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.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I had my first garlic kale while on vacation in Hawaii at a Whole Foods in Kailua. It was so delicious after a day at the beach and I found myself thinking about it well after the stop. I live in Boulder and while we have Whole Foods I haven’t seen this salad. Thanks to you I am able to have this delicious salad whenever I want. Maholo!
Oh wow – this is delish!! I hate to be WF-blasphemous but I like your recipe better! My daughter and I were eating it out of the serving bowl!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
You rock! Just whipped up a batch in my blender. Had to buy Bragg’s and nutritional yeast but because I am so enamored of the kale salad it was motivated to try.
You are magnificent!!!
Yay! So glad you like it!
Hi! I just had this awesome salad from whole foods yesterday and I loved it so much I was just trying to find a recipe online to make it at home. Your recipe hits the mark! Thank you thank you! Awesome blog
This may have already been said (I didn’t read through all 60 comments)
This is better than the Whole Foods salad bar version. I could literally eat this twice a day, 7 days a week and not get tired of it. I tried to make it more of a meal, so I added some candied-walnuts, a little bit of grilled chicken and grape tomatoes.
It is delicious by itself, though.
Fantastic! I often try to make at home versions of prepared food I’ve enjoyed. Sometimes I luck out and can get a recipe from a chef, a list of ingredients or have the great good luck of guesstimating with good results. Even with recipes and lists of ingredients it can become a long-term process, trying and adjusting over time. I’ve been working on a Burmese green papaya salad for a couple of years (very different than Thai green papaya salad which is much easier to duplicate IMHO). My attempts at Burmese salad are tasty, but short of the OMG goodness of Mandalay’s green papaya salad (Mandalay a most highly recommended home-style Burmese restaurant in Silver Spring MD). Anyway just saying I really appreciate finding this spot-on recipe that worked first time. Thank-You sooo much for posting the result of your efforts. This salad is delicious!
You can also buy the zesty tahini sauce from the produce department. That is what they use for the garlicky kale on the bar. I asked and the guy walked me right to it.
(I didn’t read all the comments. Apologize if this was also mentioned).
Thank YOU!!!! This is so delicious. I didn’t have any apple cider vinegar on hand, so I used balsamic vinegar and it tasted awesome still. I crave this kale salad so much and I really appreciate you taking the time to write this out!
So glad you like it Ashlee!
This recipe is amazing! The first time I made it I thought it was pretty good. Two days later I had the leftovers and…Wow! I make it all the time now (2x’s a week usually)!
Thanks Amalie – I agree that it tastes even better once the flavors have a chance to “marinate.” 🙂
I just made some tahini +braggs aminos+ tamari kale chips and made such a huuuuge bage.. unfortunately they are almost gone after just 1 day.. 🙁 i am in love with those babies! garlicky ones look amazing too!! i have to watch out not to overeat on them, i feel like they can get a bit difficult to digest.
but anyways.. they are nutritional powerhouses.. and so many ways and flavours to come up with for kale chips!! yumm