Would you look at that? She’s a stunner, that salad. Like sunshine in a bowl. Kale got all gussied up for us today with dazzling clementines and pomegranate, avocado and pepitas, tossed in a honey, lime and jalapeño dressing. (Insert cat call here.)
I’m treating my body kindly this week—cue the kale salad—in preparation for a fancy-pants event at the art museum this Saturday. So far, I’ve rented a dress for the occasion (from Rent the Runway/that’s a referral link/have you tried it?). I visited my hair stylist for a much-needed trim this afternoon and stopped for fresh juice before heading home. As long as I can get some beauty rest between now and then, I think I should be good to go. Champagne, please!
I’m looking forward to checking my coat at the door and dancing around in this short blue number all night. Dreary winters are made more bearable with a little color and sparkle, aren’t they? If you’re desperate for springtime already, I hope you find some relief in this vibrant salad.
I’ll be the first to admit that there’s a lot going here, but each component adds a bit of sweetness or crunch or salty creaminess. The recipe takes cues from Deb’s kale salad, but I swapped lime for lemon and added chili peppers for a south-of-the-border twist. I also added clementines since they’re so good this time of year (any type of sweet citrus would be nice, though). Feel free to trade the pomegranate for a handful of dried cranberries for a more simple (and less seedy) salad.
Kale, Clementine and Feta Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Colorful raw kale salad made with clementines, radish, avocado and pepitas, tossed in a honey, lime and jalapeño dressing. This salad is gluten free and easily made vegan by omitting the feta and substituting agave nectar for the honey.
Ingredients
Kale salad
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 medium pomegranate, arils removed, or a handful of dried cranberries
- 4 clementines, peeled and sliced into rounds or small strips
- 4 small radishes, sliced into thin rounds and then into skinny strips
- Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup pepitas (AKA pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds
Honey-Lime Dressing
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 small limes)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium jalapeño, membranes and seeds removed, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons honey (or agave nectar)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Instructions
- First, make the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Prepare the kale by slicing out the stems and chopping out the leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.
- Drizzle salad dressing over the kale (you might not need all of the dressing) and toss well so the kale is lightly coated with dressing. Add the prepared avocado, pomegranate (or dried cranberries), clementines, radishes, cilantro and feta to the bowl.
- Toast the pepitas in a skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until they smell fragrant and toasty. Transfer the pepitas to the salad bowl. Toss the salad to combine and serve.
Notes
This salad takes cues from my recipe for Deb’s kale salad with apple, cranberries and pecans.
Storage suggestions: This salad should keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of days. For best results, add avocado just before serving.
Make it vegan: Skip the feta and use agave nectar for the dressing.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Hillary
FRESH! mmm.
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
Sounds … and looks … absolutely beautiful! Perfect for the hot Aussie summer we have here right now!
I love feta with any kind of fruit … and I was thinking while reading the post that avocado would go well and hey presto, you’d included it!
Lovely salad idea – I still haven’t ever tried kale! Amazing, I know, but in Greece (where I usually live – I know, complicated …) the choice of veggies can be a bit limited, even though the ones they have are good.
Joanne
You are going to look TOTES ADORBS in that blue number!! I shall be waiting for pictures. :P And this salad looks like my kind of detox food. So many great flavors mixed in here.
Abby @ The Frosted V
Those colors are gorgeous! This has me craving a fresh salad. Have fun this weekend, that dress is cuuuute!
dana
This is gorgeous, friend! Definitely trying it out this winter. Pinned :D
Katrina @ WVS
I could seriously eat this for every meal!!
Sarah B.
So so wild and colorful, I love it. xo, girl!
Mia Russo Stern
love this salad! funny i blogged about a kale salad i made today as well. this looks very refreshing and healthy! i will try it :) i love your blog btw
Angela@eatspinrunrpt
Ok, pomegranates, pumpkin seeds and kale? You have my heart! I really wish Rent the Runway was available in Canada because I’d love to try some of their dresses! You’ll have to take some pics of your outfit – I’m sure it will be gorgeous! And speaking of gorgeous, my old MacBook crashed on the weekend which means I am reading this post on my spiffy new retina MacBook Pro, and your photos are looking extra stunning!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Such a vibrant and gorgeous salad, wish this was in front of me for dinner!
Supal {c&é}
Adding this to the list of salads to make! I have a resolution to eat salad for 5 meals a week to get in all my fruits and veggies.
Graham @ Glazed & Co
Looks absolutely delicious and super refreshing!
Your photography is out of this world.
Tieghan
That is just gorgeous! LOVE the flavors and colors!
Skye
Sunshine in a bowl, indeed. This looks absolutely heavenly. I am craving it already and I don’t even usually like kale. Yum.
Grace @ FoodFitnessF
I love when kale gets all gussied up! I can’t stop eating kale salads lately. Love the idea of the jalapeño in your dressing, too.
Sophie
I love the idea of clementine in a salad, I’ll have to have a go!
Kathryn
Look at all these colours and textures and flavours! Just the very thing to brighten up a gloomy January day. Enjoy your event this weekend – I love the dress you picked; you’re going to look stunning!
afracooking
Exactly what we need to break through all this winter gloom – fabulous both for the eye and the body!! Love it!
Amy
She’s a beauty! Delicious and nutritious!
Paula
Amazing Photos!!
Victoria
I haven’t used RtR yet, but I’ve signed up! I’m going to Vegas in late Spring and planning on getting an appointment at their boutique at the Cosmopolitan to pick out a dress for an event I’m attending while I’m there. SUPER excited about it!
As for the food…this salad looks GORGEOUS. And I’ve got most of the ingredients on hand already…I think there may be a change in the dinner plans in order for this week!
Kate
Oh man, I would love to be able to try on the RTR dresses beforehand! Such a great concept.
Nichole
Salad looks awesome, can’t wait to try it out…..and Rent the Runway is amazing…I rented a gown for a formal Gala…and truly was the Belle of the Ball (name of the Badgely Mischka dress). A $595.00 dress, for $80.00. (And they send you a second dress, same kind in a second size, ‘just in case’ the size you ordered may not fit). LOVE IT.
Love your website!! Keep the healthy tasty foods coming!
Margarita
what an incredibly gorgeous salad! the dressing sounds really delicious.
BUT, what is most gorgeous, is that blue dress you are going to be wearing. dang girl, you will look super hot in it! have fun!
Lauren (Lake Shore L
I bought way too many clementines the other day so this is a perfect way to use them up! Can’t wait to try it!
R.A.
Great timing to post this recipe as I had most of the ingredients. We had this for dinner last night and it was better than other kale salad recipes I have used in the past. We are at the end of clementine and pomegranate season here so hope to be able to get some more this weekend at the farmer’s market as I would love to make this salad again. I love alternatives to using out of season tomatoes on a salad, they just do not have good flavor this time of year.
Kate
Thank you, R.A.! I;m so glad you enjoyed the salad. I have lots of other kale salad recipes on the blog for after the pomegranates run out. :)
Virginia Ucar
So fresh!
Sophie
True, this salad is gorgeous, but I think the cat-call whistle was intended for you in that blue dress! Yeow! Maybe if I ate more of the recipes you post than the recipes I post, I would be able to rock a dress like that ;) Have a wonderful time! This salad sounds perfect — the dressing with jalapeno and lime? YES
Kate
Blushing! Thank you, Sophie.
Lisa @Garlic+Zest
Yay! Something I can eat now! We are trying to trim the holiday fat and I am eschewing all forms of carbs — this is what I need! Going to the farmers market tomorrow! Thanks!
Sini
This salad is a stunner. Like you said, sunshine in a bowl! Hope you have a great evening tomorrow. Enjoy all of it!
Joshua Hampton
Wow. Gorgeous salad. Gorgeous dress too.
Kate
Thanks, Josh! :)
Christina
I made this salad the other day and it was kind of AMAZING. Plus, it was still good leftover for lunch the next day. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
Christina, so glad you enjoyed the salad! Kale salads do hold up pretty well overnight. Glad you got to enjoy it the next day, too.
kelly
Just made this last night for my book club and it was SOOOOOO tasty. Everyone was raving about it. Thank you so much for a new recipe I will be keeping in rotation!
Kate
Kelly, I’m so happy to hear you all enjoyed the salad! Thank you for commenting!
Carolina
I tried this recipe for my my first kale salad ever and it turned out delicious! My husband loved it too. After being intimidated by kale, I now declare my self a #1 fan. Thank you Kate!!!
Kate
Hooray! That’s great news. Thank you, Carolina.
Melissa
I’ve been meaning to write this for a while. I ran across a pic of this salad at some point, and mentally bookmarked it for a future occasion because it was so stunning. Along came Xmas Eve dinner, and I knew just what I was going to make! BUT – I didn’t ACTULLY bookmark it on my computer. Just in my HEAD!! I looked for over an hour to find this recipe. When I finally did, I of course went ahead and prepared it for our family meal. It was frigging awesome! Everyone loved it, and it’s just so lovely…will definitely serve at a special occasion again! Thanks for the wonderful recipe! Best – Melissa
★★★★★
Kate
Melissa, I’m so glad you found the salad, and that is was worth the effort! Thanks for taking the time to comment. :)
Tracy
This salad won over my very skeptical husband! It was delicious and paired well with a red lentil dal and rice to round out a vegetarian dinner. I will be trying all your other kale salad recipes!
Kate
High five! Thanks, Tracy! I have quite a few other kale salads to choose from.
Alyssa
We made this tonight for dinner, and it was delicious! I subbed celery for radishes, just because that was what was on hand; otherwise, we followed the recipe. Love this nice fresh change from all the heavy winter dishes!
★★★★★
Kate
Happy to hear it! Thank you, Alyssa.
Monique
I loved, loved, loved this salad, and so did the rest of my family. My 15-year old stashed the leftovers (there wasn’t much after we each had double-helpings) for her school lunch tomorrow. That’s a great indication of how much it was revered!
Kate
Awesome!!! So happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know, Monique!
laura c
I’d never been able to make a satisfying kale salad for myself before–this one is a gamechanger.
Made some changes based on what I had (no avocado or radish, almonds for pepitas), so I’m eager to try it as written as well. Realizing that a lot of more mexican flavors that I love could actually pair well with kale has opened up all kinds of avenues, cheers!!
Kate
Thank you, Laura! Glad to hear it!
Maxi
I stumbled across this recipe while searching for a kale salad for our BBQ we were hosting. My parents agreed I could choose a kale salad to fix, so I went on a hunt, and this was what I found! We all loved this salad, and I even got a few comments from our friends who attended that they liked it too! It’s fruity and fresh and just perfect. We’ve made it three times since in the last week, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be stopping anytime soon! The only changes we made to the recipe were leaving out the feta and adding in crispy paleo bacon – delectable! Seriously, amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Melissa
So super yummy!! I wasn’t sure how I would like all the different elements of this salad together, but they just work! My whole family (3 kids included) loved it. Will definitely be making this one again.
★★★★★
Paula
Delicious! Made two nights in a row! LOVE your recipes… lovely layers of flavor and versatile. Didn’t have clementines so used mangoes, didn’t have radish or pomegranates so used red onion and served blackened salmon on top. The cilantro really brightens up the salad and the jalapeno in the dressing is genius! Keep the recipes coming! :–)))
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Paula! Your version sounds fantastic.
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Sumano
Hello,
I am happy to have found your page.
Having lived in AZ for 13 years I got to appreciate kale so much.
Now back in Germany it is still viewed as poor people/after war food and not very popular.
I tried two of your recipes so far with slight variations, depending on what a had at home, but loooved them both.
Thanks a lot!
Sumano
N
Very good. Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome!
Chris
Hey! I frequent your site and in search of a good kale recipe , I have made your debs kale salad before but I love the ingredients in this one… problem is I don’t like jalapeño but my friend loves them… I’m strictly making this for her since she can’t have my greek quinoa salad – she follows a keto diet… hmmm… do you guys find the jalapeño to be hot? I don’t typically tolerate heat lol What to doooooo
Kate
Hi Chris! You can omit the jalapeño if needed.
Crystal
Amazing!! I loved every layer of flavor and crunch in this salad. I’m making it again tonight!
★★★★★
Kate
YESSS so good to hear! Thanks, Crystal :)
Linda faust
Exactly the fruit/salad recipes I have been looking for! Delicious to the last bite!
★★★★★
Kate
Awesome! So glad this is what you were looking for, Linda.
PAM
Made this salad today, Kate. The dressing is spectacular! The only change I made was using the rest of a kale salad mix I had languishing in the refrigerator. Now to find other excuses & surprising ways to use that dressing !
Kate
Great to hear, Pam!
Mj
Absolutely loved the flavor explosion of this salad. Everything about it is taste bud exciting. I’ve made it three times and am craving it once again. Is definitely a recipe I will revisit time and again. Thanks so very much. I would not have thought of putting all of these flavors together on my own.
★★★★★
Kate
Flavor explosion – love that! I might need to use that. I’m glad this is on repeat for you. Thanks, MJ for your comment and review.
Pat Maruscak
Made this for Easter with oranges & dried cranberries. Everyone enjoyed it.
I will definitely make it again & again. Thanks for recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
A great salad for Easter! Thanks for the comment, Pat.
Paula Keeler
I made this salad tonight! Home grown kale, organic oranges (from my friend’s tree) avocado, goat cheese cranberries and the toasted pumpkin seeds. The dressing was so delicious! loved this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I bet homegrown makes this even better! Thanks for sharing, Paula.
Laura
delicious, fresh, perfect for January! My carnivore boyfriend loved it!
★★★★★
Kate
Great! I’m glad it was just what you were looking for, Laura.
Jenn
I LOVE THIS SALAD SO MUCH!! I have made it 2 days in a row for lunch and cannot wait to have it again tomorrow. The toasted pumpkin seeds are a game changer. And the dressing is seriously delicious. The spicy jalapeño combined with the sweet honey and citrus from the lime, my mouth is watering. My carnivore husband can’t wait to try this with me tmrw and I know he’s going to love it too. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I love pumpkin seeds! I’m glad you do, too. Thanks for sharing how much you loved this one, Jenn!
Rachel Turlington Andrews
I loved this!!! It was like if a margarita could be a salad
Susan H
Hi, Kate. Would this dressing be a good accompaniment to a slaw with purple cabbage, carrots, kale and red pepper? I’m looking for a mayo-free, cilantro-free dressing that will work well with smoked brisket, and I know you’ll have the solution. Thank you.
Kate
I think that sounds delicious to go on that salad mix.
Susan H
Thanks, Kate. Your site is my go-to resource. I’ve made so many of your recipes (always with rave reviews) and have pointed others to your site, too.
Nathalie
How come this one did not make it in your Best kale salad list?!
★★★★★
Kayla
I absolutely love this salad!!!! I just discovered it last month and have made it at least three times by now. Love it!!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Kayla! Thank you for your review.
Laz
If I added a bean to this, what kind do you think could go well? Edamame, garbanzo, something else? Thanks!
Kate
Hi, I think garbanzo is usually a great option to add a subtle change and protein.