Kale Quinoa Salad is the best healthy side dish. Made with simple, healthy ingredients like cranberries and chickpeas – this is a must try!
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If you typically aren’t a kale lover, I promise that this salad will change your mind about it! The healthy green has a bad rep because it can be bitter, but we have a special way of preparing kale that makes it taste amazing!
The different textures and flavors of the ingredients take it up a notch, too. It’s a delicious crispy, crunchy, sweet and savory salad!
We like to serve it as a Thanksgiving side dish, but honestly, it can be a vegetarian main dish, too! The quinoa and chickpeas are full of protein, making it perfect for lunch or dinner.
This salad is full of flavor and incredibly easy to make!
why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and Easy. This dish takes just 35 minutes to make, and even quicker if you are using leftover quinoa.
- Can be served warm or cold. Not everyone likes warm quinoa salad. Actually, we prefer it cold, making it perfect to pack as a healthy lunch!
- Great meal prep recipe. Because it keeps well for 4 days in the fridge, it’s fantastic for weekly meal prep.
Ingredients
To make this kale and quinoa salad you’ll need:
- dry quinoa – you can cook it in water or broth to give it more flavor
- lacinato kale or curly kale – There are several varieties of kale. Lacinato (also know as Italian kale) is different than curly kale. The flavor is less bitter.
- chickpeas – look for low salt
- dried cranberries
- shaved almonds – chopped almonds will work too, but I prefer
- pepitas – AKA pumpkin seeds! raw or roasted will work
The dressing is made of:
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil – use a good quality oil, it really adds flavor
- dijon mustard
- salt and pepper – you can add a little bit of garlic powder too!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR KALE QUINOA SALAD
Quinoa: You can substitute quinoa with farro or orzo or use leftover quinoa.
Kale: Lacinato kale is our favorite kale but curly kale will also work. Lacinato kale is also called tuscan kale or dinosaur kale. We also love this Easy Kale Salad!
Chickpeas: can be substituted with another bean like cannellini beans or navy beans.
Cranberries: can be substituted with any other dried fruit. Fresh apples would also be delicious.
Almonds & Pepitas: These can be substituted with an equivalent amount of any nut or seed. Sunflower seeds, chopped pecans, and chopped pistachios would all be delicious
Balsamic Vinegar: We don’t recommend substituting balsamic vinegar. You can use red wine vinegar but it won’t taste the same.
Dijon Mustard: You can substitute dijon mustard with whole grain mustard.
Dressing: I haven’t tried making this salad with other dressings, but I bet it would work! Check out these healthy salad dressings for more ideas!
Add more veggies: This Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad is great for a veggie packed quinoa salad!
Cheese: I love this salad with crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese.
Onion: You can add 1/4 chopped red onion to this recipe for a little kick.
How to Make Quinoa and Kale Salad
- Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Let cool.
- While the quinoa cooks, chop the kale leaves. Massage for a few minutes with your hands until it softens.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked quinoa, chopped kale leaves, chickpeas, cranberries, almonds, pepitas, and dressing to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Pro Tip:
The secret to kale that is tender and delicious is to chop and massage the kale!
how to massage kale for salad
Massaging kale is the best way to remove some of its bitterness. Also, the vinegar in the dressing helps cut the bitterness. If you want another zesty dressing, check out our Lemon Dressing recipe.
- Trim, rinse, and thoroughly dry the greens. Use kitchen shears to remove any black spots from the leaves, and cut away any thick ribs from the center.
- Roughly chop the kale. Place it into a mixing bowl that’s large enough to fit your hands.
- Massage it with your hands for a few minutes. If you want to, you can rub your hands together with a teaspoon of olive oil before massaging the kale.
Kale Quinoa Salad FAQ
Massaging the kale is the best way to make sure your salad isn’t bitter. Also, combining with the vinegar in the dressing helps cut the bitterness. If you want another zesty dressing, check out this Lemon Dressing.
This salad is best served cold! This salad uses salad greens that will wilt when heated.
What to Serve Quinoa Salad With
This Thanksgiving salad is best when it’s fresh. Serve it up as a holiday side dish, or a vegetarian lunch or dinner any other time of year. It’s fantastic with any of these entrees:
This salad is also great with Healthy Chicken Salad on top for an easy, healthy lunch!
Storage
How long does cold quinoa salad last? : This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing this recipe, it will get slimy and the almonds will no longer be crunchy.
Heating: We don’t recommend heating this recipe. It’s best served cold.
Other healthy dinner recipes:
Looking for other easy meals and salad recipes? Check out these Healthy Dinner Recipes or get our free 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Kale Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cups dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ lb lacinato kale
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas low or no salt added drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cups dried cranberries
- 1/2 cups sliced almonds
- 1/2 cups pepitas
Dressing:
- 1/4 cups balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa with 2 cups of water according to the package directions. Let cool.
- While the quinoa cooks, chop the kale. Massage for a few minutes with your hands until it softens. You can massage with a little bit of olive oil if you like!
- In a small bowl whisk together the balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked quinoa, kale, chickpeas, cranberries, almonds, pepitas, and dressing to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Notes
- The secret to kale that is tender and delicious is to chop and massage the kale! Don’t skip this step.
- Use store-bought dressing if you’re short on time.
- This will last in the fridge for 4 days
Nicole says
I’m always looking for new ways to use quinoa and this was super easy and delicious. Thank you!!
Liz Marino says
Glad you liked it, Nicole!
Amy Woods says
This dish was amazing. We all loved it. It was quick and easy and delicious. I will be eating the leftovers today for lunch. Thank you
Liz Marino says
So happy you enjoyed them!
Cheryl N says
Easy, delicious and perfect for lunch leftovers! So glad I came across this one! Followed the recipe as is no changes or substitutions!
Karen Brettschneider says
This recipe has no cucumbers. My question is regarding cucumbers. Right now, due to serious stomach and liver issues, I cannot eat raw cucumbers (and my roommate doesn’t like them). I know there is no substitute for that lovely fresh flavor, but will it alter the taste of any salad if I don’t put cucumbers in? Love your recipes and have saved many of them to make, when I can eat normally again. Um, soon, very soon.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Karen – I’m a little confused by this comment. There are no cucumbers in the recipe… so there’s nothing to adjust here. Just make the recipe as is.
Erin G says
This was delicious and super easy to make!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!