Kale quinoa salad is an easy and tasty recipe that combines two nutritious superfoods.
Protein-rich quinoa meets vitamin-packed kale. Both are flavored by a bold, creamy mustard dressing with sweet, tangy, and citrusy notes.
Kale quinoa salad is excellent for a quick lunch or a healthy dinner. It keeps well for several days and is suitable for meal prep.
What is kale quinoa salad?
Quinoa is a superb ingredient for salads. It cooks in 10 minutes, is rich in protein, and has a neutral, mildly nutty flavor that goes well with most other ingredients.
If you follow our blog, you might remember our quinoa chickpea salad, Mediterranean quinoa lentil salad, juicy black bean mango salad with quinoa, and black bean quinoa salad.
In this blog post, we show you how to combine this nutritious superfood with tender kale leaves, crunchy almonds, and protein-rich edamame beans (you can substitute chickpeas for edamame if you prefer).
We add flavor by using our loved and tested mustard dressing and savory feta cheese (vegan substitutions below).
We think you’ll love how healthy and tasty this salad is!
Ingredients for kale quinoa salad
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Kale, Lemon, and Salt
You can use dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, curly kale, red kale, or cavolo nero.
You can buy whole kale leaves at the store (we’ll show you how to prep them below) or pre-chopped kale.
The kale is massaged with lemon juice and salt before being used for the salad. We’ll show you how to do that, too.
Quinoa
Feel free to use whatever quinoa you have at hand. We use white quinoa, but red, black, or tri-color quinoa also works.
Substitute whole grain rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, barley, farro, or any other whole grain for the quinoa.
Edamame beans
Edamame beans are legumes (immature soybeans) and are healthy, nutritious, and an excellent source of protein.
You’ll find edamame beans in the frozen food section of most supermarkets.
Substitute chickpeas or black beans for edamame beans.
Almonds
Chopped-up toasted almonds taste good with kale, and we think they are delicious in this salad.
Substitute mixed seeds, chopped walnuts, or pecans for almonds.
Scallion
Scallions, green onions, or spring onions add a mild tangy flavor.
You can substitute shallots or red onion for scallions.
Dill
Fresh dill is for flavor and aroma. Substitute chives or parsley for dill.
Feta cheese
Feta cheese adds a lovely, savory, and tangy flavor to the salad.
For vegans, substitute non-dairy feta for regular feta.
Dressing
We use a simple and effective mustard dressing with:
- Extra virgin olive oil: substitute regular olive oil.
- Lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar.
- Mustard: you can use yellow or Dijon mustard.
- Maple syrup: substitute honey.
- Sea salt or kosher salt.
- Black pepper
- Dried dill: substitute dried oregano.
How to make kale quinoa salad
Rinse and cook the quinoa
Add raw quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse it well under running water.
METHOD 1 (cook it like pasta):
Bring a pot with plenty of water (about 4 cups) to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of quinoa.
Boil for 10 to 12 minutes. Taste it to check for doneness. It should be cooked but with a slight bite, not mushy.
Drain the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, shake off excess water, and let it cool down over the pot in the strainer. Set aside.
METHOD 2: Simmer 1 cup of quinoa in 1 and 1/2 cups of boiling water on medium heat until the water is absorbed – about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the kale
Separate the kale leaves from the stems by holding the stem firmly with one hand and pulling the leaves away with the other. Discard the stems.
Rinse the leaves, shake the water away, then chop them into small pieces.
Add the chopped kale to a large mixing bowl; add the juice of half a lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Massage—pinch—the kale with your fingertips to soften its texture. Do so for about one minute, then set aside and prep the other ingredients.
Massaging raw kale is essential. It makes the kale softer, more flavorful, and more digestible.
Other ingredients
EDAMAME: Boil the frozen edamame in a small pot with water for 5 minutes.
ALMONDS: Toast the almonds on a pan for a few minutes, then chop them into pieces.
HERBS: Thinly slice the scallions and finely chop the dill.
DRESSING: Whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, dried dill, salt, and black pepper. Alternatively, add ingredients to a small jar, close it, and shake until combined.
Add kale, quinoa, edamame beans, almonds, scallions, dill, feta, and the dressing to a large mixing bowl.
Mix well, then set aside 15 minutes to one hour before serving.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve kale quinoa salad as a main course for a quick lunch, healthy dinner, or lunchbox meal.
We love it next to a creamy soup like kabocha squash soup, sweet potato soup, potato leek soup, or carrot ginger soup.
You can also serve it as a side dish for potlucks, barbecues, and picnics. It’s great next to anything grilled, from veggies to fish to meats and cheeses.
Storage
Make ahead: Kale quinoa salad is excellent for meal prep because it becomes more flavorful as it marinates in the dressing.
Refrigerator: Keep leftover salad in an airtight container for four days.
Freezer: this is not a freezer-friendly recipe.
More Salad Recipes
WITH LEAFY GREENS & CRUCIFEROUS: creamy broccoli salad, kale salad, broccoli cauliflower salad, arugula salad.
WITH LEGUMES: chickpea salad, black bean salad, white bean salad, Mediterranean salad, lentil salad.
For even more salad ideas, check out our compilation of 45 best salad recipes.
Kale Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1½ cups boiling water to cook the quinoa
- 5 ounces kale about 5 cups chopped + ½ lemon and ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup edamame beans frozen
- ½ cup spring onions thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup almonds toasted and chopped
- ½ cup feta cheese diced or crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons mustard Dijon or American
- 1½ tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
- COOK QUINOA: Add 1 cup quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse it well under running water.Simmer it in 1½ cups boiling water until the water is absorbed – about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- MASSAGE KALE: Separate 5 ounces kale leaves from the stems by holding the stem firmly with one hand and pulling the leaves away with the other. Discard the stems.Rinse the leaves, shake the water away, then chop them into small pieces.Add the chopped kale to a large mixing bowl; add the juice of half a lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.Massage—pinch—the kale with your fingertips to soften its texture. Do so for about one minute, then set aside and prep the other ingredients.
- EDAMAME: Boil 1 cup edamame beans in a small pot with water for 5 minutes.ALMONDS: Toast ⅓ cup almonds on a pan for a few minutes, then chop them into pieces.HERBS: Thinly slice ½ cup spring onions and finely chop ¼ cup fresh dill.DRESSING: Whisk together ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons mustard, 1½ tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon dried dill.Add everything plus ½ cup feta cheese (crumbled or diced) to a large mixing bowl.
- MIX AND SERVE: Mix well, then set aside 15 minutes to one hour before serving.You can serve kale quinoa salad as a main course for a quick lunch, healthy dinner, or lunchbox meal.You can also serve it as a side dish for potlucks, barbecues, and picnics. It’s great next to anything grilled, from veggies to fish to meats and cheeses.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hello Nico and Louise!
I made this and really enjoyed it; it has been some time since I had kale and this reminded me how much I was missing! The only thing I wished was different was the salad dressing-I found that it was not really flavorful. However, it did allow all of the ingredients to shine, which was nice. Think I’ll try a tahini dressing next time.
Thank you both so much for sharing your passion and wonderful recipes!
I’ve made three of your recipes this week alone after finding you on YouTube, and I am totally obsessed. I’ve tried a main dish, a salad, and a baked bread. All three were absolute winners.
This salad is the perfect meal after a hard workout. I love that I can prepare the ingredients in advance. This works well for meal-prep too! The only mod I made to this recipe was reducing the salt to meet my personal preferences. Thank you, Nico & Louise!
That is amazing Denise. I am really happy you liked the kale quinoa salad, I find it fantastic for meal planning too ๐
Thank you so very much for your support and kind message. We appeciate you here. Kindest, Louise
This has been my go to salad this summer. Just delicious and can be changed with what you have on hand. I use the dressing recipe for other salads as well. This whole website has been my go to this summer!
Hi Carolyn, I’m so happy you loved the salad. Thank you for your kind feedback, we’re super excited that you like our site ๐
All the best and happy Sunday, Louise