Power Kale Salad Recipe & Almond Butter Dressing

You know when you make something and you’re just like, “Yesssssssss”? That was my reaction with this power kale salad recipe.

I had half-used celery root, kale, and an apple on the verge of going bad. I don’t always love kale, but figured I could transform it using these ingredients, some leftover farro, and a small packet of Justin’s almond butter I had. The result blew me away.

This power kale salad recipe has everything going for it: it’s filling thanks to the celery root, almond butter, and farro, but fresh and light thanks to lemon and apple. It’s an absolutely gorgeous salad. Plus, you can prep the farro over the weekend and enjoy this easy weeknight meal any day of the week!

Friends, I love this salad. Get ready for this gorgeous, healthy kale power salad with almond butter dressing to become your new favorite healthy lunch or weeknight meal!

What’s a power kale salad recipe?

People refer to “power kale salads” as ones that include hearty, nutrient dense ingredients that will fill you up. I’m not a nutritionist, but essentially it means the salad has more heft, protein, and fat than your typical salad. This is desirable for those times you need healthy lunches that will power you through the day until dinner. Or when you need a weeknight meal that doesn’t leave you peckish before bed.

This gorgeous salad has a ton of ingredients to give it heft: celery root, farro, apples, and almond butter. It’s also a weeknight friendly recipe that will take you under 30 minutes to create! All in all, this power kale salad with almond butter dressing is the bomb!

What this kale power salad tastes like

Despite all the filling ingredients, this chopped kale salad is surprisingly zingy and bright. That’s because there’s a generous dose of both lemon juice and lemon zest. It also has a deep, umami flavor thanks to some hidden anchovy and Parmesan cheese in the almond butter salad dressing. But don’t worry, it’s not fishy!

I love all the texture in this power kale salad recipe. You have the pleasant gummy-ness the farro provide, the crisp crunch of the apples and celery root, and pops of juice from the pomegranate if you add them. And I love the freshness that the celery root and apple add to this dish.

In addition to the flavors, one of my favorite things about this power kale salad is how it still tastes good after a few days. Dressed salad never lasts, but kale is the absolute best because even when dressed, it retains its texture better than most leafy greens. This makes it a great healthy lunch that you can prep on the weekends.

What’s more, as the ingredients meld together, the flavors change. Right after you make it, it’s very bright and citrus-y. But over the next few days, the acid flavors tone down and the umami flavors become more prominent. You start tasting the almond and Parmesan more.

I slightly prefer the flavors of the salad fresh, so if you meal prep you can also reserve dressing and pour it on when you’re ready to eat it. Either way, you’re going to love this salad…even if you don’t love kale!

Make ahead tips & substitutions

You can make quite a few ingredients in this salad ahead of time. For example, prep the farro and chop the kale ahead of time so it’s very quick and easy to finish the recipe after a long day at work.

I don’t recommend cutting the celery root or apples ahead of time since they’ll brown, but a bit of lemon juice should do the trick if you need to. You can also make the dressing ahead, but you’ll get the most bright, zesty notes if you serve it fresh.

Substitutions

This power kale salad with almond butter dressing is very forgiving to substitutions. Here are some ways you can make it your own:

Swap out vegetables. Have parsnip instead of celery root or pear instead of apple? Sub it! You can really add any pantry staples you have on hand.
Make it dairy free. You can easily skip the dairy by removing the Parmesan from this recipe. You can consider adding nutritional yeast if it’s on hand to add some of that umami flavor.
Add crunch. If you want more crunch, add pumpkin seeds or other nuts you have on hand!
Add even more acid. If I have leftover pickled red onions from another recipe, I love adding it to this large salad to make it even more zippy.
Add chickpeas. I love adding roasted chickpeas to this dish. Just roast canned chickpeas that have been rinsed and drained and tossed in olive oil and salt for about 30 minute at 375℉ until crispy.
Customize the grain. If I don’t have farro, I’ll use wheat berries like I use in my go-to vegetarian Mexican stuffed peppers recipe. It’ll just be a bit less chewy. Another option is you you can skip the grain all together for a gluten free-friendly recipe.

How to make the power kale salad recipe

Serves 2 for dinner, 4 for appetizer | Active 15 minutes | 20 minutes total

Ingredients:

1 small clove of garlic, minced
1 anchovy fillet, minced & mashed into a paste
1 tsp. lemon zest
lemon juice from half a large lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. almond butter
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese (or similar, like pecorino romano)
1 bunch of kale, rib removed, torn into pieces or chopped, & washed (~4-5 cups)
1/2 small celery root, peeled & cut into 1/4″ matchsticks (a mandolin helps here)
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, & thinly sliced
1/2 cup uncooked farro (or 1 cup cooked)
1 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup pomegranates or dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Cook the farro if needed: Rinse the farro under cold water, removing any tiny stones or wonky looking grains. Bring water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water, then add ~1/2 C uncooked farro to the water. Reduce heat to medium and cook at a rapid simmer until cooked through. You want it to still have some chew, which will take different cook times depending on if you have pearled or whole farro. Start checking at about 15 minutes. When done, drain and set 1 cup aside until you’re ready to serve. Reserve any extra for another use.
Make the almond butter dressing: Whisk the garlic, anchovy, lemon zest, lemon juice, almond butter, and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl until well incorporated. While whisking vigorously, drizzle the olive oil and continue whisking until emulsified. Season the almond butter dressing with salt and pepper.
Prep the power kale salad: Add the cleaned and chopped kale to a large bowl. Drizzle some of the dressing from the small bowl over the kale and toss with hands, massaging the kale with the dressing until the mass of greens reduces in size a bit. Add the remaining dressing a bit at a time to desired level. Set aside the kale salad until you’re ready to serve (breaking leaves with dressing and letting it sit for at least 5 minutes helps remove the bitterness from the kale). If you have leftover dressing, reserve it for another use.
Assemble the salad: Add the celery root, apple, and cooked grains to the bowl. Mix. Sprinkle with parsley, lightly toss, and serve. You can also add pomegranates when in season for a pop of color and sweetness. Or you can add dried cranberries!

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Nutritional Facts Disclaimer: I am not a registered nutritionist and therefore these numbers are approximate. I researched the serving sizes and facts for each ingredient in this recipe (mostly using the manufacturer labels and this site), but slight variations in things like seasoning, garnishes, and substitutions can change the nutritional information. Use this information only as a general indication of your nutritional intake.