dressing has been mixed set it aside.
I prefer to rip my kale by hand rather than using a knife, so I will remove bite-sized pieces from the stem and place that in my salad spinner for a second rinse.
Add the kale to a large serving bowl, pour about ¼ of the dressing over the kale and gently massage the dressing into the kale with your hands (make sure your hands are washed before and after) for about 30 seconds until the kale becomes slightly tender.
Finished cutting your apples and pears into bite-sized pieces, remove the pomegranate seeds, and assemble all salad ingredients in the serving dish.
Pour the remaining apple cider vinegar salad dressing on top, toss well, and serve right away.
Storage
This fall apple salad is best when served fresh, but can make a great meal prep salad recipe too!
Store the salad ingredients separately from the apple vinaigrette to prevent the salad from getting soggy.
Shake or stir the dressing and pour it over the salad, toss, and serve when you're ready to eat.
Be sure to try these plant based recipes next:
Fall Harvest Salad
Equipment
- Chef's knife
Ingredients
- 4 cups Kale
- 2 cups Brussels Sprouts Shaved or Shredded
- 1 Apple sliced
- 1 Pear sliced
- ¼ cup Walnuts
- ¼ cup Pecans
- ¼ cup Pomegranate Seeds
- ¼ cup Pepitas
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoon apple cider
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Combine all salad dressing ingredients and mix well then set aside.
- Wash all produce.
- Rip the kale into bite sized pieces and place in a large serving bowl. Pour one fourth of the salad dressing on top of the kale and gently massage with your hands for about half a minute until the kale becomes tender.
- Prep remaining ingredients according to the ingredient list and combine in the bowl with the kale. Add the remaining salad dressing, toss, and serve right away.
Notes
Nutrition
