Garlicky Kale Salad (Inspired by Whole Foods)
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This garlicky kale salad is the best kale salad ever and so easy to whip up. The zesty tahini dressing is absolutely delicious and makes this recipe taste JUST like the Whole Foods garlicky kale.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m semi-addicted to the Whole Foods salad bar. Granted, my addiction may have subsided a tad since I haven’t been in the store since March, but I still vividly remember my favorites!
There are so that I often end up filling my container to the brim with different veggies, beans and salads. Sure, I end up paying an arm and a leg for my meal, but it’s totally worth it. 😉
Whole Foods Salad Bar Recreations
Of course, I have some favorite items on the bar — one being the Cracklin’ Cauliflower, which I’ve already recreated and the second is the garlicky kale salad. After reading the ingredient list for the garlicky kale salad at the bar (Yep, here’s a little secret – all items on the bar have an ingredient list posted!) I decided to make my own variation at home. I knew the ingredients, but didn’t know the exact measurements so it took a little trial and error. I’ve made it several times now and I have to say, it’s pretty spot on!
Ingredients Needed for This Kale Salad
- kale
- tahini
- apple cider vinegar (or water)
- lemon juice
- Bragg’s liquid aminos (tamari or soy sauce will work)
- nutritional yeast
- garlic
Zesty Tahini Dressing
The dressing I use for the garlicky kale salad is my zesty tahini dressing. It’s made with tahini, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, tamari, nutritional yeast and garlic. I love the zesty flavor from the garlic and apple cider vinegar and the fact that it’s oil-free.
It’s definitely one of my favorite dressings ever! You’ll love it on this kale salad, but you’ll likely want to use it for other salads too. I highly recommend making a double batch!
How to Serve this Kale Salad
This garlicky kale salad is a great side option but I also love it as a base to other salads! My trick is using this as a base and then layering leftovers on top… you can’t go wrong with leftover veggies + protein (like crispy roasted chickpeas) on this tasty salad base!
More Kale Salad Recipes to Try
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Kale Salad
- Massaged Kale Salad
- Kale & Cabbage Pad Thai Salad
- Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
- Butternut Squash Kale Salad
- Sweet Potato Kale and Quinoa Salad
- Detox Salad
- Kale Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Easy Kale Salad
More Healthy Salad Dressing Ideas
- Mexican Goddess Dressing
- Maple Dressing
- Avocado Ranch Dressing
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- Turmeric Tahini Dressing
- Avocado Caesar Dressing
- Chili Almond Dressing
- Zesty Tahini
- Healthy Caesar Dressing
Be sure to check out my healthy salad dressings as well as my salad recipes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Garlicky Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch raw kale, washed, de-stemmed and dried
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or water
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce will work
- 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons 1-2 cloves minced garlic
Instructions
- Break or cut kale into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Puree all ingredients except kale in a blender or food processor to blend the dressing.
- Pour dressing over kale and massage into the kale with your hands until all pieces of kale are coated.
- Let the salad sit in the fridge for an hour or so to marinate. You can skip this step if you need to eat right away, but allowing some time to marinate will wilt the kale a bit and make it a little more palatable – particularly for those who are skeptical of eating raw kale.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thanks. I also love this salad and am excited to try your recipe. I thought I hated kale until I tried the WF version. Do you know which variety of kale they use? When I’ve bought kale in the past it has been strong and bitter, but the kale WF uses for this salad is very mild and lettuce-like.
Made this morning and had it for lunch – finally a Kale recipe I like; it really is excellent. I will tone down the Tahini next time and possibly the nooch – it was almost too cheesy for me!! Thank you so much for sharing. BTW You should all grow your own Kale its the easiest plant I’ve ever grown and it so nice to go pick a bunch from your own patch in the morning… Love from Wales (UK)
So glad you liked the kale salad, Robin. Feel free to tweak the dressing based on your preferences. And yes, I’ve grown my own kale before and loved it! I need to plant some this summer.
Does anybody know what nutritional yeast is and why it is necessary in this dressing? Can I skip this ingredient?
Hi Jeanna. Nutritional yeast is a vegan seasoning that has a nutty, cheesy flavor. It’s an important part of the dressing. You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk bin section on must natural grocery stores or in the natural/organic section of a regular grocery store (near the spices). If you can’t find it at your local grocery store you can always buy it Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SIXnha.
This is so useful article
TnQ a lot
I am not sure who loves this more, my husband or me. Making it again tonight. I love this recipe!!
I can tell by the amount of replies how good this recipe is. I love garlic kale and this recipe is great. I only changed it, by increasing the garlic and freezing the kale before adding the dressing. Incredible!
Thanks. I also love this salad and am excited to try your recipe. I thought I hated kale until I tried the WF version. Do you know which variety of kale they use? When I’ve bought kale in the past it has been strong and bitter, but the kale WF uses for this salad is very mild and lettuce-like.
I hope you enjoy the recipe. I think they use regular curly kale or red Russian kale. Red Russian is sweeter and milder than the other varieties.