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This collection of 20+ dietitian-designed recipes using kale will give you a ton of ideas for how to include the nutritious leafy green in your cooking. Here you’ll find plenty of delicious kale salads as well as both main and side dishes using kale. You’ll never have to ask “what can I do with kale?” again!

Roundup graphic for a blog post containing 10+ healthy kale recipe ideas.

In this post, you’ll find 20+ healthy kale recipe ideas from the blog along with some helpful kale nutrition facts! Keep scrolling or click on the following sections to go straight to them:

Nutrition & Health Benefits Of Kale

Just one cup of kale provides over 100% of your daily needs for: 

  • vitamin A (206%)
  • vitamin K (684%)
  • vitamin C (134%)

Kale is also a good source of other micronutrients like: 

  • manganese
  • magnesium
  • potassium
  • calcium
  • copper
  • vitamin B6

That same cup provides 2 grams of dietary fibre, helping to keep your gut and heart happy.

In addition to micronutrients, kale is also loaded with antioxidants, which prevent cellular damage and provide a multitude of health benefits.

As you can see, kale is truly a superfood!

Kale Salad Recipes

You can’t have a kale recipe roundup without plenty of kale salads! I promise you there are no dry, tough, or boring kale salads around here.

These kale salads are packed with flavour, nutritious ingredients, and are often really great to make in advance. I love that kale doesn’t get soggy like other leafy greens, rather it starts to taste even better over time!

TIP: Many of these salads use massaged kale as their base! Curious to learn what “massaging” kale really means? You’re in luck – I’ve got an in-depth post ALL about how to massage kale. It’s one of my favourite ways to prepare kale for salads 🙂

1) Vegan Kale & Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad

overhead photo of white plate topped with kale brussels sprout salad with apples, pomegranates, and a vegan caesar dressing drizzled on top
This vegan kale and brussels sprout caesar salad recipe is made with apples, pomegranates, sourdough croutons, and a cashew-based caesar salad dressing. It's easy, healthy, and absolutely delicious!
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2) Kale Butternut Squash Salad With Farro & Goat Cheese

overhead zoomed out photo of kale butternut squash salad with farro and goat cheese on a white plate
This kale butternut squash salad is made with delicious ingredients like farro, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. It's easy, healthy, and so satisfying!
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3) Grilled Kale Salad With Avocado, Lemon & Parm

overhead shot white serving plate with grilled kale salad topped with avocado, pecans, parmesan, lemons
This healthy grilled kale salad is paired with avocado, lemon, garlic, pecans, and parmesan. It's one of the best ways to eat kale!
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4) Warm Mushroom & Kale Salad With Miso Dressing

overhead photo of large white serving plate topped with warm mushroom, kale, and farro salad with avocado chunks on top
This warm mushroom salad recipe is made with kale, farro, avocado, and topped with a delicious miso-sesame dressing. It's a hearty vegan salad that can been enjoyed as a side or a main!
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5) Kale Pasta Salad With Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Overhead photo of a kale pasta salad with sundried tomatoes and peppers in a large white bowl.
This kale pasta salad is made with sun-dried tomatoes, red bell peppers, parmesan, and a simple red wine vinaigrette. It's an easy, delicious, and nutritious make-ahead meal! Recipe is vegetarian and can easily be made gluten-free.
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6) Broccoli Kale Salad With Tahini Dressing

Overhead photo of a broccoli and kale salad with a tahini dressing drizzled overtop.
This broccoli kale salad recipe is made with nutritious ingredients like quinoa, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and a creamy tahini dressing. It's a hearty and crunchy salad that's packed with fiber, healthy fats, and plant-based protein! Recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
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7) Kale Salad With Sweet Potatoes, Pomegranate & Goat Cheese

This fall salad combines massaged lacinato kale, roasted sweet potatoes, pomegranates, and toasted pecans for a delicious and filling meal or side.
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8) Kale Apple Salad With Parmesan & Walnuts

Overhead photo of a kale apple salad with walnuts and parmesan in a serving dish.
This massaged kale apple salad recipe brings together apples, parmesan, and walnuts for a nourishing, simple, and dietitian-approved meal. Enjoy this kale salad on its own as a main dish, or as a side salad.
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9) Kale Salad With Maple Tahini Dressing

massaged kale salad topped with delicata squash, apples, pecans, and cranberries
This easy vegan massaged kale salad is made with a maple tahini dressing, roasted delicata squash, apples, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries. Delicious!
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10) Sweet Potato Kale Salad With Smokey Tahini

Overhead photo of a sweet potato, beet, kale, and tahini salad on a white plate.
This vegan roasted sweet potato salad is made with kale, beets, and a smoked paprika-tahini dressing. It's super hearty, nourishing, and easy to make. Can be enjoyed warm or cold.
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11) Massaged Avocado Kale Salad

Serving of massaged avocado kale salad in a bowl.
This massaged avocado kale salad recipe uses creamy avocado as part of the dressing. Soft and tender, it's an easy side salad that goes with everything!
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12) Asian Kale Salad

Asian kale salad with sesame dressing in a large bowl.
This simple Asian kale salad is a Whole Foods copycat of one of my favourite items from their deli. Kale is massaged in a sesame-ginger dressing until it's soft, tender, and flavourful. It's a nutritious and easy side salad recipe!
Get the recipe

Main Dishes With Kale

In this section you’ll find a handful of delicious main dish recipes that use kale!

13) Spaghetti Squash With Kale Pesto

overhead photo of two halves of roasted spaghetti squash topped with pesto and shrimp on a parchment-linked baking sheet
This healthy spaghetti squash recipe is served with a kale miso pesto and sautéed shrimp. It's dairy-free, gluten-free, and high in fibre and protein. All you need is 10 ingredients!
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14) Lemon Kale Pasta With Eggs

Kale lemon pasta topped with 2 fried eggs.
This lemon kale pasta with fried eggs is one of my go-to, quick + easy dinner recipes! All you need to make this tasty and nutritious meal are 30-minutes and 7 simple ingredients.
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15) Sweet Potato & Kale Skillet Hash

Sweet potato hash with red bell peppers, kale, avocado, and eggs in a skillet
This Sweet Potato Hash Breakfast Skillet is packed with veggies, protein, fibre, and fresh herbs. An easy stovetop recipe with no oven required!
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16) Baked Harissa Salmon Over Lemon & Kale Quinoa

overhead photo of baked harissa salmon over lemon kale quinoa on a white plate. Ingredients garnish the outside of the plate, along with a MSC blue label
This oven-baked harissa salmon recipe is light, fresh, and flavourful! It's an easy, healthy weeknight dinner idea ready in 35-minutes!
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17) Kale Butternut Squash Hash

Overhead photo of a kale butternut squash hash with eggs in a pan.
This butternut squash hash with eggs and kale is such a delicious, easy, and cozy breakfast idea! All you need are 9 simple ingredients. Recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, and can easily be made dairy-free as well.
Get the recipe

Side Dishes With Kale

In this section you’ll find some tasty vegetable side dishes that feature kale as a key ingredient.

18) Quinoa Stuffed Delicata Squash With Kale

overhead photo of 4 halves of delicata squash stuffed with kale and quinoa and topped with goat cheese, pomegranates, and thyme on white parchment paper
This delicata squash stuffed with quinoa and kale is a delicious vegetarian side dish. Topped with goat cheese, pomegranate, and a simple red wine vinegar dressing, this recipe is packed with nutrients and full of flavour.
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19) Roasted Butternut Squash With Kale & Coconut Sauce

Overhead photo of roasted butternut squash and kale in a white bowl.
This Roasted Butternut Squash is paired with crispy kale, crunchy almonds, and drizzled with a spicy coconut cream sauce. An easy, delicious, and healthy twist on a seasonal vegetable side dish!
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20) Roasted Broccolini & Kale With Honey

overhead photo of roasted broccolini and kale on a white serving platter with small bowl of honey and silver serving utensils
This easy oven-roasted broccolini (tenderstem broccoli) recipe with crispy kale is a delicious and super simple vegetable side dish. A drizzle of honey after roasting adds the perfect touch of sweetness to the cooked veggies. Ready in just 20 minutes! Recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
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Breakfast With Kale

In this section you’ll find one of my go-to kale smoothies to start your day with some greens!

21) Kale Mango Smoothie

Photo of two jars of kale mango green smoothie.
This refreshing and creamy kale and mango smoothie is the perfect no-cook, healthy breakfast. Wholesome and quick to make in a blender, it’s a great recipe to start your day off, thanks to a nicely balanced combination of fruits (mango + banana), greens (kale), healthy fats (avocado) and protein (Greek yogurt)!
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And there you have it – 20+ Easy, Healthy Kale Recipes to cook and enjoy! If you make any of these recipes, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!

More Recipe Roundups To Explore

Get the Recipe: 20+ Healthy Kale Recipes, Including Kale Caesar Salad

This vegan kale and brussels sprout caesar salad recipe is made with apples, pomegranates, sourdough croutons, and a cashew-based caesar salad dressing. It's easy, healthy, and absolutely delicious!
overhead photo of white plate topped with kale brussels sprout salad with apples, pomegranates, and a vegan caesar dressing drizzled on top
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Ingredients

  • 5 cups lacinato kale, chopped then (about 1 large or 2 small bunches – how to massage kale for salad)
  • 5 cups brussels sprouts, shredded (roughly 15 sprouts, depending on size)
  • 2 slices sourdough bread
  • 2 tsp olive oil (for sourdough)
  • 1 pomegranate, arils only
  • 1/2 a large honeycrisp apple, sliced thin
  • Salt + pepper, to taste

Vegan caesar dressing:

Instructions

  • *NOTE: you'll need to soak the cashews for at least 4 hours or overnight. I find it easiest to just throw them into a jar, cover with water, and place in the fridge the night before I plan on making a recipe.
  • Preheat your oven to 350F. Slice sourdough bread into roughly 1/2- to 1-inch chunks. Toss in olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins, until lightly browned and toasted. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, make the caesar dressing by placing all dressing ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you like a thinner dressing, simply add a tablespoon or 2 more water and blend until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • In a large salad bowl, add chopped kale, shredded brussels sprouts, apple slices, pomegranates, and sourdough croutons. Drizzle caesar dressing on top, and toss to combine. Serve immediately!

Notes

*NOTE: This recipe makes a fair amount of dressing. If you’re someone who prefers a lighter amount of dressing on their salads, don’t feel like you need to use all of it. Save any leftover dressing in an airtight jar in the fridge to use with other veggies or as a dip!
*See full blog post for instructions on how to shred brussels sprouts and chop kale.
*This kale and brussels sprout caesar salad is best enjoyed immediately! That said, leftovers will keep for 1-2 days in an airtight container in the fridge, but do note that the croutons will become soggy.
*If you want to make this salad in advance, prep all the ingredients and store them separately. Chop the kale, shred the brussels sprouts, de-seed the pomegranate, make the croutons, and make the dressing. When you’re ready to serve, mix ingredients together and add fresh apple slices (so that they don’t go brown).
*Recipe variations:
  • If you need a gluten-free version of this recipe, simply swap sourdough with your favourite gluten-free bread. If you’d prefer to omit the bread, add some extra crunch with some pumpkin seeds or nuts!
  • I love honeycrisp apples because of their crunchy sweetness, but feel free to swap them with your favourite variety. You could also try this with dried cranberries instead of pomegranates.
  • If you don’t feel like making homemade caesar dressing, feel free to use a store-bought version. I’ve listed my favourite brands in the blog post.

Nutrition

As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.

Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.

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Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.