Garlicky Kale Salad (Inspired by Whole Foods)
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Published Aug 17, 2020, Updated Oct 12, 2023
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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 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.
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.
This salad is the best! The dressing is delicious. I also LOVE your creamy nutritional yeast dressing. Your blog has so many reliable recipes… I usually only follow completely vegan blogs, but yours is the only exception to that rule for me 🙂
Ahh this means so much to me, Krystal! I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe as well as other recipes on my site. Thanks so much for your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!
amazing!! i make this allll the time
Yum! So glad that you are loving this recipe, Kate. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Delicious and nutritious! I just made it for lunch and have leftovers for tomorrow.
So glad you loved this salad, Alana! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I’d really love to be able to pin this!
Great recipe!
Hi, Katie! You should be able to! Is it not an option? I can look into this.
Great dressing! I didn’t add lemon because we didn’t have any… I added water instead. Love the flavour 🙂
it looks delicious
Thanks for sharing
This was AMAZING! I’ll be making it often! 🙂
Yay! So happy you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
This was delicious; I’ve already made it several times—thanks!
So glad you loved this salad, Diana! Thanks for making it and for the review. I so appreciate it.
I’d been searching for a Whole Foods’ Garlicky Kale contender and this more than hit it out of the park!
It was perfect to prep a batch at the beginning of the week for lunches. Absolutely delicious!
Woo!! So glad this recipe was a hit, Gabrielle!! Thanks so much for making it and coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me!
Made this yesterday. It was incredible! I really love the Whole Foods garlicky kale and always thought I’d try to make it one day. Once Covid hit, I stopped eating at open food bars. This recipe nailed it! Thx so much for sharing!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this kale salad! Thanks for the review, Karyn. I really appreciate it 🙂