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Oct 29, 2020 By Stacie Hassing

DIY Sweet Kale Salad Kit

Egg-Free
Gluten-free
Grain-Free
Nut-free
Vegetarian
Jump to Recipe

A recipe inspired by the popular store-bought sweet kale salad kit! It comes together with kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, pepitas, optional goat cheese, and tossed with a delicious poppy seed yogurt dressing. This salad makes for the perfect side dish whether it be for a weeknight dinner or special holiday meal.

Sweet Kale Salad in a white speckled bowl with a serving spoon in it.

This Sweet Kale Salad recipe is hearty, delicious, and truly a must-try.

I’m a big fan of the Sweet Kale Salad Kits that are found at stores like Costco, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and most mainstream grocery stores. They’re delicious and make the perfect side to really any meal (like our Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs), any time of the year.

And while I love the convenience of the bagged salad kits you can buy, I set out on a mission to create an option that was made with real food and better-for-you ingredients. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still reach for the convenience option from time-to-time but I do prefer cooking from scratch and with real food ingredients (hence the name of this blog).

Not only is it better for your health but also better for your budget. Cooking from scratch is almost always the more budget-friendly option. Now I did add one ingredient that isn’t normally found in the store-bought Sweet Kale Salad kits which is goat cheese. So while this ingredient is totally optional, I really do love the flavor and creaminess it adds to the salad.

Poppy seed yogurt dressing in a small mason jar for the Sweet Kale Salad.
Sweet Kale Salad ingredients in a large clear bowl.

This post may contain affiliate links that won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Ingredients in this DIY Sweet Kale Salad Kit

For the poppy seed yogurt dressing:

  • Plain Greek yogurt – I almost always use full-fat Greek yogurt but if you’d like a lesser fat option, you can go with 2%.
  • Mayo – I like Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo. For an egg-free option use a vegan mayo or sub additional yogurt.
  • Apple cider vinegar – may sub white wine or red wine vinegar
  • Honey – may sub maple syrup
  • Orange juice and zest
  • Lemon juice and zest
  • Poppy seeds 
  • Sea salt
  • Onion powder 

For the salad:

  • Kale – stems removed and chopped into small pieces
  • Broccoli slaw – may sub shredded cabbage
  • Shredded Brussels sprouts
  • Dried cranberries – may sub dried raisins or blueberries. I like these dried cranberries because they are sweetened with apple juice and instead of sugar.
  • Pumpkin seeds – may sub sunflower seeds or almonds
  • Green onion 
  • Goat cheese crumbles – optional

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Sweet Kale Salad ingredients in a large clear bowl before being tossed together.

How to make Sweet Kale Salad

Whisk, chop, and toss your way to this delicious Sweet Kale Salad.

  • Step 1: In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
  • Step 2: Toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan over medium-low heat tossing often for about 5-7 minutes or until the seeds give off a toasted smell.
  • Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Just before serving, pour the poppyseed dressing over the ingredients and toss gently to combine. 
  • Step 4: Top with additional cranberries, pumpkin seeds, green onion, and optional goat cheese crumbles.

Sweet Kale Salad in a large clear bowl along with salad tossing utensils.

How to store Sweet Kale Salad leftovers

IF you have any leftovers you can store the salad in a glass storage container for up to 2 days. Any longer and the kale will become a little too soggy to enjoy. I like to serve the leftover Sweet Kale Salad with sliced chicken, steak, or salmon to enjoy as the next day’s lunch. So satisfying and incredibly tasty!

How to prep ahead Sweet Kale Salad

You can absolutely prep this salad ahead by taking care of a few of the tasks a day or two before you plan to serve the salad. If serving this as part of a holiday meal or special occasion, I like to prep as much as I can ahead so that it’s quick to put together when it’s getting close to mealtime. Here’s what you can tackle the day or two before you plan to serve the salad:

  1. Make the poppy seed dressing and store in a small glass storage container or mason jar in the fridge.
  2. Chop all of the veggies and store them together, in a large bowl or container, covered in the fridge.
  3. Toast the pumpkin seeds and store in a storage container, zip-top bag, or stasher bag.

Now all you have to do is combine all of the ingredients in a serving bowl, toss it with the salad dressing and it’s ready to serve.

Sweet Kale Salad in a white speckled bowl with a silver fork in the salad.

Other kale salad recipes you’ll love

  • Messaged Kale Salad
  • Kale Broccoli Slaw
  • Thai Kale Salad with Cashews
  • BBQ Ranch Chopped Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Kale

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Let's Get Cookin'

DIY Sweet Kale Salad Kit

A recipe inspired by the popular store-bought sweet kale salad kit! It’s made with kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, pepitas, optional goat cheese, and tossed with a delicious poppy seed yogurt dressing.

  • Author: Stacie Hassing
  • Prep Time: 25 minute
  • Total Time: 25 minute
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Salad
Sweet kale salad tossed in dressing in a clear glass bowl
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Dressing: 

  • ½ cup Greek yogurt (2% or full-fat) 
  • 2 Tbsp. mayo (may sub additional yogurt)
  • 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar 
  • 2 tsp. honey
  • ½ small orange, juice of (2 T) + ½ tsp. orange zest 
  • ½ lemon, juice of (2 T) + ½ tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds 
  • ½  tsp. sea salt
  • ¼  tsp. onion powder 

Salad:

  • 4 cups kale, stems removed and chopped into small pieces
  • 12 oz. bag broccoli slaw
  • 2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onion
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) goat cheese crumbles, optional

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
  2. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan over medium-low heat tossing often for about 5-7 minutes or until the seeds give off a toasted smell.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently to combine. 
  4. Top with additional cranberries, pumpkin seeds, green onion, and optional goat cheese crumbles.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
  • Calories: 205
  • Sugar: 9 g
  • Sodium: 295 mg
  • Fat: 11 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 17 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 13 g

 

Pin now, make later!

Sweet kale salad tossed in a yogurt poppyseed dressing in a clear glass bowl with two black serving spoons in the salad.


All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter. 

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About Stacie Hassing

Stacie is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian from rural southern Minnesota where she, her husband and daughter reside with their two pups. She’s a co-founder of The Real Food RDs and content creator of simple and wholesome recipes. She loves all kinds of fitness and has a passion to inspire as many as she can live a healthier and happier life both in and out of the kitchen - the driving force behind the co-development of the The Real Food RDs brand.

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Reader Interactions

Join the Conversation

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

  1. Barbara says

    February 1, 2021 at 9:07 am

    Could you do a vegan version

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      February 3, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      You could replace the Greek yogurt with a non-dairy/vegan plain yogurt or blended silken tofu and replace the honey with maple syrup or agave nectar.

      Reply

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The Real Food Dietitians is the passion-driven product of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Stacie Hassing and Jessica Beacom. They’ve combined their love of nutrition, health and real food with the concepts of ease and convenience to bring you recipes that are big on flavor but short on ingredients.

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