Best Ever Paleo Kale Salad {Vegan}

This is definitely the best kale salad I’ve made! Loads of flavor, easy pickled onions, toasted almonds, avocado and more with a tangy maple dijon dressing. Great for a light meal, picnics, BBQ’s and really anytime! Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, vegan.

I’m a huge fan of kale whether it’s cooked or in salad form – it holds flavor so well and I can’t get enough!

I never thought I’d love kale 10 years ago.

But as I discovered how incredible it is when sautéed really crispy, (like here with bacon) and how well it holds dressing and doesn’t wilt, it’s become an easy favorite!

I loaded up this paleo and vegan salad with pickled onions, avocado, apples, cranberries, toasted almonds and a little vegan parmesan, which is totally optional.

The dressing is a simple dijon vinaigrette that you can shake together in seconds. Let’s get into more of the details!

What You Need to Make This Paleo Kale Salad

I broke up the ingredients into 3 categories – pickled onions, salad, and dressing. Here’s everything you’ll need:

Pickled Onions:

red onion
apple cider vinegar
water
pure maple syrup
sea salt

Salad:

slivered almonds
kale
olive oil + dash sea salt
apple
dried cranberries
avocado
vegan parmesan cheese, optional

Dressing:

olive oil
fresh lemon juice
dijon mustard
pure maple syrup
Sea salt and black pepper

How to Make The Best Ever Kale Salad

Prepare the pickled onions first. They need to marinate for about 30 minutes. You can also make them ahead of time and store in the refrigerator to cut down the salad prep time.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, maple syrup and salt. Turn the heat to medium and heat until just simmering. While the mixture heats up, place the sliced onions in a mason jar.

Slowly pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions in the mason jar to cover them, and use a spoon to ensure the top onions are covered. Marinate the onions for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad, or cover and refrigerate to use later.

To toast the almonds, heat a medium skillet over medium and add the almonds, arranging in a (mostly) single layer. Allow them to toast for two minutes, stir, and allow to toast another minute or until beginning to turn golden brown. Once done, remove them from heat to avoid burning and set aside.

Place the chopped kale in a large serving bowl. Drizzle the olive oil on it and sprinkle with salt. Massage the oil and salt into the kale using your hands for a few minutes to soften the kale.

To the serving bowl, add the toasted almonds, sliced apples, cranberries, diced avocado and vegan parmesan cheese, if using.

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl or small mason jar and either whisk well (if using a bowl) or shake well (if using a mason jar) to combine.

Once the onions are done, add them to the salad, then add the dressing and toss together with tongs.

Serve right away, or keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours before serving.

Where to Find Fruit Sweetened Cranberries

If you’re following a paleo diet, you’ll likely want to avoid cane sugar, which is typically used to sweeten dried cranberries.

Since unsweetened dried cranberries taste pretty terrible in my opinion, I prefer to use apple juice sweetened cranberries, which are delicious.

I haven’t seen them in the stores near me so I always stock up on these from Amazon.

They’re perfect not only for salads, but for paleo friendly baked goods too and grain free granola!

I hope you’re ready for a new favorite salad that you’ll want on repeat!

Whether it’s a summer BBQ or light lunch, this paleo kale salad is going to be perfect.

Grab your ingredients because it’s time to dig in – let’s go!