Tender and savory, this raw kale salad is the perfect winter compliment to any holiday meal. Garnished with homemade sun dried tomatoes and other homemade toppings, even your pickiest eaters will love it! This post has been updated from its original publication in 2013 – eat hearty! 
Kale in the Garden
Kale is a realiable garden crop that even new gardeners can grow. It’s hearty, grows vigorously, and is not as susceptible to pests as it’s more tender-hearted cousins cauliflower and broccoli.
It also survives winter weather above zone 5 (depending on variety) and can go lower with winter protection like a growing tunnel. I have brushed winter snow off my horticultural cloth many time to harvest the kale underneath.
- It also produces seed for you to save ever year and you can learn to save your own kale seed for next year’s garden.
If you don’t grow kale it yet, I challenge you to do so this coming year.
- Start it indoors several weeks before you last spring frost (about the time you start broccoli).
- Or plant nursery starts into your early spring garden.
FYI, kale actually enjoys cool weather.
- Learn to make your own low tunnels to extend your fall and spring gardens with The Seasonal Homestead.
- If you only have one or two plants, you can create organic vine covers to protect plants from winter’s chill.
- Also, here are 7 Ways to Protect Plants from Frost by Homestead and Chill.
Which Variety to Grow?
I like Vates kale the best so far of the varieties I’ve tried for this raw kale salad recipe. It has great flavor and is pleasantly crunchy. It also has nice leaf form, being both ruffly and sturdy.
- I’ve tried the Red Russian variety, too. It’s pretty with its dark green leaves and red veins running through it. However, it’s a little too tough to eat raw, I think.
- Dinosaur kale would also be nice in this recipe because of its pleasant flavor. Although it’s leaves aren’t as decorative as Vates.
Do you have a favorite kale variety I should try?
Here are a few more homemade salad resources:
Beet Greens Salad with Strawberry Dressing
Kale’s Health Benefits
Have you been eating kale since before kale was cool? Good for you because kale is packed full of nutrition. It’s even known as a super food due in part to the fact that it contains vitamins A, B6, C, K, folate, fiber, and manganese.
It also has carotenoids, which are the antioxidant pigments that create its deep green color. These healthy carotenoids are an important part of a healthy diet and should be consumed quite often.
- They’re best absorbed into our systems when eaten with a healthy fat, so consider adding the homemade feta linked at the bottom of this article.
- Other good fats could be olive oil (toss to incorporate), a dairy based salad dressing like blue cheese, or a side of delicious sourdough bread slathered generously with homemade butter.
Raw Kale Salad Recipe
This recipe has only three official ingredients because it really is so simple! Be sure to dress it up with any of the add-ins we’ve suggested or your own favorites.
Raw Kale Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Kale About 5 cups chopped
- 1 Lemon, seeded and juiced
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry one bunch of kale. Always check for aphids hiding in the curls of the kale and along the stem. Chop into roughly five cups.
- In a non-reactive bowl, mix the chopped kale and the fresh juice of one lemon. Sprinkle the juice, don't give the kale a bath in it.
- Next, grind up some sea salt and add at least one heaping teaspoon to the bowl.
- Mix it all together. You can do this with a spoon, if you're a bit on the fastidious side. However, the juice and salt will have an easier time breaking down or "cooking" your kale if you mush it in with your hands, massaging it all together.
- Let it sit for about ten minutes so the lemon juice can start to "cook", or soften, the kale.
- Afterwards add anything you'd like. Try roasted or raw peppers, feta (traditionally a raw milk cheese), any kind of raw nut. You could also add a tangy fruit like pomegranate, mango or mandarin oranges. Serve immediately.
Notes
My Favorite Kale Salad Add-In
I usually add my homemade “sun dried” tomatoes and some black pepper to this salad. Making these is not hard, and you can learn how to make your own sun dried tomatoes. It is something you need to think of in the summer time, though. If you missed it this year, just make plans for next year.
- Please also try these Candied Mapled Pecans from Joybilee Farm.
Also, try our super easy leftover bread homemade tutorial borrowed from our popular article 5 Ways to Avoid Food Waste at Home (which comes with a free printable workbook!).
Instead of throwing out stale bread or bread scraps (like the heel), save them to make bread pudding, bread crumbs, and croutons. Keep a bag of scraps in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
To Make Croutons:
- Dice stale bread into bite size pieces – careful not to make them too big!
- Toss in a bowl with melted butter until coated.
- Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake in an oven set at 375F/191C for about 10 minutes – check for browning.
- Remove and cool.”
Any way you choose to spruce it up, your raw kale salad will most likely taste fabulous and everyone around the table will think you’re cool.
If you have leftover kale, be sure to make our Air Fryer Kale Chipss that taste like popcorn!
Other Delicious Kale Recipes
How to Dry Kale the Easy Way
Kale and White Bean Soup
Home Canned Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup Recipe
Kale Pastry Recipe
Smoked Kale Kraut - Easy Fermenting Steps
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Yum! I just adore kale!! My daughter and I can’t get enough of it. We’ll have to try this, I just so happen to have a batch of cow’s milk feta that should be ready in the fridge!
Excellent – when shall I come on over? 🙂
Oh my gosh! I just saw your social media buttons! Adorable!!
I can’t take credit because I’m not nearly that cool with a computer but I’m pleased you like them!!
Love it! If you haven’t already I would love for you to link up to this week linky party and share it! https://www.somedayilllearn.com/2013/11/25/teach-tuesday-43/
Happy too – thanks for the invite!
Thanks for the feature!!!
We love our kale and this looks yummy!
I love kale!! This salad looks great!
I tried growing some last year, but the aphids got them. Not giving up, mean while collecting kale recipes which I am pinning to my veggie board, your next. Thanks for sharing on Tuesdays With a Twist, would love for you to post this or any other raw food recipes on Real Food Fridays.
Thx for sharing on HomeAcre Hop. I love kale (we are partial to the red Russian type), and often use it for slaws/salads, so it’s always nice to see another recipe to try.
Yum!!! Kale is delicious any way!
I love Red Russian kale! So easy to grow. Thanks for sharing this at the HomeAcre Hop!
A stand mixer in low and fitted with the paddle attachment makes kale massaging so much easier, especially if you have hand strength or neuropathy issues like I do.