This delicious and creamy kale caesar salad is made in under 30 minutes and is the perfect staple to have in the refrigerator. You can additionally top it off with cooked protein to make it an all inclusive meal. It is dairy free, paleo, and Whole30.
What's special about this kale caesar salad recipe?
This unique creamy kale salad is unique and delicious thanks to the combination of ingredients in the dressing, as well as the accompaniments chosen for the salad itself.
I love topping it off with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and cracked black pepper. Delicious! 🙂
- It can be made into a comprehensive meal if topped off with cooked protein like: grilled chicken or shrimp.
- Store the dressing separately and it will keep well in the refrigerator all week long- great for meal planning!
- Feel free to mix it up if you aren't into kale and use romaine lettuce. You can also do half kale and half romaine- yum!
- The salad is gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and Whole30.
What ingredients go inside kale caesar salad?
The dairy-free ceasar dressing is made up of a short list of ingredients and will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Here is what you will need:
- Avocado or safflower oil
- Egg
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Anchovies
- Garlic cloves
- Red wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
As for the salad ingredients themselves, you'll grab:
- Kale
- Green apple
- Avocado
- Persian cucumbers
- Red onion
- Sliced almonds
Which type of kale to use?
When it comes to kale, there are a handful of varieties. My personal favorite combination for kale caesar salad is a mix of green kale (aka curly kale) and lacinato kale.
Green Kale (Curly Kale): This is the most common and widely available type of kale. It is known for having curly edges/ridges that make it desirable for salads or for sautéing.
Lacinato Kale (Dinosaur or Tuscan Kale): This kale has thinner leaves, so it breaks down and cooks more quickly than other types of kale.
Red Kale: Very similar in taste and texture to green kale. The only different is the color.
Baby Kale: It can commonly be found in a box of mixed greens. It is young kale and very soft and tender.
Do I have to massage the kale?
Yes. I highly recommend you do not skip this step immediately after de-stemming all of the kale.
Raw kale is not typically very palatable unless it has been given a nice massage. It releases a lot of the toughness, frigidity and in turn, bitter notes that are found in uncooked kale.
It will only take a few minutes, so I don't want you to skip this step! 😉
How to make creamy kale caesar salad
Prepare the dressing first: In a glass jar (see notes), pour in the oil. Add egg to the oil and let the ingredients settle for 1 minute.
Take the immersion blender and let it touch the bottom of the container, piercing the egg yolk completely. Turn the immersion blender on and leave it on the bottom for about 20-30 seconds, until the whole bottom has turned white in color.
VERY SLOWLY lift it up to continue emulsifying. This process should take anywhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue blending until the mixture has thickened to your desired amount.
Add the rest of the dressing ingredients to the jar. Blend again, moving the blender up and down until smooth and creamy throughout. Set aside.
Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. You can use a salad spinner or paper towels to do a great job here. De-stem and cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
Place in a large mixing bowl and massage with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil or olive oil. Massage the kale for 3-4 minutes with your hands. Season with a few large pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.
Toss thoroughly with the dressing (add about ¾ of it). Add the rest of the ingredients and add more dressing if you’d like depending on your preference. I ended up using it all.
Top off with fresh lemon juice and more salt and pepper, if needed.
Recipe notes
- You can alternatively use safflower oil or a light-tasting olive oil for the base of the mayo/dressing.
- You can use 1 ½ tablespoons of apple cider vinegar instead of the lemon juice.
- If your mayo does break, here is an incredible tutorial that will get it emulsified and creamy!
- If you'd like your dressing thinner, simply add in room temperature water 1 tablespoon at a time and stir until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Simply omit the parmesan cheese to make this recipe dairy free and Whole30.
More delicious salad recipes you'll love:
Creamy Kale Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Caesar Dressing
- 1 cup avocado oil or safflower oil (see notes)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 5 anchovies
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salad
- 2 bunches kale (i.e. Green & Lacinato)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 4 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated or shredded, omit for Whole30
- 2 small avocados diced
- 1 large green apple quartered and thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- 1 lemon juiced, to taste
Instructions
Caesar Dressing
- In a glass jar (see notes), pour in the oil. Add egg to the oil and let the ingredients settle for 1 minute.
- Take the immersion blender and let it touch the bottom of the container, piercing the egg yolk completely. Turn the immersion blender on and leave it on the bottom for about 20-30 seconds, until the whole bottom has turned white in color.
- VERY SLOWLY lift it up to continue emulsifying. This process should take anywhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue blending until the mixture has thickened to your desired amount.
- Add the rest of the dressing ingredients to the jar. Blend again, moving the blender up and down until smooth and creamy throughout. Set aside.
Salad
- Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. You can use a salad spinner or paper towels to do a great job here. De-stem and cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Place in a large mixing bowl and massage with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil or olive oil. Massage the kale for 3-4 minutes with your hands. Season with a few large pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.
- Toss thoroughly with the dressing (add about ¾ of it). Add the rest of the ingredients and add more dressing if you’d like depending on your preference. I ended up using it all.
- Top off with fresh lemon juice and more salt and pepper, if needed.
Notes
- You can alternatively use safflower oil or a light-tasting olive oil.
- You can use 1.5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar instead of the lemon juice.
- If your mayo does break, here is an incredible tutorial that will get it emulsified and creamy!
- If you'd like your dressing thinner, simply add in room temperature water 1 tablespoon at a time and stir until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Simply omit the parmesan cheese to make this recipe dairy free and Whole30.
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