Get your kale fix with this delicious Sweet Kale Salad, inspired by the Taylor Farms salad kit you can find at Costco and other grocery stores. This delicious salad is loaded with hearty greens and veggies, a homemade creamy poppy seed dressing, and pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries on top.
This DIY kale salad kit is fast, easy, and delicious! Your whole family is sure to love it — whether you’re serving it up for lunch or as a side dish at dinner. Plus, leftovers store well for days and don’t get soggy!
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Kale Salad
- Filling and packed with fiber. This sweet kale salad is loaded up with all kinds of fibrous greens and cruciferous veggies. The kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli are sure to fill you up and leave you satisfied long after you put down your fork.
- Crowd-pleasing side or entrée. Make it for a filling lunch at home or serve it as a side dish at a fancy dinner party. This Costco copycat kale salad fits all occasions and palates. You can also customize it and add some protein to make it even more filling.
- Great for using up end-of-summer produce. Most of the ingredients (save for the pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and the homemade poppy seed dressing) are backyard garden favorites. As the growing season comes to a close and you find yourself with excess greenery, you can use up some of your bounty in a delicious way.
- No cooking necessary. This chopped salad recipe is quick, simple, and doesn’t require you to fire up the stove or preheat the oven. Chopping, mixing, and sprinkling are the only skills you’ll need to use to get kale salad on the table. It requires no cooking and minimal prep work, making it a perfect recipe for busy weeknights and activity-packed weekends.
Ingredient Notes
To make this easy Sweet Kale Salad, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- kale - kale is the ultimate superfood because it's one of the most nutrient dense foods out there. The whopping cup of kale in this recipe contains only 33 calories but it provides your daily requirement of vitamin A, K and C and is a good source elf a number of other vitamins and minerals. It's also loaded with antioxidants, helps lower cholesterol and contains cancer-fighting substances.
- brussel sprouts
- cabbage - as per the Costco DIY kale salad kit, we use both green cabbage and purple cabbage in here.
- broccoli florets
- pumpkin seeds - the pumpkin seeds in this recipe can be swapped for nuts or seeds of your choice. Slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, whole sunflower kernels, crushed pecans, cashews, and pistachios will each lend their unique flavor and crunchy texture to the salad, should you choose to use one of them here.
- dried cranberries
The creamy poppy seed dressing
The creamy poppy seed dressing is made in a minute or 2 by combining together Greek yogurt, olive oil, granulated sugar, white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar), poppy seeds, salt, and pepper.
- Greek yogurt - Greek yogurt is packed full of protein and probiotics, but it may not be the best option for you if you follow a vegan diet or have a dairy allergy. In either case, you can swap it out for unsweetened coconut or almond milk greek yogurt instead!
- sugar - though the sugar is essential to get the copycat dressing just right, it’s not completely necessary if you have a strict no-sugar policy for whatever reason. For sugar-free dressings, replace at a 1:1 ratio with stevia, erythritol, Swerve, or simply omit for a less-sweet flavor.
How to Make the Best Sweet Kale Salad
- Combine ingredients. In a large serving dish or bowl, combine the greens together including kale, brussels sprouts, green and purple cabbage, and broccoli.
- Make dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add Greek yogurt, olive oil, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper and whisk until fully combined.
- Toss. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Add toppings. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries on top and serve.
Storing Instructions
How to Store
Store leftover kale salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Although this salad doesn’t get as soggy as other salads made with lettuce, I would still recommend storing the salad and dressing in separate containers to keep the texture as fresh as possible and then add the dressing when you are ready to serve.
How to Freeze
If you plan on eating this as an actual salad again, it’s not typically recommended that you freeze the salad, as the cabbage and veggies will go limp when thawed. However, if you want to use the leftovers in other applications (see below for ideas!) you can freeze leftovers without the dressing and toppings in a sealed freezer bag for 3-6 months!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use leftovers in a creative way. If you have an excess of chopped salad leftover or you do wish to freeze the remnants, you don’t have to eat it the same way twice. The cruciferous vegetables in the salad are very versatile. Toss a cup of leftover kale salad in an egg scramble, sauté in a stir fry, or roast on a sheet pan in the oven!
- Add protein for a heartier dish. If you want to serve as a one-and-done entrée, add a significant source of protein to make the meal go further. Shredded chicken, sautéed tofu, diced steak or hard-boiled eggs are great choices to add to this already-filling salad.
More Salad Recipes
- 40 Best Salad Recipes
- Lemon Kale Salad
- Winter Kale Salad
- Classic Coleslaw
- Garden Salad
- Creamy Broccoli Slaw Salad
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Recipe
Sweet Kale Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 side salads
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Sweet Kale Salad is loaded with hearty greens, veggies, and homemade poppy seed dressing — inspired by the Taylor Farms salad kit from Costco.
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale, chopped thinly
- ½ cup brussel sprouts, chopped or shredded
- ½ cup green cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
- ¼ cup purple cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
- ¼ cup small broccoli florets, chopped
For the dressing:
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon poppy seeds
- pinch of salt and pepper
For the toppings:
- 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Instructions
- In a large serving dish or bowl, combine the greens together including kale, brussels sprouts, green and purple cabbage, and broccoli.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add Greek yogurt, olive oil, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries on top and serve.
Notes
How to store: Store leftover kale salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Although this salad doesn’t get as soggy as other salads made with lettuce, I would still recommend storing the salad and dressing in separate containers to keep the texture as fresh as possible and then add the dressing when you are ready to serve.
How to freeze: If you plan on eating this as an actual salad again, it’s not typically recommended that you freeze the salad, as the cabbage and veggies will go limp when thawed. However, if you want to use the leftovers in other applications (see below for ideas!) you can freeze leftovers without the dressing and toppings in a sealed freezer bag for 3-6 months!
Use leftovers in a creative way: If you have an excess of salad leftover or you do wish to freeze the remnants, you don’t have to eat it the same way twice. The cruciferous vegetables in the salad are very versatile. Toss a cup of leftover kale salad in an egg scramble, sauté in a stir fry, or roast on a sheet pan in the oven!
Add protein for a heartier dish: If you want to serve as a one-and-done entrée, add a significant source of protein to make the meal go further. Shredded chicken, sautéed tofu, diced steak or hard-boiled eggs are great choices to add to this already-filling salad.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: American
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Sally Pollock says
Very good
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you!
Lupe H. Gutierrez says
I love this salad. But I cant stick to a recipe! Ive added sweet, red onion finely sliced
and used Waldorf Farms Zero calorie White Balsamic and poppyseed dressing. It
was a hit at my Greek friends' Thanksgiving potluck. Yuuuuumy!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Sounds delicious! I will have to try that next time.
Enrico says
this recipe is really fantastic. Great
Nancy Feigenbaum says
Wonderful! Thank you for publishing this. Most kale salads call for lemon juice and I didn't have any. Pumpkin seeds were a great touch.
Denise Catlett says
I have lots of Red Russian Kale growing and need a tasty (but not too fattening) dressing to go on the kale salad I'm having for lunch today. Looking forward to making the poppy seed dressing with yogurt instead of Mayo.
Debbie E. says
I truly enjoy the Sweet Kale salad. As a matter of fact, everyone in my family now eats it, even down to my 7 year old grandson.