This Kale Avocado Salad is packed with nutritious flavor from fresh kale, creamy avocado, and protein-packed white beans. All topped with a homemade Lemon-Dijon dressing!
The weather is warming up down here in Florida, and it has me searching for dinner ideas that are lighter and more refreshing than my winter staples. And salads sure fit the bill perfectly!
But of course, you won't find any boring iceberg lettuce salads over here. I like my salads packed to the brim with delicious fresh veggies and tossed with flavorful homemade dressings.
This Kale Avocado Salad Recipe Is...
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten Free
- Packed with nutritious ingredients!
- Light and Refreshing
Helpful Tips & Variations
Massage The Kale! Yes, I know it sounds weird. But massaging the kale with oil is going to help remove some of the bitterness and make the kale more tender.
Make ahead tips: You can prepare the salad in advance but do not add the dressing until ready to serve. You can store the dressing for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Swap the greens. Replace the kale with fresh spinach leaves, arugula, romaine or the salad greens of your choice for a slightly new spin.
Use chickpeas! If you prefer, you can trade out the white beans for chickpeas instead. Roasted chickpeas would add a nice crunch to the salad!
More Crunchy Toppings. You can use pepitas or sliced almonds in addition to (or instead of) the sunflower seeds.
More Add-Ins: For a heartier salad, you could try adding sliced ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced radishes, roasted beets, shredded carrots, or roasted beets.
More Tasty Vegan Recipes
If you love this Kale Avocado Salad, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas or browse all my salad recipes.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups kale, de-stemmed and shredded or thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch kosher salt
- 15 oz cannellini beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 avocado, sliced for serving
For the Dressing
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, can use honey or agave syrup as substitute
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients together in a bowl
- Mix until combined and set aside until ready to serve.
- Wash and dry the kale. Add it to a large bowl.
- Drizzle the kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Take your hands and massage the kale for a couple of minutes. This will release the bitterness that kale can have.
- Make the salad: pour the dressing over the kale, followed by white beans, sunflower seeds, salt, and black pepper. Toss the salad.
- Add sliced avocado on top and enjoy!
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