DIY Sweet Kale Salad Kit

A recipe inspired by the popular store-bought sweet kale salad kit! It’s 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.

This Sweet Kale Salad 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), anytime of the year.  And while I love the convenience of the kits you can buy, I set out on a mission to create an option that was made with real food, 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.

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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 seed or almonds
• Green onion 
• Goat cheese crumbles – optional

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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 dressing over the ingredients and toss gently to combine. 
• Step 4: Top with additional cranberries, pumpkin seeds, green onion and optional goat cheese crumbles.

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 a next days 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 meal time. Here’s what you can tackle the day or two before you plan to serve the salad:

1. Make the 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 an 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 dressing and it’s ready to serve.

Other kale salad recipes you’ll love

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

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